Backdrop CMS vs Mezzanine
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted content management systems options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Backdrop CMS | Mezzanine |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 83 · Excellent | 66 · Good |
| Category | Content Management Systems | Content Management Systems |
| License | GPL-2.0 | BSD-2-Clause |
| Language | PHP | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, source | docker, bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1,046 | ★ 4,816 |
| First released | 2015 | 2010 |
| Replaces | WordPress, Drupal | WordPress |
What are Backdrop CMS and Mezzanine?
Backdrop CMS
Backdrop CMS is an open-source content management system forked from Drupal 7, aimed at small to medium organizations. It keeps Drupal's power while focusing on lower cost and easier use.
- Drupal-derived power
- Configuration management
- Lower hosting requirements
- Layout system
Mezzanine
Mezzanine is an open-source content management platform built on Django that provides a simple yet flexible CMS out of the box. It includes a blog engine, in-line editing, and rich content tools.
- Built-in blog engine
- In-line content editing
- Hierarchical page tree
- Django integration
Backdrop CMS vs Mezzanine: key differences
Backdrop CMS is written in PHP, while Mezzanine is built with Python. Licensing differs — GPL-2.0 for Backdrop CMS versus BSD-2-Clause for Mezzanine. Mezzanine is the more established project (first released 2010), while Backdrop CMS arrived in 2015. Mezzanine has the considerably larger community, at 4,816 GitHub stars versus 1,046.
Why pick each one
Choose Backdrop CMS if…
- Cheaper to run than Drupal
- Familiar to Drupal users
Watch out for
- Smaller community
- Fewer modules than Drupal
Choose Mezzanine if…
- Quick to get a Django site running
- Includes blogging out of the box
Watch out for
- Development has slowed
- Smaller community now
Frequently asked questions
Is Backdrop CMS or Mezzanine better?
Neither is universally better. Mezzanine has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Backdrop CMS and Mezzanine free and open-source?
Yes. Backdrop CMS is licensed under GPL-2.0 and Mezzanine under BSD-2-Clause. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Backdrop CMS and Mezzanine with Docker?
Backdrop CMS: yes. Mezzanine: yes.