Contao
Contao is a free, open-source content management system for building websites and web applications.
What Contao is
Contao is a free, open-source content management system for building websites and web applications. One installation can host multiple sites, including multilingual websites. Editors can work with TinyMCE, change multiple records in one operation, and restore earlier versions. Administrators can assign permissions to individual backend form fields by user or group. The core includes calendar, news and blog, and newsletter modules, as well as a form generator and full-text search with phrase, wildcard, and AND/OR options. Contao provides SEO features including structured data and automatically generated XML sitemaps, and describes support for WCAG 2.1 level AA. Security options include passkeys or two-factor authentication and automatic account locking after too many failed login attempts. The system can be installed as a preconfigured Managed Edition or added as a Symfony bundle using Composer. It runs on web servers with current PHP and MySQL; documentation recommends PHP 8.4 or later and MySQL 8.0 or equivalent MariaDB. Community forum help is free, with professional support available through partners.
Good
- Free open-source software for commercial projects
- One installation can run multiple websites
- Includes editorial controls and field-level permissions
- Built-in forms, search, calendar, news, and newsletter
- Passkeys or two-factor authentication are supported
Watch out
- Requires a web server with PHP and MySQL
- Documentation recommends PHP 8.4 or later
- Professional support is through partners
Who it suits
Contao suits people building sites that need structured publishing, multiple contributors, or multilingual content. Its intended uses include landing pages, portals, e-commerce, and enterprise sites.
Verdict
Contao offers a broad set of content, workflow, and site-management tools without a listed subscription price. It is a fit for teams prepared to manage a self-hosted system and its server requirements.
Plans and prices
From Contao's own pricing page, checked 11 Oct 2026.
| Plan | Price | What it gives you |
|---|---|---|
| Contao CMS | Free | Open source software · LGPL-3.0 · Free use, including for commercial projects |
The facts
Each one read from Contao's own pages, with the date it was checked.
What it does
- Accessibility and SEO
- Contao describes support for WCAG 2.1 level AA and provides SEO features including schema.org structured data and automatically generated XML sitemaps.checked 11 Oct 2026
- Built-in modules
- The core distribution includes calendar, news/blog, and newsletter modules.checked 11 Oct 2026
- Custom content types
- Yeschecked 22 Sep 2026
- Custom user roles
- Yeschecked 22 Sep 2026
- Deployment
- Contao can be installed as a preconfigured Managed Edition with Contao Manager or added as a Symfony bundle using Composer.checked 11 Oct 2026
- Editing
- Editors can use TinyMCE, edit multiple records at once, and restore prior versions.checked 11 Oct 2026
- Editorial workflows
- Yeschecked 22 Sep 2026
- Forms and search
- The CMS includes a form generator and full-text search with phrase, wildcard, and AND/OR searching.checked 11 Oct 2026
- Integrations
- Contao is based on Symfony and can be extended with packages from the Contao extension directory or Packagist.checked 11 Oct 2026
- Intended users
- The homepage cites use for landing pages, portals, e-commerce, and enterprise sites.checked 11 Oct 2026
- Media library
- Yeschecked 22 Sep 2026
- Multilingual content
- Yeschecked 22 Sep 2026
- Multiple sites and languages
- One Contao installation can run multiple websites and support multilingual websites.checked 11 Oct 2026
- Permissions
- Access rights can be set for individual backend form fields and assigned by user or group.checked 11 Oct 2026
- Privacy
- The homepage says Contao uses double opt-in for subscriptions and registrations and keeps a log for the legally required storage period.checked 11 Oct 2026
- Security
- Contao supports passkeys or two-factor authentication and automatically locks accounts after too many failed login attempts.checked 11 Oct 2026
- SEO tools
- Yeschecked 22 Sep 2026
- Server requirements
- The documentation says Contao runs on web servers providing current PHP and MySQL, and recommends PHP 8.4 or later and MySQL 8.0 or equivalent MariaDB.checked 11 Oct 2026
- Support
- The project offers free forum support from its community and professional support through Contao partners.checked 11 Oct 2026
- Support period
- The homepage states that long-term support versions receive four years of support.checked 11 Oct 2026
The company
- Founded
- 2006checked 28 Sep 2026
- Headquarters
- 3250 Lyss, Switzerlandchecked 28 Sep 2026
Money
- Free plan
- Yeschecked 22 Sep 2026
Where it runs
- Platform type
- self_hostedchecked 22 Sep 2026
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