What is Letterpad used for?

Letterpad is a blog publishing platform built with Next.js, React and GraphQL, offering an admin dashboard, inline editing, domain mapping and a page builder. It is a good fit for running a photoblog or portfolio site and publishing a multi-author blog.

Is Letterpad open source?

Yes. Letterpad is open source under the MIT licence. Its source code is on GitHub at letterpad/letterpad and is written mainly in TypeScript.

Yes. Letterpad is open source, so the software itself is free to use. Paid plans are also available, starting at $5 per month.

Can I self-host Letterpad?

Yes. Letterpad can be self-hosted on your own server or infrastructure.

What is Letterpad an alternative to?

Letterpad is an open-source alternative to Medium, Hashnode and Blogger. Other open-source alternatives to Medium include ThriveX, Blogifier and Ghost.

Is Letterpad actively maintained?

The most recent commit to Letterpad was on 29 January 2026, and the latest release is v5.0.0, published on 15 February 2024. The project has 790 stars on GitHub.

Letterpad: open-source alternative to Medium, Hashnode

About Letterpad

Letterpad is a blog publishing engine for creatives that simplifies managing and publishing content for a blog or website. It ships with a full admin dashboard and a customizable public website, so you can start writing quickly. It is built with TypeScript, React, GraphQL, Next.js and Tailwind CSS, and it suits writers, photographers and designers who want a self-managed publishing platform.

Features include domain mapping for custom domains, inline editing directly on the website, grid and list layouts, a customizable brand color and three themes. It stores data in MySQL or SQLite3 and integrates with Cloudinary and Unsplash for media. Multi-user installations are supported by default. A Creatives page builder helps make photostories, portfolios and photoblogs, and there is Grammarly integration, built-in SEO features and a server-rendered blog for performance.

The README documents installation, development and production setup, including Docker, plus configuration options for URL and port. A demo is available, and the project is MIT licensed.

Key features

Admin dashboard and public website
Domain mapping for custom domains
Inline editing on the site
Creatives page builder for portfolios
MySQL or SQLite3 databases
Cloudinary and Unsplash integrations
Multi-user support

Good fit for

→Running a photoblog or portfolio site
→Publishing a multi-author blog

Built with: TypeScript; React; GraphQL; Next.js; Tailwind CSS
Tags: blog; cms; nextjs; graphql; publishing; react; portfolio; tailwindcss

Letterpad: questions and answers

What is Letterpad used for?: Letterpad is a blog publishing platform built with Next.js, React and GraphQL, offering an admin dashboard, inline editing, domain mapping and a page builder. It is a good fit for running a photoblog or portfolio site and publishing a multi-author blog.
Is Letterpad open source?: Yes. Letterpad is open source under the MIT licence. Its source code is on GitHub at letterpad/letterpad and is written mainly in TypeScript.
Is Letterpad free?: Yes. Letterpad is open source, so the software itself is free to use. Paid plans are also available, starting at $5 per month.
Can I self-host Letterpad?: Yes. Letterpad can be self-hosted on your own server or infrastructure.
What is Letterpad an alternative to?: Letterpad is an open-source alternative to Medium, Hashnode and Blogger. Other open-source alternatives to Medium include ThriveX, Blogifier and Ghost.
Is Letterpad actively maintained?: The most recent commit to Letterpad was on 29 January 2026, and the latest release is v5.0.0, published on 15 February 2024. The project has 790 stars on GitHub.