Textpattern 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?
Textpattern
Flexible, elegant content management and blogging system
VS
Zola
Fast static site engine in a single binary
| Feature | Textpattern | Zola |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Blogging Platforms | Blogging Platforms |
| License | GPL-2.0 | MIT |
| Language | PHP | Rust |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, source | binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 878 | ★ 17,308 |
| First released | 2004 | 2017 |
| Replaces | WordPress, Blogger | WordPress, Medium |
Why pick each one
Frequently asked questions
Is Textpattern 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 Textpattern and Zola free and open-source?
Yes. Textpattern is licensed under GPL-2.0 and Zola under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Textpattern and Zola with Docker?
Textpattern: yes. Zola: check the project docs for container support.