Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Thymeleaf VS Apache FreeMarker

Compare Thymeleaf VS Apache FreeMarker and see what are their differences

Note: These products don't have any matching categories. If you think this is a mistake, please edit the details of one of the products and suggest appropriate categories.

Thymeleaf logo Thymeleaf

Thymeleaf is a modern server-side Java template engine for both web and standalone environments.

Apache FreeMarker logo Apache FreeMarker

Java template engine; generates HTML web pages, e-mails, configuration files, source code, etc. from template files and the data your application provides.
  • Thymeleaf Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-26
  • Apache FreeMarker Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-08-21

Thymeleaf features and specs

  • Natural Template Approach
    Thymeleaf allows developers to create templates that can be directly opened and edited by designers in browsers, making collaboration between developers and designers easier.
  • Server-Side Rendering
    It provides powerful templating capabilities on the server-side, allowing for dynamic content generation, which is well-suited for web applications that need to process templates on the server.
  • Spring Integration
    Thymeleaf integrates seamlessly with Spring Framework, making it an ideal choice for Spring-based web applications.
  • Rich Features
    Features such as internationalization, decoupled templates, and template inheritance make Thymeleaf a versatile tool for complex applications.
  • HTML5 Support
    Thymeleaf offers excellent support for modern HTML5 standards, ensuring compatibility and future-proofing of web applications.

Possible disadvantages of Thymeleaf

  • Steeper Learning Curve
    Compared to some other templating engines, Thymeleaf has a steeper learning curve, particularly for those not familiar with XML or HTML attribute-based templates.
  • Less Suitable for Highly Interactive UIs
    Since Thymeleaf is a server-side technology, it might not be the best choice for applications requiring highly interactive and dynamically updated UI, which are better served by client-side solutions like React or Angular.
  • Performance Overhead
    The server-side processing of Thymeleaf templates can introduce performance overhead, particularly for large-scale applications with high traffic volumes.
  • Limited Reusability
    Unlike component-based libraries or frameworks, Thymeleaf may have limited reusability of UI components, which can lead to more code duplication.

Apache FreeMarker features and specs

No features have been listed yet.

Thymeleaf videos

Spring Boot Thymeleaf Form Handling Tutorial

More videos:

  • Review - Using Thymeleaf in Spring Boot
  • Review - 4.4 Thymeleaf Standard Dialect XSD

Apache FreeMarker videos

Apache Freemarker Template Demo with Spring Boot

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Thymeleaf and Apache FreeMarker)
Javascript UI Libraries
100 100%
0% 0
Application And Data
0 0%
100% 100
JavaScript MVC Framework
100 100%
0% 0
Web Frameworks
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Apache FreeMarker seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 8 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.

Thymeleaf mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of Thymeleaf yet. Tracking of Thymeleaf recommendations started around Mar 2021.

Apache FreeMarker mentions (8)

  • Using FreeMarker template engine in Sitecore Personalize
    FreeMarker is a template engine, it allows to generate text output based on templates and dynamic data. It is similar to Mustache, Handlebars, Thymeleaf and other template engines. Templates are written in the FreeMarker Template Language (FTL) that supports conditional blocks, iterations, formatting, and many other capabilities. - Source: dev.to / almost 3 years ago
  • m8a scenario #1 - Using Coder to Develop Keycloak Templates Live (almost)...
    Getting back to our two main technologies....we have implemented Keycloak as our Identification and Authorization Management system (IAM). However, as these things go, Keycloak has its own tech stack. One of the technologies, of course, is the language they used, which is Java. And being it is Java, they chose to use a templating engine called Freemarker. - Source: dev.to / over 3 years ago
  • Typescript, Webpack and legacy jquery with plugins
    The project I was working on was a website using Magnolia as their CMS. It uses the Freemarker templating engine under the hood. Essentially these are super-powered HTML files, which give you access to the CMS content. You can still use all of the HTML tags you want, including the. - Source: dev.to / over 3 years ago
  • Can I use Java to build a website?
    You can use Java for Backend and Frontend. A relative new kid on the block for Frontend is Qute. The general keyword you are searching for is Java Templating Engine. Specific examples would be Thymeleaf or FreeMarker. There are some framework, which offer a lot more than templating like Vaadin or Wicket. Some are just specifications like Jakarta Faces with some of their implementations MyFaces or Mojarra. Source: almost 4 years ago
  • How to create a Keycloak plugin
    Keycloak uses FreeMaker to store and render templates. Read more about how Keycloak manages its themes in the official documentation. - Source: dev.to / almost 4 years ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Thymeleaf and Apache FreeMarker, you can also consider the following products

Kissflow - Kissflow is a workflow tool & business process workflow management software to automate your workflow process. Rated #1 cloud workflow software in Google Apps Marketplace.

Guava - Google core libraries for Java 6+.

OutSystems - Build Enterprise-Grade Apps Fast.

Java - A concurrent, class-based, object-oriented, language specifically designed to have as few implementation dependencies as possible

Now Platform - Get native platform intelligence, so you can predict, prioritize, and proactively manage the work that matters most with the NOW Platform from ServiceNow.

RxJava - RxJava โ€“ Reactive Extensions for the JVM is a library for composing asynchronous and event-based programs using observable sequences.