Best Self Hosted Alternatives to Typemill Cloud

Halo is an open-source website builder and content management system for creating blogs, knowledge bases, and business websites. It focuses on an efficient editing experience, structured configuration, and a plugin/theme ecosystem for long-term maintainability and growth.

Key Features

• Rich text and Markdown editing with embeddable content elements
• Theme templates and plugin-based architecture with one-click enable/disable
• RESTful API for integrations and secondary development
• Site logs and basic status monitoring capabilities
• Built-in backup and restore for site data
• Data migration tooling from other platforms
• Multiple storage strategies, including local storage and S3-compatible object storage
• Authentication options designed for flexible access control
• Optional AI capabilities via plugins (assisted writing and knowledge-base Q&A)

Use Cases

• Personal or team blogs with a fast publishing workflow
• Knowledge base sites with search and interactive Q&A extensions
• Company websites that need modular content and easy customization

Halo is a solid choice for users who want a modern, extensible CMS with a strong ecosystem of themes and plugins, plus integration-friendly APIs. Its modular design supports everything from simple blogs to more complex content-driven sites.

Umbraco CMS is a free and open-source content management system built on .NET for creating and managing content-driven websites and digital experiences. It provides an editor-friendly backoffice and a flexible, developer-centric architecture for building customized solutions.

Key Features

• Content modeling with custom document types, templates, and structured content
• Editor-focused backoffice for creating, organizing, and publishing content
• Extensible architecture for adding custom dashboards, sections, and content apps
• Integration-friendly approach for connecting to external services and APIs
• Deployment options suitable for small sites through enterprise-scale implementations

Use Cases

• Building and managing marketing websites with custom editorial workflows
• Implementing scalable content platforms for organizations with multiple sites
• Developing tailored CMS solutions that require custom integrations and UI extensions

Umbraco CMS is well-suited for teams that want a mature .NET-based CMS with a strong editing experience and the flexibility to build highly customized implementations. Its extensibility and scalability make it a common choice for long-lived websites and evolving digital platforms.

Microweber is a drag-and-drop website builder and content management system (CMS) for creating websites, blogs, and online stores. Built on the Laravel framework, it provides a visual editing experience alongside a full admin panel for managing content and products.

Key Features

• Live drag-and-drop page building with real-time text editing
• Admin panel for managing pages, posts, products, and categories
• Built-in e-commerce capabilities for running an online shop
• Template and layout system for quickly composing pages
• Extensible module approach for adding site functionality
• Supports multiple database backends via PDO (including MySQL and SQLite)

Use Cases

• Launch a small business website with visual editing and custom layouts
• Run a lightweight online store with product and category management
• Create and maintain a blog or content-driven site without coding

Limitations and Considerations

• Requires a PHP environment and compatible database setup; features depend on server extensions being available
• Advanced customization typically involves working with themes/modules and the Laravel-based codebase

Microweber fits users who want a traditional CMS combined with a modern visual editor and integrated e-commerce. It is suitable for both non-technical site owners and developers who want a Laravel-based platform they can extend.

Bludit is a lightweight, database-free content management system for building websites and blogs. It stores content as JSON files, making setup and backups simple while keeping performance responsive on modest hosting.

Key Features

• Flat-file storage using JSON (no database required)
• Web-based admin panel for managing pages and posts
• Theme system for customizing site appearance
• Plugin system to extend functionality
• Markdown and HTML content support, including editor options
• SEO-oriented features suitable for search engines and social sharing

Use Cases

• Personal or company blogs that need quick deployment and low maintenance
• Small websites on shared hosting where databases are undesirable
• Lightweight CMS projects that benefit from file-based backups and portability

Limitations and Considerations

• Flat-file storage can be less suitable for very large sites with heavy write activity
• Feature set depends heavily on available plugins and themes

Bludit is a solid choice when you want a traditional CMS experience without operating a database. Its file-based approach, theming, and extensibility make it practical for straightforward publishing and small-to-medium websites.

Backdrop CMS is a full-featured content management system (CMS) that helps non-technical users create, publish, and manage website content. It is a fork of Drupal that emphasizes a simpler architecture, fast learning curve, and solid out-of-the-box functionality.

Key Features

• Admin UI for creating and organizing content without programming
• Extensible functionality via add-ons (modules/themes) installable from the site
• Built-in upgrade path from Drupal 7 for easier migrations
• Performance-oriented design suitable for shared hosting environments
• Developer-friendly APIs and a codebase designed to be learned quickly

Use Cases

• Company or organization websites and intranets
• Blogs and content-driven marketing sites
• Community sites such as simple social networks or image galleries

Limitations and Considerations

• Primarily targets MySQL/MariaDB deployments; other databases are not a typical focus
• Ecosystem is smaller than Drupal’s, so specific niche modules may require custom development

Backdrop CMS is a practical option for teams that want a traditional PHP CMS with a straightforward development model and strong usability for content editors. It is especially relevant for Drupal 7 users seeking a familiar, lower-complexity path forward while retaining extensibility.

Typemill is a lightweight, open-source flat-file CMS designed for documentation, manuals, knowledge bases and eBook publishing. It stores content as Markdown/YAML files, provides an author-friendly editor and a plugin/theme system for extensions and custom layouts. (typemill.net)

Key Features

• Flat-file content storage using Markdown and YAML (no database required).
• Author-friendly visual block editor plus raw Markdown editing and versioning tools.
• eBook generation (PDF and EPUB) via an eBook plugin and customizable layouts.
• Built with Slim PHP core, Vue.js frontend components and Tailwind CSS; Twig templates and Symfony event dispatcher are used for theming and extensibility. (github.com)
• Media library, user management, access control and an optional REST API for integrations.
• Kixote: a conversational/command-style AI interface for authoring and admin commands; supports external AI providers via API keys. (docs.typemill.net)
• Plugin and theme ecosystem (free and paid), plus a demo installation for testing.

Use Cases

• Producing and publishing product manuals, technical documentation, and company handbooks.
• Building knowledge bases or help centers for small to mid-sized teams and organizations.
• Creating publication projects or small eBook catalogs with single-source publishing (website + PDF/EPUB).

Limitations and Considerations

• Requires PHP 8.1 or higher and typical PHP extensions (gd, mbstring, fileinfo, session, iconv); some plugins (e.g., eBook features) may require extra extensions like php-xml or php-zip. (docs.typemill.net)
• Advanced full-text search and certain theme/plugin features may require paid MAKER/BUSINESS licenses or installing specific plugins (e.g., Bettersearch for full-text search). (plugins.typemill.net)

Typemill provides a focused, extensible platform for structured documentation and publishing workflows, balancing a small footprint with plugin-driven capabilities. It is suitable for teams that prefer Markdown-first content and want self-hosted control with optional premium plugins for advanced features. (typemill.net)

BigTree CMS is an open-source content management system built on PHP and MySQL that emphasizes developer control and an intuitive admin experience. It uses standard HTML/CSS/JavaScript and allows embedding PHP in templates for flexible site development.

Key Features

• Core built with PHP and MySQL; designed to let developers write standard HTML, CSS, JS and PHP (no proprietary templating).
• Template-driven output with editable frontend/admin UI and a visual editing workflow for pages and modules.
• Modular content types (modules, callouts, matrices) and a media manager with thumbnailing and cloud-storage integrations.
• Site integrity checking, pending changes workflow, role-based permissions, and search-optimized views.
• Bundled demo site and developer guides, plus changelog-driven maintenance and releases.

(bigtreecms.org)

Use Cases

• University, institutional, and corporate brochure sites that need hierarchical pages and fine-grained permissions.
• Custom brochure, marketing, or campaign sites where developers require full control over HTML/CSS/JS and PHP templates.

(bigtreecms.org)

Limitations and Considerations

• Smaller ecosystem and third-party plugin marketplace compared with major CMS platforms; community and ecosystem are modest in size (repository activity and star count indicate a smaller community footprint).
• Historically oriented toward traditional templated sites rather than headless or Jamstack-first workflows; integration work may be required for modern decoupled architectures.

(github.com)

BigTree is suited for teams that want developer control with an approachable admin UI and modular content modelling. It is maintained with a changelog and release notes that document compatibility and fixes for PHP/MySQL versions.

SPIP is a free and open source content management system (CMS) created for publishing websites with a strong focus on ease of use, multilingual content, and collective editorial work. It is widely used for institutional, community, personal, and small commercial sites.

Key Features

• Collaborative editorial workflow with roles/permissions for contributors and editors
• Built-in multilingual publishing tools for pages and site structure
• Flexible templating system for designing themes without changing stored content
• Article-based publishing suited to news sites, magazines, and documentation-style sites
• Extensible architecture with plugins for added features (e.g., consent management, payments)

Use Cases

• Association or NGO websites with multiple editors and contributors
• Institutional portals requiring structured publishing and multilingual pages
• Online magazines and news sites with regular editorial updates

SPIP provides a mature, community-driven publishing platform that balances editorial simplicity with the ability to build customized site designs. Its strengths make it especially suitable for collaborative teams and multilingual publishing needs.