PluXml vs Zola

A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted blogging platforms options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.

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FeaturePluXmlZola
CategoryBlogging PlatformsBlogging Platforms
LicenseGPL-2.0MIT
LanguagePHPRust
Setup difficultyEasyMedium
Min. RAM128 MB128 MB
Deploymentbare-metal, docker, sourcebinary, source
GitHub stars★ 235★ 17,308
First released20072017
ReplacesWordPress, BloggerWordPress, Medium

Why pick each one

Choose PluXml if…

  • No database needed
  • Easy to back up
PluXml details

Choose Zola if…

  • No toolchain to install
  • Very fast
Zola details

Frequently asked questions

Is PluXml or Zola better?

Neither is universally better. Zola has the larger community, while PluXml is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.

Are PluXml and Zola free and open-source?

Yes. PluXml is licensed under GPL-2.0 and Zola under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run PluXml and Zola with Docker?

PluXml: yes. Zola: check the project docs for container support.

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