CMS Made Simple vs Grav
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?
CMS Made Simple
Flexible CMS for small and medium business sites
VS
Grav
Fast flat-file CMS with no database required
| Feature | CMS Made Simple | Grav |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Content Management Systems | Content Management Systems |
| License | GPL-2.0 | MIT |
| Language | PHP | PHP |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, source | docker, bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 20 | ★ 15,620 |
| First released | 2004 | 2014 |
| Replaces | WordPress, Joomla | WordPress, Squarespace |
Why pick each one
Choose CMS Made Simple if…
- Released under the GPL-2.0 license
- Written in PHP
- Tiny footprint — runs in 256 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is CMS Made Simple or Grav better?
Grav is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider CMS Made Simple if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are CMS Made Simple and Grav free and open-source?
Yes. CMS Made Simple is licensed under GPL-2.0 and Grav under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run CMS Made Simple and Grav with Docker?
CMS Made Simple: check the project docs for container support. Grav: yes.