Side by side
Alchemy CMS vs Automad
Both stand on content management systems. Which one you can start free with, which one lets you read the code, and what each costs once you pay.
Free plan APISelf-hostedWeb
AlchemyCMS provides a flexible Rails-based foundation with structured content, workflows, media handling, and extensions. Plan for your own authentication and self-hosting responsibilities when evaluating it.
Visit Alchemy CMS Free plan APIExtensionLinux+4
Automad offers a database-free, extensible CMS with dashboard editing, headless access, and free MIT licensing. Its PHP requirements and self-hosted deployment make setup responsibilities part of the choice.
Visit AutomadThe facts
| Alchemy CMS | Automad | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | Not published | Not published |
| Runs on | API, Self-hosted, Web | API, Extension, Linux, Mac, Self-hosted, Web, Windows |
| Lowest paid plan | Free or on request | Free or on request |
| Plans published | 2 | 1 |
| Maker | Not published | Not published |
| Website | alchemy-cms.com | automad.org |
| On content management systems | #77 of 165 | #73 of 165 |
Alchemy CMS: what it does well
- Free open source plan
- Reusable semantic content components
- Editorial workflows and custom roles
- Multilingual content and SEO tools
- JSON:API and e-commerce extensions
What to know first
- Self-hosting is central to the Open Source plan
- Authentication is not bundled
- Open Source support is community-based
- Cloud pricing is unlisted
Automad: what it does well
- No database required
- Human-readable files support version control
- Read-only headless JSON API
- Browser dashboard with block editing
- Free for private and commercial projects
What to know first
- Self-hosted setup required
- Version 2 is beta
- PHP 8.2 or newer required
- Version 1 is unsupported
Alternatives to Alchemy CMS Alternatives to Automad The whole list