What does Craft CMS do?

Craft CMS is a content management system that lets you update and organize your website without touching code. You can edit pages, upload images, and manage content in a clean, editor-friendly way.

Yes. Craft CMS is actively maintained, updated often, and has fewer common vulnerabilities than many other CMS platforms. Security is one of the reasons agencies and brands trust it.

What language does Craft CMS use?

Craft CMS is built on PHP and uses Twig as its templating language. That combo makes it flexible for developers and stable for businesses.

Is Craft CMS a headless CMS?

Yes! It works as both a traditional CMS and a headless CMS. In headless mode, it can serve content to apps, websites, and other platforms via its API.

Is Craft CMS like WordPress?

In some ways, yes — both are CMS platforms. But unlike WordPress, Craft CMS doesn’t rely on pre-made themes or plugin overload. It’s built to be cleaner, faster, and more flexible.

Is Craft CMS is better than WordPress?

Well that’s a tricky question. 'Better' depends on your needs. WordPress is ideal for quick, template-driven sites. Craft CMS is often a better choice for projects where security, performance, design, and long-term scalability matter most.

Is Craft CMS any good?

Well, we think so! Craft CMS is praised by developers for its flexibility and by editors for its simplicity. It’s not always the cheapest option, but it gives you a custom site that can grow with your business.

What is Craft CMS?

Q: What is Craft CMS used for?

It’s widely used for content-heavy websites, multilingual projects, marketing teams who need an easy editor experience, and businesses that care about custom design and scalability.

So, what exactly is Craft CMS, and why do so many designers and developers swear by it?

We’ve been building sites with Craft for years at LuckyTurn, so here’s the full lowdown on what it is, how it works, and why it might just be the right fit for your website.

What is Craft CMS? The short version

Craft CMS is a content management system, the software behind a website that lets you edit pages, upload images, and manage content without touching code. First launched in 2013, Craft CMS has steadily grown into a flexible, developer-friendly platform loved by editors and businesses alike.

The difference? While some platforms lock you into rigid templates, Craft CMS starts as a blank canvas. Your developer (that’s where we come in) can set up the structure, design, and features to fit exactly what you need. Curious how that works in practice? Have a peek at our Craft CMS agency page.

How does Craft CMS work?

Craft is built to be simple for editors and powerful for developers. A few things that set it apart:

Structured content. Content is stored in a logical way, making it easy to manage, search, and reuse across pages.
Design freedom. The design sits separately from the content, so you can refresh or completely redesign your site without breaking anything.
Developer-friendly setup. It runs on PHP and Twig templates. No, they’re not reggaeton artists, they are modern, powerful, and clean templates widely supported by developers.
Custom fields. Instead of forcing your content into rigid blocks, Craft lets developers create custom fields tailored to your needs.

This balance, straightforward for content teams, flexible for developers, is why so many projects and businesses turn to Craft.

Why people choose Craft CMS

What is Craft CMS really good at then? Here are some of the big reasons businesses and agencies pick it:

Flexibility. Build exactly what you need, without being boxed into a one-size-fits-all theme.
Performance. Lean, clean code and fewer unnecessary plugins mean faster load times and a smoother experience.
Security. Regular updates and fewer common vulnerabilities give Craft its reputation as a highly secure choice.
Scalability. Just as effective for a small business site as for a multilingual, multi-country content hub.
Future-ready. With headless CMS options, Craft can build not just websites but apps, digital displays, and more. Clever old thing.

What is Craft CMS used for?

Craft CMS is used by everyone from small design studios to big-name global brands. It’s especially handy for:

Content-heavy sites that need structure, speed, and strong SEO foundations.
Marketing teams who want an editor-friendly CMS without wrestling with clunky menus or plugin overload.
Businesses running multilingual or multi-location sites, thanks to Craft’s built-in localisation tools.
Organisations that care about design, since Craft doesn’t force you into cookie-cutter themes.

Want examples? Have a look at some of our Craft CMS case studies.

Craft CMS Plugins: Extending your site

One of the things people love about Craft CMS is how easy it is to extend. While Craft comes with most essentials built-in, plugins let you add extra functionality without reinventing the wheel.

Here are a few examples:

SEO plugins – optimise pages, manage metadata, and boost search visibility.

Forms & data capture – from simple contact forms to complex customer surveys.

E-commerce – Craft Commerce is the big one for online stores.

Analytics & reporting – connect to analytics tools, track performance, and make data-driven decisions.

And if there isn’t a plugin that does exactly what you need, Craft makes it straightforward for us developers to build custom ones for you!

Basically, Craft’s plugin ecosystem is flexible but not overwhelming. You get the tools you need, when you need them, without unnecessary nonsense.

Craft CMS for SEO, marketing and growth

One of the things we often tell our clients is that Craft isn’t just flexible for developers: it’s built to make life easier for marketers too. It's got clean URLs, custom meta fields, structured content, and built-in sitemaps, so your content is ready for search engines. Add integrations with analytics, newsletters, and social platforms, and you’ve got a CMS that supports campaigns across multiple channels.

Cost and licensing with Craft CMS

Thankfully, Craft CMS uses a clear and predictable licensing model, which we think is far easier to budget for than platforms full of hidden add-ons or premium themes.

Solo edition – Free. Ideal for personal projects or single-user sites. Great if you want to explore Craft without commitment.

Pro edition – A one-time licence fee for professional or business use, with an optional annual renewal to keep updates and support active.

Plugins & extras – Some premium plugins (and Craft Commerce, for e-commerce) are paid, but most essentials are built-in. This means less reliance on third parties and fewer long-term maintenance headaches.

The pricing is refreshingly straightforward, with no sneaky extras, and no surprise subscriptions just a clear licence and optional updates.

Craft CMS vs WordPress (and other CMSs)

Craft often gets compared to WordPress, Drupal, and Joomla. All of these have their strengths, but Craft stands out for a these reasons:

Craft’s dashboard is cleaner and more intuitive. Editors don’t have to fight their CMS.

WordPress leans heavily on pre-made themes or stacks of plugins. Craft starts as a blank canvas and builds exactly what’s needed.

Performance & security, Fewer plugins equals leaner, faster, and often more secure.

Long-term scalability. As we've mentioned above, Craft is designed for structured, custom content that can grow with your business rather than being shoehorned into templates.

Is Craft CMS right for you?

If you want a site that’s secure, scalable, and tailored to your content, Craft CMS is well worth a look. If you’re after something quick, cheap, and template-driven, it might not be the right match.

If you’re curious about what Craft could do for your business, start here: our Craft CMS agency page.