Best Free CMS Platforms for Self-Hosted Blogs and Websites [2025 Edition]

Choosing the right Content Management System (CMS) is key when you’re building a blog, portfolio, e-commerce store, or documentation hub. Whether you’re a Linux sysadmin, a minimalist blogger, or a dev-first team looking for a headless solution, this guide lists the best free, self-hosted, and web-based CMS platforms for 2025—organized by category for your convenience.

🧩 1. General-Purpose CMS

CMS Name	Type	Tech Stack	Database	Website / Download Link
WordPress	General CMS	PHP + MySQL	Yes	wordpress.org
Joomla!	General CMS	PHP + MySQL	Yes	joomla.org
Drupal	General CMS	PHP + MySQL/pgsql	Yes	drupal.org
Backdrop CMS	Lightweight Drupal	PHP + MySQL	Yes	backdropcms.org
Grav	Flat-file CMS	PHP	No	getgrav.org
ClassicPress	WordPress fork	PHP + MySQL	Yes	classicpress.net
Monstra	Flat-file CMS	PHP	No	monstra.org

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📦 2. Flat-File CMS (No Database)

CMS Name	Type	Tech Stack	Website / Download Link
Grav	Flat-file CMS	PHP	getgrav.org
Jekyll	Static Site Gen.	Ruby	jekyllrb.com
Hugo	Static Site Gen.	Go	gohugo.io
Eleventy	Static Site Gen.	Node.js	11ty.dev
Publii	Desktop CMS (static)	HTML, Electron	getpublii.com
Typesetter	Flat-file CMS	PHP	typesettercms.com
WonderCMS	Lightweight CMS	PHP	wondercms.com

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🛒 3. E-Commerce CMS

CMS Name	Type	Tech Stack	Website / Download Link
Magento Open Source	E-Commerce	PHP + MySQL	magento.com
PrestaShop	E-Commerce	PHP + MySQL	prestashop.com
OpenCart	E-Commerce	PHP + MySQL	opencart.com
Shopware CE	E-Commerce	PHP + MySQL	shopware.com
Bagisto	Laravel-based E-Commerce	PHP + MySQL	bagisto.com
Saleor	Headless E-Commerce	Python + GraphQL	saleor.io
Vue Storefront	Frontend for Headless	JS + Node.js	vuestorefront.io

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🧠 4. Headless CMS

CMS Name	Type	Tech Stack	Website / Download Link
Strapi	Headless	Node.js + Mongo/Postgres	strapi.io
Directus	Headless	Node.js + SQL	directus.io
Payload CMS	Headless	Node.js + MongoDB	payloadcms.com
KeystoneJS	Headless	Node.js + MongoDB	keystonejs.com
Sanity.io	Headless (Hosted)	Node.js (hosted)	sanity.io
Netlify CMS	Git-based	JS + Git	netlifycms.org
Contenta CMS	Drupal Headless	PHP	contentacms.org

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🏢 5. Enterprise-Grade CMS

CMS Name	Type	Tech Stack	Website / Download Link
Plone	Enterprise CMS	Python + Zope	plone.org
eZ Platform / Ibexa	Enterprise CMS	PHP + MySQL	ibexa.co
TYPO3	Enterprise CMS	PHP + MySQL	typo3.org

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📚 6. Wiki / Knowledge Base CMS

CMS Name	Type	Tech Stack	Website / Download Link
MediaWiki	Wiki	PHP + MySQL	mediawiki.org
BookStack	Docs/Wiki	Laravel + MySQL	bookstackapp.com
DokuWiki	Flat-file Wiki	PHP	dokuwiki.org
TWiki / Foswiki	Enterprise Wiki	Perl	foswiki.org
XWiki	Java Wiki	Java + MySQL	xwiki.org

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🎓 7. LMS / Education CMS

CMS Name	Type	Tech Stack	Website / Download Link
Moodle	LMS	PHP + MySQL	moodle.org
Chamilo	LMS	PHP + MySQL	chamilo.org
ILIAS	LMS	PHP + MySQL	ilias.de
Canvas LMS	LMS	Ruby on Rails	instructure.com

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🧑‍🎨 8. Portfolio / Minimalist Blogging CMS

CMS Name	Type	Tech Stack	Website / Download Link
Ghost	Blogging CMS	Node.js + MySQL	ghost.org
Plume	Federated Blog	Rust + PostgreSQL	joinplu.me
Anchor CMS	Minimal Blog	PHP + MySQL	anchorcms.com
Zola	Static Site Gen.	Rust	getzola.org

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🔧 9. Other CMS Platforms

CMS Name	Type	Tech Stack	Website / Download Link
SilverStripe	Developer CMS	PHP + MySQL	silverstripe.org
OctoberCMS	Laravel CMS	PHP + MySQL	octobercms.com
ProcessWire	CMS + CMF	PHP + MySQL	processwire.com
Concrete CMS	Visual CMS	PHP + MySQL	concretecms.org
Fork CMS	Marketing CMS	PHP + MySQL	fork-cms.com
Serendipity	Blog CMS	PHP + MySQL	s9y.org