head to head · open source
halo vs Publii
halo has 40,105 GitHub stars, 10,311 forks, 112 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Publii has 7,387 stars, 475 forks, 300 open issues and last shipped 3 days ago. halo leads on adoption by 443% (40,105 vs 7,387 stars). halo is written in Java under GPL-3.0; Publii is written in HTML under GPL-3.0. halo has attracted 26% as many forks as stars, Publii 6%. halo 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 | Publii | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 40K | ★ 7.4K |
| License | GPL-3.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Written in | Java | HTML |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-10-31 |
| Forks | ⑂ 10K | ⑂ 475 |
| 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 Publii if
- You want the Publii feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the GPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches HTML
- You evaluated both and Publii fits your workflow better
About halo
Halo [ˈheɪloʊ]，强大易用的开源建站工具。 官网 文档 社区 Gitee Telegram 频道 Halo 是什么？ Halo 是一款强大易用的开源建站工具，从个人博客、知识库，到企业官网、在线商城，Halo 都能助您轻松实现，一站式满足您的多样化建站需求。 快速开始 如果你的设备有 Docker 环境，可以使用以下命令快速启动一个 Halo 的体验环境： 以上方式仅作为体验使用，推荐使用开源 Linux 服务器运维管理面板 1Panel 进行部署（查看文档），轻松搞定反向代理、SSL 证书及升级备份任务。更多部署方式，请查看文档。 在线体验 环境地址： 后台地址： 用户名： demo 密码： P@ssw0rd123.. 版本对比 Halo 社区版 ：开源免费， 遵循 GPLv3 协议 [x] 适合个人开发者、技术爱好者、开源项目 [x] 零成本搭建博客、作品集、技术文档站 [x] 超过 100 款免费主题和插件 Halo 专业版 ：在社区版基础上，集成 10+ 高价值功能 [x] 移动端 APP：随时随地管理内容 [x] AI 智能建站：快速生成专业站点 [x] 手机号验证登录：提升安全与用户体验 [x] 全站私有化部署：保障数据主权 [x] 付费主题/插件市场：专享精品主题和 SEO 优化、付费阅读、AI 助手等 10 款付费插件 Halo 商城版 ：在专业版基础上，集成在线商城重磅功能 [x]…
About Publii
Publii Static CMS for privacy focused, SEO optimized websites. Publii is a desktop based CMS for Windows, Mac and Linux that makes creating static websites fast and hassle free, even for beginners. Current version: 0.47.9 build 17481 Why Publii? Unlike static site generators that are often unwieldy and difficult to use, Publii provides an easy to understand UI much like server based CMSs such as WordPress or Joomla!, where users can create posts and other site content, and style their site using a variety of built in themes and options. Users can enjoy the benefits of a super fast and secure static website, with…
read the full Publii overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is halo or Publii more popular?
halo has 40,105 GitHub stars and Publii has 7,387. halo has the larger community by that measure.
Are halo and Publii free?
Both are open source. halo is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Publii under GPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between halo and Publii?
halo is written in Java and Publii in HTML. 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 Publii?
Choose halo if you want the larger community (40,105 stars) or its GPL-3.0 licence terms. Choose Publii if its feature set, stack or GPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.