Craft CMS vs October CMS: Pricing and Ratings Compared (2026)
Entry prices and free plans as read on each vendor's pricing page, and user ratings as published on review sites, for Craft CMS and October CMS side by side. This page compares data; it is not a hands-on review.
On the data: On the data below, October CMS leads on higher user rating and lower entry price. We do not name an overall winner for this pair.
Short on time? Here's the quick answer
Based on published vendor pricing and features and on public review data, here's who should pick what:
Craft CMS
Empower your creative process with a flexible and customizable content management system.
Best for you if:
- • You want highly flexible and customizable for various project needs
October CMS
The Laravel-based CMS engineered for simplicity, designed by developers for developers.
Best for you if:
- • You want leverages the power and popularity of the Laravel framework
| At a Glance | Craft CMS | October CMS |
|---|---|---|
Starts at | Free plan, paid from $279/mo Team plan | Free plan, paid from $26/mo, billed yearly Unlimited Licenses (Annually) plan |
Category | CMS Headless CMS | CMS Developer Tools |
Rating | 4.4/5 G2 4.2 · Capterra 4.5 · SourceForge 5.0 70 reviews | 4.7/5 Capterra 4.8 · G2 4.5 113 reviews |
Free plan | Yes | Yes |
Watch out for | n/a | System updates cost $39/year after first year. |
Choose Craft CMS or October CMS?
Choose Craft CMS if
- You want highly flexible and customizable for various project needs
- You want excellent content authoring experience with intuitive interface and live preview
Choose October CMS if
- You want leverages the power and popularity of the Laravel framework
- You want simple and intuitive for both developers and non-technical users
- Budget matters ($26/mo, billed yearly vs $279/mo)
In-Depth Analysis
Craft CMS
Empower your creative process with a flexible and customizable content management system.
Craft CMS offers a fair pricing structure, especially with its generous free Solo tier for individual developers.
Strengths
- Pro: Highly flexible and customizable for various project needs
- Pro: Excellent content authoring experience with intuitive interface and live preview
- Pro: Strong developer features including GraphQL API and Twig templating
- Pro: Robust multi-site and localization capabilities
- Pro: Active and supportive community with extensive plugin ecosystem
Weaknesses
- Con: Self-hosted versions require ongoing update fees after the first year
- Con: Team and Pro versions can be costly for smaller projects if not hosted on Craft Cloud
- Con: Learning curve for developers new to Twig or GraphQL if not already familiar
Key features
October CMS
The Laravel-based CMS engineered for simplicity, designed by developers for developers.
October CMS offers a generous Free License, suitable for many users, and a reasonably priced Single License at $39.
Watch out
System updates cost $39/year after first year.
Strengths
- Pro: Leverages the power and popularity of the Laravel framework.
- Pro: Simple and intuitive for both developers and non-technical users.
- Pro: Highly flexible and extensible with a rich plugin ecosystem.
- Pro: Perpetual license model means websites continue to function even if updates are not renewed.
- Pro: Facilitates rapid development and efficient code reuse.
Weaknesses
- Con: Requires a license for production use after the first free year.
- Con: Annual subscription needed for continued access to updates and Marketplace.
- Con: Self-hosted nature might require more technical setup compared to SaaS CMS solutions.
Key features
Plans and prices: Craft CMS vs October CMS
| Tool | Plans and prices | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Craft CMS |
| craftcms.com/pricingread Oct 4, 2026 |
| October CMS |
| octobercms.com/pricingread Oct 14, 2026 |
Prices as read on each vendor's own pricing page on the date shown. Plans are listed per tool and are not matched against the other tool's plans: a plan name or price in one column says nothing about the same row in the other. Details on Craft CMS pricing and October CMS pricing.
Key Takeaways
Craft CMS
- Choose if you want empower your creative process with a flexible and customizable content management system
October CMS
- Higher user rating: 4.7/5 vs 4.4/5
- Lower entry price: $26/mo, billed yearly vs $279/mo
What the data shows
On the data below, October CMS leads on higher user rating and lower entry price. We do not name an overall winner for this pair.
- October CMS has the higher user rating (4.4/5 from 70 reviews for Craft CMS, 4.7/5 from 113 reviews for October CMS).
- October CMS has the lower entry price: $26/mo, billed yearly (Unlimited Licenses (Annually)) against $279/mo (Team) for Craft CMS.
- Both have a free plan.
Criteria: user rating (only above 20 reviews on both sides, gap of 0.2 or more), entry price (only on the same billing basis), free plan. How we rate
Frequently Asked Questions
How do Craft CMS and October CMS compare in 2026?
On the data below, October CMS leads on higher user rating and lower entry price. We do not name an overall winner for this pair. October CMS has the higher user rating (4.4/5 from 70 reviews for Craft CMS, 4.7/5 from 113 reviews for October CMS). October CMS has the lower entry price: $26/mo, billed yearly (Unlimited Licenses (Annually)) against $279/mo (Team) for Craft CMS. Both have a free plan.
What are Craft CMS and October CMS used for?
Craft CMS: Empower your creative process with a flexible and customizable content management system. October CMS: The Laravel-based CMS engineered for simplicity, designed by developers for developers.
What does Craft CMS cost vs October CMS?
Craft CMS's cheapest paid plan is Team at $279/mo; it also has a free plan. October CMS's cheapest paid plan is Unlimited Licenses (Annually) at $26/mo, billed yearly; it also has a free plan. Prices read on the vendors' pricing pages, latest check Oct 14, 2026.
What's the main difference between Craft CMS and October CMS?
Craft CMS's main strength: highly flexible and customizable for various project needs. October CMS's main strength: leverages the power and popularity of the Laravel framework.