100+ Open Source CMS Software: The Complete 2025 Guide

Choosing the right Content Management System (CMS) can make or break your web project.
Whether you’re building a blog, e-commerce store, corporate website, or knowledge base, there’s an open-source CMS tailored for your needs.

This comprehensive guide covers 100+ free and open-source CMS platforms available in 2025, organized by use case and technology stack.

🚀 Why Choose Open Source CMS?

Zero licensing costs → pay nothing for the software itself
Full control → host anywhere, customize everything
Active communities → extensive plugins, themes, and support
Security transparency → audit the code yourself
No vendor lock-in → migrate or modify as needed

📚 Table of Contents

🎯 General Purpose CMS

Perfect for websites, blogs, and small-to-medium business sites.

1. WordPress

Language: PHP
Best For: Blogs, business sites, portfolios
Why Use It: 40%+ of all websites run on WordPress. Massive plugin ecosystem (60,000+), thousands of themes, and beginner-friendly.

2. Joomla

Language: PHP
Best For: Community sites, e-commerce, social networks
Why Use It: More flexible than WordPress out-of-the-box, built-in multilingual support.

3. Drupal

Language: PHP
Best For: Enterprise sites, government portals, complex data structures
Why Use It: Extremely powerful and scalable. Used by NASA, Tesla, and major universities.

4. TYPO3

Language: PHP
Best For: Enterprise, multilingual sites
Why Use It: German engineering excellence. Great for large corporations needing robust content workflows.

5. Concrete CMS (formerly Concrete5)

Language: PHP
Best For: Marketing sites, in-context editing
Why Use It: Edit content directly on the page with an intuitive toolbar.

6. Grav

Language: PHP (flat-file)
Best For: Fast, modern websites without databases
Why Use It: Lightning-fast performance, markdown-based, no database required.

7. October CMS

Language: PHP (Laravel)
Best For: Developers who love Laravel
Why Use It: Clean syntax, component-based architecture, beautiful backend.

8. ModX

Language: PHP
Best For: Custom designs, creative freedom
Why Use It: Zero markup restrictions. Build exactly what you envision.

9. SilverStripe

Language: PHP
Best For: Corporate websites, government sites
Why Use It: Secure, scalable, with excellent version control features.

10. Backdrop CMS

Language: PHP
Best For: Small-to-medium organizations
Why Use It: Fork of Drupal 7, focused on simplicity and usability.

11. ProcessWire

Language: PHP
Best For: Developers, agencies
Why Use It: jQuery-inspired API makes it incredibly developer-friendly.

12. Bolt CMS

Language: PHP (Symfony)
Best For: Simple, sophisticated sites
Why Use It: Clean interface, content structure with YAML files.

13. Textpattern

Language: PHP
Best For: Blogs, magazines
Why Use It: Minimalist, elegant, been around since 2003.

14. CMS Made Simple

Language: PHP
Best For: Small business websites
Why Use It: Lives up to its name—simple to install and manage.

15. Pico CMS

Language: PHP (flat-file)
Best For: Minimal sites, documentation
Why Use It: Stupidly simple. Just drop markdown files in a folder.

16. Fork CMS

Language: PHP (Symfony)
Best For: Belgian/European projects
Why Use It: Easy to use, built-in SEO tools, multilingual.

🔌 Headless & API-First CMS

Decouple your content from presentation. Perfect for React, Vue, mobile apps, and omnichannel delivery.

17. Strapi

Language: JavaScript (Node.js)
Best For: Modern web apps, mobile backends
Why Use It: Most popular open-source headless CMS. RESTful & GraphQL APIs, beautiful admin panel.

18. Directus

Language: JavaScript/TypeScript (Node.js)
Best For: Database-first projects
Why Use It: Works with any SQL database. Instant REST & GraphQL APIs.

19. Ghost

Language: JavaScript (Node.js)
Best For: Professional publishing, newsletters
Why Use It: Built for creators. Native membership & subscription features.

20. Payload CMS

Language: TypeScript (Node.js)
Best For: Developers building custom apps
Why Use It: Code-first configuration, TypeScript support, local API.

21. KeystoneJS

Language: JavaScript (Node.js)
Best For: GraphQL APIs, custom applications
Why Use It: Powerful schema-based CMS with GraphQL-first approach.

22. Sanity

Language: JavaScript
Best For: Structured content, real-time collaboration
Why Use It: Treat content as data. Real-time updates, portable text format.

23. Tina CMS

Language: JavaScript
Best For: Static sites with visual editing
Why Use It: Edit your site visually while keeping everything in Git.

24. Cockpit CMS

Language: PHP
Best For: Lightweight headless projects
Why Use It: Self-hosted, simple API, modular collections.

25. Netlify CMS (Decap CMS)

Language: JavaScript (React)
Best For: JAMstack sites
Why Use It: Git-based workflow, works with any static site generator.

26. Ponzu

Language: Go
Best For: High-performance APIs
Why Use It: Blazing fast, automatic JSON API generation.

27. ButterCMS

Language: Agnostic (API-based)
Best For: Content marketing sites
Why Use It: Has open-source SDKs, drop-in blog engine.

📄 Static Site Generators

Generate HTML at build time. Fastest possible websites with no server-side processing.

28. Hugo

Language: Go
Best For: Documentation, blogs, portfolios
Why Use It: Fastest static site generator. Builds thousands of pages in seconds.

29. Jekyll

Language: Ruby
Best For: GitHub Pages, blogs
Why Use It: Official GitHub Pages generator. Simple, blog-aware.

30. Gatsby

Language: JavaScript (React)
Best For: Modern web apps, performance-critical sites
Why Use It: React-based, GraphQL data layer, progressive web apps.

31. Next.js

Language: JavaScript (React)
Best For: Full-stack React apps
Why Use It: Server-side rendering, static generation, API routes all-in-one.

32. Nuxt.js

Language: JavaScript (Vue)
Best For: Vue applications
Why Use It: The Next.js of Vue. Server-side rendering made easy.

33. Eleventy (11ty)

Language: JavaScript
Best For: Simple, flexible static sites
Why Use It: Template-agnostic. Use any templating language you like.

34. Hexo

Language: JavaScript (Node.js)
Best For: Blogs, especially for developers
Why Use It: Markdown support, one-command deployment, hundreds of themes.

35. Pelican

Language: Python
Best For: Python developers
Why Use It: Simple, elegant, supports reStructuredText and Markdown.

36. VuePress

Language: JavaScript (Vue)
Best For: Documentation sites
Why Use It: Vue-powered, optimized for technical documentation.

37. Docusaurus

Language: JavaScript (React)
Best For: Project documentation
Why Use It: Built by Facebook. Versioning, search, i18n built-in.

38. Middleman

Language: Ruby
Best For: Static sites with dynamic features
Why Use It: All the power of Rails asset pipeline for static sites.

39. Metalsmith

Language: JavaScript (Node.js)
Best For: Custom build pipelines
Why Use It: Pluggable architecture. Everything is a plugin.

40. Astro

Language: JavaScript
Best For: Content-focused sites
Why Use It: Ship less JavaScript. Use React, Vue, Svelte components together.

🛒 E-commerce CMS

Build online stores with shopping carts, payment processing, and inventory management.

41. WooCommerce

Platform: WordPress Plugin
Best For: WordPress users wanting e-commerce
Why Use It: Powers 28% of all online stores. Massive extension ecosystem.

42. Magento Open Source

Language: PHP
Best For: Large-scale e-commerce
Why Use It: Enterprise-grade features. Used by major brands.

43. PrestaShop

Language: PHP
Best For: European e-commerce
Why Use It: Multi-language, multi-currency out of the box. 5,000+ modules.

44. OpenCart

Language: PHP
Best For: Simple online stores
Why Use It: Lightweight, easy to set up, 13,000+ extensions.

45. Shopware Community Edition

Language: PHP (Symfony)
Best For: Modern, API-first e-commerce
Why Use It: German engineering. Headless commerce capabilities.

46. Spree Commerce

Language: Ruby (Rails)
Best For: Customizable stores
Why Use It: Modular architecture, API-first design.

47. Sylius

Language: PHP (Symfony)
Best For: Developers building custom e-commerce
Why Use It: Highly customizable, modern architecture.

48. Bagisto

Language: PHP (Laravel)
Best For: Laravel developers
Why Use It: Multi-warehouse, multi-currency, multi-locale support.

49. Saleor

Language: Python (Django)
Best For: Headless e-commerce
Why Use It: GraphQL-first, modern tech stack, PWA-ready.

50. Reaction Commerce

Language: JavaScript (Node.js)
Best For: Real-time commerce
Why Use It: Real-time inventory, JavaScript everywhere.

51. nopCommerce

Language: C# (.NET)
Best For: .NET developers
Why Use It: Powerful, flexible, Microsoft stack.

52. CS-Cart Community

Language: PHP
Best For: Multi-vendor marketplaces
Why Use It: Built-in marketplace functionality.

53. Thelia

Language: PHP (Symfony)
Best For: French e-commerce projects
Why Use It: Flexible, developer-friendly, strong European presence.

54. Zen Cart

Language: PHP
Best For: Simple stores
Why Use It: Free, mature, straightforward setup.

📖 Wiki & Knowledge Base

Organize knowledge, documentation, and collaborative content.

55. MediaWiki

Language: PHP
Best For: Large-scale wikis
Why Use It: Powers Wikipedia. Battle-tested for massive content.

56. DokuWiki

Language: PHP (flat-file)
Best For: Documentation, corporate wikis
Why Use It: No database needed. Plain text storage for easy backups.

57. TiddlyWiki

Language: JavaScript
Best For: Personal wikis, note-taking
Why Use It: Single HTML file contains everything. Runs in browser.

58. Wiki.js

Language: JavaScript (Node.js)
Best For: Modern, beautiful wikis
Why Use It: Markdown editing, beautiful UI, powerful search.

59. BookStack

Language: PHP (Laravel)
Best For: Organized documentation
Why Use It: Books → Chapters → Pages structure. Simple and intuitive.

60. XWiki

Language: Java
Best For: Enterprise collaboration
Why Use It: Structured data, application development platform.

61. Outline

Language: JavaScript (React/Node.js)
Best For: Team knowledge bases
Why Use It: Real-time collaboration, beautiful Notion-like interface.

62. Gollum

Language: Ruby
Best For: Git-based wikis
Why Use It: Uses Git as storage. Version control built-in.

63. PmWiki

Language: PHP
Best For: Simple wikis
Why Use It: Minimalist, no database required.

💬 Forum & Community Platforms

Build online communities, discussion boards, and support forums.

64. Discourse

Language: Ruby (Rails)
Best For: Modern community forums
Why Use It: Beautiful, mobile-first design. Used by Twitter, GitHub.

65. phpBB

Language: PHP
Best For: Traditional forums
Why Use It: Mature, stable, extensive modifications available.

66. MyBB

Language: PHP
Best For: Lightweight forums
Why Use It: Fast, efficient, easy to customize.

67. Flarum

Language: PHP
Best For: Modern, elegant forums
Why Use It: Lightweight, responsive, extensible with modern architecture.

68. NodeBB

Language: JavaScript (Node.js)
Best For: Real-time discussions
Why Use It: WebSocket-powered, instant updates, mobile-responsive.

69. Simple Machines Forum (SMF)

Language: PHP
Best For: Traditional bulletin boards
Why Use It: Powerful permissions, extensive customization.

70. Vanilla Forums

Language: PHP
Best For: Customer communities
Why Use It: Clean design, gamification features, cloud or self-hosted.

71. bbPress

Platform: WordPress Plugin
Best For: WordPress-integrated forums
Why Use It: Seamless WordPress integration, lightweight.

72. FluxBB

Language: PHP
Best For: Fast, simple forums
Why Use It: Minimalist, fast-loading, easy to moderate.

✍️ Blogging Platforms

Purpose-built for writers, publishers, and content creators.

73. Ghost

Language: JavaScript (Node.js)
Best For: Professional publishing
Why Use It: SEO-optimized, membership features, newsletter integration.

74. Serendipity

Language: PHP
Best For: Personal blogs
Why Use It: Flexible templating, powerful plugin system.

75. Chyrp Lite

Language: PHP
Best For: Lightweight blogging
Why Use It: Fast, simple, supports tumblelogging.

76. Bludit

Language: PHP (flat-file)
Best For: Simple blogs without databases
Why Use It: Markdown support, no database setup needed.

77. HTMLy

Language: PHP (flat-file)
Best For: Databaseless blogs
Why Use It: SEO-friendly, tag system, RSS feeds.

78. Anchor CMS

Language: PHP
Best For: Minimal blogs
Why Use It: Super lightweight, easy to extend.

79. Dotclear

Language: PHP
Best For: Simple, powerful blogs
Why Use It: French origin, excellent multilingual support.

80. b2evolution

Language: PHP
Best For: Multi-blog networks
Why Use It: Manage multiple blogs from one installation.

81. Nibbleblog

Language: PHP
Best For: Quick, easy blogs
Why Use It: Drag-and-drop widgets, no database.

🏢 Enterprise CMS

Scalable solutions for large organizations with complex requirements.

82. Alfresco Community

Language: Java
Best For: Document management, collaboration
Why Use It: Enterprise content management (ECM), workflow automation.

83. Nuxeo Platform

Language: Java
Best For: Digital asset management
Why Use It: AI-powered content services, scalable architecture.

84. eZ Platform (Ibexa)

Language: PHP (Symfony)
Best For: Enterprise content & commerce
Why Use It: Multi-site management, powerful content modeling.

85. Magnolia Community

Language: Java
Best For: Enterprise websites, personalization
Why Use It: Component-based, headless or traditional.

86. Hippo CMS

Language: Java
Best For: Enterprise web content management
Why Use It: Channel management, visitor segmentation.

87. Liferay Community Edition

Language: Java
Best For: Enterprise portals, intranets
Why Use It: Digital experience platform, extensive features.

📁 Flat-File CMS

No database required. Content stored in files for simplicity and portability.

88. Grav

Language: PHP
Best For: Fast, modern sites
Why Use It: Markdown-based, powerful admin panel optional.

89. Pico CMS

Language: PHP
Best For: Tiny sites, portfolios
Why Use It: Drop markdown files in folder, done.

90. Yellow

Language: PHP
Best For: People who make small websites
Why Use It: Built-in search, blog, wiki features.

91. Bludit

Language: PHP
Best For: Quick setup
Why Use It: Install in seconds, start writing immediately.

92. WonderCMS

Language: PHP
Best For: One-file CMS
Why Use It: Entire CMS in one file. Ridiculously simple.

93. Typemill

Language: PHP
Best For: Documentation, digital storytelling
Why Use It: Author-friendly, visual content blocks.

94. CMSimple

Language: PHP
Best For: Small business sites
Why Use It: German engineering, simple setup.

🎯 Specialized CMS

Purpose-built for specific use cases.

95. Moodle

Type: Learning Management System (LMS)
Language: PHP
Best For: Online education, corporate training
Why Use It: Most widely-used LMS globally. Extensive plugins.

96. Chamilo

Type: Learning Management System
Language: PHP
Best For: Educational institutions
Why Use It: User-friendly, SCORM-compliant.

97. Omeka

Type: Digital Collections
Language: PHP
Best For: Museums, libraries, archives
Why Use It: Dublin Core metadata, exhibit creation.

98. Plone

Language: Python
Best For: Government, scientific institutions
Why Use It: Security-focused, excellent workflows.

99. Wagtail

Language: Python (Django)
Best For: Content-rich websites
Why Use It: StreamField for flexible content, NASA uses it.

100. Django CMS

Language: Python (Django)
Best For: Django developers
Why Use It: Edit content in-place, powerful plugins.

101. Apostrophe CMS

Language: JavaScript (Node.js)
Best For: In-context editing
Why Use It: Edit content directly on the page.

102. Umbraco

Language: C# (.NET)
Best For: .NET developers
Why Use It: Microsoft-friendly, flexible content modeling.

103. Craft CMS

Language: PHP
Best For: Designers, agencies
Why Use It: Beautiful control panel, flexible content. Free solo edition.

104. Publii

Type: Desktop CMS
Language: JavaScript (Electron)
Best For: Static sites with GUI
Why Use It: Desktop app generates static sites. No technical knowledge needed.

105. Lektor

Language: Python
Best For: Static sites with CMS-like editing
Why Use It: Git-friendly, flat files, admin interface.

106. Nikola

Language: Python
Best For: Blogs, documentation
Why Use It: Fast builds, multilingual support.

107. Zola

Language: Rust
Best For: Fast static sites
Why Use It: Single binary, extremely fast builds.

108. Bridgetown

Language: Ruby
Best For: Modern static sites
Why Use It: Progressive enhancement, modern tooling.

109. Wintersmith

Language: JavaScript (Node.js)
Best For: Flexible static sites
Why Use It: Minimalist, plugin-based architecture.

🎯 How to Choose the Right CMS

Consider These Factors:

1. Technical Stack

What languages does your team know?
PHP? Choose WordPress, Drupal, or Laravel-based options
JavaScript? Go with Strapi, Ghost, or Next.js
Python? Try Django CMS or Wagtail
.NET? Pick Umbraco or nopCommerce

2. Project Type

Simple blog: WordPress, Ghost, Jekyll
Corporate site: Drupal, Joomla, TYPO3
E-commerce: WooCommerce, Magento, PrestaShop
Headless/API: Strapi, Directus, Sanity
Documentation: Docusaurus, VuePress, BookStack
Community: Discourse, NodeBB, phpBB

3. Performance Needs

Static sites: Hugo, Eleventy, Astro (fastest possible)
Flat-file: Grav, Pico (fast, no database)
Traditional: WordPress with caching (balanced)
Enterprise: Drupal, Liferay (scalable)

4. Ease of Use

Beginner-friendly: WordPress, Ghost, Concrete CMS
Developer-focused: ProcessWire, Craft CMS, Payload
No-code: Publii, WonderCMS

5. Hosting Requirements

Shared hosting: WordPress, Joomla, PrestaShop
VPS/Cloud: Drupal, Ghost, Strapi
Static hosting: Any static generator (Netlify, Vercel)
Self-contained: WonderCMS, TiddlyWiki (single file)

🔥 Top Picks by Category (2025)

🏆 Best Overall: WordPress

Still the king. Massive ecosystem, beginner-friendly, infinitely extensible.

⚡ Fastest: Hugo

Builds 10,000 pages in under 10 seconds. Perfect for large sites.

🎨 Best for Developers: Strapi

Modern tech stack, GraphQL & REST APIs, beautiful admin panel.

🛍️ Best E-commerce: WooCommerce

Powers 28% of online stores. Works with WordPress.

📚 Best for Documentation: Docusaurus

Built by Facebook. Versioning, search, i18n included.

💬 Best Forum: Discourse

Modern, mobile-first. Used by major tech communities.

🎯 Best Headless: Strapi or Directus

Tie. Both excellent for decoupled architectures.

🚀 Best for JAMstack: Netlify CMS + Next.js

Git-based workflow meets React power.

🛠️ Quick Start: Installing WordPress

Since WordPress powers 40%+ of the web, here’s a quick setup:

🚀 Why Choose Open Source CMS?#

📚 Table of Contents#

🎯 General Purpose CMS#

1. WordPress#

2. Joomla#

3. Drupal#

4. TYPO3#

5. Concrete CMS (formerly Concrete5)#

6. Grav#

7. October CMS#

8. ModX#

9. SilverStripe#

10. Backdrop CMS#

11. ProcessWire#

12. Bolt CMS#

13. Textpattern#

14. CMS Made Simple#

15. Pico CMS#

16. Fork CMS#

🔌 Headless & API-First CMS#

17. Strapi#

18. Directus#

19. Ghost#

20. Payload CMS#

21. KeystoneJS#

22. Sanity#

23. Tina CMS#

24. Cockpit CMS#

25. Netlify CMS (Decap CMS)#

26. Ponzu#

27. ButterCMS#

📄 Static Site Generators#

28. Hugo#

29. Jekyll#

30. Gatsby#

31. Next.js#

32. Nuxt.js#

33. Eleventy (11ty)#

34. Hexo#

35. Pelican#

36. VuePress#

37. Docusaurus#

38. Middleman#

39. Metalsmith#

40. Astro#

🛒 E-commerce CMS#

41. WooCommerce#

42. Magento Open Source#

43. PrestaShop#

44. OpenCart#

45. Shopware Community Edition#

46. Spree Commerce#

47. Sylius#

48. Bagisto#

49. Saleor#

50. Reaction Commerce#

51. nopCommerce#

52. CS-Cart Community#

53. Thelia#

54. Zen Cart#

📖 Wiki & Knowledge Base#

55. MediaWiki#

56. DokuWiki#

57. TiddlyWiki#

58. Wiki.js#

59. BookStack#

60. XWiki#

61. Outline#

62. Gollum#

63. PmWiki#

💬 Forum & Community Platforms#

64. Discourse#

65. phpBB#

66. MyBB#

67. Flarum#

68. NodeBB#

69. Simple Machines Forum (SMF)#

70. Vanilla Forums#

71. bbPress#

72. FluxBB#