# Best open source CMS > The best open source CMS is Strapi, with 73,281 GitHub stars and the MIT license; Payload CMS and WordPress are strong alternatives. This page also breaks the picks down by team size and use: Strapi leads for startups, small business, enterprise and freelancers. The overall ranking weighs GitHub stars, commits in the last year, Docker images, open-source licenses and recent commits across the 41 apps in the CMS category of the appsgit catalog. ## Key facts | Fact | Value | |---|---| | Question | What is the best open source CMS? | | Picks | 30 | | Top pick | Strapi (73,281 stars) | | Data as of | Oct 7, 2026 | | Canonical URL | https://appsgit.com/best/open-source-cms | ## Top picks 10 of the 41 apps in the CMS category, ranked on GitHub stars, commits in the last year, Docker images, open-source licenses and recent commits. - [Strapi](https://appsgit.com/apps/strapi) (73,281 stars, MIT, TypeScript): Strapi has 73,281 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license and had 1,477 commits in the last year; it replaces WordPress.com and Webflow. - [Payload CMS](https://appsgit.com/apps/payload-cms) (45,100 stars, MIT, TypeScript): Payload CMS has 45,100 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license and had 1,635 commits in the last year; it replaces Webflow. - [WordPress](https://appsgit.com/apps/wordpress) (21,450 stars, GPL-2.0, PHP): WordPress has 21,450 GitHub stars, uses the GPL-2.0 license and had 2,047 commits in the last year; it replaces WordPress.com and Medium. - [Wagtail](https://appsgit.com/apps/wagtail) (20,530 stars, BSD-3-Clause, Python): Wagtail has 20,530 GitHub stars, uses the BSD-3-Clause license and had 1,281 commits in the last year; it replaces WordPress.com and Webflow. - [KeystoneJS](https://appsgit.com/apps/keystonejs) (9,979 stars, MIT, TypeScript): KeystoneJS has 9,979 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license and had 231 commits in the last year. - [Umbraco](https://appsgit.com/apps/umbraco) (5,262 stars, MIT, C#): Umbraco has 5,262 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license and had 2,598 commits in the last year. - [october](https://appsgit.com/apps/october) (11,150 stars, October CMS EULA, source-available, PHP): october has 11,150 GitHub stars, is source-available under the October CMS EULA (not an open-source license) and had 270 commits in the last year. - [MediaCMS](https://appsgit.com/apps/mediacms) (5,135 stars, AGPL-3.0, Python, Docker): MediaCMS has 5,135 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 82 commits in the last year; it replaces YouTube and Loom. - [Joomla!](https://appsgit.com/apps/joomla) (5,143 stars, GPL-2.0, PHP): Joomla! has 5,143 GitHub stars, uses the GPL-2.0 license and had 413 commits in the last year; it replaces WordPress.com and Squarespace. - [Ech0](https://appsgit.com/apps/ech0) (2,076 stars, AGPL-3.0, Go, Docker): Ech0 has 2,076 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 1,560 commits in the last year. ## Best for startups Ranked for startups on GitHub stars, commits in the last year, Docker images, open-source licenses, project websites and recent commits. - [Strapi](https://appsgit.com/apps/strapi) (73,281 stars, MIT, TypeScript): Strapi has 73,281 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license and had 1,477 commits in the last year; it replaces WordPress.com and Webflow. For startups it also scores on a permissive license (MIT), a project website and a commit in the last 90 days. - [Payload CMS](https://appsgit.com/apps/payload-cms) (45,100 stars, MIT, TypeScript): Payload CMS has 45,100 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license and had 1,635 commits in the last year; it replaces Webflow. For startups it also scores on a permissive license (MIT), a project website and a commit in the last 90 days. - [Wagtail](https://appsgit.com/apps/wagtail) (20,530 stars, BSD-3-Clause, Python): Wagtail has 20,530 GitHub stars, uses the BSD-3-Clause license and had 1,281 commits in the last year; it replaces WordPress.com and Webflow. For startups it also scores on a permissive license (BSD-3-Clause), a project website and a commit in the last 90 days. - [WordPress](https://appsgit.com/apps/wordpress) (21,450 stars, GPL-2.0, PHP): WordPress has 21,450 GitHub stars, uses the GPL-2.0 license and had 2,047 commits in the last year; it replaces WordPress.com and Medium. For startups it also scores on an open-source license, a project website and a commit in the last 90 days. - [KeystoneJS](https://appsgit.com/apps/keystonejs) (9,979 stars, MIT, TypeScript): KeystoneJS has 9,979 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license and had 231 commits in the last year. For startups it also scores on a permissive license (MIT), a project website and a commit in the last 90 days. ## Best for small business Ranked for small business on GitHub stars, commits in the last year, Docker images, open-source licenses, project websites, recent commits and deploy guides. - [Strapi](https://appsgit.com/apps/strapi) (73,281 stars, MIT, TypeScript): Strapi has 73,281 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license and had 1,477 commits in the last year; it replaces WordPress.com and Webflow. For small business it also scores on an open-source license, a project website and a commit in the last 90 days. - [WordPress](https://appsgit.com/apps/wordpress) (21,450 stars, GPL-2.0, PHP): WordPress has 21,450 GitHub stars, uses the GPL-2.0 license and had 2,047 commits in the last year; it replaces WordPress.com and Medium, and appsgit has a step-by-step deploy guide for it. For small business it also scores on an open-source license, a project website, a commit in the last 90 days and an appsgit deploy guide. - [Payload CMS](https://appsgit.com/apps/payload-cms) (45,100 stars, MIT, TypeScript): Payload CMS has 45,100 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license and had 1,635 commits in the last year; it replaces Webflow. For small business it also scores on an open-source license, a project website and a commit in the last 90 days. - [Wagtail](https://appsgit.com/apps/wagtail) (20,530 stars, BSD-3-Clause, Python): Wagtail has 20,530 GitHub stars, uses the BSD-3-Clause license and had 1,281 commits in the last year; it replaces WordPress.com and Webflow. For small business it also scores on an open-source license, a project website and a commit in the last 90 days. - [MediaCMS](https://appsgit.com/apps/mediacms) (5,135 stars, AGPL-3.0, Python, Docker): MediaCMS has 5,135 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 82 commits in the last year; it replaces YouTube and Loom. For small business it also scores on a Docker image, an open-source license, a project website and a commit in the last 90 days. ## Best for enterprise Ranked for enterprise on GitHub stars, commits in the last year, open-source licenses and recent commits. - [Strapi](https://appsgit.com/apps/strapi) (73,281 stars, MIT, TypeScript): Strapi has 73,281 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license and had 1,477 commits in the last year; it replaces WordPress.com and Webflow. For enterprise it also scores on an open-source license and a commit in the last 90 days. - [Payload CMS](https://appsgit.com/apps/payload-cms) (45,100 stars, MIT, TypeScript): Payload CMS has 45,100 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license and had 1,635 commits in the last year; it replaces Webflow. For enterprise it also scores on an open-source license and a commit in the last 90 days. - [WordPress](https://appsgit.com/apps/wordpress) (21,450 stars, GPL-2.0, PHP): WordPress has 21,450 GitHub stars, uses the GPL-2.0 license and had 2,047 commits in the last year; it replaces WordPress.com and Medium. For enterprise it also scores on an open-source license and a commit in the last 90 days. - [Wagtail](https://appsgit.com/apps/wagtail) (20,530 stars, BSD-3-Clause, Python): Wagtail has 20,530 GitHub stars, uses the BSD-3-Clause license and had 1,281 commits in the last year; it replaces WordPress.com and Webflow. For enterprise it also scores on an open-source license and a commit in the last 90 days. - [KeystoneJS](https://appsgit.com/apps/keystonejs) (9,979 stars, MIT, TypeScript): KeystoneJS has 9,979 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license and had 231 commits in the last year. For enterprise it also scores on an open-source license and a commit in the last 90 days. ## Best for freelancers Ranked for freelancers on GitHub stars, commits in the last year, Docker images, open-source licenses and recent commits. - [Strapi](https://appsgit.com/apps/strapi) (73,281 stars, MIT, TypeScript): Strapi has 73,281 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license and had 1,477 commits in the last year; it replaces WordPress.com and Webflow. For freelancers it also scores on an open-source license and a commit in the last 90 days. - [Payload CMS](https://appsgit.com/apps/payload-cms) (45,100 stars, MIT, TypeScript): Payload CMS has 45,100 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license and had 1,635 commits in the last year; it replaces Webflow. For freelancers it also scores on an open-source license and a commit in the last 90 days. - [WordPress](https://appsgit.com/apps/wordpress) (21,450 stars, GPL-2.0, PHP): WordPress has 21,450 GitHub stars, uses the GPL-2.0 license and had 2,047 commits in the last year; it replaces WordPress.com and Medium. For freelancers it also scores on an open-source license and a commit in the last 90 days. - [Wagtail](https://appsgit.com/apps/wagtail) (20,530 stars, BSD-3-Clause, Python): Wagtail has 20,530 GitHub stars, uses the BSD-3-Clause license and had 1,281 commits in the last year; it replaces WordPress.com and Webflow. For freelancers it also scores on an open-source license and a commit in the last 90 days. - [MediaCMS](https://appsgit.com/apps/mediacms) (5,135 stars, AGPL-3.0, Python, Docker): MediaCMS has 5,135 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 82 commits in the last year; it replaces YouTube and Loom. For freelancers it also scores on a Docker image, an open-source license and a commit in the last 90 days. ## How this list was made - Candidates: the 41 apps in the CMS category. Archived projects and projects with no commit in the last two years are left out. - Base score: GitHub stars on a log scale plus commits in the last 12 months (log scale, capped at 1,000). - Bonus points for a published Docker image, an OSI-approved open-source license and a commit in the last 90 days. - Each "Best for" section re-ranks the same apps with that audience's profile (for example startups add points for permissive licenses, project websites and recent commits; small business for Docker images and deploy guides). - Source-available apps can rank, but they are labelled and never described as open source. ## FAQ ### Is Strapi free? Yes. Strapi is open-source software released under the MIT license, so you can self-host it at no cost. You only pay for the server it runs on, and some projects also offer an optional paid cloud plan. ### Which open source CMS is best for a startup? Strapi ranks first for startups, with 73,281 GitHub stars and the MIT license; Payload CMS and Wagtail follow. The startups ranking adds points for Docker images, permissive licenses, project websites and recent commits on top of stars and activity. ### Which open source CMS is best for a small business? Strapi ranks first for small business, with 73,281 GitHub stars and the MIT license; WordPress and Payload CMS follow. The small business ranking adds points for Docker images, open-source licenses, project websites, recent commits and deploy guides on top of stars and activity. ### Can I self-host these CMS options with Docker? Yes, 2 of the 10 picks. MediaCMS and Ech0 publish Docker images, so you can run them on a VPS or home server with Docker Compose. The others install from their own packages or source; follow each project's install guide. ### Are all of these CMS options open source? 9 of the 10 apps on this list are open source; 1 is source-available. Source-available licenses add conditions, such as limits on hosted or commercial use, so read them before you deploy. ## Related questions - [What is the best open source blogging platform?](https://appsgit.com/best/open-source-blogging-platforms) - [What is the best open source photo management app?](https://appsgit.com/best/open-source-photo-management) - [What is the best open source media server?](https://appsgit.com/best/open-source-media-servers) - [What is the best open source database tool?](https://appsgit.com/best/open-source-database-tools) - [What is the best open source developer tool?](https://appsgit.com/best/open-source-developer-tools) - [What is the best open source budgeting app?](https://appsgit.com/best/open-source-budgeting-software) - [What is the best open source team chat app?](https://appsgit.com/best/open-source-team-chat) - [What is the best open source analytics tool?](https://appsgit.com/best/open-source-analytics) ## See also - [All CMS apps](https://appsgit.com/categories/cms) - [All blogging platforms apps](https://appsgit.com/categories/blogging) - [All photo galleries apps](https://appsgit.com/categories/photo-galleries) - [Open-source alternatives to WordPress.com](https://appsgit.com/alternatives/wordpress-com) - [Open-source alternatives to Webflow](https://appsgit.com/alternatives/webflow) - [Open-source alternatives to Medium](https://appsgit.com/alternatives/medium) - [Open-source alternatives to Squarespace](https://appsgit.com/alternatives/squarespace) - [Open-source alternatives to Wix](https://appsgit.com/alternatives/wix) - [Open-source alternatives to YouTube](https://appsgit.com/alternatives/youtube) - [Strapi vs Directus](https://appsgit.com/compare/strapi-vs-directus) - [Ghost vs WordPress](https://appsgit.com/compare/ghost-vs-wordpress) - [How to self-host WordPress with Docker Compose](https://appsgit.com/guides/wordpress) --- Canonical page: https://appsgit.com/best/open-source-cms Source: appsgit (https://appsgit.com), the app store for github. Data from the GitHub API, refreshed nightly. Machine access: JSON API https://appsgit.com/api/v1/apps (OpenAPI: https://appsgit.com/openapi.json), MCP server https://mcp.appsgit.com/mcp, full index https://appsgit.com/llms-full.txt.