Cobalt vs Franklin
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted blogging platforms options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
| Feature | Cobalt | Franklin |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Blogging Platforms | Blogging Platforms |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Language | Rust | Julia |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 64 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | binary, source | source, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1,535 | ★ 1,063 |
| First released | 2015 | 2019 |
| Replaces | Jekyll, Hugo | Jekyll, Hugo |
Why pick each one
Choose Cobalt if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Active community (1.5k GitHub stars)
- Written in Rust
Choose Franklin if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Active community (1.1k GitHub stars)
- Written in Julia
- Tiny footprint — runs in 256 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Cobalt or Franklin better?
Cobalt is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Franklin if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Cobalt and Franklin free and open-source?
Yes. Cobalt is licensed under MIT and Franklin under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Cobalt and Franklin with Docker?
Cobalt: check the project docs for container support. Franklin: check the project docs for container support.