October CMS review
A flexible Laravel CMS with a free license, paid renewals, and a developer-focused feature set.
Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
October CMS is a self-hosted content management framework built on Laravel and PHP. It suits developers, agencies, and organizations creating blogs, business websites, multilingual sites, multisite projects, and custom web applications. Browser-based administration, page and template editing, YAML-defined content types, role-based permissions, media management, SEO fields, plugins, themes, and API endpoint development give teams a developer-oriented foundation for varied web projects.
Pricing is structured around project count and update access. The Free License supports one project, personal or commercial use, and one year of system updates; the license continues to run after updates expire. The Single License costs $39 per license, includes one project and one year of system updates, and can be renewed for $39 per year. Teams needing unlimited licenses can choose $26 per month with annual billing or $30 per month with monthly billing, with Partner Program access included in both plans. Paid renewals are relevant for teams that need ongoing updates and related services.
Its strongest fit is for teams already comfortable with Laravel-based development and self-hosted deployment. Composer, DDEV, Docker, Git, FTP, Amazon S3, and CDN support fit common developer workflows, while Twig templates and plugin extensibility support custom builds. October CMS is less suitable for buyers seeking the deepest feature set in a free CMS, an open-source license, or a primarily nontechnical publishing experience. Choose it for affordable Laravel projects with custom content and deployment needs; consider an alternative when broader free-CMS depth is the priority.
October CMS pros and cons
- Where it wins
- Free license supports one project and commercial use
- Multisite, multilingual content, roles, media, and SEO tools included
- Laravel, Composer, Git, Docker, DDEV, S3, and CDN support
- Where it doesn't
- Free license includes only one year of system updates
- Single License covers one project
- Less feature depth than leading free CMSs
October CMS fact sheet, pricing and score →
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