Anchor CMS vs Craft CMS
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted content management systems options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Anchor CMS | Craft CMS |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 15 · At risk | 88 · Excellent |
| Status | Archived | Actively maintained |
| Category | Content Management Systems | Content Management Systems |
| License | GPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Language | PHP | PHP |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, docker, source | docker, bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 3,293 | ★ 3,608 |
| First released | 2012 | 2013 |
| Replaces | WordPress | WordPress, Sitecore |
What are Anchor CMS and Craft CMS?
Anchor CMS
Anchor CMS is a super-simple, lightweight open-source blogging platform and CMS written in PHP. It focuses on minimalism and getting out of the writer's way.
- Minimal and lightweight
- Markdown editing
- Simple theming
- Quick setup
Craft CMS
Craft CMS is a content management system focused on giving developers and designers complete control over content structure and markup. The core product is open source with optional commercial editions.
- Flexible content modeling
- Twig templating
- GraphQL API
- Plugin store
Anchor CMS vs Craft CMS: key differences
The biggest difference is maintenance: Anchor CMS's repository is archived and no longer developed, while Craft CMS is actively maintained. Both projects are written in PHP. Licensing differs — GPL-3.0 for Anchor CMS versus MIT for Craft CMS. Anchor CMS is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 512 MB for Craft CMS.
Why pick each one
Choose Anchor CMS if…
- Very lightweight
- Easy installation
Watch out for
- Limited features
- Development inactive
Choose Craft CMS if…
- Excellent for bespoke sites
- Clean control panel
Watch out for
- Pro edition is paid
- Not ideal for non-developers
Frequently asked questions
Is Anchor CMS or Craft CMS better?
Neither is universally better. Craft CMS has the larger community, while Anchor CMS is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Anchor CMS and Craft CMS free and open-source?
Yes. Anchor CMS is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Craft CMS under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Anchor CMS and Craft CMS with Docker?
Anchor CMS: yes. Craft CMS: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Anchor CMS or Craft CMS?
Anchor CMS has the smaller minimum footprint at 128 MB of RAM, compared to about 512 MB for Craft CMS. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.