Grav vs Mezzanine
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted content management systems options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Grav
Fast flat-file CMS with no database required
VS
Mezzanine
Lightweight content management framework for Django
| Feature | Grav | Mezzanine |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 95 · Excellent | 66 · Good |
| Category | Content Management Systems | Content Management Systems |
| License | MIT | BSD-2-Clause |
| Language | PHP | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, source | docker, bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 15,671 | ★ 4,816 |
| First released | 2014 | 2010 |
| Replaces | WordPress, Squarespace | WordPress |
What are Grav and Mezzanine?
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
Mezzanine
Mezzanine is an open-source content management platform built on Django that provides a simple yet flexible CMS out of the box. It includes a blog engine, in-line editing, and rich content tools.
- Built-in blog engine
- In-line content editing
- Hierarchical page tree
- Django integration
Grav vs Mezzanine: key differences
Grav is written in PHP, while Mezzanine is built with Python. Licensing differs — MIT for Grav versus BSD-2-Clause for Mezzanine. Grav is the lighter option, starting around 256 MB of RAM against 512 MB for Mezzanine. Mezzanine 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 4,816.
Why pick each one
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
Choose Mezzanine if…
- Quick to get a Django site running
- Includes blogging out of the box
Watch out for
- Development has slowed
- Smaller community now
Frequently asked questions
Is Grav or Mezzanine better?
Grav is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Mezzanine if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Grav and Mezzanine free and open-source?
Yes. Grav is licensed under MIT and Mezzanine under BSD-2-Clause. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Grav and Mezzanine with Docker?
Grav: yes. Mezzanine: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Grav or Mezzanine?
Grav has the smaller minimum footprint at 256 MB of RAM, compared to about 512 MB for Mezzanine. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.