There are many different types of website platforms. Some, like Wordpress, can be difficult to work with as they have grown very complex over the years. Others like Drupal may offer advanced features that you never need. Builders like Wix are more user-friendly, but lack specific capabilities that some users or companies may want and come with their own problems.

A flat-file content management system offers a solution to these issues by being easy to work with and still having very powerful features when you need them. It provides a good balance and is incredibly fast. The is why they these systems have been a hot topic in recent years. Some flat-file CMS have become very stable and mature.

What is a flat-file CMS?

This type of CMS has grown quickly in popularity due to its ease of use and flexibility for developers. The files themselves are usually stored in the same folder as the pages and scripts that they generate. This architecture has some advantages, but it also has some disadvantages due to its lack of a database.

Some benefits of a flat-file CMS:

• It's very easy to set up, backup and migrate
• No need to worry about database management
• It’s lightweight and doesn’t require a lot of resources
• Strong security as there are no attacks on the database

The 10 best flat-file CMS

This is not a definitive list, but should give you a good overview of the best options to choose from in 2023. Some of the platforms are rock solid and very stable, while others are newer and more experimental. From simple to very complex and completely free to paid, there definitely is a flavor for every need.

Grav

Grav CMS is an open-source content management system based on the Symfony PHP framework

Grav CMS is an open-source content management system based on the Symfony PHP framework. It is fast and easy to use, allowing for the rapid development of websites and blogs. It uses the Twig template language to provide a powerful, yet simple, way to create web pages and includes a wide variety of plugins and themes.

With Grav, you can create dynamic websites and blog posts with minimal effort. It is one of the best options for those looking to create a website quickly and easily. Additionally, Grav is completely free and open source and is licensed under the MIT license. The platform is a great choice because of its extensive documentation and developer support.

October

October CMS is a powerful and user-friendly content management system

October CMS is a powerful and user-friendly content management system. With an intuitive drag-and-drop interface, October makes building websites easier than ever before. It provides users with an array of features, including a robust templating system, a powerful asset management system, custom fields, and a powerful plugin system.

October is also fully responsive and allows for customizing the look and feel of your website with built-in themes and plugins. Its an excellent choice for webmasters who need to quickly get up and running with a website. The platform is closed-source and starts at $29 per license.

Statamic

Statamic CMS is easy to learn, fast, flexible, and wildly extendable, with the power of Laravel under the hood — the world’s best PHP framework

Statamic CMS is easy to learn, fast, flexible, and wildly extendable, with the power of Laravel under the hood — the world’s best PHP framework. On top of that, Statamic's control panel is clean and intuitive. With more than 40 fieldtypes to structure and manage your content, built in asset management, forms, permissions, nav builders, and more.

And best of all, you’re not limited to static sites like other platforms. You can run a fully dynamic, highly performant website without a database. Statamic is a modern and very powerfull flat-file content management system aimed at developers who want to save precious time, have fun programming and avoid the headaches of database chaos.

Pico

Pico CMS is an open-source content management system that is very lightweight and blazing fast

Pico CMS is an open-source content management system that is very lightweight and blazing fast. It requires no database and is based on the Twig template engine like Grav CMS. It offers a simple user interface that makes it easy to develop your websites quickly. With markdown, content editing is comfortable and user friendly.

It includes basic features such as page editing, page creation, page organization, and content management. It also has a number of plugins and themes that can be used to extend the functionality of your websites. Additionally, Pico is designed to be optimized for search engine optimization.

Wonder

Wonder CMS is the smallest flat-file content management system available, requiring only 5 files

Wonder CMS is the smallest flat-file content management system available, requiring only 5 files to run. It is a great choice for those who want to quickly create a website without the need to install a complex CMS or fuss around with pure HTML files.

Wonder CMS is an easy-to-use platform with multiple built-in features to make managing your website simpler. With one click you can quickly and safely back up your website, and the What You See Is What You Get (WYSIWYG) editor allows you to make any changes or updates you need right away, in just a few seconds.

Flextype

Flextype CMS is a relatively new content management system designed to replace Monstra

Flextype CMS is a relatively new content management system designed to replace Monstra, an older CMS that is no longer supported. Flextype runs on the PHP programming language and provides users with a variety of plugin APIs and shortcodes to help them customize their websites. It is still in its early stages, but it has a lot of potential.

This platform is an open-source hybrid content management system with the freedom of a headless CMS, but the full functionality of a traditional one. A good choice if you’re looking to build headless, traditional, or a combination of both. It is targeting more experienced developers.

Kirby

Kirby CMS is built on a custom PHP micro-framework and can be combined with your favorite PHP libraries

Kirby CMS is a popular website-building platform that is easy to use. With Kirby, you can create a website very quickly: upload the necessary files, purchase a license, and your website will be live on the internet. Kirby has already partnered with well-known companies such as Mercedes Benz and Smashing Magazine, demonstrating its popularity.

Kirby is built on a custom PHP micro-framework and can be combined with your favorite PHP libraries. Tested and continuously improved over more than 10 years, it fully leverages the power of modern PHP. With over 5,600 automated tests, it is rock solid.

Flatpress

Flatpress CMS considers itself to be an independent, standard-compliant blog software, that works purely on files, with no database

Flatpress CMS is a lightweight, easy-to-set-up blogging engine. Plain and simple, just PHP. No database needed. Being around since 2006, Flatpress is mature and well-tested. The platform has a very active Github community, making it a safe and future proof choice for blogging, without the need of a slow and complex database setup.

Flatpress considers itself to be an independent, standard-compliant blog software, that works purely on files, with no database. Its easy to setup, and backup. Flatpress features a powerful plugin system with widget support. The platform is easy to customize with themes and powered by Smarty templating engine. Flatpress is free software under GNU GPLv2.

Automad

Automad CMS is quite unique. If you’re looking to create your own website or blog theme, Automad is a stable option. You don’t need any programming knowledge of PHP, as everything is available in a .txt file format. Not only that, but you can also take advantage of caching and search capabilities that are pre-built into it. Automad is a PHP application and therefore requires a web server to run. However, the list of system requirements is rather short.

Automads last release/update was 2022, meaning it's quite a while ago and being at risk not receiving future updates or being abandoned

Typesetter

Typesetter CMS offers a WYSIWYG editor, a speed that can reach 8 times better results than WP, and also offers jQuery, Bootstrap, and CKEditor. It has been available for a long period of time and it is still a desirable option to go with. Typesetter was designed to be an easy to use, but lightweight and fully functional content management system. You can see the results of its design approach by the fast and simple installation.

Typesetters last release/update was 2017 meaning there are no future updates to be expected

Conclusion

As you can see Wordpress, Drupal, Typo3 or other database driven CMS solutions are by far not the only options out there, neither might they be the best for your needs. Take a look at these 10 alternatives and decide which one meets your requirements. Each one has its own set of unique features that can be crucial to your project.

By the way: If you need support with your project, don't hesitate to contact us. We are looking forward to your message and are specialised in dealing with flat-file CMS platforms.

We wish you all the best with achieving your goals! 🥇