Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Textpattern VS WriteFreely

Compare Textpattern VS WriteFreely and see what are their differences

Textpattern logo Textpattern

Textpattern is an elegant content management system that is free, open source software.

WriteFreely logo WriteFreely

Write Freely is free and open source software for starting a minimalist, federated blog — or an entire community.
  • Textpattern Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-10-16
  • WriteFreely Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-03-13

Textpattern features and specs

  • Flexibility
    Textpattern offers a high degree of flexibility for building custom websites, allowing developers to manage content in a versatile, structured manner.
  • Lightweight
    It is lightweight and fast, making it easier to run on smaller servers and ensuring quick load times for users.
  • Powerful Template System
    Textpattern features a straightforward yet powerful template and tagging system, giving users full control over HTML and CSS.
  • Built-in Textile Markup
    The built-in Textile markup language allows for easy content formatting directly within the editor, simplifying content creation.
  • Strong Security
    Textpattern has a strong focus on security, with a robust admin interface and frequent updates to address potential vulnerabilities.
  • Active Community
    The Textpattern community is active and supportive, providing a wealth of plugins, tutorials, and forums for user assistance.

Possible disadvantages of Textpattern

  • Learning Curve
    The flexibility and power of Textpattern can result in a steeper learning curve for new users unfamiliar with its syntax and structure.
  • Limited Themes and Plugins
    Compared to other CMS platforms like WordPress, Textpattern has a more limited selection of pre-designed themes and plugins.
  • Less WYSIWYG Editing
    Textpattern relies more on markup languages and less on WYSIWYG editors, which might not suit users looking for a more visual editing experience.
  • Smaller User Base
    The smaller user base means there are fewer third-party resources and less widespread knowledge compared to larger CMS platforms.
  • Custom Development
    For certain functionalities and custom features, more effort in custom development might be required compared to more out-of-the-box solutions.

WriteFreely features and specs

  • Open Source
    WriteFreely is open source, allowing users to inspect, modify, and contribute to the code. This fosters transparency and community-driven improvements.
  • Privacy-Focused
    The platform places a high emphasis on user privacy, with features that avoid tracking and unnecessary data collection, providing a more secure writing environment.
  • Minimalistic Interface
    WriteFreely offers a clean, distraction-free interface, enabling writers to focus on their content without unnecessary frills.
  • Federated
    WriteFreely supports the ActivityPub protocol, which allows integration with other federated platforms like Mastodon, broadening reach and interaction.
  • Self-Hosting Option
    Users have the option to self-host their WriteFreely instance, providing greater control over their data and customization.

Possible disadvantages of WriteFreely

  • Limited Features
    The focus on minimalism means that WriteFreely lacks some of the more advanced features found in other blogging platforms, such as built-in SEO tools or extensive plugin ecosystems.
  • Technical Skills Required for Self-Hosting
    Self-hosting WriteFreely requires a reasonable level of technical knowledge, which could be a barrier for users without sysadmin skills.
  • Customization Constraints
    The simplicity of the platform can be a downside for users seeking advanced customization options for their blogs’ look and feel.
  • Limited User Support
    Being a smaller, community-driven project, WriteFreely may not offer the extensive customer support that larger, commercial platforms provide.

Analysis of Textpattern

Overall verdict

  • Textpattern is a good choice for users who prioritize simplicity, flexibility, and control over their website design and functionality. Its minimalistic yet powerful framework is suitable for developers and designers seeking an alternative to more complex systems like WordPress.

Why this product is good

  • Textpattern is a flexible and lightweight content management system favored by designers, developers, and bloggers. It is appreciated for its simplicity, clean design, and customization capabilities. Its tag-based template system allows for easy content presentation without extensive coding knowledge. Additionally, the CMS has a strong community and extensive documentation, making it accessible for those who prefer a straightforward approach to web content management.

Recommended for

  • Web designers seeking a customizable and lightweight CMS
  • Developers looking for a straightforward platform with flexibility
  • Bloggers who prefer a clean interface and simple content management
  • Individuals or small businesses who want a system with less overhead

Analysis of WriteFreely

Overall verdict

  • Overall, WriteFreely is a good option for individuals seeking a lightweight, privacy-focused writing platform. Its open-source nature and community-driven development add to its appeal.

Why this product is good

  • WriteFreely is a well-regarded platform due to its simplicity, open-source nature, and focus on privacy. It allows users to publish text-based content without distractions, making it suitable for writers who prefer a minimalist interface. Additionally, its decentralized approach aligns with the values of users who prioritize data ownership and privacy.

Recommended for

  • Writers who prefer distraction-free environments
  • Users who value open-source software and privacy
  • Individuals or groups looking to host their own blogging platform
  • Fans of minimalist design and functionality

Textpattern videos

Textpattern CMS Tutorial 1 install on local server

WriteFreely videos

No WriteFreely videos yet. You could help us improve this page by suggesting one.

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Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Textpattern and WriteFreely)
CMS
55 55%
45% 45
Blogging
0 0%
100% 100
Development
100 100%
0% 0
Blogging Platform
38 38%
62% 62

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Textpattern and WriteFreely

Textpattern Reviews

Top 10 Web Content Management Systems
If you are looking for a simple, text-based, straightforward CMS, then TextPattern is the one you are looking for. TextPattern, focused mainly on your text content, is a great CMS option for bloggers and independent journalists. TextPattern also has a long development cycle dating back to 2003. Therefore, it has a credible ecosystem of text related plug-ins and extensions,...
Source: cloudzy.com

WriteFreely Reviews

  1. Kristina Ponting
    · home at Homewife ·
    I love this:)

    It is siple to use, the words are the center:)


25+ Medium Alternative Platforms for Publishing Articles
WriteFreely is designed for writing, with little distraction and an easy-to-use interface. It’s free to use and can be edited on any browser, which makes it very versatile.
Source: forgefusion.io

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, WriteFreely should be more popular than Textpattern. It has been mentiond 35 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Textpattern mentions (6)

  • Matt Mullenweg, Automattic's CEO, Seems Bound and Determined to Wreck WordPress
    There's ClassicPress. But a better alternative than sticking with WP is https://textpattern.com/ (which has better and more stable codebase that is as old as WordPress). - Source: Hacker News / 5 months ago
  • WordPress Alternatives
    TextPattern use to a thing like around the same time WP got started. It’s also PHP based. https://textpattern.com/. - Source: Hacker News / 8 months ago
  • Modern WordPress – Yikes
    Checkout https://textpattern.com/ - its development started around the same time as WordPress, and still continues. Even though it didn't reach Wordpress' success, I've always felt that TextPattern is better coded than WordPress. - Source: Hacker News / about 1 year ago
  • Ask HN: For static HTML, what is your go to template?
    Depends on the need...I have a quick LibreOffice HTML template in light or dark. I include metas for mobile use in the document properties. I also have a PHP controller that can easily modify these if I need it to be more dynamic. Otherwise I use https://picocss.com/ for some things. For publishing I either drop the HTML file in a folder with or without a controller, or start a new endpoint by creating a new... - Source: Hacker News / about 3 years ago
  • Textile Markup Language
    Textile was the driving markup behind Textpattern (https://textpattern.com/), one of the better publishing/CMS tools out there on PHP. It had a nice object oriented approach that was less painful than Wordpress, and gave great flexibility to design aspects in ways that were easier to work with than Wordpress... But Wordpress won the popular marketshare, and TP was relegated to some diehards. Those diehards still... - Source: Hacker News / over 3 years ago
View more

WriteFreely mentions (35)

  • The Home Server Journey - 6: Your New Blogging Career
    When looking for something more dynamic, I initially though about using Plume, since it's easy to integrate with some applications I plan to deploy later, but unfortunately it's not well maintained anymore. As Ghost or Wordpress seem overkill, I ended up opting for the conveniences of WriteFreely: it lets me create and edit posts in-place, with Markdown support and no need to upload new files. However, that comes... - Source: dev.to / 8 months ago
  • Why I'm leaving Medium: AI policy
    From the top of my head: https://ghost.org/ https://writefreely.org/. - Source: Hacker News / 8 months ago
  • One of the greatest user interface disasters in history
    Mastodon is a microblogging service, so not meant for large bodies of text. This is why the text entry box is small, the columns are somewhat narrow (especially in deck mode) etc. Platforms like https://writefreely.org/ , which are designed to be for blogging and long-form writing, are the place to write this. Write Freely federates so one can follow accounts and interact with posts via Mastodon etc. - Source: Hacker News / over 1 year ago
  • Which platform for occasional blog posts?
    An alternative to Plume is WriteFreely, which is a pretty clean & simple experience. Just don't expect to much regarding customization. Source: about 2 years ago
  • ActivityPub server that can run on Docker with external db?
    And since you've mentioned you want to write a blog, take a look at WriteFreely: https://writefreely.org/. Source: about 2 years ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Textpattern and WriteFreely, you can also consider the following products

ClassicPress - The WordPress fork. No Gutenberg. Great future!

Ghost - Ghost is a fully open source, adaptable platform for building and running a modern online publication. We power blogs, magazines and journalists from Zappos to Sky News.

Sitecake - Drag and drop CMS for HTML websites. It's flat file CMS so it's pretty fast.

Tumblr - A feature rich and free blog hosting platform offering professional and fully customizable templates, bookmarklets, photos, mobile apps, and social network integration.

Anchor CMS - Free and lightweight blogging system

Medium - Welcome to Medium, a place to read, write, and interact with the stories that matter most to you.