head to head · open source
Strapi vs Publii
Strapi has 73,425 GitHub stars, 10,050 forks, 558 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Publii has 7,387 stars, 475 forks, 300 open issues and last shipped 3 days ago. Strapi leads on adoption by 894% (73,425 vs 7,387 stars). Strapi is written in TypeScript under a custom or non-standard licence; Publii is written in HTML under GPL-3.0. Strapi has attracted 14% as many forks as stars, Publii 6%. Strapi 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
| Strapi | Publii | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 73K | ★ 7.4K |
| License | Custom / other | GPL-3.0 |
| Written in | TypeScript | HTML |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-10-31 |
| Forks | ⑂ 10K | ⑂ 475 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick Strapi if
- You weight community size — 73K stars and counting
- You want the Custom / other license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- 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 Strapi
Open source headless CMS, self hosted or Cloud you're in control. The leading open source headless CMS, 100% JavaScript/TypeScript, flexible and fully customizable. Docs · Strapi Cloud · Roadmap · Discord · Discussions Strapi is an open source, self hosted headless CMS that lets developers build content APIs fast while giving content creators a friendly editing interface. Define your content models and Strapi generates a full API, ready to consume from any frontend, mobile app, or IoT device. Design content structures visually with the Content Type Builder , no code required Auto generated REST & GraphQL APIs…
read the full Strapi overview →
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 Strapi or Publii more popular?
Strapi has 73,425 GitHub stars and Publii has 7,387. Strapi has the larger community by that measure.
Are Strapi and Publii free?
Both are open source. Strapi has no licence declared in this registry, and Publii is licensed under GPL-3.0. Both are free to self-host.
What is the difference between Strapi and Publii?
Strapi is written in TypeScript 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, Strapi or Publii?
Choose Strapi if you want the larger community (73,425 stars) or its Custom / other licence terms. Choose Publii if its feature set, stack or GPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.