PageCord 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 | PageCord | Zola |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 56 · Fair | 95 · Excellent |
| Category | Blogging Platforms | Blogging Platforms |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Language | Ruby | Rust |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | docker, source | binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 190 | ★ 17,463 |
| First released | 2024 | 2017 |
| Replaces | Medium, Posthaven | WordPress, Medium |
What are PageCord and Zola?
PageCord
PageCord is an open-source blogging platform where you publish posts simply by sending an email. It is built with Ruby on Rails and focuses on a minimal, distraction-free writing workflow.
- Publish posts by email
- Minimal writing-focused design
- Custom domains and RSS
- Built on Ruby on Rails
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
PageCord vs Zola: key differences
PageCord is written in Ruby, while Zola is built with Rust. Zola is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 512 MB for PageCord. Zola is the more established project (first released 2017), while PageCord arrived in 2024. Zola has the considerably larger community, at 17,463 GitHub stars versus 190. PageCord lists first-class Docker deployment; Zola does not.
Why pick each one
Choose PageCord if…
- Released under the MIT license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in Ruby
- Lightweight — runs in 512 MB RAM
Choose Zola if…
- No toolchain to install
- Very fast
Watch out for
- No admin UI
- Smaller theme selection
Frequently asked questions
Is PageCord 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 PageCord and Zola free and open-source?
Yes. PageCord is licensed under MIT and Zola under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run PageCord and Zola with Docker?
PageCord: yes. Zola: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, PageCord or Zola?
Zola has the smaller minimum footprint at 128 MB of RAM, compared to about 512 MB for PageCord. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.