Known vs Pelican
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?
Known
Collaborative social publishing platform
VS
Pelican
Static site generator for Python and Markdown lovers
| Feature | Known | Pelican |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Blogging Platforms | Blogging Platforms |
| License | Apache-2.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | PHP | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal | binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1,121 | ★ 13,331 |
| First released | 2026 | 2010 |
| Replaces | — | WordPress, Blogger |
Why pick each one
Choose Known if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- Active community (1.1k GitHub stars)
- Written in PHP
- Lightweight — runs in 512 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Known or Pelican better?
Neither is universally better. Pelican has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Known and Pelican free and open-source?
Yes. Known is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Pelican under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Known and Pelican with Docker?
Known: check the project docs for container support. Pelican: check the project docs for container support.