SHSelfHostIndex

Backdrop CMS 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.

Not the right match-up?
BA Backdrop CMS Comprehensive CMS forked from Drupal for smaller sites VS PR ProcessWire Flexible CMS and content management framework
FeatureBackdrop CMSProcessWire
CategoryContent Management SystemsContent Management Systems
LicenseGPL-2.0MPL-2.0
LanguagePHPPHP
Setup difficultyMediumMedium
Min. RAM512 MB256 MB
Deploymentdocker, bare-metal, sourcedocker, bare-metal, source
GitHub stars★ 1,044★ 1,145
First released20152010
ReplacesWordPress, DrupalWordPress, Drupal

Why pick each one

Choose Backdrop CMS if…

  • Cheaper to run than Drupal
  • Familiar to Drupal users
Backdrop CMS details

Choose ProcessWire if…

  • Excellent developer API
  • Highly flexible
ProcessWire details

Frequently asked questions

Is Backdrop CMS or ProcessWire better?

Neither is universally better. ProcessWire has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.

Are Backdrop CMS and ProcessWire free and open-source?

Yes. Backdrop CMS is licensed under GPL-2.0 and ProcessWire under MPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run Backdrop CMS and ProcessWire with Docker?

Backdrop CMS: yes. ProcessWire: yes.

Related comparisons