Total CMS Reviews & Product Details

Total CMS is a flat-file content management system for web professionals who build sites for other people. Content is stored as plain JSON or Markdown files on your own server, with no database to install, configure, or migrate. Drop it on any PHP 8.2+ host, or install with Composer, and it runs. It's designed for the handoff. Clients get a clean admin where they can edit only the fields you choose, so the design you built stays intact. Access groups control who can see and change what, set in the admin rather than in config files. Build sites however you prefer: hand-written Twig templates, the built-in Site Builder for pages and routes, a visual builder like Stacks, or a coding agent. Every install includes an MCP server, so AI tools such as Claude, ChatGPT, and Cursor can look up the documentation for that exact version and read public content. Pro adds authenticated access, so agents can work with the site's schemas and private content, and write through the same validation and permissions a human editor uses. Features include custom content schemas, one-line SEO with structured data, automatic content versioning, on-the-fly image processing, a REST API, automations, an extension system, multilingual content, and 130+ custom Twig filters and functions. Total CMS is commercial software sold as a one-time license per domain, Standard at $195 or Pro at $395, including two years of updates. The site keeps working if you never renew. A free 45-day trial includes every Pro feature. Shipping since 2015.