Cockpit Next vs Wagtail
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?
Cockpit Next
Headless content platform for any front end
VS
Wagtail
Developer-friendly Django CMS with a great editor experience
| Feature | Cockpit Next | Wagtail |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Content Management Systems | Content Management Systems |
| License | MIT | BSD-3-Clause |
| Language | PHP | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, source, docker | docker, bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 743 | ★ 20,433 |
| First released | 2021 | 2014 |
| Replaces | Contentful, Strapi | Adobe Experience Manager, WordPress |
Why pick each one
Choose Cockpit Next if…
- Released under the MIT license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in PHP
- Tiny footprint — runs in 256 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Cockpit Next or Wagtail better?
Neither is universally better. Wagtail has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Cockpit Next and Wagtail free and open-source?
Yes. Cockpit Next is licensed under MIT and Wagtail under BSD-3-Clause. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Cockpit Next and Wagtail with Docker?
Cockpit Next: yes. Wagtail: yes.