Ech0 vs Middleman
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?
Ech0
Lightweight federated publishing platform focused on personal idea
VS
Middleman
Ruby static site generator with modern tooling
| Feature | Ech0 | Middleman |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Blogging Platforms | Blogging Platforms |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Language | Go | Ruby |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker, kubernetes | source, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 2,035 | ★ 7,113 |
| First released | 2026 | 2009 |
| Replaces | — | Jekyll, WordPress |
Why pick each one
Choose Ech0 if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Kubernetes-ready with Helm charts available
- Active community (2k GitHub stars)
Choose Middleman if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Mature project with 7.1k GitHub stars
- Written in Ruby
- Tiny footprint — runs in 256 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Ech0 or Middleman better?
Neither is universally better. Middleman has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Ech0 and Middleman free and open-source?
Yes. Ech0 is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Middleman under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Ech0 and Middleman with Docker?
Ech0: yes. Middleman: check the project docs for container support.