Dotclear
Dotclear is free, self-hosted blogging software for publishing blogs on the web.
What Dotclear is
Dotclear is free, self-hosted blogging software for publishing blogs on the web. It provides editorial workflows, multilingual content tools, SEO features, and a media library. Installation involves downloading a ZIP or TAR.GZ archive, uploading files to web space, and running a browser wizard; a web host and database are required. A theme editor changes appearance, while drag-and-drop widgets manage navigation. The official plugin repository lists 153 registered plugins, including API, translation, featured-media, and external-media tools. Plugins include a public API and Ping Mastodon for publishing statuses to a configured Mastodon instance. The Sitemaps plugin helps search indexing. Multiple blogs can be created manually, each configured separately. Dotclear is free under the GNU Affero General Public License version 3 or later, with documentation, developer resources, designer resources, and a forum.
Good
- Free plan available
- Supports multilingual content
- Includes SEO tools and media library
- 153 registered plugins listed
- Theme editor and drag-and-drop widgets
Watch out
- Requires a web host and database
- No free trial
- Multiple blogs require separate manual configuration
- No automated hosting-platform setup script
Who it suits
It suits people who want free, self-hosted blogging software with multilingual, editorial, SEO, and media features. Users must provide hosting and a database themselves.
Verdict
Dotclear offers a broad blogging toolkit for self-hosted sites, with extensions and customization options. Its hosting requirements and manual setup make the deployment model important to evaluate.
Plans and prices
From Dotclear's own pricing page, checked 12 Oct 2026.
| Plan | Price | What it gives you |
|---|---|---|
| Dotclear | Free | Self-hosted blog software; requires a web host and database |
The facts
Each one read from Dotclear's own pages, with the date it was checked.
What it does
- API
- The plugin repository lists a Dotclear public API plugin described as serving a blog through an API.checked 12 Oct 2026
- Documentation and support
- The project README points users to a user manual, administration guide, and developer and designer resources; the official site also provides a forum.checked 12 Oct 2026
- Downloads
- The official download directory offers Dotclear 2.39.3 as ZIP and TAR.GZ archives.checked 12 Oct 2026
- Editorial workflows
- Yeschecked 22 Sep 2026
- Extensions
- The official plugin repository lists 153 registered plugins, including plugins for APIs, featured media, translations, and external media embedding.checked 12 Oct 2026
- Installation
- The standard installation instructions say to download the archive, upload the files to web space, and run the installation wizard in a browser.checked 12 Oct 2026
- Integrations
- The plugin repository includes Ping Mastodon, which can publish statuses to a configured Mastodon instance.checked 12 Oct 2026
- License
- The project README says Dotclear is free software under the GNU Affero General Public License, version 3 or later.checked 12 Oct 2026
- Media library
- Yeschecked 22 Sep 2026
- Multilingual content
- Yeschecked 22 Sep 2026
- Multiple blogs
- Dotclear allows users to create multiple blogs manually from its interface, with each blog created and configured separately.checked 12 Oct 2026
- Organization
- The project describes Association Dotclear as a French nonprofit association governed by the 1901 law, supporting the software’s development and maintenance.checked 12 Oct 2026
- Product
- Dotclear is blogging software for publishing a blog.checked 12 Oct 2026
- Search visibility
- The FAQ says the Sitemaps plugin facilitates search engine indexing of a blog.checked 12 Oct 2026
- Security and privacy
- The site’s terms say it cannot guarantee the security of personal data because they are available to anyone with physical access to its server.checked 12 Oct 2026
- SEO tools
- Yeschecked 22 Sep 2026
- Themes
- Dotclear provides a theme editor for changing a blog’s appearance.checked 12 Oct 2026
- Widgets
- Widgets can be added or removed from a blog’s navigation area using drag and drop in blog management.checked 12 Oct 2026
The company
- Founded
- 2003checked 28 Sep 2026
Money
- Free plan
- Yeschecked 22 Sep 2026
Where it runs
- Hosted platform limit
- The FAQ says the project does not provide a script to automate setting up a blog hosting platform.checked 12 Oct 2026
- Platform type
- self_hostedchecked 22 Sep 2026
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