Acrylamid vs Serendipity
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted blogging platforms options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Acrylamid | Serendipity |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 10 · At risk | 76 · Good |
| Category | Blogging Platforms | Blogging Platforms |
| License | BSD-2-Clause | BSD-3-Clause |
| Language | Python | PHP |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 64 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | source, binary | docker, bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 280 | ★ 227 |
| First released | 2011 | 2003 |
| Replaces | WordPress, Blogger | WordPress, Blogger |
What are Acrylamid and Serendipity?
Acrylamid
Acrylamid is a static blog compiler written in Python that focuses on fast incremental rebuilds and supports multiple markup languages. It generates a complete static site that can be hosted anywhere.
- Incremental rebuilds
- Multiple markup formats
- Static output
- Jinja2 templating
Serendipity
Serendipity is an open-source PHP and MySQL-powered weblog application that emphasizes ease of use and effective spam protection. It supports plugins, themes, and multiple blogs.
- Strong built-in spam protection
- Plugin and theme system
- Multiple blog support
- Easy upgrades
Acrylamid vs Serendipity: key differences
Acrylamid is written in Python, while Serendipity is built with PHP. Licensing differs — BSD-2-Clause for Acrylamid versus BSD-3-Clause for Serendipity. Acrylamid is the lighter option, starting around 64 MB of RAM against 256 MB for Serendipity. Serendipity is the more established project (first released 2003), while Acrylamid arrived in 2011. Serendipity lists first-class Docker deployment; Acrylamid does not.
Why pick each one
Choose Acrylamid if…
- Released under the BSD-2-Clause license
- Written in Python
- Tiny footprint — runs in 64 MB RAM
Choose Serendipity if…
- Excellent spam handling
- Stable long-running project
Watch out for
- Small modern community
- Dated default themes
Frequently asked questions
Is Acrylamid or Serendipity better?
Neither is universally better. Acrylamid has the larger community, while Serendipity is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Acrylamid and Serendipity free and open-source?
Yes. Acrylamid is licensed under BSD-2-Clause and Serendipity under BSD-3-Clause. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Acrylamid and Serendipity with Docker?
Acrylamid: check the project docs for container support. Serendipity: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Acrylamid or Serendipity?
Acrylamid has the smaller minimum footprint at 64 MB of RAM, compared to about 256 MB for Serendipity. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.