Craft CMS vs Fork CMS
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted content management systems options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Craft CMS | Fork CMS |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 88 · Excellent | 26 · At risk |
| Category | Content Management Systems | Content Management Systems |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Language | PHP | PHP |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, source | docker, bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 3,609 | ★ 1,170 |
| First released | 2013 | 2010 |
| Replaces | WordPress, Sitecore | WordPress |
What are Craft CMS and Fork CMS?
Craft CMS
Craft CMS is a content management system focused on giving developers and designers complete control over content structure and markup. The core product is open source with optional commercial editions.
- Flexible content modeling
- Twig templating
- GraphQL API
- Plugin store
Fork CMS
Fork CMS is an open-source content management system built on Symfony components, designed to be easy for content editors while remaining flexible for developers. It includes built-in SEO and analytics modules.
- Editor-friendly interface
- Built-in SEO module
- Analytics integration
- Multilingual support
Craft CMS vs Fork CMS: key differences
Both projects are written in PHP. Fork CMS is the lighter option, starting around 256 MB of RAM against 512 MB for Craft CMS. Fork CMS is the more established project (first released 2010), while Craft CMS arrived in 2013. Craft CMS has the considerably larger community, at 3,609 GitHub stars versus 1,170.
Why pick each one
Choose Craft CMS if…
- Excellent for bespoke sites
- Clean control panel
Watch out for
- Pro edition is paid
- Not ideal for non-developers
Choose Fork CMS if…
- Easy for non-technical users
- Good built-in modules
Watch out for
- Smaller community
- Slower development pace
Frequently asked questions
Is Craft CMS or Fork CMS better?
Neither is universally better. Craft CMS has the larger community, while Fork CMS is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Craft CMS and Fork CMS free and open-source?
Yes. Craft CMS is licensed under MIT and Fork CMS under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Craft CMS and Fork CMS with Docker?
Craft CMS: yes. Fork CMS: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Craft CMS or Fork CMS?
Fork CMS has the smaller minimum footprint at 256 MB of RAM, compared to about 512 MB for Craft CMS. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.