head to head · open source
halo vs primo
halo has 39,797 GitHub stars, 10,329 forks, 112 open issues and last shipped today. primo has 2,370 stars, 572 forks, 41 open issues and last shipped today. halo leads on adoption by 1,579% (39,797 vs 2,370 stars). halo is written in Java under GPL-3.0; primo is written in Svelte under MIT. halo has attracted 26% as many forks as stars, primo 24%. primo was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 1 topic tag (cms), so they are genuine substitutes rather than adjacent tools.
Two open source projects, one decision. Both are free and self-hostable — the differences are community size, license terms, language stack and release pace.
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Side by side
| halo | primo | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 40K | ★ 2.4K |
| License | GPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Written in | Java | Svelte |
| Last push | 2026-09-18 | 2026-09-18 |
| Forks | ⑂ 10K | ⑂ 572 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick halo if
- You weight community size — 40K stars and counting
- You want the GPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Java
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick primo if
- You want the primo feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches Svelte
- You evaluated both and primo fits your workflow better
About halo
Halo is an open source, Java based website building tool licensed under GPL 3.0 that lets individuals and teams publish and run a blog, knowledge base, corporate website, or online store from infrastructure they control.
About primo
Primo Primo is a CMS for developers who build sites for clients who need to manage them afterward. Your entire site stays in sync as both a database and a folder of files, so Claude Code, Cursor, and any AI agent can edit it directly. Your clients manage content visually in the browser. In active development since 2019. Self hosted by freelancers, agencies, and small teams. One click deploy: The shape of it One Go binary. PocketBase (SQLite) for storage. Svelte 5 for the editor UI and for the blocks you write. The same server hosts the CMS and serves your published sites — no external services, no separate fronte…
read the full primo overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is halo or primo more popular?
halo has 39,797 GitHub stars and primo has 2,370. halo has the larger community by that measure.
Are halo and primo free?
Both are open source. halo is licensed under GPL-3.0 and primo under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between halo and primo?
halo is written in Java and primo in Svelte. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, halo or primo?
Choose halo if you want the larger community (39,797 stars) or its GPL-3.0 licence terms. Choose primo if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.