Marmite vs Zola
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted blogging platforms options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Marmite | Zola |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 82 · Excellent | 95 · Excellent |
| Category | Blogging Platforms | Blogging Platforms |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Language | Rust | Rust |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 64 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | binary, source | binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 875 | ★ 17,463 |
| First released | 2024 | 2017 |
| Replaces | Medium | WordPress, Medium |
What are Marmite and Zola?
Marmite
Marmite is a static site generator focused on blogs that turns a folder of Markdown files into a complete website with zero configuration. It supports tags, RSS feeds, and themes while keeping setup effortless.
- Zero configuration
- Markdown to blog
- Tags and RSS
- Single fast binary
Zola
Zola is an open-source static site generator written in Rust that ships as a single binary with no dependencies. It builds blogs and documentation sites quickly with built-in Sass and search support.
- Single dependency-free binary
- Fast builds
- Built-in Sass compilation
- Built-in search index
Marmite vs Zola: key differences
Both projects are written in Rust. Marmite is the lighter option, starting around 64 MB of RAM against 128 MB for Zola. Zola is the more established project (first released 2017), while Marmite arrived in 2024. Zola has the considerably larger community, at 17,463 GitHub stars versus 875.
Why pick each one
Choose Zola if…
- No toolchain to install
- Very fast
Watch out for
- No admin UI
- Smaller theme selection
Frequently asked questions
Is Marmite or Zola better?
Neither is universally better. Zola has the larger community, while Marmite is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Marmite and Zola free and open-source?
Yes. Marmite is licensed under MIT and Zola under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Marmite and Zola with Docker?
Marmite: check the project docs for container support. Zola: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, Marmite or Zola?
Marmite has the smaller minimum footprint at 64 MB of RAM, compared to about 128 MB for Zola. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.