Answers.Body: <p>(Update June 2024 - there is a standalone version that is downloadable here <a href="https://civicrm.org/download" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://civicrm.org/download</a> - currently beta)</p>
  <p>No, CiviCRM must be installed within one of these CMS platforms: Drupal, Wordpress, Joomla, or Backdrop. But this doesn't mean you need to use <em>that</em> CMS for your organization's main website — you can install CiviCRM (within one of those CMS platforms) on a subdomain.</p>
  <p>The CMS handles the part of the application which deals with <em>users</em> (i.e. &quot;reset my password&quot; and other such functionality). The fact that CiviCRM delegates this functionality to the CMS does make it a tiny bit more complicated — but tremendously more flexible! For example, perhaps in 10 years your very small organization will have grown to the point where it <em>wants</em> a CMS which can integrate with its CRM. CiviCRM leaves that possibility open.</p>
  <h3>Suggestions for you</h3>
  <ul>
  <li>Install CiviCRM with Wordpress (the simplest one)</li>
  <li>Or, if the installation process feels daunting, consider hiring a <a href="https://civicrm.org/partners-contributors?country=All&amp;services=Hosting&amp;language=All&amp;cms=All" rel="nofollow noreferrer">hosting provider</a> to set up and maintain a CiviCRM installation for you</li>
  </ul>
  <p>Instead of viewing the CMS as &quot;massive overkill&quot; I would encourage you to think of it as only one small piece of CiviCRM itself. It just happens to be a <em>modular</em> piece. The size and complexity of an empty CMS actually pales in comparison to the size and complexity of CiviCRM itself.</p>
  
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2017-06-29T17:17:08.393Z
Answers.LastActivityDate: 2024-06-05T19:37:26.323Z
Answers.LastEditDate: 2024-06-05T19:37:26.323Z
Answers.UserDisplayName: Sean
Answers.Body: <p>There is a <a href="https://civicrm.org/make-it-happen/civicrm-standalone" rel="noreferrer">Make-It-Happen</a> fundraising to get this fully developed. Please support it.</p>
  
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2023-07-19T22:32:44.157Z
Answers.LastActivityDate: 2023-07-19T22:32:44.157Z
Answers.UserDisplayName: petednz - fuzion
Answers.Body: <p>If you will not be using Drupal, Wordpress or Joomla for your main site, you can do what we did for over a year before we moved to Drupal 7 -- install Civi with your CMS of choice at a subdomain (cf: <a href="https://civicrm.stackexchange.com/a/12032/105">https://civicrm.stackexchange.com/a/12032/105</a>).  Your primary website can be as simple as you'd like it, while you still have Civi running in a separate space to manage your contacts, etc.  </p>
  
  <p>Any time you have an online signup or donation form, you can link to the subdomain from your main site. We chose Drupal integration at the subdomain so we could have complex webforms with Drupal's webforms module, and all of the data went straight into Civi.  You only have to develop or fine tune the features of the CMS you would actually be using.</p>
  
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2017-06-29T17:10:31.260Z
Answers.LastActivityDate: 2017-06-29T17:10:31.260Z
Answers.UserDisplayName: Allen Hutchison
Answers.Body: <p>Talk to the people at cividesk.com.  They have a standalone solution and they will host it for you.  If you're a coder, he will share it with you but it's not a simple implementation.</p>
  
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2017-07-04T19:16:41.760Z
Answers.LastActivityDate: 2017-07-04T19:16:41.760Z
Answers.UserDisplayName: Rob Brandt
Answers.Body: <p>small update to this post, there's now a Standalone version that is downloadable here <a href="https://civicrm.org/download" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://civicrm.org/download</a>. It's still a beta but it works</p>
  
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2024-06-05T19:35:40.827Z
Answers.Text: Going to be hard to get this Answer to the top - but that is where it belongs
Answers.UserDisplayName: petednz - fuzion
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2024-06-05T19:36:07.517Z
Answers.Text: Think I will add an EDIT to the top answer
Answers.UserDisplayName: petednz - fuzion
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2024-06-05T07:38:15.877Z
Answers.LastActivityDate: 2024-06-05T07:38:15.877Z
Answers.UserDisplayName: Guillaume Sorel
Body: <p>I was pretty excited to read about CiviCRM until I saw the requirement for one of the big 3 CMS systems. Is is possible to use/build CiviCRM without a CMS? All three of those CMS systems are massive overkill for my current needs (a very small organization with a generated/static website).</p>
  
  <p>If not, can anyone recommend an alternative open source CRM system?</p>
  
  <p>thanks!</p>
  
Tags: <evaluating-civicrm><cms-integration><standalone>
Title: Standalone CiviCRM? (no CMS)
ThreadText: # Standalone CiviCRM? (no CMS)
  
  (Asked by: username_0 on 2017-06-29)
  
  I was pretty excited to read about CiviCRM until I saw the requirement for one of the big 3 CMS systems. Is is possible to use/build CiviCRM without a CMS? All three of those CMS systems are massive overkill for my current needs (a very small organization with a generated/static website).
  
  If not, can anyone recommend an alternative open source CRM system?
  
  thanks!
  
  **Tags:** evaluating-civicrm, cms-integration, standalone
  
  
  ---
  
  ## 5 answers
  
  ### Answer by username_1 on 2017-06-29. Score: 10
  
  (Update June 2024 - there is a standalone version that is downloadable here <https://civicrm.org/download> - currently beta)
  
  No, CiviCRM must be installed within one of these CMS platforms: Drupal, Wordpress, Joomla, or Backdrop. But this doesn't mean you need to use *that* CMS for your organization's main website — you can install CiviCRM (within one of those CMS platforms) on a subdomain.
  
  The CMS handles the part of the application which deals with *users* (i.e. "reset my password" and other such functionality). The fact that CiviCRM delegates this functionality to the CMS does make it a tiny bit more complicated — but tremendously more flexible! For example, perhaps in 10 years your very small organization will have grown to the point where it *wants* a CMS which can integrate with its CRM. CiviCRM leaves that possibility open.
  
  ### Suggestions for you
  
  * Install CiviCRM with Wordpress (the simplest one)
  * Or, if the installation process feels daunting, consider hiring a [hosting provider](https://civicrm.org/partners-contributors?country=All&services=Hosting&language=All&cms=All) to set up and maintain a CiviCRM installation for you
  
  Instead of viewing the CMS as "massive overkill" I would encourage you to think of it as only one small piece of CiviCRM itself. It just happens to be a *modular* piece. The size and complexity of an empty CMS actually pales in comparison to the size and complexity of CiviCRM itself.
  
  
  ---
  
  ### Answer by username_2 on 2023-07-19. Score: 5
  
  There is a [Make-It-Happen](https://civicrm.org/make-it-happen/civicrm-standalone) fundraising to get this fully developed. Please support it.
  
  
  ---
  
  ### Answer by username_3 on 2017-06-29. Score: 2
  
  If you will not be using Drupal, Wordpress or Joomla for your main site, you can do what we did for over a year before we moved to Drupal 7 -- install Civi with your CMS of choice at a subdomain (cf: <https://civicrm.stackexchange.com/a/12032/105>). Your primary website can be as simple as you'd like it, while you still have Civi running in a separate space to manage your contacts, etc.
  
  Any time you have an online signup or donation form, you can link to the subdomain from your main site. We chose Drupal integration at the subdomain so we could have complex webforms with Drupal's webforms module, and all of the data went straight into Civi. You only have to develop or fine tune the features of the CMS you would actually be using.
  
  
  ---
  
  ### Answer by username_4 on 2017-07-04. Score: 1
  
  Talk to the people at cividesk.com. They have a standalone solution and they will host it for you. If you're a coder, he will share it with you but it's not a simple implementation.
  
  
  ---
  
  ### Answer by username_5 on 2024-06-05. Score: 1
  
  small update to this post, there's now a Standalone version that is downloadable here <https://civicrm.org/download>. It's still a beta but it works
  
  > **Comments:**
  > **username_2**: Going to be hard to get this Answer to the top - but that is where it belongs  
  > **username_2**: Think I will add an EDIT to the top answer  
  
  ---
  
  