Freedom251 › Content Management Systems
C1 CMS Foundation
What C1 CMS Foundation is
C1 CMS Foundation is a free, open-source hybrid content management system built on the Microsoft stack. It provides editorial workflows, custom user roles, multilingual content, SEO tools, a media library, and custom content types. Editors get instant editing, previews, image management, visual editing, and SEO optimization. Web professionals can extend the site with free or professional add-ons and customize the website experience. The maker positions C1 CMS for web agencies and professional organizations, from small businesses to international corporate websites. It can scale across Microsoft Azure data centers for traffic peaks and global content delivery. Integrations include Orckestra Commerce Cloud, with add-ons for Google Custom Search, Vimeo, and YouTube. The Foundation edition uses the Mozilla Public License 1.1 and has community support. Local installation requires Windows and IIS; Azure deployment is also available. Hosting is not included in service plans except Cloud. Paid plans include Developer at $89 a month, Business at $265 a month, and Premium at $480 a month, each billed annually and excluding VAT.
Who it suits
C1 CMS Foundation suits web agencies and professional organizations needing open-source publishing with workflows, roles, multilingual content, and extensibility. It can serve sites ranging from small businesses to international corporate websites.
What it does well
- Free open-source Foundation edition
- Editorial workflows and custom content types
- Multilingual content and SEO tools
- Extensible through free and professional add-ons
- Azure scaling and global delivery support
What to know first
- Hosting is generally not included
- Local installation requires Windows and IIS
- Foundation support is community-based
- Paid plan prices exclude VAT
Plans
| Plan | Billed and limits | Price |
|---|---|---|
| C1 CMS Foundation | Fully featured open-source CMS; hosting not included | Free |
| C1 CMS Business | Invoiced annually $3180; minimum 12-month subscription · Single live installation · Developer features · Business add-ons · bug-fix warranty · 20 support incidents/year · hosting not included | $265 a month |
| C1 CMS Premium | Invoiced annually $5760; minimum 12-month subscription · Single live installation · Business features · full support · load balancing · Azure elastic/global scale · hosting not included | $480 a month |
| C1 CMS Developer | Invoiced annually $1068; minimum 12-month subscription · Single live installation · unlimited staging and development environments · deployment manager · automated upgrades · security updates · Form Builder · unlimited sub-sites | $89 a month |
| C1 CMS Cloud | Fully managed · hosting included · Microsoft Azure cloud · full support | On request |
As c1.orckestra.com lists them, read 11 Oct 2026. The maker's own page has the final word.
Verdict
C1 CMS Foundation offers a broad open-source CMS feature set with Microsoft and Azure compatibility. Teams should plan for their own hosting unless choosing Cloud and should distinguish community support from paid-plan support.
Facts from C1 CMS Foundation's own pages
- Audience
- The maker describes C1 CMS as suited to web agencies and professional organizations, from small businesses to international corporate websites. · c1.orckestra.com, 11 Oct 2026
- Company
- The product site identifies Orckestra Technologies Inc. as the maker and lists its Canadian address in Rimouski, Quebec. · c1.orckestra.com, 11 Oct 2026
- Company locations
- Orckestra says its C1 CMS team is located in Montreal, Canada, and Copenhagen, Denmark. · c1.orckestra.com, 11 Oct 2026
- Content tools
- The CMS includes instant editing, previewing, SEO optimization, image management and visual editing. · c1.orckestra.com, 11 Oct 2026
- Custom content types
- Yes · c1.orckestra.com, 23 Sept 2026
- Custom user roles
- Yes · c1.orckestra.com, 23 Sept 2026
- Editorial workflows
- Yes · c1.orckestra.com, 23 Sept 2026
- Extensibility
- Web professionals can extend the CMS with free and professional add-ons and customize the website experience. · c1.orckestra.com, 11 Oct 2026
- Free plan
- Yes · c1.orckestra.com, 23 Sept 2026
- Hosting limit
- Website hosting is not included in service plans except for the Cloud edition, and listed prices cover one live installation and exclude VAT. · c1.orckestra.com, 11 Oct 2026
- Installation
- The maker's download instructions say local installation requires Windows and IIS, while an Azure deployment option is also provided. · docs.c1.orckestra.com, 11 Oct 2026
- Integrations
- C1 CMS is integrated into Orckestra Commerce Cloud, and the add-on catalog lists integrations or add-ons for Google Custom Search, Vimeo and YouTube. · c1.orckestra.com, 11 Oct 2026
- License
- The free version is licensed under Mozilla Public License (MPL 1.1). · c1.orckestra.com, 11 Oct 2026
- Media library
- Yes · c1.orckestra.com, 23 Sept 2026
- Multilingual content
- Yes · c1.orckestra.com, 23 Sept 2026
- Platform type
- hybrid · c1.orckestra.com, 23 Sept 2026
- Product
- C1 CMS Foundation is a free open-source content management system built on the Microsoft stack. · c1.orckestra.com, 11 Oct 2026
- Scale and cloud
- The maker says C1 CMS can scale across Microsoft Azure data centers and support traffic peaks and global content delivery. · c1.orckestra.com, 11 Oct 2026
- Security
- Paid service plans include security software updates, and the Foundation download page directs users to Windows system requirements. · c1.orckestra.com, 11 Oct 2026
- SEO tools
- Yes · c1.orckestra.com, 23 Sept 2026
- Support
- Community support is available for the free Foundation edition; the paid plans offer support, with Business listing 20 incidents per year and Premium listing full support. · c1.orckestra.com, 11 Oct 2026
Where C1 CMS Foundation stands on Freedom251
- Content Management Systems#52 of 165