Keystone vs Orchard Core
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?
Keystone
Headless CMS framework with a powerful GraphQL API
VS
Orchard Core
Modular, multi-tenant CMS built on ASP.NET Core
| Feature | Keystone | Orchard Core |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Content Management Systems | Content Management Systems |
| License | MIT | BSD-3-Clause |
| Language | TypeScript | C# |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, source | docker, bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 9,938 | ★ 8,148 |
| First released | 2013 | 2018 |
| Replaces | Contentful, Strapi | Sitecore, WordPress |
Why pick each one
Frequently asked questions
Is Keystone or Orchard Core better?
Keystone is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler medium setup. Consider Orchard Core if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Keystone and Orchard Core free and open-source?
Yes. Keystone is licensed under MIT and Orchard Core under BSD-3-Clause. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Keystone and Orchard Core with Docker?
Keystone: yes. Orchard Core: yes.