What Is Craft CMS?

So you're wondering, what is Craft CMS and what all the fuss is about? Fair question. In a world drowning in WordPress sites and cluttered with clunky content management systems, Craft CMS emerges like that friend who actually knows how to organize their digital life.

Think of Craft CMS as the Swiss Army knife of content management systems, except instead of being overloaded with random tools you'll never use, it's elegantly designed in a bespoke way with exactly what you need. Built by Pixel & Tonic, this content management platform has been quietly winning over content creators and developers who got tired of fighting their CMS instead of working with it.

But here's the thing: Craft isn't trying to be everything to everyone. It's not the "easy button" solution that promises to build your website in five minutes. Instead, it's a sophisticated cms that  respects your intelligence and gives you the flexibility to create something genuinely unique. Whether you're building a simple blog or a complex multi-site enterprise platform, Craft CMS provides the foundation without the frustration.

Craft CMS is like having a master carpenter's workshop instead of a pre-assembled IKEA furniture store. Sure, IKEA gives you everything in a box with instructions, but when you need to build something truly custom, you want the workshop with professional-grade saws, chisels, and clamps, plus the flexibility to craft exactly what you envision, not just what someone else decided you should want.

At its heart, Craft embraces a modular design approach that treats content structure and presentation like a well-organized closet: everything has its place, and you can mix and match however you like.

The real magic happens with Matrix fields and flexible content modeling. Unlike other CMSs that force you into rigid templates (looking at you, Wordpress)), Craft lets you build content structures that bend to your project's will, not the other way around. Need a page with three different content blocks, a video gallery, and a custom contact form? Matrix fields make it happen without breaking a sweat.

What really sets Craft apart is its clean separation between front-end and back-end. This isn't just developer jargon, it means your design team can go wild with creativity while your backend stays rock-solid. 

The developer-first mindset prioritizes code quality and maintainability, which translates to fewer 3 AM emergency calls about broken websites.  The Twig templating engine integration deserves special mention here. Twig brings security and power to template development, making it nearly impossible to accidentally expose sensitive data or create those cringe-worthy security vulnerabilities that keep developers awake at night.

“With Craft CMS your design can go wild with creativity while backend stays rock-solid”

Start Lean, Stay Fast

When you install Craft CMS for the first time, you might be surprised by what you don't get. There's no SEO plugin pre-installed, no contact form builder, no social media integration, and no gallery widget cluttering up your admin panel. 

At first glance, this might seem like Craft is giving you less for your money. In reality, it's giving you something far more valuable: complete control over your site's performance and functionality.

The Problem with Plugin Bloat

Most content management systems come loaded with features "just in case" you need them. While this seems convenient, it creates a hidden performance tax on every page load. Even inactive plugins consume resources. They load css files, JavaScript libraries, and database queries that your site simply doesn't need.

At the end of the day, excessive plugins pre-loaded and unused features can slow down your CMS, affect SEO, and create maintenance headaches. It's like carrying a fully loaded backpack on a day hike when all you needed was a water bottle (Mocono).

WordPress sites, for example, often ship with dozens of pre-installed plugins and themes, many of which remain unused but continue to impact load times. The average WordPress site loads 21 plugins, but studies show that most sites actively use fewer than 10. That means users are paying a performance penalty for functionality they never touch. 

Read more about Craft CMS vs. Wordpress here.

Craft CMS takes the opposite approach. Out of the box, you get a robust core system with essential content management features, but zero unnecessary extras. Want e-commerce functionality? Add Craft Commerce. Need advanced SEO tools? Install an SEO plugin. Building a membership site? Add user management features. But if you're creating a simple portfolio site, you won't be forced to carry the weight of features you'll never use.

This philosophy extends beyond just plugins. Craft doesn't assume what kind of content you want to create. Instead of forcing you into predefined post types and page structures, it gives you a blank canvas and powerful field types to build exactly what your project requires. A photography site needs different content structures than a news publication, and Craft respects that difference.

Real-World Performance Impact

The performance difference is measurable. Many Craft CMS sites have achieved a perfect ‘100’ on Google’s PageSpeed Tool if developed correctly.  When you multiply this across thousands of page views, that speed difference translates to better user experience, improved search rankings, and higher conversion rates (MadeByShape).

This lean approach isn't just about performance, it's about building with intention. When you consciously choose each tool that powers your site, you understand exactly how your system works. This makes debugging easier, security management more straightforward, and future updates more predictable.

Craft's plugin ecosystem reflects this philosophy. Instead of thousands of quick-fix plugins of varying quality, Craft offers a curated selection of well-built, professionally maintained tools. Each plugin is designed to integrate seamlessly with Craft's core architecture, reducing conflicts and compatibility issues.

When you build with Craft, you're not just managing content, you're architecting a system that will perform beautifully today and scale gracefully tomorrow. And it all starts with that refreshingly clean installation screen, waiting for you to build exactly what your project needs, and nothing more.

Now, let's talk about what makes content creators actually want to use your CMS. Craft's intuitive content authoring experience includes live preview and inline editing capabilities that make updating content feel less like wrestling with a stubborn database and more like, well, actually editing content.

The advanced user permissions and multi-site management system handles complex organizational needs without requiring a PhD in user management. You can set up granular permissions that make sense for real-world team structures, not just "admin" or "not admin."

Built-in image editing and asset management comes with automatic optimization features, which means your content team can upload high-resolution images without accidentally turning your website into a digital molasses trap. The system handles the technical heavy lifting while keeping everything looking crisp.

Craft's powerful search functionality includes full-text indexing and filtering options that actually return relevant results. Revolutionary concept, right? Meanwhile, the robust plugin ecosystem extends functionality without turning your site into a Frankenstein's monster of conflicting code.

When comparing Craft CMS to WordPress, think of it this way: WordPress is like a reliable family sedan that everyone's modified with aftermarket parts, while Craft is a purpose-built sports car. WordPress wins on ubiquity and plugin quantity, but Craft takes the trophy for flexibility and clean development approaches.

As a Drupal alternative, Craft occupies that sweet spot for projects requiring less complexity but more power than WordPress offers. You get enterprise-level capabilities without needing a dedicated Drupal whisperer on staff.

For custom CMS development, the cost-benefit analysis usually favors Craft when you factor in time-to-market considerations. Why spend months building a custom solution when Craft already solved the hard problems?

Headless CMS Notability

It is equally a strong choice for Headless CMS SEO. It offers full control over content structure, URLs, and metadata, while integrating seamlessly with modern frontend frameworks via GraphQL or REST. Paired with tools like SEOMatic,  it ensures your headless site is fast, flexible, and fully optimized for search engines. This makes Craft ideal for developers and marketers who want both performance and precision in their SEO strategy.

Web agencies and freelancers building custom solutions for discerning clients will find Craft's flexibility a game-changer. It's the CMS you can confidently propose without worrying about hitting walls six months into development.

Growing businesses that need scalability without accumulating technical debt should seriously consider Craft. It grows with you instead of becoming the legacy system everyone's afraid to touch.

Content-heavy organizations requiring sophisticated editorial workflows and publishing tools will appreciate Craft's content modeling capabilities. Complex publishing schedules and multi-step approval processes become manageable rather than nightmarish.

For e-commerce projects, Craft Commerce provides flexible online store development that doesn't box you into predetermined templates. You can create shopping experiences that actually match your brand.

Multi-brand companies managing multiple websites from a single installation will love the multi-site capabilities. One dashboard to rule them all, without the complexity overhead of managing separate installations.

Setting up Craft CMS is refreshingly low-stress. It runs smoothly on any decent PHP/MySQL stack, though spending a little more on quality hosting can make a big difference in speed and reliability, such as Severpilot or Servd.

If you’ve got some basic experience with PHP and templating, the learning curve is totally manageable. Twig, Craft’s templating language, is straightforward and actually kind of enjoyable to use—especially if you’ve worked with other modern frameworks before.

One thing that really stands out is the documentation. It’s clear, thorough, and written like the people behind it actually care. You won’t find walls of cryptic dev-speak or auto-generated nonsense here, just real, useful guidance.

Craft CMS Pricing

Craft’s pricing model is broken into three editions. The Solo version is free and covers most of what a simple site needs. Pro adds things like user permissions, multi-site support, and deeper content customization. If you’re working with a big team or need serious support and security, the Enterprise tier is worth a look. You can more in detail here.

All in all, Craft CMS is a solid choice for anyone who wants serious control without the usual enterprise headaches. It’s not the cheapest option out there, but for teams that care about performance, flexibility, and maintainability, it’s often the right one.

Here's the bottom line: Craft CMS isn't just another content management system trying to crash the WordPress party. It's a thoughtfully designed platform that treats developers like adults and content creators like professionals. Sure, it requires a bit more technical know-how than drag-and-drop solutions, but that's exactly the point.

So, If you're tired of wrestling with themes that almost work, plugins that break things every time you update and/or install them, and content structures that make you question your life choices, then Craft CMS will be your new best friend. It's built for people who want to create something meaningful without compromising on quality or flexibility.

Brilliance is a 5 star rated Craft CMS Agency in Portland, Oregon and a Craft CMS Partner. We have bright and talented people developing websites dating back to the 90's when the internet first became a thing.

No project is too complex. We love to tackle new challenges and equally we love making our clients happy and want to believe that in one way or another we have increased the quality of their business and their professional lives. We work with clients locally, nationally and worldwide. Check out some of our featured Craft CMS work.