Head-to-head · Content Management Systems
Plone vs Sulu
Plone leads on 0 checks, Sulu on 0, and 7 are even. Who comes out ahead on the 7 yes/no, price and count checks where we have data for both products. The editor score weighs everything else too.
Our verdict
- Highest scorePlone · 8.3/10
- Free planonly Plone
Plone scores higher on our rubric for content management systems: 8.3 against 6.7 out of 10; our editors rank them #9 and #22.
On platform type, Plone gives you Hybrid where Sulu offers Self_hosted.
Plone is the better fit for governed enterprise publishing and intranets. Sulu is the better fit for multisite and multilingual organizations.
- Plone fits best
Governed enterprise publishing and intranets
- Sulu fits best
Multisite and multilingual organizations
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Side by side
| Feature | Plone 8.3/10 Visit ↗ | Sulu 6.7/10 Visit ↗ |
|---|---|---|
| At a glance | ||
| Editor score | 8.3 | 6.7 |
| Ranking | #9 in Content Management Systems | #22 in Content Management Systems |
| Best for | Governed enterprise publishing and intranets | Multisite and multilingual organizations |
| Pricing model | Free | Free |
| Starting price | Free plan | Open source |
| Free plan | ✓ (best) | Not checked yet |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Deployment | Cloud, Self-hosted | Self-hosted |
| Platforms | Web, Windows, macOS, Linux | Web |
| Support | Community, Live chat, Docs | Email, Community, Docs |
| Integrations | 8 integrations | 2 integrations |
| Built for | Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise | Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise |
| Features Plone 6/6 · Sulu 6/6 | ||
| Editorial workflows | ✓ | ✓ |
| Custom user roles | ✓ | ✓ |
| Multilingual content | ✓ | ✓ |
| SEO tools | ✓ | ✓ |
| Media library | ✓ | ✓ |
| Custom content types | ✓ | ✓ |
| Specs | ||
| Platform type | Hybrid | Self_hosted |
| Our review | ||
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| 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 → |
Sulu is an open-source content management system for PHP and Symfony developers building complex websites, web applications, and content-driven platforms. It supports multisite webspace management, multilingual content, structured page… 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
Sulu — where it wins
- Multisite and multilingual content management with localization controls
- Editorial workflows cover revision, approval, publishing, and archiving
- Fine-grained permissions, reusable blocks, SEO, media, and headless delivery
Where it doesn't
- Self-hosted operation requires deployment and infrastructure ownership
- Its feature depth may exceed the needs of a simple single-site CMS
- PHP and Symfony expertise is relevant for implementation and customization
- Plone8.3/10 · Free plan
A mature, free CMS for structured, multilingual, permission-controlled publishing.
Visit PloneFull verdict → - Sulu6.7/10 · Open source
A flexible open-source CMS for organizations managing multilingual, multisite content.
Visit SuluFull verdict →
All content management systems comparisons → · Full ranking →
Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
Last updated · How we research and update