WriteFreely

Free, open-source software for running a minimalist blog or writing community on your own server.

Open sourceSelf-hostableNewsletter and creator publishing platforms

Verified facts: 4 of 4
Alternatives ranked: 5
Approved reviews: 0
Visits sent from here: 0

About WriteFreely

WriteFreely is the open-source blogging engine behind Write.as. It is written in Go and ships as a single binary with a few support files, so it can run on a small VPS or even a Raspberry Pi without a stack of dependencies. It is designed around writing: a fast auto-saving editor, clean typography, and no feeds, notifications or likes. Blogs federate through ActivityPub, so people on Mastodon and other fediverse services can follow and share posts. You can run a single personal blog or open it up as a multi-user community with invitations and moderation. Compared with Ghost it is far simpler, with no memberships, payments or built-in newsletter sending, and theming is limited. It is free to self-host; managed hosting is available from Write.as and partner companies. It suits people who want a lightweight, self-hosted writing space or a small writers' community on the fediverse.

Best for: Self-hosters who want a lightweight blog or writing community that federates with Mastodon.

What works

Single Go binary that runs on very modest hardware
Federates with Mastodon and the fediverse
Supports multi-user writing communities

Why people leave

No memberships, payments or built-in newsletters
Limited theming compared with Ghost or WordPress
You maintain the server yourself

Top WriteFreely alternatives

See all 5

1
Write.as
The hosted version of WriteFreely, with no server to maintain.
66.5
2
Ghost
Self-hostable too, but adds newsletters, memberships and rich themes.
62.6
3Ma
Mataroa
Open-source minimalist blog platform you can use hosted or self-host.
59.6
4
Blot
Open-source blog that publishes from a synced folder, also offered hosted.
57.2
5
Bear Blog
Hosted minimalist blog with custom CSS, if you'd rather not run a server.
55.3

Why people left WriteFreely

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WriteFreely: common questions

Is WriteFreely free?

Yes. WriteFreely is free, open-source software that you can host yourself.

Is WriteFreely open source?

Yes. The source code is on GitHub at writefreely/writefreely. You can also run it on your own server.

What platforms does WriteFreely run on?

WriteFreely is available for Self-hosted.

What are the best alternatives to WriteFreely?

The highest-ranked WriteFreely alternatives right now are Write.as, Ghost and Mataroa. See the full ranked list for pricing, platforms and verified facts.

See all 5 WriteFreely alternatives

WriteFreely facts

4 of 4 verified

Open source: Yes; Checked Oct 25, 2026writefreely.org(opens source in a new tab); “An open source platform for building a writing space on the web.”
Language: Go, single binary; Checked Oct 25, 2026writefreely.org(opens source in a new tab); “Easy on the eyes (and your server) WriteFreely is written in Go (golang)”
Federation: ActivityPub; Checked Oct 25, 2026writefreely.org(opens source in a new tab); “Interact with the decentralized social web via ActivityPub.”
Managed hosting: Write.as from $6/month (yearly); Checked Oct 25, 2026writefreely.org(opens source in a new tab); “As low as $6 / month for personal blogs , when paid yearly.”