Haunt vs Zola
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?
Haunt
Programmable static site and blog generator in Scheme
VS
Zola
Fast static site engine in a single binary
| Feature | Haunt | Zola |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Blogging Platforms | Blogging Platforms |
| License | GPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Language | Scheme | Rust |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | source, binary | binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 400 | ★ 17,308 |
| First released | 2015 | 2017 |
| Replaces | Jekyll | WordPress, Medium |
Why pick each one
Choose Haunt if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- Written in Scheme
- Tiny footprint — runs in 128 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Haunt or Zola better?
Neither is universally better. Zola has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Haunt and Zola free and open-source?
Yes. Haunt is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Zola under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Haunt and Zola with Docker?
Haunt: check the project docs for container support. Zola: check the project docs for container support.