Freedom251 › Content Management Systems
Quanta CMS
by Quanta CMS
What Quanta CMS is
Quanta CMS is a free, open-source, modular PHP content management system and framework for web applications. It is self-hosted and listed for Linux, macOS, and the web. Quanta stores entity metadata in JSON files within system folders instead of using a database, and provides a content-editing interface and backend. Its features include editorial workflows, moderation, custom user roles, multilingual content, a media library, and single-node access control. Templates use a proprietary engine with Qtags markup. The system also describes CSS Grid integration, internal caching, JavaScript and CSS minification, and image compression. Installation requires a UNIX-based operating system, Apache 2.4 or later or Nginx 1.15 or later, PHP 5.6 or later, and Composer; the installation page advises PHP 7. Windows and XAMPP users need a virtual machine. Quanta does not provide custom content types. Advanced faceted search is not considered production-ready, metadata listings are slower than folder listings, Qtags require manual insertion in Froala, and administrators create their own menu.
Who it suits
Quanta CMS suits teams that can host a PHP system themselves and need workflows, roles, multilingual content, and media management. It is less suitable for users requiring built-in custom content types or ready-made administration menus.
What it does well
- Free and open source
- Editorial workflows and moderation
- Custom roles and node permissions
- Multilingual content and media library
- Caching and asset compression tools
What to know first
- No custom content types
- Windows users need a virtual machine
- Faceted search is not production-ready
- Qtags require manual editor insertion
Plans
| Plan | Billed and limits | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Quanta CMS | Open source · freely available on GitHub | Free |
As quanta.org lists them, read 11 Oct 2026. The maker's own page has the final word.
Verdict
Quanta CMS offers a self-hosted publishing system with workflow, access, multilingual, and media features. Its installation and administration model require technical setup, and the listed search and editing limitations should be considered.
Facts from Quanta CMS's own pages
- Administration limit
- Quanta does not include a default administrator menu; users create their own administration bar and pages. · quanta.org, 11 Oct 2026
- Content editing
- Quanta includes a user interface for content editing and a backend. · quanta.org, 11 Oct 2026
- Custom content types
- No · quanta.org, 23 Sept 2026
- Custom user roles
- Yes · quanta.org, 23 Sept 2026
- Data model
- Quanta stores entity metadata in JSON files within system folders and does not use a database. · quanta.org, 11 Oct 2026
- Editing limit
- The maker says Qtags must currently be inserted manually in the Froala WYSIWYG editor and are displayed as text. · quanta.org, 11 Oct 2026
- Editorial workflows
- Yes · quanta.org, 23 Sept 2026
- Founded
- 2015 · quanta.org, 19 Oct 2026
- Free plan
- Yes · quanta.org, 23 Sept 2026
- Installation requirements
- Installation requires a UNIX-based operating system, Apache 2.4 or later or Nginx 1.15 or later, PHP 5.6 or later, and Composer; the page advises PHP 7. · quanta.org, 11 Oct 2026
- Integrations
- The maker describes CSS Grid integration for arranging components in pages. · quanta.org, 11 Oct 2026
- Media library
- Yes · quanta.org, 23 Sept 2026
- Multilingual content
- Yes · quanta.org, 23 Sept 2026
- Notable limits
- The maker says advanced search with exposed or faceted filters is not mature enough for production, and metadata-based listing is slower than folder-based listing. · quanta.org, 11 Oct 2026
- Performance
- The maker says Quanta includes an internal caching system and built-in tools for minifying JavaScript and CSS and compressing images. · quanta.org, 11 Oct 2026
- Platform type
- self_hosted · quanta.org, 23 Sept 2026
- Product
- Quanta is a modular, PHP-based content management system and framework designed for web applications. · quanta.org, 11 Oct 2026
- Security approach
- Quanta uses file-system access controls and says its internal user, role, and permission system determines node-level access rights. · quanta.org, 11 Oct 2026
- Support
- The maker directs users to GitHub for issues and advanced support requests and to a Facebook group for general support and questions. · quanta.org, 11 Oct 2026
- Templates
- Quanta uses a proprietary template engine and special markup tags called Qtags. · quanta.org, 11 Oct 2026
- Windows support
- The installation instructions say Windows and XAMPP users need a virtual machine to run Quanta. · quanta.org, 11 Oct 2026
- Workflow and access
- The maker says workflow, moderation, and single-node access control are default features. · quanta.org, 11 Oct 2026
Where Quanta CMS stands on Freedom251
- Content Management Systems#56 of 165