A free CMS for RapidWeaver Elements.

Official CMS for RapidWeaver

Add a blog, portfolio, or knowledge base to any RapidWeaver Elements site. Markdown-based, no database, no complicated setup — and free to get started.

See Plans
Read documentation

Watch the overview

Elements CMS 2 Available Now!

Use Cases

One CMS, endless possibilities.

From personal blogs to portfolio listings to large client sites, Elements CMS adapts to whatever you're building.

Blogs

Publish articles with tags, authors, comments, RSS, and Open Graph support — everything a modern blog needs.

Portfolios

Showcase work in a filterable grid. Let visitors browse by client, category, or medium.

Knowledge Base

Build a searchable library of documents that automatically surface related articles. Perfect for support and documentation.

Client Sites

Hand clients a clean browser-based editor so they can manage their own content — no RapidWeaver required.

Media management

Upload and manage images, PDFs, videos, and other files directly through the Online Editor — from any device.

Global content

Make any piece of content on your site editable online. Hero text, profile images, or anything else that needs to stay current.

Explore the components

How it works

Up and running in minutes.

Drop the components onto your page, point them at a folder of Markdown files, and publish. It really is that simple.

1. Add the components

Drop the Elements CMS components onto your RapidWeaver Elements page. Choose what you need — a Collection to list posts, an Item page to display them, Search to help visitors find content.

2. Add your content

Write posts as Markdown files, or use the free Online Editor to create and edit content from any browser. Either way, your content is stored as simple, portable Markdown files.

3. Publish

That's it. Your site now has a fully-functional CMS with search, pagination, related posts, comments, RSS, and browser-based editing — no database, no ongoing costs.

Install Elements CMS

Free to build. Free to edit.
Pro when you're ready.

Elements CMS and the Online Editor are free for everyone. Go Pro when you need unlimited users, version history, webhooks, and full client site management.

Explore Online Editor

See what's in Pro

Easy Setup

Built for RapidWeaver Elements.
Powered by Markdown.

Every piece of content is a plain Markdown file with a YAML front matter header. Your content is always portable — edit it in any text editor, manage it through the free Online Editor, or keep it under version control with Git.

your-next-post.md

Need more content?

Create an .md file

Your content is just files.

The header defines your title, date, tags, author, and any other metadata. The body is your content in standard Markdown. No database to export, no proprietary format to convert — your words are always yours.

Why Markdown? It's an open, universal format — portable, version-control friendly, and never locked into any proprietary system.

Organise your content however you like.

Create, delete, and rearrange files freely — Elements CMS adapts to your structure. Set up tags, authors, and category folders for automatic relationships.

When you're ready for browser-based editing, just add the free Online Editor.

Install Elements CMS

Official Components

Everything you need, included free.

A growing library of free, native components for RapidWeaver Elements. Build a blog, portfolio, or content section — no database, no lock-in.

Collection

Paginated list of items, filterable by any field

Item

Full post page with metadata and Open Graph tags

Search

Live full-text search that updates as visitors type

Pagination

Page numbers with previous/next navigation

Load More

Load additional content without a page reload

Tag List

All tags with post counts — click any to filter

Related Items

Automatically matched by shared tags and authors

Comments

Reader comments with a built-in approval workflow

See how each component works

Stay in the loop

v2 brings AI features, an online editor, and new components. Be the first to know when we launch by signing up to our spam free newsletter.

We'll email you at launch. No spam, ever.

Online Editor

Edit online for free.
Add power for a small fee.

Build and design locally in RapidWeaver Elements for free. Add the Online Editor when you want to manage content from any browser.

Included with Elements

Free

$0

Free forever. Included in Elements.

Components

Frontend components for Elements

New live Search component

Online Editor

WYSIWYG Editor

One Content Folder

One Resources Folder

One User

For individuals

Solo

$99

Lifetime updates, no subscription.

Everything in Free, plus

Unlimited content folders

Unlimited resources folders

Version history & rollback

Custom frontmatter fields

Advanced field types

Content sub-folders

Resources sub-folders

Solo $99

For client sites

Studio

$199

Lifetime updates, no subscription.

Everything in Solo, plus

Unlimited users

User roles

Whitelabel theming

MCP for Claude, Codex, and more.

AI Writing Assistant

Webhooks

JSON API

Studio $199

Plan Comparison

Elements CMS Plans

Build and design locally in RapidWeaver Elements for free. Add the Online Editor when you want to manage content from any browser.

Free

Solo

Studio

WYSIWYG Markdown editor

Resource uploading

Content folders

One

Unlimited

Unlimited

Resource folders

One

Unlimited

Unlimited

User accounts and roles

One

One

Unlimited

Sub folder support

Version History and rollback

Custom frontmatter fields

Resource resizing

Premium form fields

Whitelabel theming

MCP Server

AI Writing assistant

Webhooks

JSON API

Use on sub-domains

Included with Elements

Solo $99
Studio $199

Support

Frequently Asked Questions

Answers to the most common questions about Elements CMS.

What are the server requirements?

Elements CMS runs on standard PHP hosting — no database, no special stack.

You'll need:

  • PHP 8.4 or newer with the mbstring extension
  • A standard, unmodified PHP install
  • A non-Windows web server (Linux hosting is recommended)
  • Pages that access CMS data must use the .php extension (not .html)

Not sure what your server is running? Drop a phpinfo.php file containing <?php phpinfo(); ?> into your site root, visit it in a browser, and you'll see your PHP version and loaded extensions. Delete the file afterwards — it exposes sensitive information.

See the full system requirements in the docs.

Is my content locked in?

Never. Everything is plain Markdown with YAML frontmatter — an open, universal format. No proprietary database, no export step, no vendor lock-in. Your content works in any text editor and can be version-controlled with Git.

How does the editor license work?

Each Pro license covers one domain. If you build sites for clients, each site needs its own license. Licenses can be transferred to a different domain at any time.

Can clients use this on sites I build?

Yes. Set yourself up as admin, create an editor account for your client, and hand them a clean browser-based interface to manage their content. They never need to touch RapidWeaver or any files.

Where are my files hosted?

Wherever your site is hosted. Elements CMS doesn't require any external service — your Markdown files sit on the same server as your site. No third-party accounts, no additional hosting costs.

Do I need the Online Editor to use Markdown content?

No. The free components read and display Markdown files directly — manage them with any text editor you like. The Online Editor adds a browser-based visual editor when you want to edit content without touching files directly.

What do I need to get started?

You need a RapidWeaver Elements website. Install the free components from the Elements Store, drop them onto your pages, add Markdown files, and publish. No database, no server configuration, no hosting changes required.

Can I use one licence across multiple domains?

No. Each licence is tied to a single domain (e.g., yourdomain.com).

A Studio licence covers the main domain plus unlimited sub-domains meaning yourdomain.com, blog.yourdomain.com, shop.yourdomain.com, and any others all run under one licence.

A Solo licence covers that one domain only, meaning sub-domains (like blog.yourdomain.com) aren't included.

For separate sites on different domains, each needs its own licence.

Are the components really free?

Yes. All display components (Collection, Item, Pagination, Load More, Search, Tag List, Related Items, and Comments) are free on the Elements Store. The Online Editor is also free. You only pay if you need Pro features like unlimited users, version history, or webhooks.