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.
| Feature | Craft CMS | Umbraco |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 88 · Excellent | 90 · Excellent |
| Category | Content Management Systems | Content Management Systems |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Language | PHP | C# |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, source | docker, bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 3,608 | ★ 5,255 |
| First released | 2013 | 2005 |
| Replaces | WordPress, Sitecore | Sitecore, Kentico |
What are Craft CMS and Umbraco?
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
Umbraco
Umbraco is a popular open-source CMS built on ASP.NET Core, known for its flexible content modeling and editor-friendly backoffice. It is widely used for corporate and marketing websites on the Microsoft stack.
- Flexible document types
- Editor-friendly backoffice
- Headless delivery API
- Strong .NET integration
Craft CMS vs Umbraco: key differences
Craft CMS is written in PHP, while Umbraco is built with C#. Craft CMS is the lighter option, starting around 512 MB of RAM against 1,024 MB for Umbraco. Umbraco is the more established project (first released 2005), while Craft CMS arrived in 2013.
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 Umbraco if…
- Great choice on the .NET stack
- Polished editor experience
Watch out for
- Requires Windows or .NET hosting knowledge
- Cloud add-ons are paid
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.
Which is lighter on resources, Craft CMS or Umbraco?
Craft CMS has the smaller minimum footprint at 512 MB of RAM, compared to about 1,024 MB for Umbraco. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.