Publii 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?
Publii
Desktop CMS for building static blogs and sites
VS
Zola
Fast static site engine in a single binary
| Feature | Publii | Zola |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Blogging Platforms | Blogging Platforms |
| License | GPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Language | HTML | Rust |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | binary, source | binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 7,282 | ★ 17,308 |
| First released | 2017 | 2017 |
| Replaces | WordPress, Squarespace | WordPress, Medium |
Why pick each one
Frequently asked questions
Is Publii or Zola better?
Neither is universally better. Zola has the larger community, while Publii is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Publii and Zola free and open-source?
Yes. Publii is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Zola under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Publii and Zola with Docker?
Publii: check the project docs for container support. Zola: check the project docs for container support.