Gridsome vs Hexo Admin
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted blogging platforms options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Gridsome | Hexo Admin |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 29 · At risk | 20 · At risk |
| Category | Blogging Platforms | Blogging Platforms |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Language | JavaScript | JavaScript |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | source, binary | source, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 8,464 | ★ 1,788 |
| First released | 2018 | 2014 |
| Replaces | Gatsby, WordPress | WordPress |
What are Gridsome and Hexo Admin?
Gridsome
Gridsome is a free and open-source Vue.js-powered framework for building static generated websites and apps that are fast by default. It pulls data from any source into a unified GraphQL layer for use in pages and templates.
- Unified GraphQL data layer
- Vue single-page experience
- Plugin sources
- Static prerendering
Hexo Admin
Hexo Admin is a plugin that adds a web-based editing dashboard to the Hexo static blog generator, allowing posts to be written and managed through a browser. It brings a CMS-like workflow to an otherwise file-based generator.
- Browser-based editor
- Live preview
- Image uploads
- Hexo integration
Gridsome vs Hexo Admin: key differences
Both projects are written in JavaScript. Hexo Admin is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 512 MB for Gridsome. Hexo Admin is the more established project (first released 2014), while Gridsome arrived in 2018. Gridsome has the considerably larger community, at 8,464 GitHub stars versus 1,788.
Why pick each one
Choose Gridsome if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Mature project with 8.5k GitHub stars
- Written in JavaScript
- Lightweight — runs in 512 MB RAM
Choose Hexo Admin if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Active community (1.8k GitHub stars)
- Written in JavaScript
Frequently asked questions
Is Gridsome or Hexo Admin better?
Neither is universally better. Gridsome has the larger community, while Hexo Admin is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Gridsome and Hexo Admin free and open-source?
Yes. Gridsome is licensed under MIT and Hexo Admin under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Gridsome and Hexo Admin with Docker?
Gridsome: check the project docs for container support. Hexo Admin: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, Gridsome or Hexo Admin?
Hexo Admin has the smaller minimum footprint at 128 MB of RAM, compared to about 512 MB for Gridsome. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.