# Docusaurus vs Pelican

**Leader by vioscaleAI score:** Docusaurus

| Attribute | Docusaurus | Pelican |
|---|---|---|
| **vioscaleAI score** | 73.5 (80% (high)) | 48.3 (42% (low)) |
| activity.commits_last_30d | 100 | 12 |
| adoption.dependent_repos | 16,786 | 3,322 |
| adoption.github_stars | 66,478 | 13,354 |
| adoption.package_downloads_weekly | 1,519,968 | - |
| content.faq | `[{"answer":"A React-based static site generator that converts Markdown and React components into optimized HTML documentation sites. It provides built-in support for multiple language versions, full-text search, API documentation, blog posts, and version management. It is indexed under Documentation Tools.","source":"https://docusaurus.io","question":"What is Docusaurus?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Docusaurus is open source, so it can be self-hosted and used at no licence cost. It is released under the MIT licence. Pricing changes often, so verify at source before relying on it.","source":"https://docusaurus.io","question":"Is Docusaurus free to use?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Docusaurus supports the web and a command-line interface. Platforms we have not confirmed are simply not listed here rather than ruled out.","source":"https://docusaurus.io","question":"What platforms does Docusaurus support?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Yes. Docusaurus can be deployed self-hosted, so it does not have to run on the vendor's infrastructure.","source":"https://docusaurus.io","question":"Can Docusaurus be self-hosted?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have confirmed 3 integrations for Docusaurus, including Algolia, Crowdin and React. This is what we could verify from public sources, so the vendor may support others we have not indexed.","source":"https://docusaurus.io","question":"What does Docusaurus integrate with?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Yes. Docusaurus is published under the MIT licence, a permissive licence that generally allows commercial use and modification. Licence terms can change between releases, so verify against the repository for the version you intend to use.","source":"https://github.com/facebook/docusaurus","question":"Is Docusaurus open source?","confidence":0.99},{"answer":"Docusaurus is available worldwide. The vendor is headquartered in the United States.","source":"https://docusaurus.io","question":"Where is Docusaurus available?","confidence":0.75}]` | `[{"answer":"Create static websites from text files using Markdown, reStructuredText, or HTML without requiring a database or server-side logic. Customize your site's appearance using Jinja2-based themes. It is indexed under Static Site Generators.","source":"https://getpelican.com","question":"What is Pelican?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Pelican is open source, so it can be self-hosted and used at no licence cost. It is released under the AGPL-3.0 licence. Pricing changes often, so verify at source before relying on it.","source":"https://getpelican.com","question":"Is Pelican free to use?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Pelican supports a command-line interface. Platforms we have not confirmed are simply not listed here rather than ruled out.","source":"https://getpelican.com","question":"What platforms does Pelican support?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Yes. Pelican can be deployed self-hosted, so it does not have to run on the vendor's infrastructure.","source":"https://getpelican.com","question":"Can Pelican be self-hosted?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Yes. Pelican is published under the AGPL-3.0 licence, a copyleft licence, so check its terms before embedding it in a closed-source product. Licence terms can change between releases, so verify against the repository for the version you intend to use.","source":"https://github.com/getpelican/pelican","question":"Is Pelican open source?","confidence":0.95}]` |
| deployment.options | `{"self_hosted":true}` | `{"cloud":true,"self_hosted":true}` |
| description.long | A framework for generating static documentation websites with built-in support for versioning, localization, and customizable theming. Designed to simplify the process of creating and deploying project documentation. | A static site generator built with Python that converts text files in Markdown, reStructuredText, and HTML formats into complete websites, featuring fast rebuild times through content caching and plugin extensibility. |
| features.capabilities | `{"i18n":true,"kind":"static_generator","engine":"React","search":"algolia","git_sync":true,"analytics":false,"authoring":"markdown","themeable":true,"versioning":true,"api_reference":true,"self_hostable":true,"hosted_offering":false,"docs_specialised":true,"incremental_builds":true,"mdx_component_embeds":true}` | `{"runtime":"python","build_model":"fully_static","incremental_builds":true}` |
| integrations.count | 2 | - |
| integrations.list | `[{"name":"Algolia"},{"name":"Crowdin"},{"name":"React"}]` | - |
| language.primary | TypeScript | Python |
| license.spdx | MIT | AGPL-3.0 |
| market.availability | `{"hqCountry":"US","primaryMarkets":[],"availabilityScope":"global","availableCountries":[],"notAvailableCountries":[]}` | - |
| platform.support | `{"cli":true,"web":true}` | `{"cli":true}` |
| pricing | `{"type":"open_source","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://docusaurus.io","retrievedAt":"2026-08-14T15:29:29.805Z"}` | `{"type":"open_source","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://getpelican.com","retrievedAt":"2026-08-20T12:48:21.808Z"}` |
| pricing.free_tier | yes | yes |
| pricing.model | open_source | open_source |
| pricing.price_level | free | free |
| pricing.transparent | yes | - |
| release.cadence_days | 22 | 60 |
| release.history | `[{"url":"https://github.com/facebook/docusaurus/releases/tag/v3.10.2","date":"2026-07-10T18:31:27Z","type":"stable","version":"v3.10.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/facebook/docusaurus/releases/tag/v3.10.1","date":"2026-04-30T12:57:25Z","type":"stable","version":"v3.10.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/facebook/docusaurus/releases/tag/v3.10.0","date":"2026-04-07T14:28:14Z","type":"stable","version":"v3.10.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/facebook/docusaurus/releases/tag/v3.9.2","date":"2025-10-17T15:01:46Z","type":"stable","version":"v3.9.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/facebook/docusaurus/releases/tag/v3.9.1","date":"2025-09-26T13:16:35Z","type":"stable","version":"v3.9.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/facebook/docusaurus/releases/tag/v3.9.0","date":"2025-09-25T15:54:34Z","type":"stable","version":"v3.9.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/facebook/docusaurus/releases/tag/v3.8.1","date":"2025-06-06T15:34:24Z","type":"stable","version":"v3.8.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/facebook/docusaurus/releases/tag/v3.8.0","date":"2025-05-27T10:08:00Z","type":"stable","version":"v3.8.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/facebook/docusaurus/releases/tag/v3.7.0","date":"2025-01-03T18:02:24Z","type":"stable","version":"v3.7.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/facebook/docusaurus/releases/tag/v3.6.3","date":"2024-11-22T16:05:26Z","type":"stable","version":"v3.6.3"},{"url":"https://github.com/facebook/docusaurus/releases/tag/v3.6.2","date":"2024-11-19T17:36:40Z","type":"stable","version":"v3.6.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/facebook/docusaurus/releases/tag/v3.6.1","date":"2024-11-08T17:46:08Z","type":"stable","version":"v3.6.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/facebook/docusaurus/releases/tag/v3.6.0","date":"2024-11-04T10:58:49Z","type":"stable","version":"v3.6.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/facebook/docusaurus/releases/tag/v3.5.2","date":"2024-08-13T12:09:39Z","type":"stable","version":"v3.5.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/facebook/docusaurus/releases/tag/v3.5.1","date":"2024-08-09T21:33:58Z","type":"stable","version":"v3.5.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/facebook/docusaurus/releases/tag/v3.5.0","date":"2024-08-09T15:06:30Z","type":"stable","version":"v3.5.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/facebook/docusaurus/releases/tag/v3.4.0","date":"2024-05-31T17:01:05Z","type":"stable","version":"v3.4.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/facebook/docusaurus/releases/tag/v3.3.0","date":"2024-05-03T09:04:10Z","type":"stable","version":"v3.3.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/facebook/docusaurus/releases/tag/v3.2.1","date":"2024-04-04T17:30:23Z","type":"stable","version":"v3.2.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/facebook/docusaurus/releases/tag/v3.2.0","date":"2024-03-29T16:50:48Z","type":"stable","version":"v3.2.0"}]` | `[{"url":"https://github.com/getpelican/pelican/releases/tag/4.12.0","date":"2026-04-20T15:29:57Z","type":"stable","version":"4.12.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/getpelican/pelican/releases/tag/4.11.0","date":"2025-01-15T17:01:19Z","type":"stable","version":"4.11.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/getpelican/pelican/releases/tag/4.10.2","date":"2024-11-27T19:53:33Z","type":"stable","version":"4.10.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/getpelican/pelican/releases/tag/4.10.1","date":"2024-09-28T17:02:21Z","type":"stable","version":"4.10.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/getpelican/pelican/releases/tag/4.10.0","date":"2024-09-16T13:38:16Z","type":"stable","version":"4.10.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/getpelican/pelican/releases/tag/4.9.1","date":"2023-11-15T17:16:41Z","type":"stable","version":"4.9.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/getpelican/pelican/releases/tag/4.9.0","date":"2023-11-12T17:45:08Z","type":"stable","version":"4.9.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/getpelican/pelican/releases/tag/4.8.0","date":"2022-07-11T17:51:03Z","type":"stable","version":"4.8.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/getpelican/pelican/releases/tag/4.7.2","date":"2022-02-09T13:25:54Z","type":"stable","version":"4.7.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/getpelican/pelican/releases/tag/4.7.1","date":"2021-10-12T14:45:32Z","type":"stable","version":"4.7.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/getpelican/pelican/releases/tag/4.7.0","date":"2021-10-01T14:10:29Z","type":"stable","version":"4.7.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/getpelican/pelican/releases/tag/4.6.0","date":"2021-03-23T10:31:25Z","type":"stable","version":"4.6.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/getpelican/pelican/releases/tag/4.5.4","date":"2021-01-04T16:16:24Z","type":"stable","version":"4.5.4"},{"url":"https://github.com/getpelican/pelican/releases/tag/4.5.3","date":"2020-12-01T20:37:00Z","type":"stable","version":"4.5.3"},{"url":"https://github.com/getpelican/pelican/releases/tag/4.5.2","date":"2020-11-22T16:16:36Z","type":"stable","version":"4.5.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/getpelican/pelican/releases/tag/4.5.1","date":"2020-11-02T13:15:33Z","type":"stable","version":"4.5.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/getpelican/pelican/releases/tag/4.5.0","date":"2020-08-20T17:38:02Z","type":"stable","version":"4.5.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/getpelican/pelican/releases/tag/4.2.0","date":"2019-10-17T17:50:36Z","type":"stable","version":"4.2.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/getpelican/pelican/releases/tag/4.1.3","date":"2019-10-09T18:45:24Z","type":"stable","version":"4.1.3"},{"url":"https://github.com/getpelican/pelican/releases/tag/4.1.2","date":"2019-09-23T18:21:22Z","type":"stable","version":"4.1.2"}]` |
| security.scorecard | 7.5 | 4.4 |
| security.vulnerabilities | `{"count":0,"source":"https://advisories.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/advisories?ecosystem=npm&package_name=%40docusaurus%2Fcore&per_page=100","last_12m":0,"max_severity":null}` | `{"count":0,"source":"https://advisories.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/advisories?ecosystem=pypi&package_name=pelican&per_page=100","last_12m":0,"max_severity":null}` |

## Capabilities (Static Site Generators)

| Capability | Docusaurus | Pelican |
|---|:--:|:--:|
| **Capabilities** |  |  |
| Runtime | - | Python |
| Build model | - | Fully static |
| Incremental builds | ✓ | ✓ |
| Islands partial hydration | - | - |
| I18n | ✓ | - |
| Image optimization | - | - |
| Docs specialised | ✓ | - |
| Plugin ecosystem size | - | - |
| Zero js by default | - | - |
| Mdx component embeds | ✓ | - |
| Single binary no deps | - | - |

*Source: vioscaleAI. Generated 2026-10-16T21:22:38.638Z. "-" = undocumented, not absent.*