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Grav alternatives: 5 apps ranked by verified data

Facts checked Oct 25, 2026AppBreakup editorialHow we rank

Common reasons people leave Grav: smaller community and theme choice than big CMSs, and third-party plugin quality varies. We ranked 5 alternatives by how directly each one replaces Grav, then by reviews, real visits and how recently each app's facts were checked against its own website. Kirby currently ranks first.

Quick comparison

#AppPricingOpen sourcePlatformsVerified factsScore
1Kirby logoKirbyPaidNoSelf-hosted, Web4 of 466.5
2Statamic logoStatamicFree plan + paidNoSelf-hosted, Web4 of 462.6
3Hugo logoHugoOpen sourceYesWindows, macOS, Linux4 of 459.6
4WordPress logoWordPressOpen sourceYesSelf-hosted, Web, iOS +14 of 457.2
5Jekyll logoJekyllOpen sourceYesmacOS, Linux, Windows5 of 555.3
  1. Kirby logo

    1. KirbyTop pick

    Best for: Designers and small agencies who want database-free sites with a tailored editing panel

    PaidSelf-hostableSelf-hosted, Web

    66.5

    score / 100

    Why switch from Grav

    Paid flat-file PHP CMS with a more polished, customisable panel.

    Pros

    • No database: content is plain files you can version and copy
    • Editing panel fully shaped by blueprints for each site
    • One-off licence with no subscription

    Cons

    • Paid licence needed for every live site
    • Smaller plugin ecosystem than larger CMSs
    • Anything custom needs PHP development
    Visit Kirby Details and reviews
    How this score is calculated
    Editorial fit ×0.3100
    Reviews ×0.363
    Clicks (90 days) ×0.150
    Freshness ×0.1585
    Votes ×0.150

    0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula

    Is Kirby a good Grav alternative?

    Verified facts

    4 of 4 verified
    Basic licence
    €99 per site (orgs under €1M revenue)
    Checked Oct 25, 2026getkirby.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Enterprise licence
    €349 per site
    Checked Oct 25, 2026getkirby.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Subscription
    No, one-off licence
    Checked Oct 25, 2026getkirby.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Free to try
    Locally or on a test server
    Checked Oct 25, 2026getkirby.com(opens source in a new tab)
  2. Statamic logo

    2. Statamic

    Best for: Laravel developers and agencies who like Git-versioned, flat-file content

    Free plan + paidSelf-hostableSelf-hosted, Web

    62.6

    score / 100

    Why switch from Grav

    Flat-file CMS on Laravel with stronger multi-user features in Pro.

    Pros

    • Flat-file content that can be versioned in Git
    • Fits naturally into existing Laravel applications
    • Free Core edition for personal sites

    Cons

    • Pro licence needed for multiple users and APIs
    • Smaller addon ecosystem than WordPress or Craft
    • Requires Laravel and PHP skills to customise
    Visit Statamic Details and reviews
    How this score is calculated
    Editorial fit ×0.387
    Reviews ×0.363
    Clicks (90 days) ×0.150
    Freshness ×0.1585
    Votes ×0.150

    0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula

    Is Statamic a good Grav alternative?

    Verified facts

    4 of 4 verified
    Free edition
    Core, free forever
    Checked Oct 25, 2026statamic.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Pro price
    $349 per site
    Checked Oct 25, 2026statamic.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Framework
    Laravel
    Checked Oct 25, 2026statamic.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Storage
    Flat file or database
    Checked Oct 25, 2026statamic.com(opens source in a new tab)
  3. Hugo logo

    3. Hugo

    Best for: Developers who want very fast builds for blogs, docs and content sites

    Open sourceSelf-hostableWindows, macOS, Linux

    59.6

    score / 100

    Why switch from Grav

    Static site generator that also uses Markdown, with no server-side PHP at all.

    Pros

    • Extremely fast builds even for large sites
    • Single binary with no runtime dependencies
    • Multilingual, taxonomies and image processing built in

    Cons

    • Go templates have a steep, awkward learning curve
    • No editing interface for non-developers
    • Frequent releases can change behaviour
    Visit Hugo Details and reviews
    How this score is calculated
    Editorial fit ×0.377
    Reviews ×0.363
    Clicks (90 days) ×0.150
    Freshness ×0.1585
    Votes ×0.150

    0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula

    Is Hugo a good Grav alternative?

    Verified facts

    4 of 4 verified
    License
    Apache 2.0
    Checked Oct 25, 2026gohugo.io(opens source in a new tab)
    Language
    Go
    Checked Oct 25, 2026gohugo.io(opens source in a new tab)
    Positioning
    Static site framework focused on speed
    Checked Oct 25, 2026gohugo.io(opens source in a new tab)
    Multilingual
    Single-host and multihost
    Checked Oct 25, 2026gohugo.io(opens source in a new tab)
  4. WordPress logo

    4. WordPress

    Best for: Anyone who wants the largest ecosystem of themes, plugins, hosts and developers

    Open sourceSelf-hostableSelf-hosted, Web, iOS, Android

    57.2

    score / 100

    Why switch from Grav

    Bigger ecosystem when you need plugins for every feature.

    Pros

    • Huge plugin and theme ecosystem for almost any feature
    • Cheap hosting and easy-to-find developers everywhere
    • Block editor lets non-developers build and edit pages

    Cons

    • Plugin-heavy sites get slow and hard to maintain
    • Frequent target for attacks, so updates can't be ignored
    • Quality of third-party plugins varies widely
    Visit WordPress Details and reviews
    How this score is calculated
    Editorial fit ×0.369
    Reviews ×0.363
    Clicks (90 days) ×0.150
    Freshness ×0.1585
    Votes ×0.150

    0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula

    Is WordPress a good Grav alternative?

    Verified facts

    4 of 4 verified
    License
    GPL
    Checked Oct 25, 2026wordpress.org(opens source in a new tab)
    Stack
    PHP with MariaDB/MySQL
    Checked Oct 25, 2026wordpress.org(opens source in a new tab)
    Server requirements
    PHP 8.3+, MySQL 8.0 or MariaDB 10.11+ recommended
    Checked Oct 25, 2026wordpress.org(opens source in a new tab)
    Open source
    Yes
    Checked Oct 25, 2026wordpress.org(opens source in a new tab)
  5. Jekyll logo

    5. Jekyll

    Best for: Bloggers and project pages hosted free on GitHub Pages

    Open sourceSelf-hostablemacOS, Linux, Windows

    55.3

    score / 100

    Why switch from Grav

    Markdown-based static sites that host free on GitHub Pages.

    Pros

    • Native GitHub Pages support with free hosting
    • Simple, blog-aware defaults
    • Mature with plenty of themes and documentation

    Cons

    • Slow builds on large sites
    • Ruby setup can be fiddly, especially on Windows
    • Slow-moving project with many dated plugins
    Visit Jekyll Details and reviews
    How this score is calculated
    Editorial fit ×0.363
    Reviews ×0.363
    Clicks (90 days) ×0.150
    Freshness ×0.1585
    Votes ×0.150

    0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula

    Is Jekyll a good Grav alternative?

    Verified facts

    5 of 5 verified
    License
    MIT
    Checked Oct 25, 2026github.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Install
    Ruby gem
    Checked Oct 25, 2026jekyllrb.com(opens source in a new tab)
    GitHub Pages
    Supported
    Checked Oct 25, 2026jekyllrb.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Requirements
    Ruby 2.7.0+, RubyGems, GCC and Make
    Checked Oct 25, 2026jekyllrb.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Databases
    None needed
    Checked Oct 25, 2026jekyllrb.com(opens source in a new tab)

The best Grav alternative for…

The highest-ranked app in this list for each need.

Kirby logo

Best Grav alternative for most people

Kirby

Paid flat-file PHP CMS with a more polished, customisable panel.

Hugo logo

Best Grav alternative for a free option

Hugo

Static site generator that also uses Markdown, with no server-side PHP at all.

Statamic logo

Best Grav alternative for a free plan you can upgrade

Statamic

Flat-file CMS on Laravel with stronger multi-user features in Pro.

WordPress logo

Best Grav alternative for open source

WordPress

Bigger ecosystem when you need plugins for every feature.

Jekyll logo

Best Grav alternative for self-hosting

Jekyll

Markdown-based static sites that host free on GitHub Pages.

Hugo logo

Best Grav alternative for Mac

Hugo

Static site generator that also uses Markdown, with no server-side PHP at all.

Hugo logo

Best Grav alternative for Windows

Hugo

Static site generator that also uses Markdown, with no server-side PHP at all.

Hugo logo

Best Grav alternative for Linux

Hugo

Static site generator that also uses Markdown, with no server-side PHP at all.

WordPress logo

Best Grav alternative for iPhone and Android

WordPress

Bigger ecosystem when you need plugins for every feature.

Kirby logo

Best Grav alternative for working in the browser

Kirby

Paid flat-file PHP CMS with a more polished, customisable panel.

Grav alternatives: common questions

What is the best alternative to Grav?

Kirby ranks first right now. Paid flat-file PHP CMS with a more polished, customisable panel. Statamic and Hugo follow it in our ranking.

Is there a free alternative to Grav?

Yes. Statamic (free plan + paid), Hugo (open source), WordPress (open source) and Jekyll (open source) have a free option. Check each app's verified facts for current plan limits.

Is there an open-source alternative to Grav?

Yes: Hugo, WordPress and Jekyll. Hugo, WordPress and Jekyll can also be self-hosted.

Which Grav alternatives work on Linux?

Hugo and Jekyll run on Linux.

Why do people switch from Grav?

The complaints we hear most: smaller community and theme choice than big CMSs; third-party plugin quality varies; large sites with many editors outgrow flat files.

How is this list ranked?

Every app is scored with the same published formula: how directly it replaces Grav, reviews (weighted by verification), visits from AppBreakup, how recently its facts were checked against its own website, and reader votes.