Freedom251 › Content Management Systems
BigTree CMS
by BigTree CMS
What BigTree CMS is
BigTree CMS is a free, open-source content management system for self-hosted web installations. It runs on PHP and MySQL and uses ordinary PHP and HTML for presentation, without a proprietary templating language. Teams can define custom content types, manage media, use SEO tools, and create custom user roles. Pages may be scheduled for later publication or set to expire. Editorial assignments can separate editors from publishers, requiring approval before changes go live. Administrators can set content lifespans and receive email reminders as material nears its refresh age. Media controls include storage locations, folder access, image sizing, cropping, thumbnails, and grayscale conversion. Listed integrations cover social services, Disqus, Salesforce, payment gateways, geocoding, cloud storage, and Google Analytics. BigTree retains recent revisions automatically, while manually saved versions can remain indefinitely. Version 4.6 and later require PHP 8.1 or newer and MySQL 5 or MariaDB.
Who it suits
It suits single webmasters and distributed teams needing a self-hosted CMS with editorial controls. Organizations must provide compatible PHP, MySQL or MariaDB hosting.
What it does well
- Free, open-source self-hosted CMS
- Editorial approval roles and content scheduling
- Custom content types and SEO tools
- Media storage and image editing controls
- Listed integrations for analytics and services
What to know first
- Requires self-hosted installation and server administration
- BigTree 4.6+ requires PHP 8.1 or later
- Automatic revision history is limited by recency
Plans
| Plan | Billed and limits | Price |
|---|---|---|
| BigTree CMS | Open-source CMS; self-hosted installation | Free |
As bigtreecms.org lists them, read 11 Oct 2026. The maker's own page has the final word.
Verdict
BigTree CMS combines self-hosted PHP/MySQL publishing with scheduling, approvals, governance reminders, and media management. It is a practical fit when standard PHP and HTML, extensibility, and control over hosting matter.
Facts from BigTree CMS's own pages
- Content governance
- Administrators can set content lifespans and receive automatic email alerts as content approaches its refresh age. · bigtreecms.org, 11 Oct 2026
- Content scheduling
- Users can schedule pages to publish in the future and set content to expire. · bigtreecms.org, 11 Oct 2026
- Custom content types
- Yes · bigtreecms.org, 23 Sept 2026
- Custom user roles
- Yes · bigtreecms.org, 23 Sept 2026
- Editorial workflow
- Users can be assigned editor or publisher roles, with editors’ changes requiring publisher approval before going live. · bigtreecms.org, 11 Oct 2026
- Editorial workflows
- Yes · bigtreecms.org, 23 Sept 2026
- Free plan
- Yes · bigtreecms.org, 23 Sept 2026
- Headquarters
- Baltimore, Maryland, United States · bigtreecms.org, 19 Oct 2026
- Hosting requirements
- BigTree 4.6 and higher require PHP 8.1 or later and MySQL 5 or a compatible server such as MariaDB. · bigtreecms.org, 11 Oct 2026
- Integrations
- The features page lists integrations for social services, Disqus, Salesforce, payment gateways, geocoding providers, cloud storage, and Google Analytics. · bigtreecms.org, 11 Oct 2026
- Media library
- Yes · bigtreecms.org, 23 Sept 2026
- Media management
- Image management includes control over storage locations and folder access, image sizing, cropping, thumbnails, and grayscale conversion. · bigtreecms.org, 11 Oct 2026
- Platform type
- self_hosted · bigtreecms.org, 23 Sept 2026
- Product
- BigTree is an extensible open-source content management system built on PHP and MySQL. · bigtreecms.org, 11 Oct 2026
- Security options
- During installation, administrators can choose to force admin logins through HTTPS if the site has an SSL certificate. · bigtreecms.org, 11 Oct 2026
- SEO tools
- Yes · bigtreecms.org, 23 Sept 2026
- Support
- The maker directs users to its discussion forum for questions and GitHub for specific bug reports or feature requests. · bigtreecms.org, 11 Oct 2026
- Templates
- BigTree uses standard PHP and HTML for content presentation, with no proprietary markup or templating language to learn. · bigtreecms.org, 11 Oct 2026
- Version history
- BigTree automatically saves page revisions from the past month or the last 10 changes for pages changed less often; users can keep manually saved revisions indefinitely. · bigtreecms.org, 11 Oct 2026
- Web server support
- The installation guide recommends Apache and says BigTree has also been tested on IIS 7 and 8. · bigtreecms.org, 11 Oct 2026
- Who it serves
- The maker describes BigTree’s user system as suitable for a single webmaster or large distributed teams. · bigtreecms.org, 11 Oct 2026
Where BigTree CMS stands on Freedom251
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