CMS Made SimplevsGrav
Two self-hosted WordPress alternatives, compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.
| CMS Made Simple | Grav | |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 64/100 | 73/100 |
| Rank in category | #12 of 42 in Content Management | #6 of 42 in Content Management |
| GitHub stars | — | 15 701 |
| Stars, last 30 days | — | +30 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 0 | 63 |
| Latest release | — | 2.2.14 · 27 Oct 2026 |
| Setup | Moderate | Easy |
| Official Docker image | No | Yes |
| License | GPL-2.0 | MIT |
| Main language | — | PHP |
Which one should you pick?
Grav scores 73/100 against 64/100 for CMS Made Simple, so it is the safer default.
Grav ships more often: 63 stable releases in the past year, against 0 for CMS Made Simple.
If you want the quickest setup, Grav is easier to run; CMS Made Simple needs more configuration.
Grav is growing faster right now (+30 stars in 30 days).
CMS Made Simple details →Grav details → All WordPress alternatives →
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