Best self-hosted Content Management Systems (CMS) apps
Content Management Systems offer a practical way to setup a website with many features, using third party plugins, themes and functionality that are easy to add and customize.
48 open source Content Management Systems (CMS) tools you host on your own server — with full control of your data and no per-user cost.
Strapi
★ 72,429Strapi is a headless CMS that generates a ready-made REST/GraphQL API to power sites, apps and front-ends. Self-hosted, it gives you full control over the content model, database and hosting, with no platform fees.
Payload CMS
★ 43,163Developer-first headless CMS and application framework.
WordPress
★ 21,215World's most-used blogging and CMS engine.
Wagtail
★ 20,366Django content management system focused on flexibility and user experience.
october
★ 11,141CMS platform based on the Laravel PHP Framework.
KeystoneJS
★ 9,900CMS and web application platform.
Umbraco
★ 5,210The friendly CMS. Free and open source with an amazing community.
Joomla!
★ 5,095Advanced Content Management System (CMS).
MediaCMS
★ 4,976Modern, fully featured open source video and media CMS, written in Python/Django/React, featuring a REST API.
Apostrophe
★ 4,576CMS with a focus on extensible in-context editing tools.
Pimcore
★ 3,789Multi-channel experience and engagement management platform.
CraftCMS
★ 3,583Content-first CMS that aims to make life enjoyable for developers and content managers alike.
Microweber
★ 3,420Drag and Drop CMS and online shop.
Squidex
★ 2,501Headless CMS, based on MongoDB, CQRS and Event Sourcing.
Ech0
★ 2,007Lightweight federated publishing platform focused on personal idea sharing (documentation in Chinese).
Publify
★ 1,856Simple but full featured web publishing software.
Kirby
★ 1,516File-based CMS. Easy to setup. Easy to use. Flexible as hell.
WinterCMS
★ 1,496Speedy and secure content management system built on the Laravel PHP framework.
Bludit
★ 1,440Build a site or blog in seconds. Bludit uses flat-files (text files in JSON format) to store posts and pages.
MODX
★ 1,401Advanced content management and publishing platform. The current version is called 'Revolution'.
eLabFTW
★ 1,357Online lab notebook for research labs. Store experiments, use a database to find reagents or protocols, use trusted timestamping to legally timestamp an experiment, export as pdf or zip archive, share with collaborators….
HTMLy
★ 1,344Databaseless PHP blogging platform. A flat-file CMS that allows you to create a fast, secure, and powerful website or blog in seconds.
TYPO3
★ 1,194Powerful and advanced CMS with a large community.
Vvveb CMS
★ 1,080Powerful and easy to use CMS to build websites, blogs or e-commerce stores.
Backdrop CMS
★ 1,038Comprehensive CMS for small to medium sized businesses and non-profits.
Automad
★ 909Flat-file content management system and template engine.
Textpattern
★ 875Flexible, elegant and easy-to-use CMS.
Concrete 5 CMS
★ 843Open source content management system.
Superdesk
★ 738End-to-end news creation, production, curation, distribution, and publishing platform.
Cockpit
★ 729Simple content platform to manage any structured content.
WonderCMS
★ 729WonderCMS is the smallest flat file CMS since 2008.
Typemill
★ 603Author-friendly flat-file-cms with a visual markdown editor based on vue.js.
Bolt CMS
★ 584Content Management Tool, which strives to be as simple and straightforward as possible.
Omeka
★ 539Create complex narratives and share rich collections, adhering to Dublin Core standards with Omeka on your server, designed for scholars, museums, libraries, archives, and enthusiasts.
Expressa
★ 449Content Management System for powering database driven websites using JSON schemas. Provides permission management and automatic REST APIs.
Contao
★ 428Powerful CMS that allows you to create professional websites and scalable web applications.
CouchCMS
★ 374CMS for designers.
REDAXO
★ 349Simple, flexible and useful content management system (documentation in German).
Alfresco Community Edition
★ 223The open source Enterprise Content Management software that handles any type of content, allowing users to easily share and collaborate on content.
d9
★ 126Turn SQL databases into secure APIs through an intuitive admin interface. Data platform and headless CMS (fork of Directus).
Localess
★ 72Powerful translation management and content management system. Manage and translate your website or app content into multiple languages, using AI to translate faster.
Noosfero
★ 65Platform for social and solidarity economy networks with blog, e-Portfolios, CMS, RSS, thematic discussion, events agenda and collective intelligence for solidarity economy in the same system.
CMS Made Simple
Faster and easier management of website contents, scalable for small businesses to large corporations.
Drupal
Advanced open source content management platform.
Neos
Neos or TYPO3 Neos (for version 1) is a modern, open source CMS.
Plone
Powerful open-source CMS system.
SilverStripe
Easy to use CMS with powerful MVC framework underlying.
SPIP
Publication system for the Internet aimed at collaborative work, multilingual environments, and simplicity of use for web authors.
Frequently asked questions
What are the best self-hosted Content Management Systems (CMS) tools?
Among the 48 options, the most popular include Strapi, Payload CMS, WordPress. Compare license, platform and popularity in the list below.
Is there a free open source alternative for Content Management Systems (CMS)?
Yes — all 48 tools on this page are open source and you run them on your own server, with no monthly fee.
Where can I host a Content Management Systems (CMS) app?
On a home server (homelab) or a cheap VPS from ~€4/mo. See the suggestions on this page.