Laravel is a free, open-source PHP framework for building web applications. It's popular because it simplifies common development tasks like routing, database queries, and authentication and provides a solid structure.
Now, Laravel already handles databases really well. You've got Eloquent, migrations, seeders - the whole package. So why would you even need a CMS?
Well, here's the thing: if your project involves managing content like blog posts, landing pages, team bios, product descriptions, or anything that's going to be updated by someone who isn't a developer - a CMS saves you from reinventing the wheel. It gives non-technical folks a UI to create, edit, and publish content without touching your codebase or database directly.
Laravel doesn't come with a built-in CMS, which is great for flexibility but also means you're left to choose one on your own.
The good news is that there are a lot of options out there. Some CMSs are built specifically for Laravel. Others are headless as they expose content over an API so you can plug them into anything, including Laravel.
This article highlights seven CMSs that make sense for Laravel projects. These are not just random names; they are tools I've explored, tested, or seen used in actual builds. Some integrate tightly with Laravel, while others work well alongside it without getting in the way.
Let's get into it.
#1. Hygraph
Hygraph is a GraphQL-native headless CMS built for teams that need to scale content across platforms, regions, and languages. It's ideal for Laravel developers who want precise control over how they fetch content and structure their frontend, without being tied to a traditional monolithic CMS.
With Hygraph, content is fully decoupled from presentation. You define your schema, model your data, and use GraphQL to query exactly what you need. It also supports features like remote content federation, localization, role-based access, and live preview.
Thanks to its flexible APIs, Laravel developers can integrate Hygraph into their app in minutes using tools like Guzzle or Laravel's HTTP client.
Key features of Hygraph:
GraphQL-native content API: Hygraph lets you query only the data you need. This keeps things lean and efficient, especially when you're dealing with large-scale content across different platforms.
Flexible content modeling: You can build out your schema exactly how you need it using relations, components, and field types.
Content federation via remote sources: Hygraph can pull in and unify content from external APIs, databases, or services so you don't need to build custom glue code or ETL pipelines.
Localization and multi-site support: Manage multiple locales, languages, or even brands from a single instance.
Granular roles and permissions: Control who can see or edit what, down to individual models or fields.
Live preview and visual editing: Editors get real-time previewing, comment threads, and intuitive building blocks (like Lego pieces) to create layouts with minimal dev involvement.
Best for:
Hygraph is best suited for Laravel projects that need to scale fast and support dynamic, content-heavy frontends especially if you're publishing to more than just a website. Think marketing sites, e-commerce platforms, multilingual apps, and multi-brand ecosystems.
It's also a great pick for teams with a clear divide between developers and content editors. Developers can focus on building frontends and integrations using Laravel and GraphQL, while editors manage the content through Hygraph's clean UI.
Pricing: Hygraph's free Hobby plan includes 2 locales, 3 seats, and core features. Growth starts at $199/month with team support, versioning, and more. Check their pricing page for details.
#2. Statamic
Statamic is a modern CMS built on Laravel that skips the traditional database in favor of a flat-file setup. This makes it faster and easier to version control, making it a great fit for developers who want more control over their project's structure.
It's not just a CMS, but a developer-friendly platform that lets you build complex, custom sites without fighting the system. The templating is flexible, the backend is clean, and the editing experience is polished enough for clients and content editors.
Key features of Statamic:
Flat-file by default, database when needed: Statamic stores your content as Markdown and YAML files, which makes it Git-friendly, portable, and fast. But if your project grows or demands database storage, you can switch modes without losing your mind.
Powerful, customizable control panel: The control panel is clean and intuitive out of the box, but also highly customizable. With Blueprints and fieldsets, you can structure your content exactly how you want.
Built-in version control and workflow tools: Statamic tracks content revisions, supports drafts, and lets you roll back changes. This gives teams confidence when collaborating and reduces the chances of breaking anything important.
Live preview and block-based editing: Content editors can preview changes in real time and use Bard (Statamic's block-based editor) to create flexible page layouts without developer help.
Multisite, multilingual, and headless-ready: Build and manage multiple sites or languages from one control panel. And if you need to go headless, Statamic has REST and GraphQL APIs built in.
Best for:
Statamic is an excellent fit for Laravel developers who want a CMS that respects their workflow, integrates deeply with their stack, and doesn't require bolting on a database if they don't need it.
It's perfect for custom websites that need flexibility in both structure and design - whether that's a marketing site, a documentation hub, a blog, or a multi-language enterprise site. Teams that value clean version control and editors who need a smooth UX will appreciate what Statamic offers.
Pricing: Statamic Core is free for solo use. Pro costs $275/site + $65/year, adds team features and APIs. Dev/staging use is free. Enterprise adds things like 2FA and support.
#3. October CMS
October CMS is a Laravel-based, self-hosted CMS designed to give developers full control without overwhelming them or their clients. It's built around simplicity, flexibility, and extensibility, making it a favorite among agencies and dev teams, building everything from simple websites to complex custom applications.
Because it's tightly integrated with Laravel, October CMS feels familiar to anyone used to the framework. You can reuse code, build custom plugins, and create complex business logic - all while giving content editors a clean, easy-to-use backend that doesn't require hand-holding.
Key features of October CMS:
Built on Laravel: October CMS runs natively on the Laravel framework, so developers can build fast and stay productive using the tools they already know - routes, controllers, models, and everything in between.
Component-based architecture: You can break your frontend into reusable components and quickly drop them into any page. This keeps your templates clean and helps you ship faster.
Clean and intuitive backend: Clients love October CMS because the admin area is simple, uncluttered, and easy to navigate - even for non-technical users. Onboarding content editors takes minutes, not hours.
Extensive plugin ecosystem: The built-in Marketplace offers hundreds of plugins and themes to extend functionality. From e-commerce to SEO, chances are there's already a plugin that fits your need.
Highly customizable and scalable: October CMS gives you full control over the project structure. You can build completely custom logic, integrate with third-party APIs, or even go headless if needed.
Active community and professional support: With a vibrant developer community and an official Partner Program, you're never far from help, guidance, or inspiration.
Best for:
October CMS is best for developers and agencies who want full control over their Laravel-based projects, without sacrificing simplicity or editor usability.
It shines in projects that require flexibility - whether that's a small business website, a custom client portal, or a full-fledged web application. If you're building with Laravel and want a CMS that stays out of your way while giving you power under the hood, this one hits the sweet spot.
Pricing: October CMS offers a free license with full features and one year of updates. A Single License is $29/project, and agencies can get unlimited licenses for $26/month. Check their site for full pricing details.
#4. Lavalite
Lavalite is an open-source CMS built on Laravel, focused on helping developers quickly spin up content-driven websites and cloud-based applications. It ships with a pre-built set of tools and packages - including user management, file handling, theming, and SaaS support - so you can get projects off the ground without writing everything from scratch.
What sets Lavalite apart is its modular, developer-first architecture. You can create reusable components using the built-in package builder, customize everything down to the theme structure, and deploy cleanly with minimal setup. It's lightweight, extendable, and intentionally unopinionated, so it doesn't get in your way when building custom features.
Key features of Lavalite:
Modular package system: Lavalite lets you build, edit, and manage features as packages. Use their online package builder to scaffold clean, ready-to-go code and reduce boilerplate when spinning up new modules.
Built with Laravel and HMVC architecture: It follows Laravel best practices and uses a clean hierarchical model-view-controller (HMVC) approach, making it easy to maintain and extend over time.
Pre-packaged essentials: Lavalite comes bundled with essentials like user roles, file manager, themes, and SaaS-ready scaffolding - so you're not starting from scratch.
Custom theming and layouts: The CMS provides four starter themes (Admin, User, Client, and Public) and full control over theme layouts, views, and assets, giving you complete design freedom.
Responsive and lightweight UI
Lavalite's backend is clean and responsive out of the box. It's built on Bootstrap and keeps things simple, which makes it easier for clients to manage content.
Best for:
Lavalite is a great fit for developers looking for a Laravel CMS that's open, lightweight, and fast to customize. If you prefer to build your own features rather than rely on a bloated plugin ecosystem, Lavalite gives you the tools to scaffold functionality exactly how you want it.
It works especially well for SaaS apps, portals, and multi-module web applications where content management is just one part of a larger system. Its flexibility makes it suitable for a wide range of industries.
Pricing: Lavalite is completely free and open source. There are no licensing fees, no feature gating, and no upsells. You can download it, customize it, and use it for personal or commercial projects without restrictions.
#5. Winter CMS
Winter CMS is a free, open-source content management system built on Laravel. It is designed to speed up, simplify, and stabilize your development workflow. It was forked from October CMS and is maintained by a community of developers and agencies focused on open collaboration and long-term reliability.
Winter offers a developer-first experience without sacrificing usability for clients. It gives you the essentials out of the box, keeps the architecture clean, and provides a solid plugin and theme ecosystem for extending functionality as needed. Whether you're building a small marketing site or a full-blown web app, Winter makes it easier to move fast without hitting architectural roadblocks.
Key features of Winter CMS:
Lightweight and performant core: Winter is intentionally lean, with no bloated code or unnecessary dependencies. You get just what you need to start fast, with the option to layer on more features via plugins.
Built on Laravel: If you're already familiar with Laravel, Winter feels like home. You can use Laravel's routing, models, migrations, and more - plus extend the CMS as you would any Laravel app.
Flexible plugin and theme system: Winter has a powerful plugin architecture and a growing marketplace. Without reinventing the wheel, you can extend the backend, add custom features, or even spin up entire app modules.
Intuitive backend for clients: The control panel is clean, simple, and fully customizable. Clients and non-technical users can manage content confidently, while developers can tweak the experience as needed.
Focused on long-term stability and security: Winter takes backwards compatibility seriously and acts fast on security issues. It's maintained by developers who build real-world projects with it, so the roadmap is practical and grounded.
Great for quick prototyping and real projects: Winter balances ease of use with developer power. It's just as effective for a quick MVP as it is for a production-ready enterprise site.
Best for:
Winter CMS is ideal for developers and agencies who want full control over their Laravel-based projects without dealing with unnecessary complexity. If you've used October CMS before and want a more open, community-driven fork with long-term stability, Winter is a natural fit.
It's especially useful for projects that need a flexible backend, clean code, and a CMS that can adapt to both small and large-scale use cases.
Pricing: Winter CMS is completely free and open source, released under the MIT license. There are no paid plans, license restrictions, or usage limits.
#6. Strapi
Strapi is an open-source headless CMS that makes it easy for developers to build customizable APIs and content systems that plug into any frontend. Built in Node.js, it's framework-agnostic and plays well with tools like Laravel, even though it's not PHP-based itself. You get full control over your content structure, user roles, and API responses, whether you're using REST or GraphQL.
What makes Strapi stand out is how flexible and extensible it is. It's designed to stay out of your way and let you build the CMS experience that fits your project - not the other way around. You can self-host it, deploy it with Strapi Cloud, or integrate it into a Laravel backend using standard HTTP clients.
It's developer-first, but editors get a clean UI that makes managing complex content a lot less painful.
Key features of Strapi:
Content-Type Builder with Dynamic Zones: Create structured or flexible content models in minutes with a no-code interface. Use Dynamic Zones to let editors drag and drop sections without breaking layouts.
Fully customizable APIs: Edit and extend the API logic directly in the codebase. Strapi generates REST and GraphQL endpoints for each content type, and you can modify or extend them as needed.
Authentication and RBAC: Strapi handles user management with built-in support for JWT, OAuth2, and SSO providers. Role-based access control ensures you can lock down content editing and API access however you need.
Marketplace with plugins and integrations: Extend functionality with a growing ecosystem of plugins and integrate with tools like Cloudinary, Algolia, and Sentry.
Self-hosted or fully managed: You can run Strapi on your own infrastructure or opt for Strapi Cloud, which provides hosting, backups, CDN, and logging.
Framework and DB agnostic: Strapi is backend-flexible. You can use it with Laravel via HTTP clients like Guzzle or Laravel's HTTP client. It also supports PostgreSQL, MySQL, MariaDB, and SQLite.
Best for:
Strapi is great for teams that want full control over their CMS and API structure, especially when working in a headless or multi-channel setup. It's a solid choice if you're using Laravel for backend business logic and want a frontend-agnostic content engine.
It works well for projects like marketing sites, editorial platforms, e-commerce frontends, and custom apps where structured content and flexible delivery matter.
Laravel devs will appreciate that Strapi doesn't try to replace their stack - it complements it, acting purely as a content service that you can call over REST or GraphQL.
Pricing: Strapi offers a free self-hosted plan, with Growth at $15/seat/month and custom-priced Enterprise. Cloud plans start at $15/month. Check their site for details.
#7. ButterCMS
ButterCMS is a headless CMS that nails the balance between developer simplicity and marketing flexibility. It's a fully hosted, API-first solution with native Laravel support, meaning you can drop it into your Laravel project and go live in under an hour. Everything's managed for you - no dealing with infrastructure, updates, or security patches.
The big draw here is how fast it is to integrate and how little maintenance it requires. Whether you're building a simple blog, complex marketing pages, or a multi-language SaaS site, ButterCMS helps you move fast without sacrificing structure or control.
Key features of ButterCMS:
First-Class Laravel Integration: Comes with an official Laravel SDK and starter project. Fetch content using simple API calls and map it directly to your Laravel components or Blade templates.
Component-Based Content Modeling: Let marketers create and reorder sections using drag-and-drop components, while devs structure those components in Laravel. Clean separation, no conflict.
Blazing Fast Global CDN: All content and assets are served via a globally distributed CDN.
Real-Time Previews and WYSIWYG: Editors can instantly see how their content will appear. Works seamlessly with dynamic components too.
Multi-Site, Multi-Locale Support: Run multiple websites or language variants from one dashboard. Locale-based permissions help control access on a granular level.
Built-In SEO Tools and Blog Engine: Includes SEO fields, meta tags, rich text editing, media management, and a full-featured blog engine.
Hosted, Secured, and Scalable: Hosted on secure infrastructure with daily backups, GDPR/CCPA compliance, encryption at rest and in transit, and a 99.99% uptime SLA (Enterprise plans).
Developer Productivity: Comes with starter kits for most stacks such as Laravel, REST API, webhooks, media library, and CLI tools. You can be productive in minutes.
Best for:
ButterCMS is perfect for Laravel teams that want a true plug-and-play headless CMS with zero operational burden. If you're building marketing pages, SEO-friendly blogs, product landing pages, or multilingual sites.
It's also ideal for agencies juggling multiple clients or enterprises managing many sites. You get a structured, scalable content platform without the headaches of self-hosting.
Pricing: ButterCMS has a free Developer plan. Micro is $99/month, Startup is $199/month, and Small Business is $375/month. For Enterprise & Agency, pricing is custom. Check their pricing page for more details.
#Final thoughts
Choosing the right CMS for your Laravel project depends on what you're building and who you're building it for.
If you're building serious Laravel apps that need speed, flexibility, and scale - Hygraph should be high on your list. It's built for teams who need more than just a blog, offering a GraphQL-native API, powerful localization, component-based content modeling, and enterprise-grade performance out of the box.
While tools like Statamic, October CMS, and Strapi all bring something to the table, Hygraph stands out for its clean developer experience and its ability to handle complex, multilingual, and multi-channel content without bloating your Laravel stack.
Want to see how it all fits together? Check out how to integrate Hygraph with Laravel.
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