SHSelfHostIndex

Grav vs Phile

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?
GR Grav Fast flat-file CMS with no database required VS PH Phile Flat-file CMS with a modular plugin architecture
FeatureGravPhile
CategoryContent Management SystemsContent Management Systems
LicenseMITMIT
LanguagePHPPHP
Setup difficultyEasyEasy
Min. RAM256 MB64 MB
Deploymentdocker, bare-metal, sourcebare-metal, source
GitHub stars★ 15,620★ 255
First released20142014
ReplacesWordPress, SquarespaceWordPress

Why pick each one

Choose Grav if…

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

Choose Phile if…

  • Released under the MIT license
  • Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
  • Written in PHP
  • Tiny footprint — runs in 64 MB RAM
Phile details

Frequently asked questions

Is Grav or Phile 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 Grav and Phile free and open-source?

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

Can I run Grav and Phile with Docker?

Grav: yes. Phile: check the project docs for container support.

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