# openpencil vs WriteFreely

> Two self-hosted projects, compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.

| | openpencil | WriteFreely |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 73/100 ✓ | 65/100 |
| Rank in category | #2 of 7 in Design | #2 of 24 in Blogging |
| GitHub stars | 9 422 ✓ | 5 276 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +821 ✓ | +19 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 14 ✓ | 3 |
| Latest release | v0.16.0 · 14 Oct 2026 ✓ | v0.17.2 · 10 Aug 2026 |
| Setup | Easy ✓ | Moderate |
| Official Docker image | No | Yes ✓ |
| License | MIT | AGPL-3.0 |
| Main language | Typescript | Go |

## Which one should you pick?

openpencil scores 73/100 against 65/100 for WriteFreely, so it is the safer default.

openpencil ships more often: 14 stable releases in the past year, against 3 for WriteFreely.

If you want the quickest setup, openpencil is easier to run; WriteFreely needs more configuration.

openpencil is growing faster right now (+821 stars in 30 days).

## Details

- [openpencil](https://selfhost.directory/project/openpencil) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/openpencil.md)
- [WriteFreely](https://selfhost.directory/project/writefreely) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/writefreely.md)

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Source: https://selfhost.directory/compare/openpencil-vs-writefreely