Concrete CMS vs Microweber
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted content management systems options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Concrete CMS | Microweber |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 82 · Excellent | 79 · Good |
| Category | Content Management Systems | Content Management Systems |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Language | PHP | HTML |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | docker, bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 852 | ★ 3,439 |
| First released | 2008 | 2013 |
| Replaces | Wix, Squarespace | WordPress, Wix |
What are Concrete CMS and Microweber?
Concrete CMS
Concrete CMS is an open-source content management system known for its intuitive in-context editing, letting users edit pages directly on the front end. It targets non-technical website owners who want easy visual control.
- In-context front-end editing
- Drag-and-drop block layouts
- Built-in marketplace
- Workflow and versioning
Microweber
Microweber is an open-source drag-and-drop website builder and content management system that includes blogging and e-commerce features. It uses a live editing interface so content can be arranged visually on the page.
- Live drag-and-drop editing
- Built-in online store
- Blogging module
- Template marketplace
Concrete CMS vs Microweber: key differences
Concrete CMS is written in PHP, while Microweber is built with HTML. Concrete CMS is the more established project (first released 2008), while Microweber arrived in 2013. Microweber has the considerably larger community, at 3,439 GitHub stars versus 852.
Why pick each one
Choose Concrete CMS if…
- Very approachable for non-technical editors
- No separate admin needed for content
Watch out for
- Smaller community
- Fewer themes available
Choose Microweber if…
- Released under the MIT license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (3.4k GitHub stars)
- Written in HTML
Frequently asked questions
Is Concrete CMS or Microweber better?
Neither is universally better. Microweber has the larger community, while Concrete CMS is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Concrete CMS and Microweber free and open-source?
Yes. Concrete CMS is licensed under MIT and Microweber under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Concrete CMS and Microweber with Docker?
Concrete CMS: yes. Microweber: yes.