SHSelfHostIndex

Craft CMS vs Umbraco

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 UM Umbraco Friendly open-source .NET content management system
FeatureCraft CMSUmbraco
CategoryContent Management SystemsContent Management Systems
LicenseMITMIT
LanguagePHPC#
Setup difficultyMediumMedium
Min. RAM512 MB1,024 MB
Deploymentdocker, bare-metal, sourcedocker, bare-metal, source
GitHub stars★ 3,600★ 5,224
First released20132005
ReplacesWordPress, SitecoreSitecore, Kentico

Why pick each one

Choose Craft CMS if…

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

Choose Umbraco if…

  • Great choice on the .NET stack
  • Polished editor experience
Umbraco details

Frequently asked questions

Is Craft CMS or Umbraco better?

Neither is universally better. Umbraco has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.

Are Craft CMS and Umbraco free and open-source?

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

Can I run Craft CMS and Umbraco with Docker?

Craft CMS: yes. Umbraco: yes.

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