Formwork vs October CMS
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?
Formwork
Flat-file CMS for personal sites and blogs
VS
October CMS
Laravel-based CMS focused on simplicity for developers
| Feature | Formwork | October CMS |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Content Management Systems | Content Management Systems |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Language | PHP | PHP |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 64 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, source | docker, bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 76 | ★ 11,140 |
| First released | 2018 | 2014 |
| Replaces | WordPress, Ghost | WordPress, Wix |
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
Choose October CMS if…
- Great for Laravel developers
- Simple, transparent architecture
Frequently asked questions
Is Formwork or October CMS better?
Neither is universally better. October 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 Formwork and October CMS free and open-source?
Yes. Formwork is licensed under MIT and October CMS under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Formwork and October CMS with Docker?
Formwork: check the project docs for container support. October CMS: yes.