October CMS 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.
| Feature | October CMS | Orchard Core |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 93 · Excellent | 92 · Excellent |
| Category | Content Management Systems | Content Management Systems |
| License | MIT | BSD-3-Clause |
| Language | PHP | C# |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, source | docker, bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 11,147 | ★ 8,187 |
| First released | 2014 | 2018 |
| Replaces | WordPress, Wix | Sitecore, WordPress |
What are October CMS and Orchard Core?
October CMS
October CMS is a self-hosted content management system built on the Laravel framework, designed to make web development simple again. It uses flat-file templating with a clean backend for content editors.
- Built on Laravel
- Flat-file twig-style templating
- Plugin marketplace
- Clean developer experience
Orchard Core
Orchard Core is an open-source, modular, and multi-tenant application framework and CMS built on ASP.NET Core. It enables building content-driven sites and SaaS-style multi-site setups.
- Multi-tenant by design
- Modular architecture
- GraphQL API
- Decoupled and headless modes
October CMS vs Orchard Core: key differences
October CMS is written in PHP, while Orchard Core is built with C#. Licensing differs — MIT for October CMS versus BSD-3-Clause for Orchard Core. October CMS is the lighter option, starting around 512 MB of RAM against 1,024 MB for Orchard Core. October CMS is the more established project (first released 2014), while Orchard Core arrived in 2018.
Why pick each one
Choose October CMS if…
- Great for Laravel developers
- Simple, transparent architecture
Watch out for
- Some plugins are paid
- Less suited to non-developers
Choose Orchard Core if…
- Powerful multi-tenancy
- Modern .NET architecture
Watch out for
- Steep learning curve
- Smaller ecosystem than Umbraco
Frequently asked questions
Is October CMS or Orchard Core better?
October CMS 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 October CMS and Orchard Core free and open-source?
Yes. October CMS is licensed under MIT and Orchard Core under BSD-3-Clause. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run October CMS and Orchard Core with Docker?
October CMS: yes. Orchard Core: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, October CMS or Orchard Core?
October CMS has the smaller minimum footprint at 512 MB of RAM, compared to about 1,024 MB for Orchard Core. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.