Craft CMS is a PHP content management system for building custom websites and headless content back ends. It offers self-hosted editions and a separate first-party hosting service.
The assessment reflects documented content modeling, localization, preview, GraphQL, plugin, and licensing capabilities, plus public review-page ratings. It is not based on hands-on testing.
This profile combines documented product information and independent evidence where available. It is not a hands-on test unless TechZella explicitly identifies one.
Craft CMS is a PHP-based content management system built around custom content modeling and developer-defined front ends. Teams can render pages with Twig or use GraphQL to provide content to separate applications.
Its multi-site tools support related websites and localization from one installation. The vendor cautions that multi-site is intended for sites with shared publishing teams, rather than unrelated projects. ([craftcms.com](https://craftcms.com/docs/5.x/system/sites?utm_source=openai))
A quick way to understand who this product may suit, where its limits matter, and which facts are most relevant before you compare alternatives.
Web teams and agencies that want structured, custom content models, editorial preview, localization, and the option to deliver content through Twig or GraphQL.
Teams seeking a managed, no-code site builder may find Craft’s PHP requirements, hosting decisions, and developer-oriented setup a poor match, and should evaluate alternatives such as WordPress or Contentful instead.
Cloud, PHP, Self-hosted, Web
8.1/10
These are the product-specific differences that may matter when deciding whether the software fits your workflow. They are based on documented evidence rather than a universal ranking.
These are documented constraints or practical friction points that may matter before you adopt the product.
Teams can assess paid features during development, but should include licensing in production launch planning.
Evidence source ↗A headless deployment needs explicit schema permissions and environment-specific token setup.
Evidence source ↗Infrastructure compatibility should be checked before selecting a host or planning an upgrade.
Evidence source ↗Self-hosted edition with one user account and core content modeling, multi-site, localization, preview, Twig, and GraphQL features.
Check current pricing →Self-hosted Craft 5 edition for up to five user accounts, with one user group and developer support. Includes one year of updates; renewals are $99 per year. Free when hosted on Craft Cloud.
Check current pricing →Self-hosted edition with unlimited user accounts and groups, branded control panel, and branded communication. Includes one year of updates; renewals are $99 per year. Free when hosted on Craft Cloud.
Check current pricing →For projects with specific licensing requirements; includes first-party SAML SSO and dedicated premium support. Contact the vendor for terms.
Check current pricing →Pricing may change. Verify current plans on the vendor's website.
Compare similar products directly, then see which alternatives may make more sense when your requirements differ.
These products address broadly similar requirements. The descriptions focus on documented reasons a buyer might compare them with Craft CMS.
| Current stable major edition | Craft CMS 5 |
|---|---|
| Application runtime | PHP 8.2 or later for Craft 5 |
| Supported databases | MySQL 8.0.17+, MariaDB 10.4.6+, or PostgreSQL 13+ |
| Package manager | Composer 2.0+ |
| API | GraphQL |
| Hosting | Self-hosted or Craft Cloud |
| Paid edition trial | Available on non-public domains |
Verified installation, hosting, administration, or environment details that can affect implementation.
| Installation or hosting | Craft 5 is a PHP application that can be self-hosted on compatible infrastructure or run on the first-party Craft Cloud service. Source ↗ |
|---|---|
| Minimum requirements | Craft 5 documentation lists PHP 8.2+, Composer 2.0+, and MySQL 8.0.17+, MariaDB 10.4.6+, or PostgreSQL 13+ as minimum requirements. Source ↗ |
Documented portability, standards, export, or switching considerations. No switching-cost score is shown unless the evidence supports one.
The upgrade documentation notes that Craft 5 introduces a new content storage architecture; teams should review upgrade steps and plugin compatibility before migrating.
Evidence source ↗A proprietary editorial score based on product capabilities, usability, value, performance, support and user sentiment evidence.
The assessment reflects documented content modeling, localization, preview, GraphQL, plugin, and licensing capabilities, plus public review-page ratings. It is not based on hands-on testing.
Methodology v1.0. The assessment weighs feature coverage (25%), ease of use (15%), value for money (20%), performance (15%), support (10%) and user sentiment (15%), using researched product evidence and verified review evidence where available. It is a TechZella editorial assessment, not a direct user-review average.
Key claims are linked to the sources used to verify them. This evidence record is separate from third-party user ratings.
TechZella evaluates software using documented product capabilities, pricing information, usability and value considerations, independent user evidence where available, and competitive context. The assessment is an editorial review, not a hands-on test unless one is explicitly identified. Our editorial assessment is based on 6 documented sources.
The Craft 5 documentation describes its GraphQL API, GraphiQL interface, endpoints, schemas, and tokens.
View source ↗Verified 2026-10-12The official pricing page lists these project license prices and $99 annual update renewals after the included first year.
View source ↗Verified 2026-10-12The vendor’s trial guidance permits testing paid editions on private domains and says there is no fixed trial duration while the site remains on a non-public hostname.
View source ↗Verified 2026-10-12The documentation describes multi-site publishing and localization, while noting that sites should share a publishing team.
View source ↗Verified 2026-10-12The release announcement describes prompts identifying related elements and allowing relations to be replaced or removed before deletion.
View source ↗Verified 2026-10-12The Craft 6 announcement dates the alpha release to May 6, 2026, and describes the Laravel port and alpha status.
View source ↗Verified 2026-10-12Answers begin with the clearest available response, followed by the context that helps you act on it.
No reviews yet. Be the first to share your experience.
Please log in to submit a review.
This history records material data changes detected when TechZella re-researched the profile.
