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Winter CMS
What Winter CMS is
Winter CMS is a free, open-source content management system for building websites and applications, from brochure sites to large commercial and enterprise projects. It is built on the Laravel PHP framework and can operate as a self-hosted web system or provide REST and GraphQL APIs. A visual editor lets clients update page sections and fields. The media manager handles images, videos and documents, including resizing and cropping. Administrators can set permissions through groups and roles. Templates use HTML, while Twig supports more complex designs; custom themes can use Tailwind, Bootstrap, Vue and React. Plugins add functionality and themes extend presentation. Winter CMS supports custom content types, multilingual content, SEO tools and a media library. It is free under the MIT license. The official marketplace is still in development, so Composer is recommended for extensions. October CMS plugins are described as compatible, though fork-related changes may affect behavior.
Who it suits
Winter CMS suits people who want a free, self-hosted system for websites, applications or APIs. It fits teams needing multilingual content, custom structures, role controls and framework-based theming.
What it does well
- Free and open source under MIT
- Self-hosted web platform
- Visual page editing
- Multilingual and custom content support
- REST and GraphQL API options
What to know first
- Official marketplace still in development
- Composer recommended for extensions
- Self-hosting requires deployment responsibility
- October plugin behavior may vary
Plans
| Plan | Billed and limits | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Winter CMS | Free, open-source CMS; MIT license | Free |
As wintercms.com lists them, read 12 Oct 2026. The maker's own page has the final word.
Verdict
Winter CMS offers broad content and development controls without a license charge. Its self-hosted setup and developing marketplace make it most suitable for users comfortable managing extensions and infrastructure.
Facts from Winter CMS's own pages
- Access control
- Administrators can control user access with permissions, groups, and roles. · wintercms.com, 12 Oct 2026
- API use
- Winter CMS can be used as a REST or GraphQL API provider. · wintercms.com, 12 Oct 2026
- Custom content types
- Yes · wintercms.com, 22 Sept 2026
- Custom user roles
- Yes · wintercms.com, 22 Sept 2026
- Extensions
- Plugins can add functionality, and themes can extend a project’s presentation. · wintercms.com, 12 Oct 2026
- Foundation
- Winter CMS is built on the Laravel PHP framework. · wintercms.com, 12 Oct 2026
- Free plan
- Yes · wintercms.com, 22 Sept 2026
- Frontend frameworks
- Custom themes can use CSS and JavaScript frameworks including Tailwind, Bootstrap, Vue, and React. · wintercms.com, 12 Oct 2026
- Integration compatibility
- The site says October CMS plugins work with Winter CMS, though changes since the fork may cause slight functionality differences. · wintercms.com, 12 Oct 2026
- License and cost
- Winter CMS is free and open source under the MIT license. · wintercms.com, 12 Oct 2026
- Maker
- The site footer identifies Frostbyte Foundation Inc. as the organization behind the site; release notes describe it as a Canadian non-profit founded to support Winter CMS and its community. · wintercms.com, 12 Oct 2026
- Marketplace status
- The official Winter CMS Marketplace is described as in development; Composer is recommended for installing plugins and themes in the meantime. · wintercms.com, 12 Oct 2026
- Media library
- Yes · wintercms.com, 22 Sept 2026
- Media manager
- The built-in media manager supports images, videos, and documents, with image resizing and cropping. · wintercms.com, 12 Oct 2026
- Multilingual content
- Yes · wintercms.com, 22 Sept 2026
- Page editing
- Clients can use a visual editor and editable page sections and fields to update site content. · wintercms.com, 12 Oct 2026
- Platform type
- self_hosted · wintercms.com, 22 Sept 2026
- Purpose
- Winter CMS is a content management system for building websites and applications, from brochure sites to large commercial and enterprise applications. · wintercms.com, 12 Oct 2026
- Security
- The project describes its source code as fully accessible and transparent and says it takes prompt action on issues. · wintercms.com, 12 Oct 2026
- SEO tools
- Yes · wintercms.com, 22 Sept 2026
- Support
- The project directs users to GitHub Discussions for help, GitHub issues for bugs, Discord for community chat, and offers a paid-support contact option. · wintercms.com, 12 Oct 2026
- Templates
- Winter CMS templates and layouts use HTML, and Twig provides templating for more complex designs. · wintercms.com, 12 Oct 2026
Where Winter CMS stands on Freedom251
- Content Management Systems#66 of 165