Craft CMS vs Wagtail
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 | Wagtail |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 88 · Excellent | 96 · Excellent |
| Category | Content Management Systems | Content Management Systems |
| License | MIT | BSD-3-Clause |
| Language | PHP | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, source | docker, bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 3,608 | ★ 20,505 |
| First released | 2013 | 2014 |
| Replaces | WordPress, Sitecore | Adobe Experience Manager, WordPress |
What are Craft CMS and Wagtail?
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
Wagtail
Wagtail is an open-source Django content management system focused on a refined editor experience and developer flexibility. It powers many large, content-rich websites with structured page models.
- Refined editor interface
- StreamField flexible content
- Headless API option
- Strong accessibility focus
Craft CMS vs Wagtail: key differences
Craft CMS is written in PHP, while Wagtail is built with Python. Licensing differs — MIT for Craft CMS versus BSD-3-Clause for Wagtail. Craft CMS is the lighter option, starting around 512 MB of RAM against 1,024 MB for Wagtail. Wagtail has the considerably larger community, at 20,505 GitHub stars versus 3,608.
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 Wagtail if…
- Excellent editing experience
- Great for Python developers
Watch out for
- Requires Django expertise
- Heavier hosting needs
Frequently asked questions
Is Craft CMS or Wagtail better?
Neither is universally better. Wagtail has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Craft CMS and Wagtail free and open-source?
Yes. Craft CMS is licensed under MIT and Wagtail under BSD-3-Clause. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Craft CMS and Wagtail with Docker?
Craft CMS: yes. Wagtail: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Craft CMS or Wagtail?
Craft CMS has the smaller minimum footprint at 512 MB of RAM, compared to about 1,024 MB for Wagtail. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.