Astro vs Zola
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted blogging platforms options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Astro | Zola |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 100 · Excellent | 95 · Excellent |
| Category | Blogging Platforms | Blogging Platforms |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Language | TypeScript | Rust |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | binary, source | binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 62,756 | ★ 17,464 |
| First released | 2021 | 2017 |
| Replaces | WordPress, Medium | WordPress, Medium |
What are Astro and Zola?
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
Zola
Zola is an open-source static site generator written in Rust that ships as a single binary with no dependencies. It builds blogs and documentation sites quickly with built-in Sass and search support.
- Single dependency-free binary
- Fast builds
- Built-in Sass compilation
- Built-in search index
Astro vs Zola: key differences
Astro is written in TypeScript, while Zola is built with Rust. Zola is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 512 MB for Astro. Zola is the more established project (first released 2017), while Astro arrived in 2021. Astro has the considerably larger community, at 62,756 GitHub stars versus 17,464.
Why pick each one
Choose Astro if…
- Excellent performance
- Flexible component model
Watch out for
- No admin UI
- Requires Node tooling
Choose Zola if…
- No toolchain to install
- Very fast
Watch out for
- No admin UI
- Smaller theme selection
Frequently asked questions
Is Astro or Zola better?
Neither is universally better. Astro has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Astro and Zola free and open-source?
Yes. Astro is licensed under MIT and Zola under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Astro and Zola with Docker?
Astro: check the project docs for container support. Zola: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, Astro or Zola?
Zola has the smaller minimum footprint at 128 MB of RAM, compared to about 512 MB for Astro. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.