Astro vs Quartz
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted blogging platforms options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Astro | Quartz |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 100 · Excellent | 75 · Good |
| Category | Blogging Platforms | Blogging Platforms |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Language | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | binary, source | source, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 62,777 | ★ 13,281 |
| First released | 2021 | 2021 |
| Replaces | WordPress, Medium | Notion, Medium |
What are Astro and Quartz?
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
Quartz
Quartz is a static site generator that transforms Markdown notes, including Obsidian vaults, into a fast, searchable digital garden website. It supports backlinks, graph views, and full-text search out of the box.
- Digital garden publishing
- Backlinks and graph view
- Full-text search
- Obsidian compatible
Astro vs Quartz: key differences
Both projects are written in TypeScript. Quartz is the lighter option, starting around 256 MB of RAM against 512 MB for Astro. Astro has the considerably larger community, at 62,777 GitHub stars versus 13,281.
Why pick each one
Choose Astro if…
- Excellent performance
- Flexible component model
Watch out for
- No admin UI
- Requires Node tooling
Choose Quartz if…
- Great for note publishing
- Fast static output
Watch out for
- Static-only
- Build step required
Frequently asked questions
Is Astro or Quartz better?
Neither is universally better. Astro has the larger community, while Quartz is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Astro and Quartz free and open-source?
Yes. Astro is licensed under MIT and Quartz under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Astro and Quartz with Docker?
Astro: check the project docs for container support. Quartz: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, Astro or Quartz?
Quartz has the smaller minimum footprint at 256 MB of RAM, compared to about 512 MB for Astro. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.