# Pelican vs Zola

**Leader by vioscaleAI score:** Zola

| Attribute | Pelican | Zola |
|---|---|---|
| **vioscaleAI score** | 48.3 (42% (low)) | 54 (54% (medium)) |
| activity.commits_last_30d | 12 | 48 |
| adoption.dependent_repos | 3,322 | 0 |
| adoption.github_stars | 13,354 | 17,513 |
| content.faq | `[{"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}]` | `[{"answer":"Compiles entire websites into static files using a single binary, eliminating the need for server management or external tooling. Renders sites in under a second with built-in support for templating, syntax highlighting, and Sass compilation. It is indexed under Static Site Generators.","source":"https://www.getzola.org","question":"What is Zola?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Zola is open source, so it can be self-hosted and used at no licence cost. It is released under the EUPL-1.2 licence. Pricing changes often, so verify at source before relying on it.","source":"https://www.getzola.org","question":"Is Zola free to use?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Zola supports the web and a command-line interface. Platforms we have not confirmed are simply not listed here rather than ruled out.","source":"https://www.getzola.org","question":"What platforms does Zola support?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Yes. Zola can be deployed cloud / SaaS and self-hosted, so it does not have to run on the vendor's infrastructure.","source":"https://www.getzola.org","question":"Can Zola be self-hosted?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Yes. Zola is published under the EUPL-1.2 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/getzola/zola","question":"Is Zola open source?","confidence":0.95}]` |
| deployment.options | `{"cloud":true,"self_hosted":true}` | `{"cloud":true,"self_hosted":true}` |
| description.long | 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. | Zola is a static site generator that compiles into a single self-contained executable with no external runtime dependencies. It provides native features for template component embedding, image optimization, multi-language sites, and automatic generation of page navigation aids. |
| features.capabilities | `{"runtime":"python","build_model":"fully_static","incremental_builds":true}` | `{"i18n":true,"runtime":"rust","build_model":"fully_static","image_optimization":true,"mdx_component_embeds":true,"single_binary_no_deps":true}` |
| integrations.count | - | 1 |
| integrations.list | - | `[{"name":"Cloudflare Pages"}]` |
| language.primary | Python | Rust |
| license.spdx | AGPL-3.0 | EUPL-1.2 |
| platform.support | `{"cli":true}` | `{"cli":true}` |
| pricing | `{"type":"open_source","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://getpelican.com","retrievedAt":"2026-08-20T12:48:21.808Z"}` | `{"type":"free","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://www.getzola.org","retrievedAt":"2026-10-14T22:35:23.029Z"}` |
| pricing.free_tier | yes | yes |
| pricing.model | open_source | free |
| pricing.price_level | free | free |
| pricing.transparent | - | yes |
| release.cadence_days | 60 | 22 |
| release.history | `[{"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"}]` | `[{"url":"https://github.com/getzola/zola/releases/tag/v0.23.6","date":"2026-09-12T22:06:53Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.23.6"},{"url":"https://github.com/getzola/zola/releases/tag/v0.23.5","date":"2026-09-11T22:02:23Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.23.5"},{"url":"https://github.com/getzola/zola/releases/tag/v0.23.4","date":"2026-08-20T16:35:44Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.23.4"},{"url":"https://github.com/getzola/zola/releases/tag/v0.23.3","date":"2026-08-11T13:37:38Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.23.3"},{"url":"https://github.com/getzola/zola/releases/tag/v0.23.2","date":"2026-08-07T09:49:31Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.23.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/getzola/zola/releases/tag/v0.23.1","date":"2026-08-05T12:03:29Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.23.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/getzola/zola/releases/tag/v0.23.0","date":"2026-08-05T10:50:41Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.23.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/getzola/zola/releases/tag/v0.22.1","date":"2026-01-22T09:13:06Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.22.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/getzola/zola/releases/tag/v0.22.0","date":"2026-01-09T22:37:16Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.22.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/getzola/zola/releases/tag/v0.21.0","date":"2025-07-14T21:33:20Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.21.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/getzola/zola/releases/tag/v0.20.0","date":"2025-02-14T21:53:00Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.20.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/getzola/zola/releases/tag/v0.19.2","date":"2024-08-15T18:43:49Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.19.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/getzola/zola/releases/tag/v0.19.1","date":"2024-06-24T21:33:18Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.19.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/getzola/zola/releases/tag/v0.19.0","date":"2024-06-20T21:47:53Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.19.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/getzola/zola/releases/tag/v0.18.0","date":"2023-12-18T22:50:15Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.18.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/getzola/zola/releases/tag/v0.17.2","date":"2023-03-19T19:58:49Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.17.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/getzola/zola/releases/tag/v0.17.1","date":"2023-02-24T21:43:38Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.17.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/getzola/zola/releases/tag/v0.17.0","date":"2023-02-16T20:17:34Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.17.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/getzola/zola/releases/tag/v0.16.1","date":"2022-08-14T15:14:53Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.16.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/getzola/zola/releases/tag/v0.16.0","date":"2022-07-16T21:59:42Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.16.0"}]` |
| security.scorecard | 4.4 | 5.1 |
| security.vulnerabilities | `{"count":0,"source":"https://advisories.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/advisories?ecosystem=pypi&package_name=pelican&per_page=100","last_12m":0,"max_severity":null}` | `{"count":0,"source":"https://advisories.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/advisories?ecosystem=alpine&package_name=zola&per_page=100","last_12m":0,"max_severity":null}` |

## Capabilities (Static Site Generators)

| Capability | Pelican | Zola |
|---|:--:|:--:|
| **Capabilities** |  |  |
| Runtime | Python | Rust |
| Build model | Fully static | 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 2026-10-16T20:15:25.462Z. "-" = undocumented, not absent.*