Anchor CMS vs Wagtail
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 | Wagtail |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 15 · At risk | 96 · Excellent |
| Status | Archived | Actively maintained |
| Category | Content Management Systems | Content Management Systems |
| License | GPL-3.0 | BSD-3-Clause |
| Language | PHP | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, docker, source | docker, bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 3,293 | ★ 20,505 |
| First released | 2012 | 2014 |
| Replaces | WordPress | Adobe Experience Manager, WordPress |
What are Anchor CMS and Wagtail?
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
Wagtail
Wagtail is an open-source Django content management system focused on a refined editor experience and developer flexibility. It powers many large, content-rich websites with structured page models.
- Refined editor interface
- StreamField flexible content
- Headless API option
- Strong accessibility focus
Anchor CMS vs Wagtail: key differences
The biggest difference is maintenance: Anchor CMS's repository is archived and no longer developed, while Wagtail is actively maintained. Anchor CMS is written in PHP, while Wagtail is built with Python. Licensing differs — GPL-3.0 for Anchor CMS versus BSD-3-Clause for Wagtail. Anchor CMS is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 1,024 MB for Wagtail. Anchor CMS is the more established project (first released 2012), while Wagtail arrived in 2014. Wagtail has the considerably larger community, at 20,505 GitHub stars versus 3,293.
Why pick each one
Choose Anchor CMS if…
- Very lightweight
- Easy installation
Watch out for
- Limited features
- Development inactive
Choose Wagtail if…
- Excellent editing experience
- Great for Python developers
Watch out for
- Requires Django expertise
- Heavier hosting needs
Frequently asked questions
Is Anchor CMS or Wagtail better?
Neither is universally better. Wagtail 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 Wagtail free and open-source?
Yes. Anchor CMS is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Wagtail under BSD-3-Clause. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Anchor CMS and Wagtail with Docker?
Anchor CMS: yes. Wagtail: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Anchor CMS or Wagtail?
Anchor CMS has the smaller minimum footprint at 128 MB of RAM, compared to about 1,024 MB for Wagtail. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.