Meridian
Meridian is an open-source, self-hosted blog engine with memberships and newsletters built in.
What Meridian is
Meridian is an open-source, self-hosted blog engine with memberships and newsletters built in. Its block editor stores structured JSON and supports posts, static pages, tags, full-text search, and RSS. Publishers can define free, premium, and custom subscription tiers, then control content visibility by tier. Meridian connects to the publisher’s Stripe account and creates Stripe Products and Prices from those tiers. Newsletters are composed in the admin dashboard, with public subscriber signup. Multiple email providers are supported, with Resend recommended. DKIM, DMARC, SPF, and one-click unsubscribe headers support email compliance. Deployment options include Docker, Railway, Fly.io, and Render; self-hosting requires PostgreSQL 16, with Redis optional for caching. Meridian provides REST and GraphQL endpoints, with GraphQL available in development mode. It uses the AGPLv3 license and says it charges no platform fee. Self-Hosted costs nothing forever. Managed Cloud is listed at $9 a month and marked Coming Soon.
Good
- Open-source AGPLv3 license
- Membership tiers with visibility rules
- Built-in newsletters and public signup
- Stripe Products and Prices created automatically
- REST API and GraphQL endpoint
Watch out
- Self-hosting requires PostgreSQL 16
- Managed Cloud is marked Coming Soon
- GraphQL is available in development mode
Who it suits
Meridian suits publishers comfortable with self-hosting who want memberships, newsletters, and Stripe subscriptions. Its web, Linux, and deployment options also fit teams choosing their own infrastructure.
Verdict
Meridian offers a self-hosted publishing stack combining structured content, memberships, newsletters, and APIs without a platform fee. The free Self-Hosted plan provides the core system, while Managed Cloud adds hosted operations when available.
Plans and prices
From Meridian's own pricing page, checked 15 Oct 2026.
| Plan | Price | What it gives you |
|---|---|---|
| Self-Hosted | Free | unlimited posts and pages · unlimited members · Resend newsletters · Stripe payments · REST API and GraphQL · community support · forever |
| Managed Cloud | $9 a month | managed PostgreSQL and Redis · automatic updates · daily backups · custom domain and SSL · email sending · priority support · coming soon · monthly |
The facts
Each one read from Meridian's own pages, with the date it was checked.
What it does
- API
- Meridian exposes a REST API and a GraphQL endpoint, with GraphQL available in development mode.checked 8 Oct 2026
- API extensibility
- Stripe-specific endpoints support tiers, checkout sessions, billing portals and webhooks.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Blog analytics
- Yeschecked 22 Sep 2026
- Built-in memberships
- Yeschecked 22 Sep 2026
- Content types
- Users can create posts and static pages, organize tags, search all content and provide an RSS feed.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Custom domain
- Yeschecked 22 Sep 2026
- Database requirement
- Meridian requires PostgreSQL 16 and can optionally use Redis for caching.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Deployment
- The product can be deployed with Docker or on Railway, Fly.io, or Render, and requires PostgreSQL 16 with Redis optional for caching.checked 8 Oct 2026
- Deployment options
- The project documents Docker deployment and one-click or guided deployment on Railway, Fly.io and Render.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Editor blocks
- Documented blocks include text, headings, quotes, code and dividers.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Email compliance
- The documentation says Meridian enforces DKIM, DMARC and SPF and adds one-click unsubscribe headers for Gmail and Yahoo.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Email deliverability
- Meridian enforces DKIM, DMARC, and SPF and includes one-click unsubscribe headers for Gmail and Yahoo compliance.checked 8 Oct 2026
- Email integration
- Meridian supports multiple email providers and recommends Resend for sending newsletters.checked 8 Oct 2026
- GraphQL
- A GraphQL endpoint is available at /graphql in development mode for content queries with personalization and member context.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Import tool
- The repository includes a Jekyll importer that parses Atom or RSS, converts HTML into content blocks and preserves tags and cover images.checked 15 Oct 2026
- License
- Meridian is released under the GNU Affero General Public License version 3.checked 15 Oct 2026
- License and fees
- Meridian is open source under AGPLv3 and says it charges no platform fee.checked 8 Oct 2026
- Limit: email configuration
- Without email configuration, newsletters only log to the console, which is intended for development.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Limit: managed hosting availability
- The $9 Managed Cloud plan is marked Coming Soon.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Limit: Render database
- The documentation says Render's free PostgreSQL tier expires after 90 days and must be upgraded for production use.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Local development
- Local setup uses Deno 2.x, PostgreSQL 16, environment variables and migration commands.checked 15 Oct 2026
Money
- Billing portal
- Members receive a customer portal for self-service billing.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Free plan
- Yeschecked 22 Sep 2026
The company
- Maker
- The Meridian site credits Ali Raza as its creator.checked 8 Oct 2026
Alternatives to Meridian
- 1
WordPress
Free planOpen sourceAndroidiOSWebAPI8.8Free plan - 2
WordPress.com
Free planAndroidiOS8.7From $2.75 a month - 3
Tumblr
Free planAndroidiOSWeb8.4From $69.99 a year - 4
Hatena Blog
Free planAndroidiOSWebAPI8.3From ¥8,434 a year - 5
Causal Blogs
Free planAndroidiOSWebAPI8.2Free plan - 6
Hyvor Blogs
Free planWebAPISelf-hosted8.1From €5 a month