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Craft CMS vs MODX Revolution

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?
CR Craft CMS Flexible CMS for custom-designed websites VS MO MODX Revolution CMS and application framework with creative freedom
FeatureCraft CMSMODX Revolution
Deploy effortUnder-an-hour setupUnder-an-hour setup
Health score88 · Excellent80 · Excellent
CategoryContent Management SystemsContent Management Systems
LicenseMITGPL-2.0
LanguagePHPPHP
Setup difficultyMediumMedium
Min. RAM512 MB512 MB
Deploymentdocker, bare-metal, sourcedocker, bare-metal, source
GitHub stars★ 3,608★ 1,411
First released20132005
ReplacesWordPress, SitecoreWordPress, Drupal

What are Craft CMS and MODX Revolution?

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

Read the full Craft CMS guide →

MODX Revolution

MODX Revolution is an open-source content management system and web application framework that imposes no constraints on markup or design. It is used to build custom websites and applications.

  • Complete design freedom
  • Flexible templating
  • Extensible with packages
  • Granular permissions

Read the full MODX Revolution guide →

Craft CMS vs MODX Revolution: key differences

Both projects are written in PHP. Licensing differs — MIT for Craft CMS versus GPL-2.0 for MODX Revolution. MODX Revolution is the more established project (first released 2005), while Craft CMS arrived in 2013. Craft CMS has the considerably larger community, at 3,608 GitHub stars versus 1,411.

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
Craft CMS details

Choose MODX Revolution if…

  • No markup constraints
  • Good for custom builds

Watch out for

  • Steeper learning curve
  • Smaller community
MODX Revolution details

Frequently asked questions

Is Craft CMS or MODX Revolution 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 MODX Revolution free and open-source?

Yes. Craft CMS is licensed under MIT and MODX Revolution under GPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run Craft CMS and MODX Revolution with Docker?

Craft CMS: yes. MODX Revolution: yes.

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