Croogo

Free plan APISelf-hostedWeb

What Croogo is

Croogo is a free, open-source PHP content management system built on the CakePHP MVC framework. It is self-hosted, with web and API access listed, and provides custom content types, custom user roles, and a media library. Core plugins cover comments, contacts, file management, menus, taxonomy, translation, users, and WYSIWYG editing. The responsive administration interface uses Bootstrap. Installation is available through Composer or a web-based installer. Listed server requirements are Apache with mod_rewrite or nginx, PHP 7.1 or higher, and MySQL 5.7 or higher; the official site also says Croogo works with MySQL and PostgreSQL. Release notes mention security fixes in 4.0.0 and API-related code merged into 5.0.0-beta.1. Community help links include documentation, an issue tracker, a Google Group, and an IRC channel. The Croogo Development Team is credited as maker, and the project says it has been in development since 2009.

Who it suits

Croogo suits developers and site owners seeking a self-hosted PHP CMS with custom content structures and user roles. It requires a compatible web server, PHP, and database setup.

What it does well

Free open-source software under the MIT License
Custom content types, roles, and media library
Responsive Bootstrap administration interface
Composer and web-based installation options
MySQL and PostgreSQL compatibility stated

What to know first

Self-hosting requires server administration
Listed PHP requirement starts at version 7.1
Some API code is from a beta release
Maintenance notes direct users to upgrade

Plans

Plan	Billed and limits	Price
Free	Free, open-source PHP CMS · MIT License	Free

As croogo.org lists them, read 12 Oct 2026. The maker's own page has the final word.

Verdict

Croogo offers a traditional, extensible CMS for teams comfortable managing PHP hosting. Its plugin set and self-hosted model provide control, while installation and maintenance remain the user’s responsibility.

Facts from Croogo's own pages

Admin interface: The official site says Croogo uses Bootstrap for a responsive admin UI. · croogo.org, 12 Oct 2026
API: The Croogo 5.0.0-beta.1 release notes say code using the project website API was merged into the release. · github.com, 12 Oct 2026
Core modules: The repository lists core plugins including comments, contacts, file management, menus, taxonomy, translation, users, and WYSIWYG. · github.com, 12 Oct 2026
Custom content types: Yes · croogo.org, 23 Sept 2026
Custom user roles: Yes · croogo.org, 23 Sept 2026
Databases: The official site says Croogo is compatible with MySQL and PostgreSQL. · croogo.org, 12 Oct 2026
Free plan: Yes · croogo.org, 23 Sept 2026
History: The official site says Croogo has been baking since 2009. · croogo.org, 12 Oct 2026
Hosting: Croogo can be installed on a web server using Composer or a web-based installer. · github.com, 12 Oct 2026
Maker: The official site credits the Croogo Development Team. · croogo.org, 12 Oct 2026
Media library: Yes · croogo.org, 23 Sept 2026
Platform type: self_hosted · croogo.org, 23 Sept 2026
Purpose: Croogo is a content management system for PHP powered by the CakePHP MVC framework. · github.com, 12 Oct 2026
Security: The Croogo 4.0.0 release notes say the release included security fixes. · github.com, 12 Oct 2026
Server requirements: The repository lists Apache with mod_rewrite or nginx, PHP 7.1 or higher, and MySQL 5.7 or higher as requirements. · github.com, 12 Oct 2026
Support: The repository links to Croogo documentation, an issue tracker, a Google Group, and an IRC channel for community help. · github.com, 12 Oct 2026
Updates: The 4.0.7 release notes describe it as a maintenance release and say all users should upgrade. · github.com, 12 Oct 2026

Where Croogo stands on Freedom251

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