Suggestions appear as you type. Use the up and down arrows to choose one and Enter to open it.

This page's audience our own tag's counts — open to see them
–Visits
–Page views
–Clicks to vendors
–Time on page
–Reading now
Clicks to vendors, by tool
  • –
Top countries
  • –
Devices
  • –

– · visits, page views and clicks counted by our own tag, which counts more than our checked analytics; every figure rounded down · how we count

Head-to-head · Template Engine Software

Apache FreeMarker vs Apache Velocity

  • Updated Oct 2026
  • Both researched from official sources
  • 3 checks side by side
Higher score Apache FreeMarker #5 in Template Engine Software 9.0/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 1 of 4 features Visit site
Apache Velocity #6 in Template Engine Software 8.9/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 1 of 4 features Try Apache Velocity

Apache FreeMarker leads on 1 check, Apache Velocity on 0, and 2 are even. Who comes out ahead on the 3 yes/no, price and count checks where we have data for both products. The editor score weighs everything else too.

Our verdict

  • Highest scoreApache FreeMarker · 9.0/10
  • Free planboth

Apache FreeMarker scores higher on our rubric for template engine software: 9.0 against 8.9 out of 10; our editors rank them #5 and #6.

Apache FreeMarker offers automatic escaping; Apache Velocity doesn't.

Apache FreeMarker is the better fit for java projects generating varied text formats. Apache Velocity is the better fit for java teams generating text and source artifacts.

  • Apache FreeMarker fits best

    Java projects generating varied text formats

  • Apache Velocity fits best

    Java teams generating text and source artifacts

Advertiser disclosure: iTechGuides is reader-supported. Vendors can pay for top positions in our rankings and for a place on other products' pages, and we may earn a commission when you click some links. Bought places stand at the number bought; this page and our disclosure say so. Paying vendors may get a fuller, more detailed review from our editors, and that review can change their score. How we rank.

Side by side

Feature Apache FreeMarker 9.0/10 Visit ↗ Apache Velocity 8.9/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score 9.0 8.9
Ranking #5 in Template Engine Software #6 in Template Engine Software
Best for Java projects generating varied text formats Java teams generating text and source artifacts
Pricing model Free Free
Starting price Free plan Free plan
Free plan ✓ ✓
Free trial — —
Deployment Self-hosted Self-hosted
Support Community, Docs Community
Built for Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features Apache FreeMarker 1/4 · Apache Velocity 1/4
Template inheritance Not checked yet Not checked yet
Automatic escaping ✓ (best) —
Sandbox mode Not checked yet ✓ (best)
Async rendering Not checked yet Not checked yet
Specs
Rendering mode Server Server
Syntax model Logic-based Logic-based
License model Open-source Open-source
Our review
Pros
  • Generates HTML, email, configuration files, and source code
  • Configurable loaders and cached parsed templates support repeated rendering
  • Locale-sensitive formatting and configurable output-format escaping
  • Generates web pages, source code, SQL, PostScript, and emails
  • Supports conditionals, collection loops, includes, and reusable macros
  • Loads templates from files, the classpath, or a database
Cons
  • Designed for Java applications and self-hosted deployment
  • Automatic escaping depends on configured output formats
  • Uploaded templates require security configuration and code-level trust
  • Requires self-hosted deployment in a Java application or utility
  • Automatic escaping is listed as false
  • Support is community-based
Our verdict

Apache FreeMarker is an open-source Java library that turns FreeMarker Template Language (FTL) templates and application data models into text output. It fits teams building Java applications that need to generate HTML pages, emails,…

Read the review →

Apache Velocity is a Java-based template engine for teams that need to generate text from templates. Java code supplies objects in a context, and templates use the Velocity Template Language to reference them and control output. It can be…

Read the review →
  1. Apache FreeMarkerTemplate Engine Software 9.0Free plan
  2. Apache VelocityTemplate Engine Software 8.9Free plan

Strengths and trade-offs

  • Apache FreeMarker — where it wins

    • Generates HTML, email, configuration files, and source code
    • Configurable loaders and cached parsed templates support repeated rendering
    • Locale-sensitive formatting and configurable output-format escaping

    Where it doesn't

    • Designed for Java applications and self-hosted deployment
    • Automatic escaping depends on configured output formats
    • Uploaded templates require security configuration and code-level trust

  • Apache Velocity — where it wins

    • Generates web pages, source code, SQL, PostScript, and emails
    • Supports conditionals, collection loops, includes, and reusable macros
    • Loads templates from files, the classpath, or a database

    Where it doesn't

    • Requires self-hosted deployment in a Java application or utility
    • Automatic escaping is listed as false
    • Support is community-based

More comparisons

All template engine software comparisons → · Full ranking →

Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026

Last updated · How we research and update