Omeka S vs Wagtail
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?
Omeka S
Web publication system for universities, galleries, libraries,
VS
Wagtail
Developer-friendly Django CMS with a great editor experience
| Feature | Omeka S | Wagtail |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Content Management Systems | Content Management Systems |
| License | AGPL-3.0-only | BSD-3-Clause |
| Language | PHP | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 75 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal | docker, bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 504 | ★ 20,433 |
| First released | 2023 | 2014 |
| Replaces | — | Adobe Experience Manager, WordPress |
Why pick each one
Choose Omeka S if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0-only license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Written in PHP
- Tiny footprint — runs in 75 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Omeka S or Wagtail better?
Neither is universally better. Wagtail has the larger community, while Omeka S is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Omeka S and Wagtail free and open-source?
Yes. Omeka S is licensed under AGPL-3.0-only and Wagtail under BSD-3-Clause. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Omeka S and Wagtail with Docker?
Omeka S: check the project docs for container support. Wagtail: yes.