Automad vs Pico
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted content management systems options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Automad | Pico |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 82 · Excellent | 65 · Good |
| Category | Content Management Systems | Content Management Systems |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Language | TypeScript | PHP |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, source | bare-metal, docker, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 937 | ★ 3,905 |
| First released | 2014 | 2012 |
| Replaces | WordPress | WordPress |
What are Automad and Pico?
Automad
Automad is a flexible flat-file content management system with a built-in template engine and an in-page editing dashboard. It stores all content in text files for easy version control.
- Flat-file content
- Built-in template engine
- In-page editing dashboard
- Git-friendly
Pico
Pico is a minimal, fast flat-file content management system that uses Markdown files for content and Twig templates for layout. It needs no database and no admin backend.
- No database required
- Markdown content
- Twig templating
- Tiny footprint
Automad vs Pico: key differences
Automad is written in TypeScript, while Pico is built with PHP. Pico is the more established project (first released 2012), while Automad arrived in 2014. Pico has the considerably larger community, at 3,905 GitHub stars versus 937.
Why pick each one
Choose Automad if…
- No database to manage
- Self-contained and portable
Watch out for
- Small community
- Limited extensions
Choose Pico if…
- Extremely lightweight
- Zero configuration to start
Watch out for
- No admin UI by default
- Not for large dynamic sites
Frequently asked questions
Is Automad or Pico better?
Neither is universally better. Pico has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Automad and Pico free and open-source?
Yes. Automad is licensed under MIT and Pico under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Automad and Pico with Docker?
Automad: yes. Pico: yes.