Contao

Open source CMS built on Symfony, with multi-site and multi-language built in

/ 5

Our score

Contao is a free, open source CMS under the LGPL-3.0, built on the Symfony framework. It runs several sites and languages from one install and has detailed user permissions. You install it with Composer or the Contao Manager and host it yourself.

Overview

Contao was called TYPOlight until May 2010, when it was renamed Contao. The vendor says it has been around since 2006. It is open source under the LGPL-3.0 and free for commercial projects. It is built on Symfony.

Contao supports multiple sites in one installation, multi-language content and detailed user permissions by default. You install and manage it with Composer or the browser-based Contao Manager. Contao 6.0 was released on 26 August 2026. The vendor offers 4-year support for LTS versions and says more than 175,000 websites have been built with it.

Strengths

  • Multiple sites, multi-language content and detailed user permissions by default.
  • Predictable release cycle with 4-year support for LTS versions.
  • GDPR measures such as double opt-in, SEO features and an accessibility focus.
  • Symfony base with access to over 11,000 Symfony bundles, hooks and events.

Watch out for

  • Contao 6.0 has breaking changes: HTML5 templates are removed and only Twig is supported.
  • A German-speaking project, and the vendor says many resources are in German.
  • No SaaS option. You need hosting that can run Composer and Symfony.

Pricing

What each plan costs and what the bill is counted by: seats, sites, usage or a one-off license. The bottom of each card shows what you pay on top.

Free

Free

Free

No licence fee. LGPL-3.0, free for commercial projects.

Agencies and organisations that can host a Symfony application

  • The full CMS, open source
  • Multi-site, multi-language and user permissions
  • Install with Composer or the Contao Manager

Costs extra

Agency or partner services and hosting cost extra.

Prices checked See current prices on the vendor's site