head to head · open source
Typemill vs Zenblog
Typemill has 619 GitHub stars, 76 forks, 52 open issues and last shipped 27 days ago. Zenblog has 253 stars, 18 forks, 4 open issues and last shipped 19 days ago. Typemill leads on adoption by 145% (619 vs 253 stars). Typemill is written in JavaScript under MIT; Zenblog is written in TypeScript under AGPL-3.0. Typemill has attracted 12% as many forks as stars, Zenblog 7%. Zenblog 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
| Typemill | Zenblog | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 619 | ★ 253 |
| License | MIT | AGPL-3.0 |
| Written in | JavaScript | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-08-24 | 2026-09-01 |
| Forks | ⑂ 76 | ⑂ 18 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick Typemill if
- You weight community size — 619 stars and counting
- You want the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches JavaScript
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick Zenblog if
- You want the Zenblog feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the AGPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and Zenblog fits your workflow better
About Typemill
Typemill is an open source, MIT licensed flat file content management system that stores every page as a Markdown file and is built for authors and teams publishing informational sites such as documentation, manuals, handbooks, knowledge bases, and wikis.
read the full Typemill overview →
About Zenblog
Zenblog is an open source, self hostable headless blogging CMS written in TypeScript, built for developers and tech enthusiasts who want to spin up a blog and fetch its content into their own website without adopting a heavyweight content platform.
read the full Zenblog overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Typemill or Zenblog more popular?
Typemill has 619 GitHub stars and Zenblog has 253. Typemill has the larger community by that measure.
Are Typemill and Zenblog free?
Both are open source. Typemill is licensed under MIT and Zenblog under AGPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Typemill and Zenblog?
Typemill is written in JavaScript and Zenblog in TypeScript. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, Typemill or Zenblog?
Choose Typemill if you want the larger community (619 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose Zenblog if its feature set, stack or AGPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.