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 · Blog Software

WordPress vs Pelican

  • Updated Oct 2026
  • Both researched from official sources
  • 1 check side by side
Higher score WordPress #2 in Blog Software 8.8/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 0 of 3 features Visit WordPress
Pelican #8 in Blog Software 7.9/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 0 of 3 features Visit Pelican

WordPress leads on 0 checks, Pelican on 0, and 1 is even. Who comes out ahead on the 1 yes/no, price and count check where we have data for both products. The editor score weighs everything else too.

Our verdict

  • Highest scoreWordPress · 8.8/10
  • Free planboth

WordPress scores higher on our rubric for blog software: 8.8 against 7.9 out of 10; our editors rank them #2 and #8.

WordPress is the better fit for flexible, self-hosted blogs with room to grow. Pelican is the better fit for technical bloggers who prefer static publishing.

  • WordPress fits best

    Flexible, self-hosted blogs with room to grow

  • Pelican fits best

    Technical bloggers who prefer static publishing

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 WordPress 8.8/10 Visit ↗ Pelican 7.9/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score 8.8 7.9
Ranking #2 in Blog Software #8 in Blog Software
Best for Flexible, self-hosted blogs with room to grow Technical bloggers who prefer static publishing
Pricing model Free Free
Starting price Free plan Free plan
Free plan ✓ ✓
Free trial — —
Deployment Self-hosted Self-hosted
Platforms Web Windows, macOS, Linux
Support Community, Docs Docs
Built for Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise Solo, Small business
Features WordPress 0/3 · Pelican 0/3
Custom domain Not checked yet Not checked yet
Post scheduling Not checked yet Not checked yet
Built-in analytics Not checked yet Not checked yet
Specs
Content editor Not checked yet Not checked yet
Included users Not checked yet Not checked yet
Content export Not checked yet Not checked yet
Our review
Pros
  • Block editing, scheduled posts, drafts, and revisions support publishing workflows.
  • Themes, plugins, and custom content types extend sites beyond basic blogs.
  • Roles, multilingual administration, media tools, and a REST API cover varied needs.
  • Authors can write in Markdown or reStructuredText.
  • Generates static HTML with themes, feeds, and multilingual articles.
  • Imports content from WordPress, Dotclear, or RSS.
Cons
  • Self-hosting requires more setup than a hosted blogging service.
  • Hosting and domain costs are handled separately by the site owner.
  • Support is through documentation and the community.
  • Publishing requires command-line site generation.
  • You must deploy the generated files using external hosting.
  • Themes require custom code, and analytics need external services or configuration.
Our verdict

WordPress is open-source content management and web publishing software for creators, businesses, developers, and organizations. It can run blogs, websites, and applications, with tools for posts and pages, block-based editing, scheduled…

Read the review →

Pelican is an open-source static site generator for bloggers who want to publish from files rather than manage a hosted blog editor. It runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux, and turns Markdown or reStructuredText into static HTML pages and…

Read the review →
  1. WordPressBlog Software 8.8Free plan
  2. PelicanBlog Software 7.9Free plan

Strengths and trade-offs

  • WordPress — where it wins

    • Block editing, scheduled posts, drafts, and revisions support publishing workflows.
    • Themes, plugins, and custom content types extend sites beyond basic blogs.
    • Roles, multilingual administration, media tools, and a REST API cover varied needs.

    Where it doesn't

    • Self-hosting requires more setup than a hosted blogging service.
    • Hosting and domain costs are handled separately by the site owner.
    • Support is through documentation and the community.

  • Pelican — where it wins

    • Authors can write in Markdown or reStructuredText.
    • Generates static HTML with themes, feeds, and multilingual articles.
    • Imports content from WordPress, Dotclear, or RSS.

    Where it doesn't

    • Publishing requires command-line site generation.
    • You must deploy the generated files using external hosting.
    • Themes require custom code, and analytics need external services or configuration.

More comparisons

All blog software comparisons → · Full ranking →

Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026

Last updated · How we research and update