Gridsome 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 | Gridsome | Hexo |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 29 · At risk | 98 · Excellent |
| Category | Blogging Platforms | Blogging Platforms |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Language | JavaScript | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | source, binary | binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 8,464 | ★ 41,774 |
| First released | 2018 | 2012 |
| Replaces | Gatsby, WordPress | WordPress, Blogger |
What are Gridsome and Hexo?
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
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
Gridsome vs Hexo: key differences
Gridsome is written in JavaScript, while Hexo is built with TypeScript. Hexo is the lighter option, starting around 256 MB of RAM against 512 MB for Gridsome. Hexo is the more established project (first released 2012), while Gridsome arrived in 2018. Hexo has the considerably larger community, at 41,774 GitHub stars versus 8,464.
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 if…
- Popular with developers
- Rich plugin ecosystem
Watch out for
- No admin UI
- Node toolchain required
Frequently asked questions
Is Gridsome or Hexo better?
Neither is universally better. Hexo has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Gridsome and Hexo free and open-source?
Yes. Gridsome is licensed under MIT and Hexo under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Gridsome and Hexo with Docker?
Gridsome: check the project docs for container support. Hexo: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, Gridsome or Hexo?
Hexo has the smaller minimum footprint at 256 MB of RAM, compared to about 512 MB for Gridsome. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.