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6 self-hosted options

Open-source alternatives to WordPress.com

The best open-source alternatives to WordPress.com are WordPress, Ghost and Joomla!.

About WordPress.com: A hosted version of WordPress for blogs and small business sites.

Every option below is free to self-host and ranked by GitHub stars, so you can move off WordPress.com without giving up the features you rely on.

Top picks

  1. Rank 1:

    WordPress

    WordPress/WordPress

    World's most-used blogging and CMS engine.

    CMSPHP
  2. Rank 2:

    Ghost

    TryGhost/Ghost

    Just a blogging platform.

    Blogging PlatformsTypeScript
  3. Rank 3:

    Joomla!

    joomla/joomla-cms

    Advanced Content Management System (CMS).

    CMSPHP

Why switch

Why teams move off WordPress.com

Self-hosting is not only about saving money. These are the reasons people make the switch.

  • Own your data

    Your data lives on a server you control, not on WordPress.com's infrastructure. No surprise policy changes and no lock-in.

  • No per-seat pricing

    Open-source alternatives to WordPress.com are free to run for as many users as your server can handle. A small VPS often costs less than a single subscription.

  • Customize and extend

    Read the code, add plugins, connect it to your own tools and automate it through open APIs. When you need a feature, you can build it or fund it.

Full ranking

All 6 WordPress.com alternatives

Ranked by GitHub stars. Open any app for live stats, license details and a deploy option.

  1. 1

    WordPress

    World's most-used blogging and CMS engine.

  2. 2

    Ghost

    Just a blogging platform.

  3. 3

    Joomla!

    Advanced Content Management System (CMS).

  4. 4

    Strapi

    Headless CMS that lets developers build content APIs fast while giving content creators a friendly editing interface.

  5. 5

    Wagtail

    Django content management system focused on flexibility and user experience.

  6. 6

    WriteFreely

    Writing software for starting a minimalist, federated blog — or an entire community.

FAQ

WordPress.com alternatives: FAQ

Still curious? Email info@appsgit.com.

What is the best open-source alternative to WordPress.com?

WordPress is the most popular open-source alternative to WordPress.com, with 21,450 GitHub stars. Ghost and Joomla! are also strong choices. Compare features, license and recent activity to find the best fit for your team.

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 run a WordPress.com replacement without per-user fees. You only pay for the server, and a small VPS is usually enough for personal use or a small team.

Can I self-host an alternative to WordPress.com?

Yes. Each app here runs on your own server. Follow the install steps in the project's README, which usually take a few minutes on a fresh Linux VPS.

How do I migrate from WordPress.com?

Start by exporting your data from WordPress.com, then check the import options of the app you pick, since many projects ship importers for popular formats. Run both side by side for a week before you switch so nothing is lost.