6 self-hosted options
Open-source alternatives to WordPress.com
The best open-source alternative to WordPress.com is Strapi (MIT, 73,381 GitHub stars). Ghost stands out for the most commits in the last 12 months (6,670), and WordPress stands out for an appsgit step-by-step deploy guide.
About WordPress.com: A hosted version of WordPress for blogs and small business sites.
Updated · data from GitHub, refreshed daily
Top picks
- Rank 1:
Strapi
strapi/strapi
Headless CMS that lets developers build content APIs fast while giving content creators a friendly editing interface.
Active · last commit Oct 25, 2026
CMSTypeScriptStands out for the most GitHub stars.
- Rank 2:
Ghost
TryGhost/Ghost
Just a blogging platform.
Active · last commit Oct 26, 2026
Blogging PlatformsTypeScriptStands out for the most commits in the last 12 months (6,670).
- Rank 3:
WordPress
WordPress/WordPress
World's most-used blogging and CMS engine.
Active · last commit Oct 26, 2026
CMSPHPStands out for an appsgit step-by-step deploy guide.
At a glance
WordPress.com alternatives compared
Open-source apps come first, then source-available ones and apps whose license appsgit could not verify; within each group, projects with at least 12 commits in the last 12 months come before less active or archived ones, then by GitHub stars.
| App | Stands out for | License | GitHub stars | Commits (12 mo) | Last commit | Docker image |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Strapi | the most GitHub stars | MIT | 73,381 | 1,673 | Oct 25, 2026 | No |
| Ghost | the most commits in the last 12 months (6,670) | MIT | 55,607 | 6,670 | Oct 26, 2026 | No |
| WordPress | an appsgit step-by-step deploy guide | GPL-2.0 | 21,503 | 2,629 | Oct 26, 2026 | No |
| Wagtail | a permissive BSD-3-Clause license | BSD-3-Clause | 20,592 | 1,414 | Oct 23, 2026 | No |
| WriteFreely | its Go codebase | AGPL-3.0 | 5,275 | 216 | Oct 1, 2026 | No |
| Joomla! | – | GPL-2.0 | 5,156 | 1,241 | Oct 24, 2026 | No |
Full list
All 6 WordPress.com alternatives
Open any app for live stats, license details and a deploy option.
- 1
Strapi
Headless CMS that lets developers build content APIs fast while giving content creators a friendly editing interface.
CMSStands out for the most GitHub stars. Strapi has 73,381 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license and had 1,673 commits in the last year.
- 2
Ghost
Just a blogging platform.
Blogging PlatformsStands out for the most commits in the last 12 months (6,670). Ghost has 55,607 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license and had 6,670 commits in the last year.
- 3
WordPress
World's most-used blogging and CMS engine.
CMSStands out for an appsgit step-by-step deploy guide. WordPress has 21,503 GitHub stars, uses the GPL-2.0 license and had 2,629 commits in the last year.
- 4
Wagtail
Django content management system focused on flexibility and user experience.
CMSStands out for a permissive BSD-3-Clause license. Wagtail has 20,592 GitHub stars, uses the BSD-3-Clause license and had 1,414 commits in the last year.
- 5
WriteFreely
Writing software for starting a minimalist, federated blog — or an entire community.
Blogging PlatformsStands out for its Go codebase. WriteFreely has 5,275 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license and had 216 commits in the last year.
- 6
Joomla!
Advanced Content Management System (CMS).
CMSJoomla! has 5,156 GitHub stars, uses the GPL-2.0 license and had 1,241 commits in the last year.
Is there a free alternative to WordPress.com?
Yes. All 6 apps on this page are open source and free to self-host, so you can replace WordPress.com without per-user fees. You pay only for the server.
Can I self-host an alternative to WordPress.com with Docker?
None of the apps here publishes a Docker image in the catalog data; install them from their own packages or source, following each project's guide.
Which WordPress.com alternative is the most actively developed?
Ghost (MIT), with 6,670 commits in the last 12 months. Activity is a good sign that bugs and security issues get fixed.
How is this list ranked?
Open-source apps come first, then source-available ones and apps whose license appsgit could not verify; within each group, projects with at least 12 commits in the last 12 months come before less active or archived ones, then by GitHub stars.