HTMLy vs Typecho
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted blogging platforms options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | HTMLy | Typecho |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 56 · Fair | 85 · Excellent |
| Category | Blogging Platforms | Blogging Platforms |
| License | MIT | GPL-2.0 |
| Language | PHP | PHP |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, source | bare-metal, docker, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1,364 | ★ 12,446 |
| First released | 2014 | 2008 |
| Replaces | WordPress, Blogger | WordPress, Blogger |
What are HTMLy and Typecho?
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
Typecho
Typecho is an open-source blogging platform written in PHP, focused on being simple, lightweight, and fast. It is especially popular among developers in the Chinese-speaking community.
- Lightweight and fast
- Markdown support
- Plugin and theme ecosystem
- Simple installation
HTMLy vs Typecho: key differences
Both projects are written in PHP. Licensing differs — MIT for HTMLy versus GPL-2.0 for Typecho. Typecho is the more established project (first released 2008), while HTMLy arrived in 2014. Typecho has the considerably larger community, at 12,446 GitHub stars versus 1,364.
Why pick each one
Choose HTMLy if…
- No database to maintain
- Fast and lightweight
Watch out for
- Limited plugin ecosystem
- Small community
Choose Typecho if…
- Very lightweight
- Clean codebase
Watch out for
- Documentation mostly in Chinese
- Smaller global community
Frequently asked questions
Is HTMLy or Typecho better?
Neither is universally better. Typecho has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are HTMLy and Typecho free and open-source?
Yes. HTMLy is licensed under MIT and Typecho under GPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run HTMLy and Typecho with Docker?
HTMLy: yes. Typecho: yes.