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
v1.27.12 · Stable Release · October 2026
Inside VonCMS

Your publishing desk.

Prepare stories, manage your publication, and publish a website readers can follow.

VonCMS React admin dashboard for managing a publishing website
Keep the day's work in view. Manage stories and site tools from one dashboard.Publishing tools
VonCMS TipTap article editor with publishing and SEO settings
Get the story ready to publish. Write the copy, add media, and prepare its search and sharing details.Editorial workflow
VonCMS TechPress news website with featured stories and category sections
Give your reporting a home. TechPress organizes headlines and categories into a public news website.See VonCMS in action

In use at SkripGlobal. Explore a live news publication running on VonCMS, from its headlines to the articles readers open.

Visit SkripGlobal
VonCMS product walkthrough video thumbnailWatch the walkthrough
Why VonCMS

Built for publishers and small newsrooms.

For independent journalists, local news websites, and small editorial teams. Take a story from draft to publication while keeping control of your site.

Give every story a clear next step.Draft, submit, review, and schedule articles in one place, with publishing access kept to authorized staff.
Prepare stories for search and sharing.Set article metadata, with sitemaps and feeds built in. Visibility still depends on your content and site.
Run a publication you control.Keep your content and database on your hosting. Start with a bundled theme and customize the source as your needs change.
VonCMS feature guideWhy VonCMS
Illustration of an independent publisher working on a publication
One story is enough to begin.
Editorial workflow

Keep the story moving, from draft to publication.

Writers prepare and submit drafts. Reviewers check the story and decide what goes live.

  1. 01

    Write

    Draft the story, add images, and prepare its publishing details.

  2. 02

    Submit

    Hand it to staff for review without giving writers publishing access.

  3. 03

    Review

    Check the copy, save edits, and return, schedule, or publish the story.

  4. 04

    Publish

    Your reporting is ready for readers to discover and share.

VonCMS Article Manager with Published, Draft, Scheduled, Review, and Archived tabs
The Review tab keeps submitted stories together, so reviewers can see what is waiting.

Writers can withdraw a submission to Draft, revise it, and submit it again.

Staff review workflow

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

Start your own news website.

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? Read the installation guide.

Is VonCMS suitable for small newsrooms?

VonCMS is a self-hosted publishing CMS for independent publishers, local news websites, and small editorial teams. It brings writing, staff review, scheduling, and a public website together. Check the hosting requirements and test your workflow before moving a live publication.

Can writers submit stories without publishing access?

Yes. Writers can prepare and submit drafts for staff review without permission to publish them. Moderators, Admins, and Root can return a submission for changes, schedule it, or publish it.

Who handles hosting, updates, and backups?

Your publication is responsible for hosting, CMS updates, and backups. Manage them yourself or arrange help with a developer or hosting provider. The free software download does not include managed hosting.

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.

VonCMS vs WordPress, Ghost, Statamic, and other CMSs.

Compare hosting requirements, editorial workflows, and public SEO capabilities. Choose the CMS that fits your publication and the setup you want to maintain.

Compare hosting, publishing workflows, and SEO
VonCMS vs other publishing CMSs
What mattersVonCMSWordPressGhostEmDashGravStatamicStrapiPayloadOctober 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. PHP + ComposerLaravel-based CMS with flat-file or database storage. 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. Users, roles, and revisionsMultiple users and revisions require Pro. 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. Templates + SEO add-onsSEO Pro adds metadata, social cards, schema, and sitemaps. 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. Laravel-based content modelingBlueprints, Antlers or Blade templates, and starter kits. 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: v1.27.12 · Free and open source · GPL-3.0-only