FlatPress vs Zola
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?
FlatPress
Database-free blogging engine that is easy to host
VS
Zola
Fast static site engine in a single binary
| Feature | FlatPress | Zola |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Blogging Platforms | Blogging Platforms |
| License | GPL-2.0 | MIT |
| Language | PHP | Rust |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, source | binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 215 | ★ 17,308 |
| First released | 2005 | 2017 |
| Replaces | WordPress, Blogger | WordPress, Medium |
Why pick each one
Frequently asked questions
Is FlatPress or Zola better?
Neither is universally better. Zola has the larger community, while FlatPress is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are FlatPress and Zola free and open-source?
Yes. FlatPress is licensed under GPL-2.0 and Zola under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run FlatPress and Zola with Docker?
FlatPress: check the project docs for container support. Zola: check the project docs for container support.