Concrete CMS (Concrete5)

Concrete CMS is an open-source web content management system maintained by PortlandLabs, Inc. The project began in Portland, Oregon, around 2003 and was previously known as concrete5.

The platform combines in-context page editing with developer tools for custom themes, add-ons, structured data, workflows, permissions and multi-site deployments. Organizations can run it on their own infrastructure or use managed hosting from PortlandLabs.

Concrete CMS uses PHP and MySQL. Version 9.5.4 was listed as the current release on September 8, 2026. The core software is distributed under the MIT open-source license.

Concrete CMS provides block-based, in-context editing for pages. Editors can manage layouts, files, page types, themes, navigation, forms, calendars, search and SEO settings through the administrative interface.

Its permissions system supports role-based access, page-level controls, file permissions and approval workflows. Multilingual tools can manage separate language trees and assign editing access by locale.

The Express feature lets developers create custom data objects and relationships. Version 9 also includes a REST API covering areas such as pages, blocks, files, users, groups, sites and system information.

The marketplace provides themes, add-ons and integrations. Documented examples include Mailchimp, Shopify, Snipcart, Stripe, Amazon S3, Azure Blob Storage, CDNs, Freshdesk and Tawk.to.

The Concrete CMS core is free to download and use under the MIT license. Self-hosting still requires infrastructure, maintenance and development resources.

PortlandLabs offers managed hosting separately. The Starter plan costs $4.99 per month when billed annually. It includes one site editor, managed upgrades, nightly backups, 10,000 monthly page views and 2GB of storage.

The Business plan costs $19 per month when billed annually. It includes five site editors, managed upgrades, nightly backups, a content delivery network, free SSL, DDoS protection, 50,000 monthly page views and 20GB of storage.

Custom SLA hosting uses sales-based pricing. It can include staging and production servers, continuous backups, custom development, co-managed upgrades, CI/CD support and high-availability infrastructure.

The official demo page also offers a no-cost hosted copy with a limited selection of add-ons and themes. Continued hosting is available through paid plans.

Pros

• Free and open source under the permissive MIT license.
• In-context editing reduces the separation between page design and content updates.
• Detailed permissions and workflows support large contributor teams.
• Supports self-hosting, managed SaaS hosting and custom infrastructure.
• Includes structured data tools, multilingual capabilities and a REST API.
• Marketplace extensions cover themes, integrations, storage and commerce.

Cons

• Self-hosted deployments require PHP, MySQL, web-server and maintenance expertise.
• Managed hosting plans do not provide source-code access.
• Many specialized integrations are marketplace add-ons rather than core features.
• Advanced multi-site, multilingual and permission configurations can require developer assistance.
• Pricing for enterprise hosting and custom service requirements is not publicly listed.

WordPress is a broad general-purpose alternative with a larger plugin ecosystem. Drupal is a comparable open-source option for complex permissions, structured content and government projects.

Joomla provides another self-hosted open-source CMS with extensions and multilingual tools. Craft CMS is a commercial PHP CMS often considered for structured content and custom editorial experiences.

TYPO3 is another enterprise-oriented open-source CMS with multilingual and multi-site capabilities. Contentful and Strapi are alternatives for teams prioritizing API-first or headless content delivery.

Is Concrete CMS free?

Yes. The downloadable core is free and open source under the MIT license. Hosting, extensions, development and support may cost extra.

What is Concrete5?

Concrete5 is the former product name. The project rebranded as Concrete CMS during its version 9 development cycle.

Can Concrete CMS be self-hosted?

Yes. Concrete CMS can be installed on infrastructure that supports its PHP and MySQL requirements.

Does Concrete CMS provide an API?

Yes. Version 9 includes a REST API with OAuth2-related authentication and endpoints for pages, blocks, files, users, groups, sites and other resources.

Does Concrete CMS offer integrations?

Yes. The marketplace lists integrations for services including Mailchimp, Shopify, Snipcart, Stripe, Amazon S3, Azure Blob Storage, Freshdesk and Tawk.to.

Is there a free trial?

The official site provides a no-cost hosted demo with a limited selection of themes and add-ons. Paid hosting is required for continued managed operation.