Zola
What it is
Zola is a free static site generator that converts Markdown content into static HTML pages for blogs, knowledge bases, and landing pages. It runs on Linux, macOS, and Windows, and can also be self-hosted. Zola is distributed as a single executable with Sass compilation and syntax highlighting built in. Its maker says an average site generates in less than a second, including those steps. The generated files do not require a database or a server to manage. Zola uses CommonMark, adding support for footnotes, GitHub-flavored tables, task lists, and strikethrough, and it uses the Tera template engine. It supports multilingual sites with language-specific configuration and content files, and can generate pages for custom taxonomies such as categories, genres, and tags. Search can run without servers or third parties, with configurable indexing. Deployment guides cover Netlify, Vercel, GitHub Pages, and Cloudflare Pages. The plan costs nothing. The Windows installation documentation notes that Zola does not work in PowerShell ISE.
For and against
For
- Free plan costs nothing
- Single executable includes Sass compilation and syntax highlighting
- Supports multilingual sites and custom taxonomies
- Generated sites need no database or managed server
Against
- Does not work in PowerShell ISE
- Windows installation is available through prebuilt binaries
The verdict
Zola offers a static publishing workflow with Markdown, templates, multilingual content, and configurable search. Note the PowerShell ISE limitation if that is part of your Windows setup.
Who it suits
Zola suits people building static blogs, knowledge bases, or landing pages from Markdown. Its multilingual support, taxonomies, and deployment guides may help site creators with varied content and hosting needs.
Plans and prices
Zola
No cost; single executable
Read 7 Oct 2026 · getzola.org
On the record
- Content sources
- markdowngetzola.org · read 20 Sep 2026
- Download platforms
- The installation documentation lists prebuilt binaries for macOS, Linux, and Windows.getzola.org · read 7 Oct 2026
- Hosting
- Zola outputs static files, so generated sites do not require a database or server to manage.getzola.org · read 7 Oct 2026
- Integrations
- The documentation provides deployment guides for Netlify, Vercel, GitHub Pages, and Cloudflare Pages.getzola.org · read 7 Oct 2026
- License
- The project states that code introduced after version 0.22 is licensed under EUPL-1.2, while earlier code remains under MIT.github.com · read 7 Oct 2026
- Markdown
- Zola uses CommonMark and adds support for footnotes, GitHub-flavored tables, task lists, and strikethrough.getzola.org · read 7 Oct 2026
- Multilingual sites
- Zola supports multilingual sites, with language-specific configuration and content files.getzola.org · read 7 Oct 2026
- Multilingual support
- Yesgetzola.org · read 20 Sep 2026
- Notable limit
- The Windows installation documentation states that Zola does not work in PowerShell ISE.getzola.org · read 7 Oct 2026
- Performance
- The maker says an average site generates in less than a second, including Sass compilation and syntax highlighting.getzola.org · read 7 Oct 2026
- Local preview server
- Yesgetzola.org · read 20 Sep 2026
- Product
- Zola is a static site generator that turns content into static HTML pages.getzola.org · read 7 Oct 2026
- Search
- The project describes search as running without servers or third parties; search indexing is configurable.github.com · read 7 Oct 2026
- Single binary
- Zola is distributed as a single executable with Sass compilation and syntax highlighting built in.getzola.org · read 7 Oct 2026
- Support
- The maker links to documentation and a community forum for help.getzola.org · read 7 Oct 2026
- Supported languages
- Rustgetzola.org · read 20 Sep 2026
- Taxonomies
- Zola can generate pages for user-defined taxonomies and their terms, such as categories, genres, or tags.getzola.org · read 7 Oct 2026
- Templates
- Zola uses the Tera template engine, which its documentation compares to Jinja2, Liquid, and Twig.getzola.org · read 7 Oct 2026
