Kirby vs Statamic
Two flat-file PHP CMSs with excellent admin panels and very different foundations. One is a standalone app with plain PHP templates; the other is a Laravel package with a free tier. Here is who each one suits, written by the makers of a third.
- Choose Statamic if your team already writes Laravel.
- Choose Statamic Core if the site has one editor and no budget.
- Choose Kirby if you want plain PHP templates and every feature in one license.
- Choose Kirby if the site has to run on ordinary shared hosting with no framework.
- Choose Statamic Pro if you need multi-site, revisions, or a route into a database later.
- Choose Total CMS if neither fits: you want access groups and the MCP server in one supported product, on ordinary hosting.
A note on who wrote this. We make Total CMS, which is neither of the two products this page is about. That is still a conflict of interest, because we would like you to pick ours, so we have kept our entry to one marked section at the end, priced everything from each vendor's own page, and written the "How to choose" section so that most readers end up with Kirby or Statamic, not us.
Kirby and Statamic get compared because they look alike from a distance. Both are commercial PHP CMSs that store content as files rather than rows in a database, both are licensed per site, both give editors a control panel you shape to each project, and both are free to build with locally. Up close they are built on different foundations, and that drives most of the decision:
- The foundation. Kirby is a standalone application: unzip it onto a server and it runs, with Composer optional. Statamic is a Laravel package, so you are running a Laravel application, with Composer on the server.
- Templates. Kirby templates are plain PHP. Statamic templates are Antlers, its own language, or Laravel's Blade.
- What the license buys. Kirby has one feature set: every license includes multi-language, the REST API and as many editors as you need. Statamic has a free Core tier for a single admin, and puts multi-user editing, multi-language, multi-site, revisions and the APIs in Pro.
The short version: Kirby if you want plain PHP, everything in one license, and a site that runs on ordinary hosting. Statamic if your team already writes Laravel, or a small site can live within the free Core tier, or you need multi-site, revisions or a route into a database later. If neither fits, there is a third option at the bottom of the list, and it is ours.
At a glance
Three worth your time.
| Product | Price | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Kirby | €99 Basic (under €1M revenue) / €349 Enterprise, per site | Developers and studios who want plain PHP and one license that covers everything |
| 2. Statamic | Free Core / $349 Pro per site, then $99/year for updates | Teams already building on Laravel, and small sites that fit the free tier |
| 3. Total CMS Ours | $195 Standard / $395 Pro, one-time per domain | Freelancers and agencies handing sites to clients on ordinary hosting |
The options
Each one, with its tradeoffs.
-
A standalone CMS with plain PHP templates and every feature in every license.
getkirby.com, captured Strengths
- Shipping continuously since 2012: version 5 is current, and version 6 is in beta and included with new licenses
- Templates are plain PHP: no template language to learn and no ceiling on what a template can do
- One feature set for every license. The pricing page says "All features included" and lists no limit on users; roles and their permissions are defined in blueprints
- Multi-language content is built into core, with a separate content file per language
- A REST API is built in and gives full access to pages, files and users; the Panel itself runs on it
- YAML blueprints build a bespoke admin Panel for each page type, so editors see only the fields you define
- Installs by unzipping a starter kit onto the server. Composer is optional, and Apache works out of the box
- Three years of updates per license, and a machine-readable security file listing every past advisory with its CVSS score
- Free licenses for students and educators, and free or discounted licenses for non-profits
Tradeoffs
- No free tier for a live site. Statamic Core is free forever for one admin; every public Kirby site needs a license
- One license per installation and domain, and each extra subdomain or subfolder needs its own, so multi-site work multiplies the cost
- The €99 Basic tier requires your client's total annual revenue or funding to be under €1 million; above that it is €349
- Updates are included for three years, then €59 (Basic) or €249 (Enterprise) for three more
- No first-party route to move content into a database, where Statamic has its Eloquent driver
- No first-party MCP server. The capable one is a community plugin, built for Composer-based projects
- Templates are PHP, so anyone who edits them can run arbitrary code
-
A Laravel package with a genuinely free tier and a superb control panel.
statamic.com, captured Strengths
- Core is free, open source and usable for any project, with no time limit: blueprints, all 40+ fieldtypes, unlimited collections and Live Preview are included
- Statamic Pro runs free in development for as long as you like. You pay only when the site goes live on a public domain
- The whole Laravel ecosystem is available: Eloquent, queues, events and any Composer package. For a Laravel team that is a force multiplier, not overhead
- Pro adds unlimited users and roles, revisions and content history, multi-site and multi-language, REST and GraphQL APIs, and white labeling
- A first-party Eloquent driver moves content into a database when a site gets very large, without rewriting templates
- A large addon marketplace, around 500 addons, plus any Laravel package
- A published support policy: a major release every year around Q1, bug fixes for one year and security fixes for eighteen months
Tradeoffs
- You are running and maintaining a Laravel application. Composer is a server requirement, and it needs PHP 8.3 or above, where Kirby runs on 8.2
- Deploys want a
php please stache:refresh, and scheduled content needs a once-per-minute cron entry running Laravel's scheduler, so you need command-line access to the server - Their recommended-hosts page names hosts that do not work well with it, including GoDaddy and NameCheap
- Free Core allows one admin account and one form. A second editor, multi-language, the APIs and revisions all mean Pro, at $349 per site
- Pro includes one year of updates, then $99 a year to keep receiving them, against Kirby's three years included
- The REST and GraphQL APIs are documented as read-only content delivery
- Templates are Antlers, Statamic's own language, or Blade, so there is a template language to learn either way
- No first-party MCP server. The Statamic MCP servers on its marketplace are addons
-
Total CMS
Ours — we make thisIf neither fits: a standalone commercial CMS for ordinary PHP hosting, with the MCP server built in (full access on Pro).
totalcms.co, captured Strengths
- Runs on any PHP 8.2+ host, with no Composer on the server and no framework to maintain
- Support direct from the developer, by forum and ticket, and one vendor responsible for the whole product
- The MCP server, automations, access groups, image processing, SEO and REST API are part of the CMS rather than add-ons (Automations, external API access and full MCP access are Pro)
- The REST API reads and writes: full create, update and delete, same-origin on every edition and to external services with API keys on Pro
- Twig templating with 130+ custom filters and functions: a smaller, safer surface than plain PHP to hand a designer
- Works with the front end you already have, including pages from a visual tool like Stacks, Pinegrow or Bootstrap Studio (how it works)
Tradeoffs
- Proprietary and paid; there is no free tier for a live site, only a 45-day trial. Local development on
localhostor a.testdomain is free, with every Pro feature. Statamic Core is free forever - The smallest ecosystem and the smallest talent pool of the three
- Two years of updates included: more than Statamic Pro's one, fewer than Kirby's three
- Multi-language works through locale-keyed fields (Pro) rather than separate content per locale; Kirby handles this in core, and Statamic Pro does too
- No GraphQL, no multi-site, and no way to move content into a database
- No e-commerce
How to choose
The longer answer.
Pick on constraints, not on feature counts. One of these usually decides it:
- If your team already writes Laravel, choose Statamic. The framework you would be taking on is the one you already know, which turns its biggest tradeoff into its biggest advantage.
- If the site has one editor and no budget, choose Statamic Core. It is free forever, and one admin account and one form cover a lot of small sites. Kirby has no free tier for a live site.
- If you want plain PHP templates and no framework, choose Kirby. Unzip it, and there is nothing between you and your markup.
- If the client is on ordinary shared hosting, lean toward Kirby. It runs on PHP 8.2 with no Composer on the server, no cron entry and no deploy step. Statamic needs PHP 8.3, Composer and command-line access, and names hosts that do not work well with it.
- If you need several editors and several languages, run the numbers. Both are in every Kirby license at €99 or €349; on Statamic they need Pro at $349. The difference is the update terms: three years with Kirby, one year and then $99 a year with Statamic.
- If you need multi-site, revisions, or a way into a database later, choose Statamic Pro. Kirby has no first-party answer to the Eloquent driver.
- If neither fits, look at Total CMS. That is usually a client site on ordinary hosting where you want access groups and the MCP server in one supported product, or an API that writes. It costs money where Statamic Core does not, and it has the smallest ecosystem of the three.
Both Kirby and Statamic run without a database. For the wider field, including Grav and Publii, read our guide to the best flat-file CMSs, and if you are also weighing Grav, we have compared Kirby vs Grav and Grav vs Statamic too.
Questions
Common questions.
Is Kirby or Statamic better?
Neither is better across the board, and both are well built and actively developed. Kirby is the better fit if you want plain PHP templates, a standalone app that runs on ordinary hosting, and one license that includes every feature. Statamic is the better fit if your team writes Laravel, if a small site fits its free Core tier, or if you need multi-site, revisions or a route into a database.
Which is cheaper, Kirby or Statamic?
It depends on the site. For one editor, Statamic Core is free forever, and Kirby has no free tier for a live site. For several editors, several languages or the API, compare Kirby's €99 or €349 per site, with three years of updates, against Statamic Pro's $349 per site with one year of updates and then $99 a year. Both are free to build with locally.
Do I need to know Laravel to use Statamic?
Not to build a site. You can work entirely in Antlers templates and YAML blueprints. But you are running a Laravel application whether you write Laravel code or not: Composer is a server requirement, deploys involve a Stache refresh, scheduled content runs through Laravel's scheduler, and the framework's upgrade cycle becomes yours to follow. Kirby has no framework underneath, so none of that applies.
Which one runs on cheap shared hosting?
Kirby is the easier fit. It needs PHP 8.2 or later and a standard set of extensions, works with Apache out of the box, and installs by unzipping a starter kit. Statamic needs PHP 8.3 or above, Composer and Laravel's requirements, wants a once-per-minute cron entry for scheduled content, and names hosts that do not work well with it, including GoDaddy and NameCheap.
Can I move templates between Kirby and Statamic?
Not directly. Kirby templates are plain PHP; Statamic templates are Antlers or Blade. Blade is the closer of the two to plain PHP, but the data each CMS hands a template is different, so expect to rewrite templates. Content moves more easily, because both keep pages in text files, though the field formats differ and need a script.
Which is better for a multi-language site?
Both handle it well. Kirby includes multi-language in every license, with a separate content file per language and languages added from its Panel. Statamic's multi-language is part of Pro, alongside multi-site, which makes Statamic Pro the stronger choice if you need several separate sites from one install as well as several languages.
Which works better with AI agents?
Neither ships an MCP server of its own. Kirby has a capable community MCP plugin for Composer-based projects. Statamic has MCP addons on its marketplace and ships Laravel Boost guidelines that give coding agents Statamic-specific context. If agent tooling is the deciding factor, try each against a real project.
You make a competing CMS. Why should I trust this page?
Trust it as far as you can check it. Every price and claim about Kirby and Statamic comes from their own pages, linked below, and was checked on the date at the bottom. Our own entry is marked as ours and lists where both of them do better, including Kirby's three years of updates against our two and Statamic's free Core tier. If you find something inaccurate, tell us and we will fix it.
Sources
Where these facts come from.
Checked . Software and pricing change, so check each product’s own site for their current details.
Kirby and Statamic prices and claims verified from each vendor's own site on 28 October 2026:
- getkirby.com/buy — pricing, revenue threshold, features included, update window, renewal pricing, education and non-profit programs
- getkirby.com/license — per-site scope and development installations
- getkirby.com/releases and getkirby.com/security.json — release history, the Kirby 6 beta and security advisories
- getkirby.com/docs/guide/quickstart — requirements and installation
- Kirby templates, roles, languages and API docs
- plugins.getkirby.com — the community Kirby MCP plugin
- statamic.com/pricing — tiers, Core limits, what Pro adds, and renewal pricing
- statamic.dev — requirements, licensing and recommended hosts
- statamic.dev — the Stache and scheduling — the deploy refresh and the cron requirement
- statamic.dev — REST API and GraphQL — read-only content delivery
- statamic.dev — storing content in a database and release schedule and support policy
- statamic.com/addons and github.com/statamic/cms — marketplace size and Laravel Boost guidelines
- totalcms.co/pricing — our own
All product names and trademarks belong to their respective owners. Statamic is a trademark of Statamic, LLC. We have no affiliation with Kirby or Statamic. If anything here is wrong or out of date, tell us and we will correct it.
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Put it on your shortlist, then test it.
45 days, every Pro feature, no credit card. Install it next to the others and decide with a real site in front of you.