October CMS vs OJS
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?
October CMS
Laravel-based CMS focused on simplicity for developers
VS
OJS
Software to manage scholarly journals
| Feature | October CMS | OJS |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Content Management Systems | Content Management Systems |
| License | MIT | GPL-3.0-only |
| Language | PHP | PHP |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 50 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, source | bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 11,140 | ★ 1,025 |
| First released | 2014 | 2024 |
| Replaces | WordPress, Wix | — |
Why pick each one
Choose October CMS if…
- Great for Laravel developers
- Simple, transparent architecture
Choose OJS if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0-only license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Active community (1k GitHub stars)
- Written in PHP
Frequently asked questions
Is October CMS or OJS better?
Neither is universally better. October CMS has the larger community, while OJS is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are October CMS and OJS free and open-source?
Yes. October CMS is licensed under MIT and OJS under GPL-3.0-only. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run October CMS and OJS with Docker?
October CMS: yes. OJS: check the project docs for container support.