CrafterCMS vs MODX
CrafterCMS
craftercms.comMODX
modx.comSide by side
| Figure | CrafterCMS | MODX |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | $36/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | Yes | — |
| Open source | Yes | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | — |
| macOS | Yes | — |
| Linux | Yes | — |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 5 | 8 |
| Spec score · Content Management Systems | 9.3 (#3) | 9.1 (#8) |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Installation requirements | CrafterCMS 4.6.1 requires Java 21, at least 8 GB JVM memory and Git 2.20.1 or newer; Docker is needed for Docker or macOS setups. | The current 3.x releases require PHP 8.1 or newer; recommended production software includes MariaDB 10.1.x or newer and NGINX 1.18.x or newer. |
| Integrations | Listed integrations include Elastic Stack, Stripe, GitLab, Bitbucket, Elastic Path, GitHub, Jenkins, commercetools and Shopify. | MODX can integrate with services that support an API through JavaScript snippets, MODX Extras, or Zapier, whose MODX Extra provides access to over 500 applications. |
| Latest release | CrafterCMS 4.6.1 community bundles were released on September 29, 2026. | The current downloadable MODX version is 3.2.4-pl, released on 26-Aug-2026. |
| Support | Commercial support includes 24/7 support with SLAs, priority security patches, certified builds and high-availability support. | MODX offers free community support and commercial support from the team that created and maintains MODX CMS. |
Plans
CrafterCMS
- CommunityPrice not published
- EnterprisePrice not published
- Crafter CloudPrice not published
- CrafterCMS CommunityFree
- CrafterCMS Enterprise$5,472 a year
MODX
- Pro Site Core$90 a month
- Pro Site Plus$145 a month
- Pro Site Max$225 a month
- FreeFree
- Base$36 a month
- Pro$91 a month
- Business$320 a month
- Enterprise$4,000 a month
In their own words
CrafterCMS
CrafterCMS is a content management system from CrafterCMS, headquartered in McLean, Virginia, USA. It supports content localization, custom role permissions, webhooks, content preview, and asset transformations. Its API types include REST and GraphQL, and it is listed for web, Windows, macOS, and Linux.
The available plans represent three deployment and support arrangements. Community is an open-source GPL v3 release with community support and a self-hosted download. Enterprise is commercially supported and can be self-hosted or self-managed, with enterprise features and support. Crafter Cloud is a fully managed SaaS option with managed infrastructure, monitoring, and upgrades. The pricing model is listed as free, with a free plan available, but no prices are provided for Community, Enterprise, or Crafter Cloud.
MODX
MODX is a content management system and application framework for building custom digital experiences. It can model blogs, landing pages, catalogs, forms, PDFs, CSV downloads, and custom input fields. Reusable Templates, Chunks, Snippets, and Plugins render pages or add functionality and logic. Editorial workflows, custom roles, multilingual content, SEO tools, media libraries, and attribute-based access controls support publishing and content management. Community-made Extras extend it with integrations for areas such as e-commerce, maps, menus, OAuth, social, and SEO. Connections to API-enabled services can use JavaScript snippets, Extras, or Zapier, whose MODX Extra connects to over 500 applications. MODX is available as self-hosted software, through an API, and on the web. The self-hosted Free plan costs nothing. Managed MODX Cloud plans begin at $36 a month billed annually; other listed plans include self-hosted and managed options, with different storage, support, and hosting features. MODX was founded in 2004 and is headquartered in Dallas, Texas.