Hexo vs HTMLy
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted blogging platforms options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Hexo | HTMLy |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 98 · Excellent | 56 · Fair |
| Category | Blogging Platforms | Blogging Platforms |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Language | TypeScript | PHP |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | binary, source | docker, bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 41,774 | ★ 1,364 |
| First released | 2012 | 2014 |
| Replaces | WordPress, Blogger | WordPress, Blogger |
What are Hexo and HTMLy?
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
HTMLy
HTMLy is an open-source databaseless flat-file blogging platform written in PHP. It is fast, lightweight, and stores all posts as text files for easy backup and migration.
- Databaseless flat-file storage
- Markdown content
- Multi-user roles
- Built-in themes
Hexo vs HTMLy: key differences
Hexo is written in TypeScript, while HTMLy is built with PHP. HTMLy is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 256 MB for Hexo. Hexo is the more established project (first released 2012), while HTMLy arrived in 2014. Hexo has the considerably larger community, at 41,774 GitHub stars versus 1,364. HTMLy lists first-class Docker deployment; Hexo does not.
Why pick each one
Choose Hexo if…
- Popular with developers
- Rich plugin ecosystem
Watch out for
- No admin UI
- Node toolchain required
Choose HTMLy if…
- No database to maintain
- Fast and lightweight
Watch out for
- Limited plugin ecosystem
- Small community
Frequently asked questions
Is Hexo or HTMLy better?
Neither is universally better. Hexo has the larger community, while HTMLy is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Hexo and HTMLy free and open-source?
Yes. Hexo is licensed under MIT and HTMLy under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Hexo and HTMLy with Docker?
Hexo: check the project docs for container support. HTMLy: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Hexo or HTMLy?
HTMLy has the smaller minimum footprint at 128 MB of RAM, compared to about 256 MB for Hexo. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.