Astro vs Publii
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted blogging platforms options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Astro | Publii |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 100 · Excellent | 91 · Excellent |
| Category | Blogging Platforms | Blogging Platforms |
| License | MIT | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | TypeScript | HTML |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | binary, source | binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 62,777 | ★ 7,318 |
| First released | 2021 | 2017 |
| Replaces | WordPress, Medium | WordPress, Squarespace |
What are Astro and Publii?
Astro
Astro is an open-source web framework for building fast, content-focused websites and blogs. It ships zero JavaScript by default and supports components from React, Vue, Svelte, and more.
- Zero JavaScript by default
- Use any UI framework
- Content collections for blogs
- Fast static output
Publii
Publii is an open-source desktop application for building fast, secure static websites and blogs. It provides a friendly graphical interface and publishes the generated site to hosting or Git.
- Desktop GUI for static sites
- One-click publishing
- Built-in themes
- No server runtime needed
Astro vs Publii: key differences
Astro is written in TypeScript, while Publii is built with HTML. Licensing differs — MIT for Astro versus GPL-3.0 for Publii. Publii is the more established project (first released 2017), while Astro arrived in 2021. Astro has the considerably larger community, at 62,777 GitHub stars versus 7,318.
Why pick each one
Choose Astro if…
- Excellent performance
- Flexible component model
Watch out for
- No admin UI
- Requires Node tooling
Choose Publii if…
- Very approachable for non-developers
- Secure static output
Watch out for
- Single-author workflow
- Desktop app required to edit
Frequently asked questions
Is Astro or Publii better?
Neither is universally better. Astro has the larger community, while Publii is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Astro and Publii free and open-source?
Yes. Astro is licensed under MIT and Publii under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Astro and Publii with Docker?
Astro: check the project docs for container support. Publii: check the project docs for container support.