Pagekit 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.
| Feature | Pagekit | Wagtail |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 15 · At risk | 96 · Excellent |
| Status | Archived | Actively maintained |
| Category | Content Management Systems | Content Management Systems |
| License | MIT | BSD-3-Clause |
| Language | PHP | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, source | docker, bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 5,454 | ★ 20,505 |
| First released | 2014 | 2014 |
| Replaces | WordPress | Adobe Experience Manager, WordPress |
What are Pagekit and Wagtail?
Pagekit
Pagekit is a modular, open-source content management system with a clean, modern interface built on Symfony components and Vue.js. It includes a blog and a marketplace for extensions.
- Modern Vue.js interface
- Modular architecture
- Built-in blog
- Marketplace for extensions
Wagtail
Wagtail is an open-source Django content management system focused on a refined editor experience and developer flexibility. It powers many large, content-rich websites with structured page models.
- Refined editor interface
- StreamField flexible content
- Headless API option
- Strong accessibility focus
Pagekit vs Wagtail: key differences
The biggest difference is maintenance: Pagekit's repository is archived and no longer developed, while Wagtail is actively maintained. Pagekit is written in PHP, while Wagtail is built with Python. Licensing differs — MIT for Pagekit versus BSD-3-Clause for Wagtail. Pagekit is the lighter option, starting around 256 MB of RAM against 1,024 MB for Wagtail. Wagtail has the considerably larger community, at 20,505 GitHub stars versus 5,454.
Why pick each one
Choose Pagekit if…
- Clean, modern admin
- Lightweight
Watch out for
- Development has stalled
- Limited active maintenance
Choose Wagtail if…
- Excellent editing experience
- Great for Python developers
Watch out for
- Requires Django expertise
- Heavier hosting needs
Frequently asked questions
Is Pagekit or Wagtail better?
Neither is universally better. Wagtail has the larger community, while Pagekit is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Pagekit and Wagtail free and open-source?
Yes. Pagekit is licensed under MIT and Wagtail under BSD-3-Clause. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Pagekit and Wagtail with Docker?
Pagekit: yes. Wagtail: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Pagekit or Wagtail?
Pagekit has the smaller minimum footprint at 256 MB of RAM, compared to about 1,024 MB for Wagtail. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.