Craft CMS
Headless CMS software
Web content management software
- Features
- Ease of use
- Ease of management
- Quality of support
- Affordability
- Market presence
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$279 per project
Free TrialFree version
Small
Medium
Large
- Arts, entertainment, and recreation
- Accommodation and food services
- Media and communications
What is Craft CMS
Craft CMS is a PHP-based content management system used to build and manage websites and digital experiences. It provides a structured content model, templating, and authoring workflows for teams that need flexible page and content types. Craft can operate as a traditional coupled CMS or as a headless CMS via its API features, supporting custom front ends and integrations. It is commonly used by agencies and developers building bespoke sites that require fine-grained control over content structure and presentation.
Flexible content modeling
Craft supports custom sections, entry types, fields, and relationships that allow teams to model structured content beyond simple pages and posts. This flexibility helps organizations implement complex information architectures without forcing content into rigid templates. It suits bespoke builds where content types and editorial needs vary across sites. The approach aligns with modern CMS expectations for structured content used across channels.
Developer-friendly templating and stack
Craft uses Twig templating and a PHP-based architecture that many web teams can extend with custom modules and plugins. It supports granular control over rendering, routing, and content queries, which is useful for highly customized websites. Developers can implement tailored editorial experiences and front-end performance optimizations without being constrained by fixed themes. This makes it a practical option for agency-led builds and custom implementations.
Headless and hybrid delivery options
Craft can serve content to custom front ends using API capabilities (including GraphQL in Craft’s ecosystem) while still supporting traditional server-rendered sites. This hybrid approach helps teams transition from coupled sites to headless architectures incrementally. It also supports multi-site setups for managing multiple brands, locales, or domains from one installation. These options provide architectural flexibility for different delivery needs.
Requires technical implementation effort
Craft is typically implemented as a custom build rather than an out-of-the-box site builder. Teams often need developer involvement for initial setup, templating, deployments, and ongoing maintenance. This can increase time-to-launch compared with more turnkey managed platforms. Organizations without in-house development resources may rely on agencies or partners.
Hosting and operations are customer-managed
Craft is commonly self-hosted, so customers manage infrastructure, scaling, backups, monitoring, and security patching (unless using a third-party managed host). Operational responsibility can be a drawback for teams that prefer fully managed SaaS CMS offerings. Production-grade deployments may require DevOps practices and environment management. This can add cost and complexity for smaller teams.
Ecosystem varies by use case
While Craft has a plugin ecosystem, availability and depth of enterprise-grade integrations can vary depending on requirements. Some advanced capabilities (for example, complex personalization, DAM, or commerce integrations) may require custom development or additional products. Organizations comparing platforms may find differences in prebuilt connectors and packaged features. Fit depends on the specific integration and governance needs.
Plan & Pricing
Craft CMS (self-hosted)
| Plan | Price | Key features & notes |
|---|---|---|
| Solo | Free forever | One user account; core CMS features (multi-site, localization, advanced previewing, Twig + GraphQL). |
| Team | $279 per project (one-time) | Up to five user accounts; one user group; developer support; includes 1 year of updates. $99/year for updates after first year. Only available for Craft 5. Free when hosted on Craft Cloud. |
| Pro | $399 per project (one-time) | Unlimited user accounts & groups; branded control panel & communication; developer support; includes 1 year of updates. $99/year for updates after first year. Free when hosted on Craft Cloud. |
| Enterprise | Custom pricing | First-party SAML SSO, custom license agreement, procurement support, dedicated premium support; contact sales. |
Craft Cloud (official hosted offering)
| Plan | Price | Key features & notes |
|---|---|---|
| Team (Cloud) | $130 per month ($120/mo if billed annually) | Includes Craft CMS Team edition, 2 environments, 10 GB asset storage (upgradable), unlimited build minutes and DB storage. Free 7-day trial. |
| Pro (Cloud) | $260 per month ($240/mo if billed annually) | Includes Craft CMS Pro edition, 3 environments, 20 GB asset storage (upgradable), unlimited build minutes and DB storage. Free 7-day trial. |
Craft Commerce (official e‑commerce plugin for Craft CMS)
| Plan | Price | Key features & notes |
|---|---|---|
| Pro (Commerce) | $1,199 per project (one-time) | Includes one year of updates; $299/year for updates after first year. Does not include a Craft CMS license. |
| Enterprise (Commerce) | Custom pricing | For specific licensing requirements; contact sales. |
Seller details
Pixel & Tonic, Inc.
Idaho Falls, Idaho, USA
2011
Private
https://craftcms.com/
https://x.com/craftcms
https://www.linkedin.com/company/pixel-and-tonic/
