Halo
Halo: A flexible publishing platform for teams that want control over hosting, themes, and extensions. Ranked #26 of 125 in Blogging Platforms by our editors (6.4/10); pricing: Free plan; best for self-hosted publishers wanting extensibility.
At a glance
- Editor score6.4 / 10
- PricingFree plan
- Best forSelf-hosted publishers wanting extensibility
- Free planYes
- Custom domainYes
- Founded2022 · Shenzhen, Guangdong, China
- Facts checked22 Sep 2026
Where it wins
- Free GPL-3.0 Community Edition with themes and plugins
- Scheduled publishing, custom templates, roles, and site statistics
- REST API plus Docker, JAR, and multiple database deployment options
Where it doesn't
- Self-hosting requires deployment and database decisions
- Built-in memberships are not included
- Commerce capabilities require a Commercial Edition plan
Our verdict on Halo
Halo is an open-source, self-hosted website builder and CMS for personal blogs, knowledge bases, business websites, documentation sites, portfolios, and online stores. Its publishing tools cover article creation, editing, categorization, tagging, comments, scheduled publication, pages, custom templates, themes, plugins, and user roles. The Community Edition is free under GPL-3.0, making Halo a practical fit for publishers that want control over their site structure and deployment rather than a hosted blogging service with a fixed operating model.
The platform’s strongest angle is extensibility. Themes can be installed and configured, while custom article, page, and category templates support more tailored site structures. Plugins extend the platform through an application marketplace, and RESTful API access provides a route for connected workflows. Site statistics include visits, posts, comments, and categories. Halo runs through Docker or JAR deployment and supports PostgreSQL, MySQL, MariaDB, and H2, with Nginx and Caddy also listed among its integrations. That breadth suits publishers with technical ownership of their stack.
The plan structure separates general publishing from commerce. Community Edition covers blogs, portfolios, documentation sites, free themes, and plugins. Commercial Edition annual adds content management, online store features, and product, order, and payment management. Commercial Edition perpetual includes the commercial edition features with perpetual use for the purchased version. Commerce-focused organizations should therefore evaluate the paid editions, while publishers seeking memberships should note that built-in memberships are not included. Halo is the better choice for self-hosted publishers that value customization and deployment flexibility; teams wanting a fully managed service or built-in memberships should consider an alternative.
Your product? Our editors can test Halo in depth and publish a review, labelled as paid · from $149/mo →
Halo pricing
Halo fact sheet
| Free plan | Yes |
|---|---|
| Paid from | Not verified |
| Custom domain | Yes |
| Author limit | Not verified |
| Theme customization | Custom code |
| Post scheduling | Yes |
| Built-in memberships | No |
| Blog analytics | Yes |
| Deployment | Self-hosted, Cloud, Mobile |
| Platforms | Web, Linux, iOS, Android |
| Support | Community, Docs |
| Built for | Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise (editorial estimate) |
| Integrations | 7 integrations: Docker, PostgreSQL, MySQL, MariaDB, H2, Nginx … See all → |
| Pricing | Free plan (source) |
| Website | halo.run |
| Facts checked | 22 Sep 2026 |
Halo integrations
Halo lists 7 integrations on its own site.
- Docker
- PostgreSQL
- MySQL
- MariaDB
- H2
- Nginx
- Caddy
Alternatives to Halo
- WordPress.comAn all-in-one hosted platform with free publishing and scalable paid plans.9.4
- WordPressA highly configurable publishing system for teams that can manage self-hosted infrastructure.9.3
- GhostA flexible publishing platform for newsletters, memberships, gated content, and paid subscriptions.9.0
Used Halo? Be the first to review it
The editor score above is our own research. What this page doesn't have yet is a reader's view — what you used Halo for, what worked and what didn't. No stars are seeded and no review is paid for; an editor reads every one before it appears.
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Featured on iTechGuides
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Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
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