Grav and October CMS are both PHP-based self-hosted CMS platforms with roots in 2014, but they diverge on licensing and architecture: Grav's MIT-licensed core…
Best for Grav: Grav suits developers who want a permanently free, flat-file CMS with Git-friendly content and native AI-agent integration, without any ongoing license cost.
Best for October CMS: October CMS suits Laravel developers who want access to a large plugin and theme Marketplace and reusable page components, and who are comfortable paying $39/year/site (or an agency-wide Unlimited Licenses subscription) after the first free year.
At a Glance
Grav
October CMS
Primary category
CMS
CMS
Rating
Not documented
Not documented
Pricing model
Open Source (free core; paid premium themes and plugins)
Freemium
Starting price
Free
Free (first year); $39/year Single License thereafter
Free plan
Yes
Yes
Free trial
Not documented
Yes
Platforms
Web
Not documented
Team collaboration
Not documented
Not documented
AI features
Not documented
Not documented
Public API
Yes
Not documented
Key Differences
Licensing Philosophy
Grav: Grav's core is MIT-licensed and free forever, with no licensing fee ever required.
October CMS: October CMS gives a free full-featured license only for the first year; continuing updates after that require a paid license ($39/year/site) under a proprietary EULA with Responsiv Pty Ltd.
Long-term total cost of ownership differs significantly between a permanently free core and one with a recurring per-site fee after year one.
Underlying Framework
Grav: Grav is built on Symfony 7 with Twig 3 templating and a flat-file, no-database architecture.
October CMS: October CMS is built on the Laravel framework, giving developers access to Laravel's conventions and ecosystem, with a database-backed model implied by its reusable 'components' feature.
Framework familiarity determines the learning curve and available third-party tooling for a development team.
Content Storage
Grav: Grav stores content as Markdown and YAML files, requiring no database.
October CMS: October CMS's facts don't document a flat-file mode, relying on Laravel's typical database-backed models.
File-based storage simplifies backup, version control, and hosting for smaller sites.
AI Agent Integration
Grav: Grav documents a built-in MCP server for AI agent interaction with a Grav site.
October CMS: October CMS's facts don't mention MCP or a comparable AI-agent integration.
Native AI-agent protocol support enables assistants to interact with the CMS without custom integration.
Extension Ecosystem Framing
Grav: Grav's ecosystem is framed around GitHub stars (15,571+) and individually sold premium themes/plugins (e.g., Helios at $50), with no single unified paid marketplace.
October CMS: October CMS centers on its Marketplace, offering hundreds of plugins and themes, plus reusable page 'components.'
A unified marketplace can make discovering and purchasing extensions easier than a scattered community ecosystem.
Feature-by-Feature
Architecture
Feature
Grav
October CMS
Flat-file (no database) architecture
Available
Not documented
Built on a modern PHP framework
Available
Available
Git-version-controllable content
Available
Not documented
REST API
Available
Not documented
Licensing & Cost Over Time
Feature
Grav
October CMS
Free forever, no license fee ever
Available
Unavailable
OSI-approved open-source license
Available
Unavailable
Publicly viewable source code
Available
Available
Unlimited-site licensing subscription for agencies
Not documented
Available
Extensibility & AI
Feature
Grav
October CMS
Built-in MCP server for AI agents
Available
Not documented
Dedicated plugin/theme marketplace
Limited
Available
Reusable page "components"
Not documented
Available
Automatic update delivery mechanism
Not documented
Available
Pricing Compared
Starting price reflects the lowest paid tier, not the full cost for every team size or usage level.
Grav
Open Source Core — Free N/A
Premium Themes — From around $50 per theme One-time
Completely free, open source core under the permissive MIT License
No database to install, secure or migrate; content is portable plain-text files
Native Git version control for all content and configuration
Modern, fast admin interface with real-time collaborative editing
Cons
Smaller plugin and theme ecosystem than WordPress
Flat-file architecture can be less efficient than a database for very large sites
Premium themes and advanced search require additional paid purchases
Requires more technical comfort with Git, the CLI and YAML than typical point-and-click site builders
October CMS
Pros
Built on Laravel, giving developers a familiar, well-documented PHP framework underneath the CMS layer.
First year of updates and Marketplace access is included free with every new account.
Single License pricing ($39/year) is inexpensive for freelancers running one project at a time.
Backend and page builders reduce the amount of custom admin code developers need to write.
Open-source core code remains self-hostable regardless of license status.
Cons
Requires PHP and Laravel familiarity, making it less approachable for non-developers than WordPress.
Smaller plugin and theme marketplace than WordPress's vast ecosystem.
Ongoing updates require a paid license after the first free year, unlike fully free CMS options.
Smaller community and talent pool for hiring specialized October CMS developers compared to WordPress or Drupal.
Unlimited License subscription can be a meaningful recurring cost for agencies running many client sites.
Use Cases
Choose Grav: Grav suits developers who want a permanently free, flat-file CMS with Git-friendly content and native AI-agent integration, without any ongoing license cost.
Choose October CMS: October CMS suits Laravel developers who want access to a large plugin and theme Marketplace and reusable page components, and who are comfortable paying $39/year/site (or an agency-wide Unlimited Licenses subscription) after the first free year.
Need both: An agency comfortable with both Symfony and Laravel ecosystems might choose per-client based on budget — Grav for clients unwilling to pay any ongoing license fee, October CMS for clients who want Marketplace plugins and accept the post-year-one $39/year/site cost — but no single project would run both simultaneously.
Grav
Developer Blogs and Documentation Sites — Build fast, Git-versioned technical blogs and documentation without a database.
Agency Client Websites Needing Git-Based Workflows — Deliver client sites with version-controlled content and simple portability between servers.
Lightweight Portfolio and Brochure Sites — Run small, fast-loading marketing or portfolio sites without database overhead.
October CMS
Agency client website development — Development agencies use the Unlimited License to build and maintain many client websites on a Laravel-based CMS while giving clients an easy content-editing interface.
Freelance developer projects — Freelance developers use the low-cost Single License to build and maintain individual client sites on a framework they already know from Laravel work.
Custom business websites with code-level control — Businesses that need more customization than WordPress offers use October CMS to get a Laravel-based, developer-controlled site with a manageable content editor for staff.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does either CMS ever require an ongoing license fee?
October CMS does, after the first free year, requiring $39/year per site or an Unlimited Licenses subscription for agencies. Grav's core never requires a license fee.
Which CMS avoids using a database entirely?
Grav, via its flat-file Markdown/YAML architecture. October CMS is built on Laravel and its facts describe a database-backed model with no flat-file mode documented.
Is either project open source?
Grav's core is MIT-licensed open source. October CMS's source is publicly viewable on GitHub but distributed under a proprietary EULA with Responsiv Pty Ltd, not an OSI-approved license.
Which has a larger dedicated plugin marketplace?
October CMS's Marketplace lists hundreds of plugins and themes. Grav's ecosystem relies more on GitHub-hosted community plugins plus individually sold premium themes like the Helios theme.
Does either support AI agents natively?
Grav includes a built-in MCP server for AI agent interaction. October CMS's facts don't document an equivalent feature.
How does licensing scale for an agency running many sites?
October CMS offers an Unlimited Licenses subscription ($26/month billed annually or $30/month monthly) covering unlimited sites with Partner Program access. Grav requires no per-site licensing at all since its core is free.