Halo vs Serendipity
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
Serendipity
PHP-powered weblog application with strong spam control
| Feature | Halo | Serendipity |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Blogging Platforms | Blogging Platforms |
| License | GPL-3.0 | BSD-3-Clause |
| Language | Java | PHP |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, source | docker, bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 39,485 | ★ 226 |
| First released | 2018 | 2003 |
| Replaces | WordPress, Medium | WordPress, Blogger |
Why pick each one
Frequently asked questions
Is Halo or Serendipity better?
Neither is universally better. Halo has the larger community, while Serendipity is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Halo and Serendipity free and open-source?
Yes. Halo is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Serendipity under BSD-3-Clause. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Halo and Serendipity with Docker?
Halo: yes. Serendipity: yes.