Craft CMS vs Kirby
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 | Kirby |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 88 · Excellent | 84 · Excellent |
| Category | Content Management Systems | Content Management Systems |
| License | MIT | Proprietary |
| Language | PHP | PHP |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, source | docker, bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 3,608 | ★ 1,531 |
| First released | 2013 | 2012 |
| Replaces | WordPress, Sitecore | WordPress, Squarespace |
What are Craft CMS and Kirby?
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
Kirby
Kirby is a flexible file-based content management system that stores content in plain text files and gives developers full control over markup. It is popular for portfolios and custom-designed websites.
- File-based content storage
- Flexible panel for editors
- No database required
- Developer-friendly templating
Craft CMS vs Kirby: key differences
Both projects are written in PHP. Licensing differs — MIT for Craft CMS versus Proprietary for Kirby. Kirby is the lighter option, starting around 256 MB of RAM against 512 MB for Craft CMS. Craft CMS has the considerably larger community, at 3,608 GitHub stars versus 1,531.
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 Kirby if…
- Easy backups and version control
- Highly customizable
Watch out for
- Commercial license required for production
- Free only for personal use
Frequently asked questions
Is Craft CMS or Kirby better?
Neither is universally better. Craft CMS has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Craft CMS and Kirby free and open-source?
Yes. Craft CMS is licensed under MIT and Kirby under Proprietary. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Craft CMS and Kirby with Docker?
Craft CMS: yes. Kirby: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Craft CMS or Kirby?
Kirby 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.