SHSelfHostIndex

Fork CMS vs Grav

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?
FO Fork CMS User-friendly CMS aimed at content editors VS Grav Fast flat-file CMS with no database required
FeatureFork CMSGrav
Deploy effortUnder-an-hour setupUnder-an-hour setup
Health score26 · At risk95 · Excellent
CategoryContent Management SystemsContent Management Systems
LicenseMITMIT
LanguagePHPPHP
Setup difficultyEasyEasy
Min. RAM256 MB256 MB
Deploymentdocker, bare-metal, sourcedocker, bare-metal, source
GitHub stars★ 1,171★ 15,671
First released20102014
ReplacesWordPressWordPress, Squarespace

What are Fork CMS and Grav?

Fork CMS

Fork CMS is an open-source content management system built on Symfony components, designed to be easy for content editors while remaining flexible for developers. It includes built-in SEO and analytics modules.

  • Editor-friendly interface
  • Built-in SEO module
  • Analytics integration
  • Multilingual support

Read the full Fork CMS guide →

Grav

Grav is a modern open-source flat-file CMS that requires no database, storing content in Markdown files. It is fast to deploy and well suited to blogs, documentation, and small to medium websites.

  • No database needed
  • Markdown-based content
  • Plugin and theme ecosystem
  • Fast page rendering

Read the full Grav guide →

Fork CMS vs Grav: key differences

Both projects are written in PHP. Fork CMS is the more established project (first released 2010), while Grav arrived in 2014. Grav has the considerably larger community, at 15,671 GitHub stars versus 1,171.

Why pick each one

Choose Fork CMS if…

  • Easy for non-technical users
  • Good built-in modules

Watch out for

  • Smaller community
  • Slower development pace
Fork CMS details

Choose Grav if…

  • Trivial to back up and migrate
  • Quick to set up

Watch out for

  • Less ideal for very large sites
  • Admin plugin needed for GUI editing
Grav details

Frequently asked questions

Is Fork CMS or Grav better?

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

Are Fork CMS and Grav free and open-source?

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

Can I run Fork CMS and Grav with Docker?

Fork CMS: yes. Grav: yes.

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