Pelican vs Zola
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?
Pelican
Static site generator for Python and Markdown lovers
VS
Zola
Fast static site engine in a single binary
| Feature | Pelican | Zola |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Blogging Platforms | Blogging Platforms |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Language | Python | Rust |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | binary, source | binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 13,331 | ★ 17,308 |
| First released | 2010 | 2017 |
| Replaces | WordPress, Blogger | WordPress, Medium |
Why pick each one
Frequently asked questions
Is Pelican 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 Pelican and Zola free and open-source?
Yes. Pelican is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Zola under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Pelican and Zola with Docker?
Pelican: check the project docs for container support. Zola: check the project docs for container support.