# WriteFreely

> WriteFreely is a free, open-source app you can self-host in the blogging platforms category. Writing software for starting a minimalist, federated blog — or an entire community. It has 5,264 GitHub stars, is released under the AGPL-3.0 license. It is a self-hosted alternative to WordPress.com, Medium and Substack.

## Key facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Repository | https://github.com/writefreely/writefreely |
| Website | https://writefreely.org/ |
| GitHub stars | 5,264 |
| Forks | 401 |
| Open issues | 77 |
| License | AGPL-3.0 |
| License type | Open source |
| Language | Go |
| Docker image | No |
| Platforms | Go |
| Categories | Blogging Platforms |
| Commits, last 12 months | 210 |
| Last commit | Oct 1, 2026 |
| Latest release | v0.17.2 (Aug 10, 2026) |
| Created | Apr 2, 2017 |
| Maintenance | Actively maintained |
| Archived | No |

Topics: writing, publishing, blogging, web-application, go, activitypub, federation, beta, writefreely, markdown

## Install

WriteFreely installs natively; follow the README at https://github.com/writefreely/writefreely.

Need it installed for you? [appsgit installation help](https://appsgit.com/services/install): a fixed quote by email, single app installs from $79.

## WriteFreely replaces

- [WordPress.com alternatives](https://appsgit.com/alternatives/wordpress-com): A hosted version of WordPress for blogs and small business sites.
- [Medium alternatives](https://appsgit.com/alternatives/medium): A hosted publishing platform for long-form writing and reader subscriptions.
- [Substack alternatives](https://appsgit.com/alternatives/substack): A publishing platform for paid newsletters and blogs.

## Similar apps in Blogging Platforms

- [Ghost](https://appsgit.com/apps/ghost): Just a blogging platform. (55,489 stars, MIT, TypeScript)
- [Ech0](https://appsgit.com/apps/ech0): Lightweight federated publishing platform focused on personal idea sharing (documentation in Chinese). (2,076 stars, AGPL-3.0, Go, Docker)
- [HTMLy](https://appsgit.com/apps/htmly): Databaseless PHP blogging platform. A flat-file CMS that allows you to create a fast, secure, and powerful website or blog in seconds. (1,363 stars, GPL-2.0, PHP)
- [Known](https://appsgit.com/apps/known): Collaborative social publishing platform. (1,123 stars, Apache-2.0, PHP)
- [Haven](https://appsgit.com/apps/haven): Private blogging system with markdown editing and built in RSS reader. (807 stars, MIT, Ruby)
- [Chyrp Lite](https://appsgit.com/apps/chyrp-lite): Extra-awesome, extra-lightweight blog engine. (494 stars, BSD-3-Clause, PHP)
- [Mataroa](https://appsgit.com/apps/mataroa): Naked blogging platform for minimalists. (369 stars, AGPL-3.0, Python)
- [fx](https://appsgit.com/apps/fx): Micro-blog tool offering built-in syntax highlighting, mobile publishing and more (alternative to Twitter, Bluesky). (325 stars, MIT, Rust, Docker)

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