SHSelfHostIndex

Grav vs PublicCMS

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 PU PublicCMS High-performance Java content management system
FeatureGravPublicCMS
CategoryContent Management SystemsContent Management Systems
LicenseMITApache-2.0
LanguagePHPJava
Setup difficultyEasyHard
Min. RAM256 MB1,024 MB
Deploymentdocker, bare-metal, sourcebare-metal, source
GitHub stars★ 15,620★ 2,085
First released20142015
ReplacesWordPress, SquarespaceWordPress

Why pick each one

Choose Grav if…

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

Choose PublicCMS if…

  • Released under the Apache-2.0 license
  • Active community (2.1k GitHub stars)
  • Written in Java
PublicCMS details

Frequently asked questions

Is Grav or PublicCMS better?

Grav is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider PublicCMS if its specific feature set fits your needs better.

Are Grav and PublicCMS free and open-source?

Yes. Grav is licensed under MIT and PublicCMS under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run Grav and PublicCMS with Docker?

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

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