Compare writefreely and havenweb on pricing, features, platforms, and ratings — both Content Marketing tools, open-source vs Open Source / Freemium pricing to…
At a Glance
writefreely
havenweb
Primary category
Content Marketing
Content Marketing
Rating
Not documented
Not documented
Pricing model
open-source
Open Source / Freemium
Starting price
Free to self-host; the hosted Write.as service built on WriteFreely starts at about 6 US dollars per month
Free (self-hosted)
Free plan
Not documented
Yes
Free trial
Not documented
Not documented
Platforms
Not documented
Web
Team collaboration
Not documented
Not documented
AI features
Not documented
Not documented
Public API
Not documented
Not documented
Pricing Compared
Starting price reflects the lowest paid tier, not the full cost for every team size or usage level.
writefreely
Self-Hosted — Free N/A (open-source software)
Write.as Hosted — From about $6 per month Monthly or annual
Write.as Pro — Custom (higher tier) Monthly or annual
havenweb
Self-hosted — Free N/A
Hosted — $5/month Monthly
Fully Managed — Custom Contact for pricing
Pros & Cons
writefreely
Pros
Completely free and open-source, with no licensing cost to self-host
Genuine ActivityPub federation connects blogs to the wider Fediverse and Mastodon audience
Extremely lightweight and minimalist, runs even on a Raspberry Pi
Strong privacy stance with no tracking, ads, or engagement-bait features
Multi-user support makes it suitable for community and organizational blogs, not just individuals
Cons
Self-hosting requires server administration knowledge and ongoing maintenance
Minimalist feature set lacks the themes, plugins, and monetization tools of platforms like WordPress
Smaller community and ecosystem than mainstream blogging platforms means fewer themes and integrations
Federated audience reach depends on the broader Fediverse, which is smaller than centralized social platforms
havenweb
Pros
Completely free and open source, with no vendor lock-in
Genuinely private by design, with no public visibility option and no tracking or ads
Lightweight enough to run on very cheap hardware like a Raspberry Pi
Simple, focused feature set that avoids the complexity and spam issues of platforms like WordPress
Low-cost official hosting option for people who do not want to self-host
Cons
Requires comfort with Docker or a willingness to pay for hosting to get started
No built-in monetization tools, unlike public blogging platforms such as Substack
Small, independent project with no dedicated support team or enterprise SLA
Limited discovery: because it is intentionally private, there is no way to grow an audience beyond people you personally invite
Feature set is minimal compared to full-featured CMS platforms
Use Cases
writefreely
Personal Fediverse Blogging — Individuals self-host a distraction-free blog that Mastodon users can follow directly through ActivityPub.
Community and Organizational Publishing — Communities run a shared, multi-author WriteFreely instance for members to publish under one platform.
Privacy-Focused Publishing — Writers who want to avoid tracking, ads, and algorithmic feeds use WriteFreely for ad-free, distraction-free publishing.
havenweb
Sharing family photos privately — A family member sets up Haven to post photos and updates that only relatives with an account can see, avoiding public social media entirely.
Private journaling for a small circle — A writer uses Haven to publish personal reflections or updates to a small group of trusted friends without exposing them to a public audience.
Ad-free alternative to social media — Privacy-conscious users replace public social feeds with a self-hosted Haven to control exactly who sees their posts and to avoid ads and tracking.