django CMS vs Formwork
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?
django CMS
Enterprise CMS built on the Django framework
VS
Formwork
Flat-file CMS for personal sites and blogs
| Feature | django CMS | Formwork |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Content Management Systems | Content Management Systems |
| License | BSD-3-Clause | MIT |
| Language | Python | PHP |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 64 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, source | bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 10,658 | ★ 76 |
| First released | 2009 | 2018 |
| Replaces | Adobe Experience Manager, Sitecore | WordPress, Ghost |
Why pick each one
Choose Formwork if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Written in PHP
- Tiny footprint — runs in 64 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is django CMS or Formwork better?
Neither is universally better. django CMS has the larger community, while Formwork is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are django CMS and Formwork free and open-source?
Yes. django CMS is licensed under BSD-3-Clause and Formwork under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run django CMS and Formwork with Docker?
django CMS: yes. Formwork: check the project docs for container support.