Automad and HTMLy are both free, database-free CMS platforms that store content as plain text files, making them lightweight and portable, while CMS Made…
Best for: Technical bloggers who want a fast, no-database blogging platform with scheduled publishing and automatic sitemap generation.
At a Glance
Automad
CMS Made Simple
HTMLy
Primary category
CMS
CMS
CMS
Rating
Not documented
Not documented
Not documented
Pricing model
Free (open source)
Free/Open Source
Open Source / Free
Starting price
Free
Free
Free
Free plan
Not documented
Yes
Yes
Free trial
Not documented
Not documented
Not documented
Platforms
Web
Web
Web
Team collaboration
Not documented
Not documented
Not documented
AI features
Not documented
Not documented
Not documented
Public API
Yes
Not documented
Not documented
Standout Differences
Database-free architecture
Both Automad and HTMLy store content as plain text files, so neither needs a database server to install, configure, or back up.
Automad, HTMLy
Scheduled publishing for bloggers
HTMLy lets writers prepare posts in advance and publish them automatically at a set date and time, a feature not documented for the other two.
HTMLy
Module-driven extensibility
CMS Made Simple's Module Manager adds e-commerce, forms, and gallery functionality beyond what Automad or HTMLy document.
CMS Made Simple
Runs on minimal shared hosting
HTMLy is documented to run on shared hosting plans with as little as 512 MB of RAM, thanks to its flat-file design.
HTMLy
Feature-by-Feature
Architecture
Feature
Automad
CMS Made Simple
HTMLy
Database required
Unavailable
Available
Unavailable
Documented to run on very low-resource hosting (512 MB RAM or less)
Not documented
Not documented
Available
Content Management
Feature
Automad
CMS Made Simple
HTMLy
Scheduled publishing
Not documented
Not documented
Available
Multi-user permissions
Not documented
Available
Limited
Extensibility and SEO
Feature
Automad
CMS Made Simple
HTMLy
Official module or extension manager
Not documented
Available
Not documented
Automatic XML sitemap generation
Not documented
Not documented
Available
Pricing Compared
Starting price reflects the lowest paid tier, not the full cost for every team size or usage level.
Automad
No individual plan breakdown documented yet.
CMS Made Simple
Community (Open Source) — Free N/A
HTMLy
Open Source — Free Forever
Pros & Cons
Automad
Pros
Completely free and open source under the MIT license
No database dependency simplifies hosting, backup, and version control
Lightweight and fast, well-suited to small-to-medium brochure sites
Git-friendly since content lives in plain text files
Cons
Smaller plugin/theme ecosystem than database-driven CMS platforms like WordPress
Flat-file architecture can be less efficient at very large scale with thousands of pages
Requires PHP hosting knowledge to install and maintain
CMS Made Simple
Pros
Completely free and open source under GPL with no licensing costs
Smarty-based architecture gives designers full control over templates without touching PHP code
Lightweight footprint compared to heavier CMS platforms like Drupal
Two decades of continuous development and a stable, mature codebase
Cons
Much smaller community, plugin/module ecosystem, and market share than WordPress
Smarty templating has a learning curve for developers used to more modern frameworks
Fewer premium themes and modules available compared to mainstream CMS platforms
No official managed hosting or SaaS offering from the project itself
HTMLy
Pros
Completely free and open source under the GPL license
No database required, which simplifies hosting, backups, and security
Runs well on minimal shared hosting resources, even with 512 MB of RAM
Remains fast even with tens of thousands of posts according to the project
Simple installation via an online installer script for non-technical users
Cons
Smaller plugin and theme ecosystem compared to WordPress
No official commercial support, funding, or company backing the project
Limited multi-author collaboration tooling compared to larger CMS platforms
Founding year, team size, and roadmap are not publicly documented
Requires PHP hosting, so it is not usable on purely static hosting like some flat-file alternatives
Use Cases
Choose Automad: Developers who want a git-friendly, database-free CMS with a page-tree structure for brochure sites and portfolios.
Choose CMS Made Simple: Developers and agencies who want a more extensible, permissioned CMS with a Module Manager for added functionality.
Choose HTMLy: Technical bloggers who want a fast, no-database blogging platform with scheduled publishing and automatic sitemap generation.
Automad
Brochure and portfolio websites — Building simple, fast-loading marketing or portfolio sites without database overhead.
Developer-friendly content sites — Managing content as plain text files for easy Git version control and deployment.
CMS Made Simple
Small business and brochure websites — Freelance developers build lightweight, template-driven websites for small businesses using CMSMS's Content Manager.
Custom-designed agency sites — Agencies use the Smarty templating layer to build highly customized front-end designs decoupled from backend logic.
Article and news publishing — Site owners use the built-in News module to publish and manage blog-style or article-based content.
HTMLy
Lightweight personal blogging — Individual bloggers can run a fast, low-maintenance blog on inexpensive shared hosting without managing a database.
Low-resource hosting environments — Site owners with limited server resources, such as free or budget shared hosting, can run HTMLy where a database-driven CMS would be too heavy.
Developer-friendly documentation sites — Developers can use HTMLy's flat-file structure to version-control content alongside code and deploy simple documentation or portfolio blogs.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which two of these three need no database at all?
Automad and HTMLy both store content as plain text files; CMS Made Simple requires MySQL.
Which is purpose-built for blogging with scheduled posts?
HTMLy, which includes scheduled publishing for posts written in advance.
Which has the most robust multi-user permission system?
CMS Made Simple, through its permissions-based user management.
Can HTMLy run on very low-resource hosting?
Yes, the project documents it running on shared hosting with as little as 512 MB of RAM.
Which has a module manager for adding e-commerce or forms?
CMS Made Simple, via its in-admin Module Manager.
Are all three free?
Yes, all three are free and open source: Automad under MIT, CMS Made Simple under GPL-3.0, and HTMLy under GPL v2 or later.