Automad vs Winter CMS
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
Winter CMS
Laravel-based CMS focused on simplicity and stability
| Feature | Automad | Winter CMS |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 82 · Excellent | 84 · Excellent |
| Category | Content Management Systems | Content Management Systems |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Language | TypeScript | PHP |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, source | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 937 | ★ 1,520 |
| First released | 2014 | 2021 |
| Replaces | WordPress | WordPress |
What are Automad and Winter CMS?
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
Winter CMS
Winter CMS is a free, open-source content management system based on the Laravel framework, created as a community-driven fork of October CMS. It offers a clean backend, a plugin marketplace, and developer-friendly tooling.
- Laravel foundation
- Plugin marketplace
- Clean admin backend
- Developer tooling
Automad vs Winter CMS: key differences
Automad is written in TypeScript, while Winter CMS is built with PHP. Automad is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 512 MB for Winter CMS. Automad is the more established project (first released 2014), while Winter CMS arrived in 2021.
Why pick each one
Choose Automad if…
- No database to manage
- Self-contained and portable
Watch out for
- Small community
- Limited extensions
Choose Winter CMS if…
- Released under the MIT license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (1.5k GitHub stars)
- Written in PHP
Watch out for
- Requires PHP knowledge
- Smaller plugin catalog
Frequently asked questions
Is Automad or Winter CMS better?
Neither is universally better. Winter CMS 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 Winter CMS free and open-source?
Yes. Automad is licensed under MIT and Winter CMS under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Automad and Winter CMS with Docker?
Automad: yes. Winter CMS: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Automad or Winter CMS?
Automad has the smaller minimum footprint at 128 MB of RAM, compared to about 512 MB for Winter CMS. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.