Automad vs ProcessWire
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted content management systems options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Automad
Flat-file CMS and template engine in one
VS
ProcessWire
Flexible CMS and content management framework
| Feature | Automad | ProcessWire |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 82 · Excellent | 79 · Good |
| Category | Content Management Systems | Content Management Systems |
| License | MIT | MPL-2.0 |
| Language | TypeScript | PHP |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, source | docker, bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 937 | ★ 1,153 |
| First released | 2014 | 2010 |
| Replaces | WordPress | WordPress, Drupal |
What are Automad and ProcessWire?
Automad
Automad is a flexible flat-file content management system with a built-in template engine and an in-page editing dashboard. It stores all content in text files for easy version control.
- Flat-file content
- Built-in template engine
- In-page editing dashboard
- Git-friendly
ProcessWire
ProcessWire is an open-source CMS and framework that gives developers a powerful, jQuery-inspired API for working with content. It is known for flexible content modeling and clean front-end markup.
- Powerful content API
- Flexible field-based modeling
- Clean front-end output
- Module ecosystem
Automad vs ProcessWire: key differences
Automad is written in TypeScript, while ProcessWire is built with PHP. Licensing differs — MIT for Automad versus MPL-2.0 for ProcessWire. Automad is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 256 MB for ProcessWire. ProcessWire is the more established project (first released 2010), while Automad arrived in 2014.
Why pick each one
Choose Automad if…
- No database to manage
- Self-contained and portable
Watch out for
- Small community
- Limited extensions
Choose ProcessWire if…
- Excellent developer API
- Highly flexible
Watch out for
- Less polished for non-developers
- Smaller community
Frequently asked questions
Is Automad or ProcessWire better?
Neither is universally better. ProcessWire has the larger community, while Automad is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Automad and ProcessWire free and open-source?
Yes. Automad is licensed under MIT and ProcessWire under MPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Automad and ProcessWire with Docker?
Automad: yes. ProcessWire: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Automad or ProcessWire?
Automad has the smaller minimum footprint at 128 MB of RAM, compared to about 256 MB for ProcessWire. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.