django CMS vs Sulu
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted content management systems options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | django CMS | Sulu |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 93 · Excellent | 84 · Excellent |
| Category | Content Management Systems | Content Management Systems |
| License | BSD-3-Clause | MIT |
| Language | Python | PHP |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, source | docker, bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 10,670 | ★ 1,350 |
| First released | 2009 | 2015 |
| Replaces | Adobe Experience Manager, Sitecore | Adobe Experience Manager, Sitecore |
What are django CMS and Sulu?
django CMS
django CMS is an open-source content management system built on Python's Django framework. It offers front-end editing, a plugin architecture, and strong multilingual support for enterprise sites.
- Front-end editing
- Plugin-based content
- Strong multilingual support
- Django ecosystem integration
Sulu
Sulu is an open-source content management system built on the Symfony framework, targeted at mid-size and large business websites. It offers structured content, multi-site management, and a clean admin UI.
- Built on Symfony
- Multi-site and multilingual
- Structured content templates
- Clean admin interface
django CMS vs Sulu: key differences
Django CMS is written in Python, while Sulu is built with PHP. Licensing differs — BSD-3-Clause for django CMS versus MIT for Sulu. Django CMS is the more established project (first released 2009), while Sulu arrived in 2015. Django CMS has the considerably larger community, at 10,670 GitHub stars versus 1,350.
Why pick each one
Choose django CMS if…
- Great for Python teams
- Scalable enterprise architecture
Watch out for
- Requires Django knowledge
- More setup than PHP CMSes
Choose Sulu if…
- Great for Symfony developers
- Solid for business sites
Watch out for
- Requires Symfony knowledge
- Steeper setup
Frequently asked questions
Is django CMS or Sulu better?
Neither is universally better. django CMS has the larger community; both share a hard setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are django CMS and Sulu free and open-source?
Yes. django CMS is licensed under BSD-3-Clause and Sulu under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run django CMS and Sulu with Docker?
django CMS: yes. Sulu: yes.