DocPad 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?
DocPad
Streamlined static site generator for any content
VS
Franklin
Static site generator written in Julia
| Feature | DocPad | Franklin |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Blogging Platforms | Blogging Platforms |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Language | CoffeeScript | Julia |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | source, binary | source, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 3,046 | ★ 1,063 |
| First released | 2012 | 2019 |
| Replaces | WordPress, Jekyll | Jekyll, Hugo |
Why pick each one
Choose DocPad if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Active community (3k GitHub stars)
- Written in CoffeeScript
- Tiny footprint — runs in 128 MB RAM
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 DocPad or Franklin better?
Neither is universally better. DocPad has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are DocPad and Franklin free and open-source?
Yes. DocPad is licensed under MIT and Franklin under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run DocPad and Franklin with Docker?
DocPad: check the project docs for container support. Franklin: check the project docs for container support.