A compatible web server, PHP runtime, PHP modules, and database are required.
Buyers must confirm their hosting environment meets the project's requirements and arrange installation and ongoing maintenance.
Evidence source ↗
Dotclear
Dotclear is open-source web publishing software for blogs and websites, with themes, plugins, media tools, and multi-user publishing.
Dotclear Decision Snapshot
A quick way to understand who this product may suit, where its limits matter, and which facts are most relevant before you compare alternatives.
Best suited to
Individuals and small publishing teams seeking a self-hosted blog with configurable themes, plugins, multiple users, and support for several database options.
Look elsewhere if
Teams seeking vendor-managed hosting, a current subscription support plan, or a fully documented public content API without additional setup, and should evaluate alternatives such as WordPress or Ghost instead.
Platforms
MySQL, PHP, PostgreSQL, Self-hosted, Web
TechZella assessment
7.2/10
Overview
Dotclear is open-source software for publishing blogs and other web content. Its documented features include pages, posts, categories, tags, media management, syndication feeds, themes, and plugins.
It supports multiple blogs and users with permissions. The project lists a web server, PHP 8.2–8.5, and a supported database among its installation requirements, so buyers must supply and maintain their own hosting environment.
Dotclear — What Sets It Apart?
These are the product-specific differences that may matter when deciding whether the software fits your workflow. They are based on documented evidence rather than a universal ranking.
- The project documents built-in multi-blog support and user permissions, allowing more than one blog and role-controlled publishing in one installation.
- The documented database choices include MySQL/MariaDB, PostgreSQL, and SQLite, giving operators several hosting configurations.
- Dotclear's core has a REST server interface, but a separate community plugin is needed for the documented public API setup, and that plugin requires additional endpoint plugins.
6 key claims verifiedOur editorial team checked this profile against vendor documentation, product documentation, pricing information. Supported by 4 documented sources.
Dotclear Pros & Cons
Pros
- No software license fee; distributed under AGPL-3.0.
- Supports multiple blogs and users with permissions.
- Offers multiple database options and content import/export.
- Extensible through themes and plugins.
Cons
- Requires users to provide and maintain compatible web hosting.
- A useful public API setup may require additional plugins or development.
- Public third-party review evidence is too limited for a reliable sentiment assessment.
Dotclear Gotchas & Operational Limits
These are documented constraints or practical friction points that may matter before you adopt the product.
The community API server plugin does not provide useful endpoints by itself.
A buyer planning custom integrations should budget for endpoint plugins or development instead of assuming a ready-to-use content API.
Evidence source ↗Dotclear Pricing & Plans
Open-source self-hosted software
$0
license
Dotclear is available under AGPL-3.0 with no software license fee. Hosting and related operational costs are separate; no official hosted plan or trial was verified.
Check current pricing →Pricing may change. Verify current plans on the vendor's website.
Dotclear Competitors & Alternatives
Compare similar products directly, then see which alternatives may make more sense when your requirements differ.
Direct competitors
These products address broadly similar requirements. The descriptions focus on documented reasons a buyer might compare them with Dotclear.
Dotclear Features
Content publishing
- Posts and pages
- Wiki, Markdown, and WYSIWYG editing syntaxes
- Categories and tags
- Comments and built-in antispam
- Syndication feeds
Site management
- Multi-blog installation
- Multiple users with permissions
- Media management
- Widgets
- Customizable themes and templates
- Localization
Extensibility and data
- Themes and plugins
- Content importing and exporting
- Core REST server interface with XML and JSON response formats
- XML-RPC handler with pingback support
Demo & Screenshots
Dotclear Specifications
| License | AGPL-3.0 |
|---|---|
| Deployment | Self-hosted |
| PHP requirement | PHP 8.2–8.5, according to the project README reviewed |
| Database options | MySQL/MariaDB, PostgreSQL, or SQLite |
| Web server | Apache, Nginx, lighttpd, Caddy, or another compatible server |
| Latest listed release | 2.39.3, listed August 25, 2026 |
| API | Core REST server interface documented; public API plugin requires other plugins for useful endpoints |
| Free trial | Not applicable to free downloadable software; no hosted trial verified |
Deployment & System Footprint
Verified installation, hosting, administration, or environment details that can affect implementation.
| Installation or hosting | Self-hosted installation on a web server; the project documents PHP 8.2–8.5 and MySQL/MariaDB, PostgreSQL, or SQLite. Source ↗ |
|---|---|
| License | The repository identifies the software as free and open source under AGPL-3.0. Source ↗ |
Migration & Lock-In
Documented portability, standards, export, or switching considerations. No switching-cost score is shown unless the evidence supports one.
Data portability
The project lists importing and exporting among its features. The reviewed materials do not establish a specific migration pathway or guarantee for every source CMS.
Evidence source ↗Our evidence-based assessment
TechZella Score
A proprietary editorial score based on product capabilities, usability, value, performance, support and user sentiment evidence.
7.2/10Moderate confidence
First-party materials document publishing, themes, plugins, multiple databases, and multi-user, multi-blog operation. Dotclear is free under AGPL-3.0, but deployment requires a compatible web server and PHP environment. Public review evidence is limited to one dated G2 review, so sentiment and performance scores have low confidence.
Methodology v1.0. The assessment weighs feature coverage (25%), ease of use (15%), value for money (20%), performance (15%), support (10%) and user sentiment (15%), using researched product evidence and verified review evidence where available. It is a TechZella editorial assessment, not a direct user-review average.
Editorial transparency
Our Review Methodology
Key claims are linked to the sources used to verify them. This evidence record is separate from third-party user ratings.
TechZella evaluates software using documented product capabilities, pricing information, usability and value considerations, independent user evidence where available, and competitive context. The assessment is an editorial review, not a hands-on test unless one is explicitly identified. Our editorial assessment is based on 4 documented sources.
What TechZella adds
- The project documents built-in multi-blog support and user permissions, allowing more than one blog and role-controlled publishing in one installation.
- The documented database choices include MySQL/MariaDB, PostgreSQL, and SQLite, giving operators several hosting configurations.
- Dotclear's core has a REST server interface, but a separate community plugin is needed for the documented public API setup, and that plugin requires additional endpoint plugins.
Important limitations
- Dotclear is self-hosted software: users must arrange a compatible web server, PHP runtime, and database themselves.
- The documented public API setup is not turnkey: the API server plugin states that it provides no useful endpoint on its own and requires linked plugins.
- G2 shows only one review, dated 2019, and reports insufficient reviews for buying insight.
Evidence-backed claimsDotclear is open-source web publishing software. Dotclear supports multiple database choices. Dotclear includes multi-blog and multi-user capabilities. The latest official download directory reviewed listed Dotclear 2.39.3. The community API server plugin requires other plugins to provide useful endpoints. G2 displayed one Dotclear review with a 2.5/5 rating.
The project README describes Dotclear as open-source web publishing software and identifies the AGPL-3.0 license.
View source ↗Verified 2026-10-12The project README lists MySQL/MariaDB, PostgreSQL, and SQLite as supported database options.
View source ↗Verified 2026-10-12The project README lists multiblog operation and multiple users with permissions among its features.
View source ↗Verified 2026-10-12The official download page listed 2.39.3 as the latest archive, dated August 25, 2026.
View source ↗Verified 2026-10-12The plugin listing documents activation, API rate-limit settings, requirements, and that it does not serve useful endpoints by itself.
View source ↗Verified 2026-10-12The G2 product page displayed a 2.5/5 rating from one review and said there were too few reviews to provide buying insight.
View source ↗Verified 2026-10-12Community feedback
Reviews
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FAQ
Is Dotclear free? Yes. The project identifies it as free, open-source software under AGPL-3.0. Hosting and operational costs are separate.
Does Dotclear include hosting? The reviewed project materials describe downloadable software and self-hosted installation requirements. An official managed hosting plan was not verified.
Which databases does it support? The project lists MySQL/MariaDB, PostgreSQL, and SQLite.
Does Dotclear have an API? Its code documentation describes a REST server interface. The separate public API plugin listing says other plugins are needed to provide useful endpoints.
Is a free trial available? A trial is not applicable to the free downloadable software; no separate official hosted trial was verified.
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