Plone vs Craft CMS

Plone8.3Visit Craft CMS7.1Visit

Higher score Plone #9 in Content Management Systems 8.3/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 6 of 6 features Visit Plone

vs

Craft CMS #18 in Content Management Systems 7.1/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 6 of 6 features Visit Craft CMS

• Plone fits best

  Governed enterprise publishing and intranets

• Craft CMS fits best

  Custom content sites with strong integrations

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Side by side

Feature	Plone 8.3/10 Visit ↗	Craft CMS 7.1/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	8.3	7.1
Ranking	#9 in Content Management Systems	#18 in Content Management Systems
Best for	Governed enterprise publishing and intranets	Custom content sites with strong integrations
Pricing model	Free	Free plan + paid
Starting price	Free plan	—
Free plan	✓	✓
Free trial	—	—
Deployment	Cloud, Self-hosted	Cloud, Self-hosted
Platforms	Web, Windows, macOS, Linux	Web
Support	Community, Live chat, Docs	Email, Community, Docs
Integrations	8 integrations	6 integrations
Built for	Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise	Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features Plone 6/6 · Craft CMS 6/6
Editorial workflows	✓	✓
Custom user roles	✓	✓
Multilingual content	✓	✓
SEO tools	✓	✓
Media library	✓	✓
Custom content types	✓	✓
Specs
Platform type	Hybrid	Hybrid
Our review
Pros	Configurable workflows, publishing states, versioning, and content locking Structured content, multilingual support, search, and asset management REST API plus broad enterprise authentication integrations	Structured content modeling with custom fields and previews Multi-site localization, permissions, and editorial workflows Twig, GraphQL, plugins, and broad integration support
Cons	Hosting, implementation, and support may require separate providers Self-hosted deployments place infrastructure choices with the organization Its broad governance feature set may exceed simpler publishing needs	Team and Pro licenses cost $279 and $399 per project Self-hosted deployment requires technical ownership SEO relies on documented plugins rather than a core feature
Our verdict	Plone is an open-source content management system for websites, intranets, and custom applications. It suits organizations that need governed publishing rather than only basic page editing, with browser-based content editing, structured… Read the review →	Craft CMS is a flexible content management system for custom websites, digital experiences, and headless applications. It suits developers, agencies, content teams, organizations, and businesses that need control over content structure and… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• Plone — where it wins

  • Configurable workflows, publishing states, versioning, and content locking
  • Structured content, multilingual support, search, and asset management
  • REST API plus broad enterprise authentication integrations

  Where it doesn't

  • Hosting, implementation, and support may require separate providers
  • Self-hosted deployments place infrastructure choices with the organization
  • Its broad governance feature set may exceed simpler publishing needs

• Craft CMS — where it wins

  • Structured content modeling with custom fields and previews
  • Multi-site localization, permissions, and editorial workflows
  • Twig, GraphQL, plugins, and broad integration support

  Where it doesn't

  • Team and Pro licenses cost $279 and $399 per project
  • Self-hosted deployment requires technical ownership
  • SEO relies on documented plugins rather than a core feature

• Plone8.3/10 · Free plan

  A mature, free CMS for structured, multilingual, permission-controlled publishing.

  Visit PloneFull verdict →
• Craft CMS7.1/10 · Free plan

  A self-hosted CMS with structured content, localization, and strong integration options.

  Visit Craft CMSFull verdict →