Dotclear vs Hexo
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted blogging platforms options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Dotclear | Hexo |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 62 · Good | 98 · Excellent |
| Category | Blogging Platforms | Blogging Platforms |
| License | GPL-2.0 | MIT |
| Language | PHP | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, source | binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 46 | ★ 41,774 |
| First released | 2003 | 2012 |
| Replaces | WordPress, Blogger | WordPress, Blogger |
What are Dotclear and Hexo?
Dotclear
Dotclear is a long-standing open-source blogging engine designed to be easy to install and use. It offers themes, plugins, and full control over publishing without proprietary lock-in.
- Easy installation
- Theme and plugin support
- Multi-blog management
- Built-in media handling
Hexo
Hexo is an open-source static blog framework built with Node.js that turns Markdown into a fast static site. It is widely used by developers for personal blogs with a rich plugin ecosystem.
- Fast Markdown-based builds
- Large plugin and theme ecosystem
- One-command deployment
- Highly extensible
Dotclear vs Hexo: key differences
Dotclear is written in PHP, while Hexo is built with TypeScript. Licensing differs — GPL-2.0 for Dotclear versus MIT for Hexo. Dotclear is the more established project (first released 2003), while Hexo arrived in 2012. Hexo has the considerably larger community, at 41,774 GitHub stars versus 46. Dotclear lists first-class Docker deployment; Hexo does not.
Why pick each one
Choose Dotclear if…
- Simple to set up
- Mature and stable
Watch out for
- Smaller community
- Less known outside France
Choose Hexo if…
- Popular with developers
- Rich plugin ecosystem
Watch out for
- No admin UI
- Node toolchain required
Frequently asked questions
Is Dotclear or Hexo better?
Neither is universally better. Hexo has the larger community, while Dotclear is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Dotclear and Hexo free and open-source?
Yes. Dotclear is licensed under GPL-2.0 and Hexo under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Dotclear and Hexo with Docker?
Dotclear: yes. Hexo: check the project docs for container support.