71.8k
Strapi
🚀 Strapi is the leading open-source headless CMS. It’s 100% JavaScript/TypeScript, fully customizable, and developer-first.
📝
CMS🟡
JavaScript🔷
TypeScript
Best Open-Source CMS Tools in 2026
A curated list of the best, top, and most popular open-source cms tools available right now. Showing the top 13 of 13 cms tools in our directory, ranked by GitHub stars.
- 48.6k
Ghost
Ghost is a powerful platform for modern publishing, offering robust support for memberships, subscriptions, and newsletters.
📝 CMS🛍️ E-Commerce📚 Documentation🌐 Web - 41.8k
Payload
Payload is an open-source, fullstack Next.js framework offering a complete TypeScript backend and admin panel. It can be used as a headless CMS or for building powerful applications.
📝 CMS👨💻 Development🔷 TypeScript - 41.3k
Hexo
A fast, simple, and powerful open-source blog framework powered by Node.js, designed for creating and deploying static sites with ease.
📝 CMS🌐 Web🟡 JavaScript🧰 Framework - 34.8k
Directus
The flexible backend for all your projects 🐰 Turn your database into a headless CMS, admin panels, or applications with a custom UI, instant APIs, authentication, and more.
📝 CMS🔁 API👨💻 Development - 28.2k
Wiki
Wiki.js | A modern and powerful wiki application built on Node.js, offering a robust solution for managing documentation and knowledge bases.
📝 CMS📚 Documentation🌐 Web💚 Node.js - 15.5k
Grav
A modern, crazy fast, ridiculously easy and amazingly powerful flat-file CMS powered by PHP, Markdown, Twig, and Symfony.
📝 CMS🌐 Web - 15.5k
Answer
A versatile Q&A platform software for teams of any size, supporting community forums, help centers, and knowledge management solutions.
📝 CMS🏠 Self-Hosted🛠️ Tools - 8.5k
Builder
A powerful visual development and headless CMS platform supporting React, Vue, Svelte, Qwik, and more. Builder enables teams to visually create, manage, and optimize digital experiences without sacrificing code flexibility.
👨💻 Development📝 CMS👨🎨 Design🌐 Web - 6.1k
Sanity
Sanity Studio is a platform to rapidly configure content workspaces powered by structured content, allowing developers to build powerful CMS solutions and deliver content seamlessly.
📝 CMS👨💻 Development👨🎨 Design🛠️ Tools - 201
Course Fizzi Next
A course template for building modern web applications using Next.js and Prismic.
👨💻 Development🌐 Web📝 CMS - 157
Patron
Open source Patreon alternative with lower fees, specially designed for creators who publish ongoing or sequential content such as books, podcasts, and comics. Patron empowers creators with flexible revenue streams and ownership over their fan community.
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- 100
Anonypost
Anonypost is a website that allows users to create and share anonymous posts, built using Next.js, tRPC, and Shadcn/UI.
🌐 Web👨💻 Development📝 CMS
Frequently asked questions
What is the best open-source cms tool in 2026?
Strapi is the most popular by GitHub stars right now. 🚀 Strapi is the leading open-source headless CMS. It’s 100% JavaScript/TypeScript, fully customizable, and developer-first.
Are these cms tools free?
Yes. Every tool on this list is open source and free to use in your own projects. Many can be self-hosted.
How is this list ranked?
Tools are ranked by GitHub star count, a strong proxy for community adoption and active maintenance. Star counts are refreshed regularly.
Stay Updated!
Get notified about new tools and updates to existing ones.