No more pricey website builder subscriptions
As easy as a website builder. For far less.
ProtagonistCMS is the software for your website, not the hosting: you buy it once and install it on any PHP web hosting you like, such as netcup’s from €2.69 a month including domain and email. Then you edit texts and images right on the page.
- Buy the software, don’t rent it
- Runs on your own PHP web hosting
- Your content stays yours
trattoria-luna.com/?edit
Hamburg · since 1998
Fresh pasta, every day.
Handmade from our nonna’s recipes. Open for lunch and dinner, Tuesday to Sunday.
Antipasti
To share with the whole table
Pasta fresca
Made fresh every morning
Dolci
Tiramisù from the family recipe
Cost comparison
What your website really costs
Website builders lure you in with low monthly prices, but the domain and email often cost extra. With ProtagonistCMS, you buy the software once and rent the web hosting yourself, from any provider you like. It usually includes the domain and email accounts.
What you save in 3 years
€542 to €926
- ProtagonistCMS + web hosting at netcupLicense €39 once, netcup web hosting including domain and email accounts €97€136
- Squarespace BasicPlan €432, domain €30, email accounts €216€678
- Wix LightPlan €600, domain €30, email accounts €432€1,062
As of November 2026, always the lowest price when paying yearly. Wix Light costs €16.66 a month, Squarespace Basic €12. With both, the domain is only included in the first year and costs from €15 a year after that. Email accounts come through Google Workspace at Wix, from €6, and through Titan at Squarespace, from €3, per account and month. ProtagonistCMS: single license for €39 once and netcup Webhosting 1000 for €2.69 a month including a domain and 100 email accounts.
How it works
Online in three steps
No tech know-how, no command line, no database.
Rent PHP web hosting
ProtagonistCMS doesn’t run with us but on your own web hosting with PHP 8.4. Rent it from any provider you like, such as netcup’s “Webhosting 1000” for €2.69 a month including a domain and 100 email accounts. Hosting you already have often works too.
Upload the installer
After buying, you download a single file,
install.php. Upload it to your web hosting, e.g. with your provider’s file manager or an FTP program, and open it in your browser. The installer checks your server and then sets ProtagonistCMS up for you.Start typing
Add
?editto the address of any page on your website and sign in with your password. Then simply click on texts, images and sections and change them right there on the page, just as your visitors see it. One click on “Save page”, and your changes are live.
Features
Everything a website needs. Nothing that slows it down.
ProtagonistCMS is lean on purpose: it does a few things, and does them really well.
Edit where your visitors read
No preview, no back and forth, no guesswork. Click a text and write. Images, links and forms work the same way, right on your page.
Lightning fast
Visitors get finished HTML, without a heavy JavaScript framework. Good for loading times and for search engines.
Layouts that stay put
Pages are built from fixed content elements. You fill in texts and images, and the theme makes sure everything fits together.
Your data, your server
No database, no third-party cloud. All content lives as files on your web hosting, and a backup is a copy of the folder.
Multilingual
Add languages in the settings, each with its own addresses and a sitemap for search engines.
Change the design, keep the content
A new theme takes over your content. Beforehand, ProtagonistCMS shows you exactly what will change.
One-click updates
Install new versions from the settings. Every update is digitally signed, and the previous version can be restored.
Forms with spam protection
Contact forms send enquiries by email and keep bots out, without annoying captchas.
What about WordPress?
WordPress can do everything. Your website doesn’t need it to.
A large part of the web runs on WordPress, and for big magazines and shops it’s a fine choice. For a small business website, it’s often more than you bargained for.
WordPress
- Grown over more than 20 years, and it shows in many corners
- Made for blogs, shops and communities, and far more than most small websites need
- An admin area with dozens of menus and settings, where non-technical people quickly get lost
- You edit in the back end, and only the website shows how it looks
- Plugins, themes and their updates need constant looking after
ProtagonistCMS
- Built fresh, lean and down to the essentials
- Exactly what a small business website needs
- You edit right on the page: click a text and start typing
- What you type, you see right away the way your visitors will
- No plugins to look after, and updates take one click
Pricing
Pay once. Done.
No software subscriptions and no hidden costs. Pay once instead of month after month, and use ProtagonistCMS for as long as you like. The only running cost is the web hosting you rent yourself, from any provider you like.
One website
For freelancers, restaurants, tradespeople and anyone who runs their own website.
- ProtagonistCMS for one website
- All features and the default theme
- All future updates included
- No recurring fees for the software
- Runs on any PHP web hosting, hosting not included
Agency
For web designers and agencies who build websites for their clients.
- As many client websites as you like
- All features and the default theme
- All future updates included
- Your clients pay no platform fees
- Runs on any PHP web hosting, hosting not included
Custom
For web shops, platforms and web apps that need editing right on the page.
- Editing like in ProtagonistCMS, in your shop or web app
- Connected to your existing system and data
- Concept, build and support from us
- Pay by invoice
- Download link right away by email
- Updates included for good
Questions & answers
Good to know
What does ProtagonistCMS cost me in total?
The license price once, plus the web hosting you rent yourself from a provider, such as netcup’s from €2.69 a month including a domain and 100 email accounts. The software itself costs nothing more, updates included.
Do you host my website?
No. ProtagonistCMS runs on your own web hosting, the storage space for your website that you rent from a hosting provider, usually together with a domain and email accounts. It needs PHP 8.4 or newer and an Apache or LiteSpeed server, as most providers offer, netcup for example. Servers running nginx aren’t supported. The installer checks your hosting and tells you if anything is missing.
How do I install ProtagonistCMS?
After buying, you download a single file, install.php. Upload it to your web hosting, e.g. with your provider’s file manager or an FTP program, and open it in your browser. The installer asks for your password and sets everything up.
Do I need a database?
No. ProtagonistCMS stores all content in files on your web hosting. That makes it fast, robust and easy to back up: a backup is a copy of the folder.
How do I get updates?
Your website’s settings show when a new version is out, and you install it with one click. Every update is digitally signed, and the previous version can be restored. All future versions are included in the price.
Can I change the design?
Yes. Upload themes in the settings and switch with one click. Your content moves along, and beforehand you see exactly what will change.
How do I pay?
By invoice. You get the download link by email right after ordering, and the invoice follows separately.
May I use ProtagonistCMS for clients?
With the agency license, yes, for as many client projects as you like. The single license covers one website. How you hand websites over to clients and step out afterwards is on the page for agencies.
Can I have this in my web shop or web app?
Yes. On request, we build editing right on the page into existing shops, platforms and web apps. Write to us about what you have in mind.
Am I locked in to ProtagonistCMS?
No. Your content lives as readable files on your web hosting and belongs to you. The software doesn’t expire, and you can move to another provider at any time.
Ready for a website that’s yours?
€39 once for the software instead of builder fees month after month. Your website, your hosting, your content.