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.

Not the right match-up?
FeatureAnchor CMSCraft CMS
CategoryContent Management SystemsContent Management Systems
LicenseGPL-3.0MIT
LanguagePHPPHP
Setup difficultyEasyMedium
Min. RAM128 MB512 MB
Deploymentbare-metal, docker, sourcedocker, bare-metal, source
GitHub stars★ 3,298★ 3,600
First released20122013
ReplacesWordPressWordPress, Sitecore

Why pick each one

Choose Anchor CMS if…

  • Very lightweight
  • Easy installation
Anchor CMS details

Choose Craft CMS if…

  • Excellent for bespoke sites
  • Clean control panel
Craft CMS details

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.

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