Halo vs Pencil
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?
Halo
Powerful and easy-to-use open-source website builder
VS
Pencil
Static site generator library built in Haskell
| Feature | Halo | Pencil |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Blogging Platforms | Blogging Platforms |
| License | GPL-3.0 | BSD-3-Clause |
| Language | Java | Haskell |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 64 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, source | source, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 39,485 | ★ 5 |
| First released | 2018 | 2017 |
| Replaces | WordPress, Medium | Jekyll |
Why pick each one
Choose Pencil if…
- Released under the BSD-3-Clause license
- Written in Haskell
- Tiny footprint — runs in 64 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Halo or Pencil better?
Halo is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler medium setup. Consider Pencil if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Halo and Pencil free and open-source?
Yes. Halo is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Pencil under BSD-3-Clause. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Halo and Pencil with Docker?
Halo: yes. Pencil: check the project docs for container support.