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Craft CMS

Freemium
cmsheadless cmsphpweb developmentcontent managementdeveloper toolsself-hostedcustomizablegraphqltwig

Craft CMS is a flexible, user-friendly content management system designed for developers and content creators who want more control than traditional platforms, offering a clean slate to build bespoke digital experiences.

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Craft CMS is a highly flexible and extensible content management system that prioritizes a custom-fit approach over a one-size-fits-all model. It primarily serves web developers, agencies, and organizations that require bespoke websites with unique content structures and designs. Unlike more opinionated platforms like WordPress, Craft provides a clean slate, giving developers complete control over front-end markup and content modeling through its intuitive control panel. This focus on developer freedom and content author experience makes it ideal for projects where standard templates prove too restrictive. Consequently, it excels at powering unique digital experiences, from complex corporate websites to headless APIs for mobile apps.

Pros

  • Extreme flexibility with no required themes, giving developers full control over front-end markup.
  • Powerful content modeling through custom fields, Matrix blocks, and entry types for structured content.
  • A clean, user-friendly control panel that provides an excellent authoring experience for content editors.
  • Native headless capabilities with a powerful, self-documenting GraphQL API.
  • Strong developer tooling like Project Config ensures consistent settings across environments.

Cons

  • Steeper learning curve than competitors like WordPress, requiring significant development knowledge.
  • A per-project license fee can become costly for agencies managing numerous small websites.
  • The plugin ecosystem and community are smaller and less extensive than those of major open-source platforms.
  • Being self-hosted, it requires users to manage their own hosting, security, and maintenance.

Key features

  • Custom Fields & Section Types
  • Live Preview for real-time content editing
  • Matrix for creating flexible, repeating content blocks
  • One-click updating for the core and plugins
  • Built-in headless GraphQL API
  • Multi-site management from a single installation
  • Localization and multi-language support
  • Project Config for environment synchronization

Integrations

StripePayPalAlgoliaMailchimpHubSpotAmazon S3DigitalOcean SpacesZapierNext.jsGatsby

Target audience

Web developers, agencies, and organizations that need a flexible, customizable CMS for bespoke projects. Also serves content managers who require a clean, intuitive interface for structured content.

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Founded

2011

Headquarters

Bend, USA

Pricing Tiers

Solo

For your own personal site. Includes a single admin account and basic features.

Free

Pro

For professional and commercial websites. Includes unlimited user accounts, content previews, GraphQL API, and more. A fee of $59/year applies for software updates after the first year.

$299/project

Enterprise

For mission-critical digital experiences. Includes all Pro features plus dedicated support, architectural guidance, project onboarding, and custom licensing.

Custom

Frequently Asked Questions

Top Alternatives to Craft CMS

WordPress

Choose WordPress if you prioritize a massive ecosystem of free plugins/themes and a lower barrier to entry over deep customization.

Contentful

Opt for Contentful if you need a fully-managed, API-first headless CMS and prefer a SaaS model that handles all hosting and infrastructure.

Statamic

A strong alternative for developers who prefer a flat-file (database-optional) approach and a modern Laravel-based architecture.

Ready to get started?

Join thousands of users and see how Craft CMS can transform your workflow today.

Visit Craft CMS