I get asked this question often: "How does Jottings compare to Write.as?" It's a fair question, especially since both platforms share a core philosophy—privacy and simplicity—while serving different audiences and use cases.
I've built Jottings specifically because I wanted something different, but that doesn't mean Write.as isn't excellent at what it does. Let me walk you through an honest comparison so you can choose what works best for you.
What We Have in Common
Both Jottings and Write.as are privacy-respecting alternatives to the algorithmic social media platforms. We've both rejected the surveillance capitalism model. You won't find tracking pixels, analytics that profile you, or endless algorithmic feeds designed to steal your attention.
Write.as has been around longer—it's a mature, stable platform that's earned trust in the community. Jottings is newer, built with lessons learned from both my experience building platforms and feedback from creators who wanted something slightly different.
Privacy & Ownership Philosophy
Write.as is the privacy gold standard. They're open source, federated via ActivityPub, and you can even self-host if you want complete control. They have a genuinely minimalist approach—if you want pure privacy with zero complications, Write.as delivers.
Jottings is also privacy-first, but with a different angle. Your data stays on our servers (we use AWS, not open source infrastructure), but we've designed it to be minimal about what we collect. We don't track, we don't profile, and we don't sell data. The trade-off? You get a platform optimized for user experience first, privacy architecture second.
This matters. Write.as prioritizes being auditable and self-hostable. Jottings prioritizes being fast and delightful while maintaining privacy. Different philosophies, both valid.
The Core Feature Set
Write.as gives you:
- Anonymous publishing (your real name is optional)
- Federation support (your posts can reach Mastodon, Pixelfed, and other ActivityPub platforms)
- Open source codebase you can inspect and self-host
- A genuinely distraction-free writing experience
- Simplicity as a feature, not a limitation
Jottings gives you:
- Full-featured static site generation for each user
- Custom domain support with automatic SSL
- Built-in media handling (images, photos, links with metadata)
- Tag system and tag pages
- Pagination and navigation controls
- Site settings for SEO (robots.txt, sitemap.xml, meta tags)
- A polished dashboard for managing everything
Where Jottings Differs
Static Sites, Not Just Posts
When you create a Jottings site, we generate an actual website. Not just a feed. You get:
- A home page with your latest posts (paginated)
- Individual post pages with proper SEO
- Tag archive pages
- RSS and JSON feeds
- A complete, crawlable site
This means your Jottings site works as a real website—it ranks on Google, shares well on social media, and feels like an actual digital home. Write.as focuses on the writing experience; Jottings focuses on the publishing platform.
Media & Rich Content
Jottings has native support for images, link previews, and embedded media. When you add a link, we fetch the title and description automatically. When you add an image, we optimize it on the client side before uploading. This is built-in, not bolted-on.
Write.as keeps things minimal. That's not a flaw—it's intentional. Some writers prefer text-only, and Write.as respects that.
Custom Domains
You can point your own domain at your Jottings site with one click, and we handle SSL automatically. This positions your writing as your own brand, not a subomain of our platform. Write.as offers this too, but Jottings made it a core feature from day one.
The Trade-Offs
Write.as wins on:
- Transparency: Open source means you can see exactly what it does
- Portability: Self-hosting means you're not locked in
- Federation: If you want your posts to reach Mastodon, Write.as is designed for this
- Simplicity: The interface is beautifully minimal
- Anonymity: You can truly write anonymously
Jottings wins on:
- Presentation: Your site looks and feels complete
- Media handling: Rich content is built-in, not an afterthought
- Customization: More control over how your site looks and functions
- SEO: Better equipped for discoverability if that matters to you
- Integration: Link previews, metadata auto-fetching, tag systems
Who Should Use What?
Choose Write.as if you:
- Care deeply about open source and being able to audit the code
- Want anonymity
- Value federation and want your content in the fediverse
- Prefer text-only writing
- Need self-hosting capability
Choose Jottings if you:
- Want a beautiful, complete website for your writing
- Care about custom domains and branding
- Want media support built-in
- Like having structured navigation and tags
- Want your writing to be discoverable on search engines
- Prefer a modern dashboard experience
A Personal Note
I built Jottings because I felt there was room for a platform that prioritizes presentation without sacrificing privacy. Write.as proved that millions of people want privacy; I wanted to build something that also proved millions of people want their writing to look and feel like a real website.
Both platforms are built by people who care about creators. Ben (Write.as's creator) and I come from different angles, but we're aligned on what matters: your writing should be yours, the platform should be simple, and privacy shouldn't be a luxury feature.
If Write.as feels right for you, use it. It's genuinely great. But if you want something that combines privacy with a fuller publishing experience, Jottings might be exactly what you're looking for.
Your writing deserves both privacy and a beautiful home. The question is which home you prefer.
Ready to try Jottings? Start writing at jottings.me today. It's free to get started, with a generous free tier that gives you everything you need.
Curious about Write.as? If their philosophy resonates with you, they're worth checking out at write.as. Supporting alternatives to the algorithmic web matters, regardless of which platform you choose.