Pricing
Buy it once. Own it forever.
No monthly fees. No per-site subscriptions. No pricing tier that makes your proposal awkward. One-time purchase, licensed per domain. Bake it into your project cost and move on.
Lite
$79
One-time · per domain
- 30+ built-in content types
- 30+ admin field types
- ImageWorks image processing
- JumpStart export/import
- Playground template testing
- PHP API
- REST API
Pro
$359
One-time · per domain
- Everything in Standard
- Custom schemas
- API keys & webhooks (external API)
- Deck repeatable fields
- Full white-label
- PHP CLI automation
Standard
$159
One-time · per domain
- Everything in Lite
- Blog with categories & tags
- Depot file management
- Email notifications (Mailer)
- Access Groups & permissions
- Image watermarking
- White-label admin
No credit card required · Full Pro features during trial
Need Enterprise licensing?
Volume & multi-domain licensing, priority support, and custom terms & invoicing for agencies and larger teams.
Compare
Every feature, tier by tier.
A full breakdown of what's included at each license level.
| Feature | Lite | Standard | Pro |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30+ built-in content types | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| 30+ admin field types | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| ImageWorks image processing | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| JumpStart export/import | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Playground template testing | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| PHP API | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Blog with categories & tags | — | ✓ | ✓ |
| Depot file management | — | ✓ | ✓ |
| Email notifications (Mailer) | — | ✓ | ✓ |
| Access Groups & permissions | — | ✓ | ✓ |
| Image watermarking | — | ✓ | ✓ |
| White-label admin | — | ✓ | ✓ |
| Custom schemas | — | — | ✓ |
| REST API | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| API keys & webhooks (external API) | — | — | ✓ |
| Deck fields (repeatable sections) | — | — | ✓ |
| Full white-label | — | — | ✓ |
| PHP CLI automation | — | — | ✓ |
Upgrades
Smart upgrades, built right in.
To keep upgrades simple and error-free, they are not purchased through this website. Instead, Total CMS 3 includes a built-in store in the admin dashboard that automatically recognizes your domain and license and shows only the upgrade paths available to you. The pricing below is provided as a reference — your dashboard will always present the correct options and pricing for your license.
| From \ To | Lite | Standard | Pro |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Purchase | $79 | $159 | $359 |
| Total CMS 1 | — | $119 | $299 |
| T3 Lite | — | $99 | $319 |
| T3 Standard | — | — | $229 |
| T3 Pro | — | — | — |
Updates
Buy once. Use forever. Update when you want.
Total CMS 3 includes two years of free updates and feature releases with every license. When that period ends, you're free to renew updates only if it benefits you. Your installed version will never stop working, even if updates expire. This is not a subscription. You own your license, your software, and your workflow.
| Edition | 1 Year | 5 Years |
|---|---|---|
| Lite | $19 | $79 |
| Standard | $39 | $149 |
| Pro | $79 | $299 |
FAQ
Licensing questions, answered.
Total CMS is licensed per domain — what counts as a domain?
A license covers a single production website, tied to the domain it runs on (for example, example.com). Each additional live site needs its own license.
Do I need separate licenses for dev or staging domains?
No. Every license includes two subdomains for development and testing (for example staging.example.com and dev.example.com) at no extra cost. Only additional production sites need their own license.
Can I move my license to a different domain?
Yes. If your project changes domains, you can move your license to a new domain within 12 months of purchase — no need to buy again. Re-homing is handled from your Total CMS admin dashboard.
What happens when my updates period expires?
Nothing breaks. Total CMS 3 includes two years of free updates with every license. When that period ends, your installed version keeps working exactly as it did — you're only locked out of new updates and feature releases until you choose to renew. This is not a subscription; renewing is entirely optional.
How do upgrades between tiers work?
Upgrades aren't purchased through this website. Total CMS 3 includes a built-in store in the admin dashboard that recognizes your domain and license automatically, and shows only the upgrade paths available to you at the correct price. The upgrade table above is a reference — your dashboard is always the source of truth.
Where do I buy a license?
Head to the Store to purchase Lite, Standard, or Pro.
What's your refund policy?
Every license comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee — no questions asked. We'd rather you never need it: the free 45-day trial includes every Pro feature, so you can be sure Total CMS fits before spending anything. If a purchase still doesn't work out, contact support within 30 days for a full refund.
What are the terms of the free trial?
The trial gives you full Pro features for 45 days, no credit card required. Install it, run it on a live or local domain, and decide before you buy. When the trial ends, purchase a license from the Store to keep going — nothing is deleted or locked away from you.
Get Started
Ready to own your content?
Try Total CMS free for 45 days with full Pro features, or buy your license today and get started right away.
Still comparing options? See how Total CMS stacks up against WordPress, Craft, Kirby and more — or start with our CMS buying guides.