Halo vs Publii
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
Publii
Desktop CMS for building static blogs and sites
| Feature | Halo | Publii |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Blogging Platforms | Blogging Platforms |
| License | GPL-3.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | Java | HTML |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, source | binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 39,485 | ★ 7,282 |
| First released | 2018 | 2017 |
| Replaces | WordPress, Medium | WordPress, Squarespace |
Why pick each one
Frequently asked questions
Is Halo or Publii better?
Neither is universally better. Halo has the larger community, while Publii is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Halo and Publii free and open-source?
Yes. Halo is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Publii under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Halo and Publii with Docker?
Halo: yes. Publii: check the project docs for container support.