| Price from | $9/mo | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | Yes | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | — |
| Linux | Yes | — |
| API | Yes | — |
| Self-hosted | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 2 | 1 |
| Spec score · Blogging Platforms | 9.3 (#2) | 8.0 (#72) |
| Custom domain | Yes | Yes |
| Deployment | The product can be deployed with Docker or on Railway, Fly.io, or Render, and requires PostgreSQL 16 with Redis optional for caching. | PostOwl is open source and can be self-hosted; its deployment guide currently focuses on Fly.io. |
| Email integration | Meridian supports multiple email providers and recommends Resend for sending newsletters. | PostOwl uses Nodemailer to send email notifications and recommends Mailgun if the operator needs an SMTP server. |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Support | The Self-Hosted plan includes community support, while the Managed Cloud plan lists priority support. | The maker invites users to join GitHub Discussions and welcomes new contributors. |
| What it does | Meridian is a self-hosted blog engine combining publishing, memberships and newsletters. | PostOwl is an open-source web application for personal blogging, sharing letters, and private journaling. |
