Eleventy vs Mataroa
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted blogging platforms options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Eleventy
Simpler static site generator for fast websites
VS
Mataroa
Naked blogging platform for minimalists
| Feature | Eleventy | Mataroa |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 95 · Excellent | 71 · Good |
| Category | Blogging Platforms | Blogging Platforms |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Language | JavaScript | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | binary, source | docker, bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 19,929 | ★ 368 |
| First released | 2018 | 2020 |
| Replaces | WordPress, Medium | Medium, Substack |
What are Eleventy and Mataroa?
Eleventy
Eleventy is a flexible open-source static site generator written in JavaScript that works with many templating languages. It is popular for blogs and documentation due to its simplicity and speed.
- Supports many template languages
- Fast incremental builds
- Zero client-side JavaScript by default
- Flexible data cascade
Mataroa
Mataroa is an open-source, minimalist blogging platform built with Django. It strips blogging down to plain writing and publishing, with no tracking, ads, or distractions.
- Minimalist writing focus
- No tracking or ads
- Newsletter export
- RSS feeds
Eleventy vs Mataroa: key differences
Eleventy is written in JavaScript, while Mataroa is built with Python. Eleventy is the more established project (first released 2018), while Mataroa arrived in 2020. Eleventy has the considerably larger community, at 19,929 GitHub stars versus 368. Mataroa lists first-class Docker deployment; Eleventy does not.
Why pick each one
Choose Eleventy if…
- Very flexible templating
- Lean output
Watch out for
- No built-in admin
- Requires Node tooling
Choose Mataroa if…
- Distraction-free
- Privacy-respecting
Watch out for
- Very few features by design
- Limited theming
Frequently asked questions
Is Eleventy or Mataroa better?
Neither is universally better. Eleventy has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Eleventy and Mataroa free and open-source?
Yes. Eleventy is licensed under MIT and Mataroa under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Eleventy and Mataroa with Docker?
Eleventy: check the project docs for container support. Mataroa: yes.