Vorro, the VonCMS owl mascot, working on a news story with a laptop, camera, and reporting notes

VonCMS

Publishing CMS for independent publishers.

Start your own news website or blog. Write, review, and publish with your team, on hosting you control.

Download VonCMS See VonCMS in action
v1.27.6 · Stable Release · September 2026
Inside VonCMS

Your publishing desk.

Write, review, and publish on compatible PHP hosting. No Node.js runtime needed.

VonCMS React admin dashboard for managing a publishing website
Your publication at a glance. Manage content and site tools from the admin dashboard.Explore the tools
VonCMS TipTap article editor with publishing and SEO settings
Give the story your attention. Write with rich text, media, metadata, and publishing controls.Editorial workflow
VonCMS TechPress news website with featured stories and category sections
A website your readers can browse. TechPress brings your stories and categories together.See VonCMS in action

SkripGlobal is a live news publication running on VonCMS.

Visit SkripGlobal
VonCMS product walkthrough video thumbnailWatch the walkthrough
Why VonCMS

Built for publishers and small newsrooms.

Start a blog, cover your community, or run a small newsroom. Keep the tools for writing, reviewing, and reaching readers in one place.

Spend your time on the story.The editor, media library, staff review, and scheduling are included. No need to piece together the basics.
Give readers a way to find you.Article metadata, sitemaps, and feeds are built in. Search rankings still depend on your content and site.
Keep your site in your hands.Your hosting, content, and database. Use a bundled theme or work with a developer on something custom.
Full feature guideOur approach
Illustration of an independent publisher working on a publication
One story is enough to begin.
Editorial workflow

From a first draft to a published story.

Writers prepare the story. Authorized reviewers decide when it goes live.

  1. 01

    Write

    Prepare the article with text, images, and publishing details.

  2. 02

    Submit

    Send the draft for review without giving writers publishing access.

  3. 03

    Review

    Return it for changes, schedule it, or approve it for publication.

  4. 04

    Publish

    The story goes live on your website for readers to find.

VonCMS Article Manager with Published, Draft, Scheduled, Review, and Archived tabs
Article Manager brings your publishing states and the staff Review tab together.

Writers can withdraw and revise drafts. Publishing permissions stay with authorized staff.

Editorial guide

Away from your desk?

Check your publication, work on a draft, or update site settings from your phone.

VonCMS publishing dashboard with article, page, and visitor statistics on a phone
Your dashboard
VonCMS mobile article editor with Write, Publish and SEO, and AI tabs
Your draft
VonCMS mobile site settings for publication identity and SEO description
Your site settings
Get started

A home for your next publication.

Run VonCMS on compatible PHP and MySQL hosting. No Node.js runtime or separate frontend server required.

  1. Download VonCMS.

    Choose the ready-to-install package, named Deploy ZIP in each release.

  2. Upload it to your hosting.

    Extract the package into your website directory and create a database.

  3. Finish setup in your browser.

    Open the installer, enter the setup key from your hosting files, then connect the database and create your admin account.

Installation guideDeveloper setupTechnical overview
Before you start

A few practical answers.

Need hosting or installation details? Start with the docs.

Is VonCMS meant to replace WordPress?

Not for everyone. WordPress has a mature ecosystem and serves many kinds of websites. VonCMS is a smaller, publishing-focused alternative for people who want a self-hosted editorial workflow, bundled themes, and direct access to their source and data. Choose the CMS that fits your publication.

Do I need Node.js to run VonCMS?

No. The Deploy ZIP includes built frontend assets and runs on PHP and MySQL hosting. Node.js and npm are only needed if you develop from source or create a custom build.

Is VonCMS free and open source?

Yes. VonCMS is released under GPL-3.0-only. The software is free; your hosting, domain, and any optional paid services are separate costs. If you distribute modified copies, follow the license requirements.

Can I bring content from WordPress?

VonCMS includes a WordPress XML importer. Test an import on a staging site first, and check articles, media, categories, and links before changing your live website. WordPress themes and plugins are not interchangeable with VonCMS.

Compare publishing CMS options.

Check hosting, editorial tools, and the setup you want to maintain. VonCMS is one option, not the answer to every website.

Compare with WordPress, Ghost, and other CMSs
Publishing CMS comparison
What mattersVonCMSWordPressGhostEmDashGravStrapiPayloadOctober CMS
Hosting PHP + MySQLDeploy ZIP with built assets. No Node.js runtime. PHP + MySQL / MariaDBSelf-hosted or managed hosting. Node.js or Ghost(Pro)Self-host the app or use its managed service. Workers or Node.jsA TypeScript CMS built on Astro. PHP + filesFlat-file CMS with no database required. Node.js + SQL databaseHeadless APIs with a frontend you build or integrate. Node.js + Next.jsMongoDB, PostgreSQL, or SQLite adapters. PHP + databaseComposer-based setup with a required license key.
Team publishing Writer submissionsStaff review, return, schedule, and publish. Contributor reviewContributors submit; authorized editors publish. Staff rolesContributor, author, editor, and admin permissions. Role permissionsAdministrator, editor, author, and contributor. Admin users and permissionsCheck your review workflow and permission setup. Draft & PublishReview Workflows require the Enterprise plan. Drafts and access controlConfigure publishing rules for your collections. Backend roles and permissionsBuild the workflow with your chosen content tools.
Public SEO Native public outputMetadata, canonicals, schema, sitemaps, and feeds. Core and pluginsCore sitemaps and feeds; plugins add richer SEO controls. Built-in SEOMetadata, canonicals, schema, sitemaps, and social cards. Astro-based renderingCheck current theme and metadata requirements. Page metadata controlsCheck theme output, sitemap, and feed plugins. Frontend implementationYour frontend controls metadata and crawlable pages. SEO plugin + frontendStore SEO fields and render metadata in your site. Theme templates and metadataConfigure page metadata and additional SEO output.
What to explore A focused publishing baselineSix themes, an editorial workflow, and open source customization. A broad ecosystemChoose from a mature theme and plugin ecosystem. Publication and membership toolsEvaluate newsletters, memberships, and subscriptions. A TypeScript stackEvaluate sandboxed plugins and deployment options. Flat-file site managementMarkdown content, themes, and plugin options. Structured content APIsModel content and connect it to your chosen frontend. Code-first customizationDefine collections, permissions, and frontend behavior. Laravel-based customizationThemes, components, and plugins for custom sites.

A practical fit

Choose VonCMS for PHP hosting, an editorial workflow, bundled themes, and source you can change.

Compare further

Memberships, a specific integration, or your preferred development stack may point elsewhere.

Method and official sources

These notes compare documented capabilities, not speed or security benchmarks. Features can depend on version, plan, plugins, and configuration. Frontend responsibilities follow each product's documented architecture. Check your real workflow before moving.

Your publication, your way

Give your next story a home.

See VonCMS in use, or download it to start your own news website or blog.

Download VonCMSSee VonCMS in action

Latest stable: v1.27.6 · Free and open source · GPL-3.0-only