Freedom251 › Content Management Systems
CMS Made Simple
What CMS Made Simple is
CMS Made Simple is a free, self-hosted content management system for building and managing websites. It runs through a web interface and is distributed as downloadable software rather than a hosted service. Content pages connect to page templates that control their appearance to visitors, while the Smarty PHP template engine handles dynamic template elements. Listed capabilities include custom user roles, multilingual content, SEO tools, a media library, and custom content types. Modules, plugins, and user-defined tags can extend the system, and modules may add functions to both the administration console and frontend pages. The project publishes API documentation, while its Forge directory offers downloadable modules and tools. The development team describes Slack participation across development, design, marketing, testing, support, and translations, and provides a Hire a Dev request option for custom work. A 2025 announcement identifies versions 2.2.21 and 2.2.22 as officially supported at that time.
Who it suits
It suits organizations wanting downloadable, self-hosted website software with multilingual content, roles, media management, SEO tools, and extensibility.
What it does well
- Free downloadable CMS
- Supports multilingual content
- Includes custom user roles
- Provides SEO and media tools
- Extendable with modules and plugins
What to know first
- No free trial is listed
- Requires self-hosted deployment
- Official support was limited to two versions
- Security fixes depend on updating releases
Plans
| Plan | Billed and limits | Price |
|---|---|---|
| CMS Made Simple | Open-source CMS; downloadable software | Free |
As cmsmadesimple.org lists them, read 11 Oct 2026. The maker's own page has the final word.
Verdict
CMS Made Simple provides core website management features without a listed purchase price. Its self-hosted delivery and extension system give organizations control, but they also require managing the installation and supported versions.
Facts from CMS Made Simple's own pages
- Add-on directory
- The CMS Made Simple Forge lists downloadable projects, including modules and tools. · dev.cmsmadesimple.org, 11 Oct 2026
- API
- The project publishes API documentation for CMS Made Simple. · apidoc.cmsmadesimple.org, 11 Oct 2026
- Community support
- The development team says its members meet on Slack and invites contributors in development, design, marketing, testing, support, and translations. · cmsmadesimple.org, 11 Oct 2026
- Custom content types
- Yes · dev.cmsmadesimple.org, 22 Sept 2026
- Custom user roles
- Yes · dev.cmsmadesimple.org, 22 Sept 2026
- Extensibility
- The project provides modules, plugins, and user-defined tags for adding functionality. · docs.cmsmadesimple.org, 11 Oct 2026
- Free plan
- Yes · dev.cmsmadesimple.org, 22 Sept 2026
- Hire a developer
- The development team directs users seeking custom work to its Hire a Dev request option. · cmsmadesimple.org, 11 Oct 2026
- Media library
- Yes · dev.cmsmadesimple.org, 22 Sept 2026
- Module development
- Modules can provide functionality in both the admin console and frontend pages. · docs.cmsmadesimple.org, 11 Oct 2026
- Multilingual content
- Yes · dev.cmsmadesimple.org, 22 Sept 2026
- Not a hosted service
- The product is distributed as software through its download links, and its published team page describes freelance development services. · cmsmadesimple.org, 11 Oct 2026
- Page templates
- Content pages are connected to page templates that define how they look to visitors. · docs.cmsmadesimple.org, 11 Oct 2026
- Platform type
- self_hosted · dev.cmsmadesimple.org, 22 Sept 2026
- Purpose
- CMS Made Simple is a content management system for building and managing websites. · cmsmadesimple.org, 11 Oct 2026
- Security
- A 2025 release announcement says CMS Made Simple 2.2.22 fixes bugs including user-defined-tag code execution on save. · forum.cmsmadesimple.org, 11 Oct 2026
- SEO tools
- Yes · dev.cmsmadesimple.org, 22 Sept 2026
- Supported versions
- The 2025 release announcement states that versions 2.2.21 and 2.2.22 were the only officially supported versions at that time. · forum.cmsmadesimple.org, 11 Oct 2026
- Template engine
- CMS Made Simple uses the Smarty PHP template engine for dynamic parts of templates. · docs.cmsmadesimple.org, 11 Oct 2026
Where CMS Made Simple stands on Freedom251
- Content Management Systems#76 of 165