SHSelfHostIndex

Keystone vs MODX Revolution

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?
KE Keystone Headless CMS framework with a powerful GraphQL API VS MO MODX Revolution CMS and application framework with creative freedom
FeatureKeystoneMODX Revolution
CategoryContent Management SystemsContent Management Systems
LicenseMITGPL-2.0
LanguageTypeScriptPHP
Setup difficultyMediumMedium
Min. RAM512 MB512 MB
Deploymentdocker, bare-metal, sourcedocker, bare-metal, source
GitHub stars★ 9,938★ 1,403
First released20132005
ReplacesContentful, StrapiWordPress, Drupal

Why pick each one

Choose Keystone if…

  • Strong TypeScript support
  • Flexible and extensible
Keystone details

Choose MODX Revolution if…

  • No markup constraints
  • Good for custom builds
MODX Revolution details

Frequently asked questions

Is Keystone or MODX Revolution better?

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

Are Keystone and MODX Revolution free and open-source?

Yes. Keystone is licensed under MIT and MODX Revolution under GPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run Keystone and MODX Revolution with Docker?

Keystone: yes. MODX Revolution: yes.

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