Craft CMS vs Pico

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?
FeatureCraft CMSPico
CategoryContent Management SystemsContent Management Systems
LicenseMITMIT
LanguagePHPPHP
Setup difficultyMediumEasy
Min. RAM512 MB128 MB
Deploymentdocker, bare-metal, sourcebare-metal, docker, source
GitHub stars★ 3,600★ 3,904
First released20132012
ReplacesWordPress, SitecoreWordPress

Why pick each one

Choose Craft CMS if…

  • Excellent for bespoke sites
  • Clean control panel
Craft CMS details

Choose Pico if…

  • Extremely lightweight
  • Zero configuration to start
Pico details

Frequently asked questions

Is Craft CMS or Pico better?

Pico is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Craft CMS if its specific feature set fits your needs better.

Are Craft CMS and Pico free and open-source?

Yes. Craft CMS is licensed under MIT and Pico under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run Craft CMS and Pico with Docker?

Craft CMS: yes. Pico: yes.

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