13 open-source apps
Best self-hosted Blogging Platforms apps
Publishing platforms for blogs, newsletters and personal sites. Run your own writing home with full ownership of your content and audience.
The most popular self-hosted apps for blogging platforms on GitHub are Ghost, WriteFreely and Ech0, ranked by stars below.
Ranked by GitHub stars
All 13 Blogging Platforms apps
Ghost
TryGhost/Ghost
Just a blogging platform.
Blogging PlatformsTypeScriptWriteFreely
writefreely/writefreely
Writing software for starting a minimalist, federated blog — or an entire community.
Blogging PlatformsGoEch0
lin-snow/Ech0
Lightweight federated publishing platform focused on personal idea sharing (documentation in Chinese).
Blogging PlatformsGoDockerHTMLy
danpros/htmly
Databaseless PHP blogging platform. A flat-file CMS that allows you to create a fast, secure, and powerful website or blog in seconds.
Blogging PlatformsPHPKnown
idno/idno
Collaborative social publishing platform.
Blogging PlatformsPHPHaven
havenweb/haven
Private blogging system with markdown editing and built in RSS reader.
Blogging PlatformsRubyChyrp Lite
xenocrat/chyrp-lite
Extra-awesome, extra-lightweight blog engine.
Blogging PlatformsPHPMataroa
mataroablog/mataroa
Naked blogging platform for minimalists.
Blogging PlatformsPythonfx
rikhuijzer/fx
Micro-blog tool offering built-in syntax highlighting, mobile publishing and more (alternative to Twitter, Bluesky).
Blogging PlatformsRustDockerPluXml
pluxml/PluXml
XML-based blog/CMS platform.
Blogging PlatformsPHPSerendipity
s9y/Serendipity
Serendipity (s9y) is a highly extensible and customizable PHP blog engine using Smarty templating.
Blogging PlatformsPHPFlatPress
flatpressblog/flatpress
A lightweight, easy-to-set-up flat-file blogging engine.
Blogging PlatformsPHPAntville
antville/antville
Free, open source project aimed at the development of a high performance, feature rich weblog hosting software.
Blogging PlatformsJavaScript
What is the best self-hosted app for blogging platforms?
By GitHub stars, Ghost is the most popular self-hosted app for blogging platforms with 55,489 stars, followed by WriteFreely and Ech0. The best fit depends on your needs, so compare Docker support, license and recent activity on each app page.
Are these Blogging Platforms apps free?
Yes. All 13 apps in this category are open source and free to run on your own server. A few also offer a paid hosted plan or enterprise add-ons, but self-hosting the open-source edition costs nothing beyond your hardware.
How do I install a self-hosted Blogging Platforms app?
2 of the 13 apps here ship a Docker image, which is the easiest route: rent a small VPS or use a home server, install Docker, and start the app with its Docker Compose file. Apps without an image list their native install steps in the README.
Which Blogging Platforms apps are most actively developed?
Measured by commits in the last twelve months, the most active projects are Ghost (5,329 commits), Ech0 (1,560 commits) and FlatPress (779 commits). Active development usually means faster bug fixes and security patches.