Sitecake

Free plan Self-hostedWeb

What Sitecake is

Sitecake is a self-hosted PHP flat-file CMS for editing static HTML websites in place, without a database or rebuild. It is aimed at freelance designers and small agencies creating five-to-ten-page sites for small businesses and professional services. To enable editing, users add the sc-content class to selected divs and upload Sitecake with the site files. The editor supports dragging toolbar items or existing content, moving multiple selections, and adding images from a desktop or another browser tab. Images can be resized or cropped, and multiple dropped images can form galleries. YouTube and Vimeo videos can be added and resized; Google Maps and Google Earth satellite images can be embedded from map URLs. Basic on-page SEO is included. Hosting requires Apache with mod_rewrite or NGINX and PHP 7.4 or newer, with PHP 8.x recommended. The Free plan costs nothing for localhost and private-network addresses. Single Site costs $49 a month, paid once with no renewals, for one root domain; Agency White-label costs $249 a month, paid once, for up to 10 live domains.

Who it suits

Sitecake suits freelance designers and small agencies maintaining small static websites. It is useful when self-hosting and in-place editing are preferred over database-based CMS workflows.

What it does well

Edits static HTML without a database or rebuild
Supports drag-and-drop content editing
Image resizing, cropping, and galleries included
Embeds YouTube, Vimeo, and Google Maps
Basic on-page SEO is built in

What to know first

Requires Apache or NGINX with PHP 7.4+
Free installation blocks editor login on public domains
Automatic updates need outbound server internet
Paid plans are billed as one-time payments

Plans

Plan	Billed and limits	Price
Free	$0 · Full editor; localhost, .local, .test, and private network addresses only; no license key	Free
Agency White-label	$249 · Up to 10 live domains; white-label branding; custom admin.php entry point; lifetime license; future auto-updates	$249, paid once
Single Site	$49 · One live root domain and its subdomains; lifetime license; future auto-updates	$49, paid once

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

Verdict

Sitecake offers direct editing for self-hosted static sites, with media, embeds, and basic SEO tools. Check server requirements and domain limits before selecting the free or paid license.

Facts from Sitecake's own pages

Audience: The maker describes Sitecake as intended for freelance designers and small agencies making five-to-ten-page websites for small businesses and professional services. · sitecake.com, 12 Oct 2026
Editing: Users can add and move page content by dragging toolbar items, existing content, or multiple selected items. · sitecake.com, 12 Oct 2026
Free plan: Yes · sitecake.com, 21 Sept 2026
Hosting requirements: Sitecake requires Apache with mod_rewrite or NGINX and PHP 7.4 or newer, with PHP 8.x recommended. · sitecake.com, 12 Oct 2026
Images: Users can add images from their desktop or another browser tab, resize or crop them, and create galleries by dropping in multiple images. · sitecake.com, 12 Oct 2026
Integration: To make content editable, add the sc-content class to divs, then upload Sitecake alongside the website files. · sitecake.com, 12 Oct 2026
License limitation: A free installation on a public domain blocks the editor login until a license is activated, while the website remains functional for visitors. · sitecake.com, 12 Oct 2026
Map integrations: Sitecake can embed Google Maps and Google Earth satellite images from a map URL. · sitecake.com, 12 Oct 2026
On-page SEO: The homepage lists basic on-page SEO as built in. · sitecake.com, 12 Oct 2026
Payments and privacy: The maker says Paddle handles payment information and Sitecake does not see or store card details; it also says it does not sell, rent, or share personal data for third-party marketing. · sitecake.com, 12 Oct 2026
Platform type: self_hosted · sitecake.com, 21 Sept 2026
Product: Sitecake is a PHP flat-file CMS for editing static HTML websites in place without a database or rebuild. · sitecake.com, 12 Oct 2026
Security: The privacy policy says Sitecake stores the password as a SHA1 hash on the customer's own server and does not have access to it. · sitecake.com, 12 Oct 2026
SEO tools: Yes · sitecake.com, 21 Sept 2026
Support: The support request form says a member of support staff will respond as soon as possible. · support.sitecake.com, 12 Oct 2026
Update limitation: Automatic updates require outbound internet access from the server; otherwise, updates must be installed manually by replacing the sitecake directory. · sitecake.com, 12 Oct 2026
Version 4: The maker says Sitecake 4's editor was rebuilt in React and TypeScript and its backend is dependency-free PHP 8. · sitecake.com, 12 Oct 2026
Video integrations: Sitecake supports adding and resizing videos from YouTube and Vimeo. · sitecake.com, 12 Oct 2026

Where Sitecake stands on Freedom251

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