October CMS vs Pico
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted content management systems options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Pico
Stupidly simple flat-file CMS
| Feature | October CMS | Pico |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 93 · Excellent | 65 · Good |
| Category | Content Management Systems | Content Management Systems |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Language | PHP | PHP |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, source | bare-metal, docker, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 11,147 | ★ 3,905 |
| First released | 2014 | 2012 |
| Replaces | WordPress, Wix | WordPress |
What are October CMS and Pico?
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
Pico
Pico is a minimal, fast flat-file content management system that uses Markdown files for content and Twig templates for layout. It needs no database and no admin backend.
- No database required
- Markdown content
- Twig templating
- Tiny footprint
October CMS vs Pico: key differences
Both projects are written in PHP. Pico is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 512 MB for October CMS. Pico is the more established project (first released 2012), while October CMS arrived in 2014. October CMS has the considerably larger community, at 11,147 GitHub stars versus 3,905.
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 Pico if…
- Extremely lightweight
- Zero configuration to start
Watch out for
- No admin UI by default
- Not for large dynamic sites
Frequently asked questions
Is October CMS or Pico better?
Neither is universally better. October CMS has the larger community, while Pico is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are October CMS and Pico free and open-source?
Yes. October CMS is licensed under MIT and Pico under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run October CMS and Pico with Docker?
October CMS: yes. Pico: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, October CMS or Pico?
Pico has the smaller minimum footprint at 128 MB of RAM, compared to about 512 MB for October CMS. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.