CouchCMS 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?
CouchCMS
CMS that adds editable regions to plain HTML sites
VS
Grav
Fast flat-file CMS with no database required
| Feature | CouchCMS | Grav |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Content Management Systems | Content Management Systems |
| License | GPL-2.0 | MIT |
| Language | PHP | PHP |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, source | docker, bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 375 | ★ 15,620 |
| First released | 2009 | 2014 |
| Replaces | WordPress | WordPress, Squarespace |
Why pick each one
Choose CouchCMS if…
- Released under the GPL-2.0 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Written in PHP
- Tiny footprint — runs in 128 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is CouchCMS or Grav better?
Neither is universally better. Grav has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are CouchCMS and Grav free and open-source?
Yes. CouchCMS is licensed under GPL-2.0 and Grav under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run CouchCMS and Grav with Docker?
CouchCMS: check the project docs for container support. Grav: yes.