head to head · open source
KeystoneJS vs ProcessWire
KeystoneJS has 9,976 GitHub stars, 1,265 forks, 138 open issues and last shipped 6 days ago. ProcessWire has 1,152 stars, 207 forks, 93 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. KeystoneJS leads on adoption by 766% (9,976 vs 1,152 stars). KeystoneJS is written in TypeScript under MIT; ProcessWire is written in PHP under a custom or non-standard licence. KeystoneJS has attracted 13% as many forks as stars, ProcessWire 18%. ProcessWire was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 1 topic tag (cms), so they are genuine substitutes rather than adjacent tools.
Two open source projects, one decision. Both are free and self-hostable — the differences are community size, license terms, language stack and release pace.
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Side by side
| KeystoneJS | ProcessWire | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 10.0K | ★ 1.2K |
| License | MIT | Custom / other |
| Written in | TypeScript | PHP |
| Last push | 2026-09-14 | 2026-09-18 |
| Forks | ⑂ 1.3K | ⑂ 207 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick KeystoneJS if
- You weight community size — 10.0K stars and counting
- You want the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick ProcessWire if
- You want the ProcessWire feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Custom / other license terms
- Your stack matches PHP
- You evaluated both and ProcessWire fits your workflow better
About KeystoneJS
KeystoneJS is an open source Node.js CMS and application framework written in TypeScript and licensed under the MIT License. It lives in the Node.js, GraphQL, and React ecosystem, and its GitHub description calls it a headless CMS for Node.js. The project addresses the need to build a custom back end without writing all of the common content management plumbing by hand.
read the full KeystoneJS overview →
About ProcessWire
ProcessWire is an open source PHP content management system and framework (CMS/CMF) with a strong API, aimed at web developers, designers, and the clients who maintain the sites they build.
read the full ProcessWire overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is KeystoneJS or ProcessWire more popular?
KeystoneJS has 9,976 GitHub stars and ProcessWire has 1,152. KeystoneJS has the larger community by that measure.
Are KeystoneJS and ProcessWire free?
Both are open source. KeystoneJS is licensed under MIT, and ProcessWire has no licence declared in this registry. Both are free to self-host.
What is the difference between KeystoneJS and ProcessWire?
KeystoneJS is written in TypeScript and ProcessWire in PHP. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, KeystoneJS or ProcessWire?
Choose KeystoneJS if you want the larger community (9,976 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose ProcessWire if its feature set, stack or Custom / other licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.