Craft CMS

Craft CMS is a PHP-based content management system developed by Pixel & Tonic. It is designed for custom websites where teams need control over content structures, templates, permissions, and publishing workflows.

Craft supports traditional server-rendered sites through Twig templates and headless implementations through its built-in GraphQL API. Projects can run on compatible hosting infrastructure or on the first-party Craft Cloud platform.

The system uses a content-first model rather than imposing standard blog or page types. Developers define fields, entries, relationships, locales, and layouts for each project.

Craft includes custom fields, structured content modeling, entry relationships, asset management, live preview, content versioning, scheduling, localization, multisite support, and user permissions.

Developers can use Twig for server-side rendering, GraphQL for decoupled applications, Composer for dependency management, and the Craft command-line interface for maintenance and deployment tasks.

The Plugin Store extends the platform with forms, SEO, storage, analytics, marketing, payment, and other integrations. First-party compatibility includes Craft Commerce, Stripe, and Shopify options.

The control panel supports 25 interface languages and content across hundreds of locales. Craft can connect to MySQL or PostgreSQL databases and supports local or cloud-based asset storage, including Amazon S3 and Google Cloud Storage.

Craft Solo is free for one user and includes core content modeling, multisite localization, previewing, Twig, and GraphQL capabilities. The vendor positions it for personal or non-commercial projects.

Craft Team costs $279 per self-hosted project and includes one year of updates. Renewal for updates costs $99 per year. Team supports up to five user accounts and one user group.

Craft Pro costs $399 per self-hosted project and includes one year of updates. Renewal for updates costs $99 per year. Pro adds unlimited users and groups, branded control-panel options, and branded communication.

Enterprise pricing is available by request. Enterprise adds custom licensing, procurement support, first-party SAML SSO, and dedicated premium support.

Craft Cloud Team costs $120 per month when billed annually. Craft Cloud Pro costs $240 per month when billed annually. Both plans include hosting, environments, Craft licensing, unlimited build minutes, and unlimited database storage. Craft Cloud projects start with a seven-day trial.

Pros: Flexible content modeling supports custom website structures. Built-in GraphQL supports headless delivery. Twig provides a developer-controlled rendering layer. Multisite and localization support complex publishing programs. The plugin ecosystem covers common extensions and integrations.

Cons: Commercial self-hosted editions require project licenses. Effective implementation usually requires PHP, Twig, Composer, and database knowledge. Many business functions, including forms and SEO, depend on plugins. Projects may require additional planning during major version upgrades.

Comparable alternatives include WordPress, Drupal, Statamic, ExpressionEngine, Webflow, Contentful, Sanity, Strapi, Payload CMS, and Storyblok.

WordPress offers a larger general-purpose ecosystem. Drupal targets complex structured publishing and governance. Statamic provides a Laravel-based alternative with flat-file and database options. Contentful, Sanity, Strapi, Payload CMS, and Storyblok focus more directly on API-first or headless delivery.

Is Craft CMS free?
Craft Solo is free. Team and Pro require paid self-hosted licenses for commercial projects, while Craft Cloud charges a recurring hosting fee.

Does Craft CMS have an API?
Yes. Craft includes a built-in GraphQL API with public and private schemas, access tokens, mutations, and an integrated GraphiQL interface.

Does Craft CMS offer a free trial?
Craft Cloud offers a free seven-day trial with a valid payment method. Self-hosted Team and Pro licenses can be trialed on a non-public domain during development.

Which platforms does Craft CMS support?
Craft is a self-hosted PHP application that runs on modern hosting environments. Craft 5 requires PHP 8.2 or later, Composer 2, and a supported MySQL, MariaDB, or PostgreSQL database.

What integrations are available?
Official and marketplace options include Craft Commerce, Stripe, Shopify, Amazon S3, Google Cloud Storage, Salesforce, Mailchimp, HubSpot, form tools, SEO tools, and automation connectors.

Is Craft CMS suitable for ecommerce?
Yes. Craft Commerce provides a first-party ecommerce extension, while Stripe and Shopify integrations support additional commerce architectures.