Exponential in brief
This page is for journalists and creators who need to understand Exponential in five minutes before an interview, a story or a video. Each section answers one question and names its source. The facts were checked on 18 October 2026; release numbers and counts change, so check the linked page before you publish.
Contents
- What it is
- Who stands behind it
- Where it came from
- What is new
- License and price
- Where it runs
- The community
- Three things reporters often get wrong
What it is
"Exponential is a professional PHP application framework with advanced CMS (content management system) functionality. As a CMS its most notable feature is its fully customizable and extendable content model. It is also suitable as a platform for general PHP development" (README.md).
In plain words: organizations define their own types of content (articles, products, events, anything), edit them in a browser with versions and approval, publish them to one or several websites in many languages, and sell through a built-in shop. Developers build applications on the same framework. The README's feature list includes user-defined content classes, version control, multilingual support, a built-in search engine, role-based permissions, approval and scheduled publication, multisite, e-commerce, workflows, a template engine and a headless REST API.
Who stands behind it
| Who | What | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 7x | The company that leads development, support, hosting and services; "took over leadership of the project ... in 2023" | Who is 7x? |
| The Exponential Foundation | A nonprofit, "a 501(c)(3) Non-Profit Corporation founded in Seattle, Washington, USA" on 19 March 2026; it operates and funds the project | Who is the Exponential Foundation? |
| The contributors | Hundreds of people over the history of the code; pull requests since December 2023 from 7x and from other companies and developers | How the project grows |
The copyright notice reads "Copyright (C) 1998 - 2026 Exponential Foundation and 7x. All rights reserved." next to "Copyright (C) 1999 - 2014 eZ Systems AS" (COPYRIGHT.md).
Where it came from
The code was first the code of eZ Publish, developed by the Norwegian company eZ Systems from 1999. eZ Publish was a product that its creator discontinued after almost 18 years of service; its last releases are listed until 2021. 7x's project grew in three stages: the idea in 2014 (when the se7enx.com domain was registered and the fork was prepared quietly), the start of the project in 2022, and its launch in December 2023, when the first outside change of the fork was merged. Version 6.0.0 followed on 1 January 2024. The product was renamed Exponential on 11 and 12 August 2025. Details: Timeline for reporters, 7x in three stages: 2014, 2022, 2023, Why it is called Exponential.
What is new
6.0.15 is the current release line of Exponential 6.0; it follows 6.0.14 (7 June 2026). Its changelog lists, among much else (6.0.15 changelog):
| Feature | In one sentence | Story |
|---|---|---|
| Exponential Velocity | A web server written in PHP that keeps the application loaded between requests | Story: Exponential Velocity |
| Exponential Layouts | A visual page builder with layouts, zones, blocks and rules | Story: Exponential Layouts, the page builder |
| Exponential Intelligence | A writing assistant that writes drafts and never publishes on its own | Story: Exponential Intelligence |
| admin4 | A new administration design with light and dark themes | Story: admin4, the administration design |
| Audit trail | A tamper-evident record of what happened in the administration | Story: the audit trail |
| The help system | This documentation inside the administration, searchable by audience | Story: the help system |
Take a release date for 6.0.15 only from its tag v6.0.15 (Covering 6.0.15, before and after its tag).
License and price
The software is free software under the GNU General Public License, version 2 or later. "Using Exponential under the terms of the GNU GPL is free of charge. The Professional License is no longer available" (README, "License"). The documentation, including this page, is free documentation under the GNU FDL 1.3 or later. 7x sells services around the software (development, support, hosting); its prices are on its own website. See Licenses explained for reporters.
Where it runs
PHP 8.0 to 8.5 (PHP 7.4 usable without support); six databases (SQLite 3 is the default, then PostgreSQL, MongoDB, MariaDB, Oracle and MySQL); Linux, BSD, macOS and Windows in documented tiers; Apache, Nginx and other web servers, or the bundled Velocity (Database support, Operating system support, PHP versions).
The community
Forums at share.exponential.earth, a Telegram chat, the eZpedia wiki, the documentation site and the GitHub repositories of se7enxweb. See Official channels and social accounts.
Three things reporters often get wrong
- "eZ Publish 6": the product is Exponential; eZ Publish is the past name (Headlines: do and don't).
- "Ibexa's new CMS": Exponential is not associated with eZ Systems or Ibexa (Not associated with eZ Systems or Ibexa).
- "The 7x Foundation": 7x is the company; the Exponential Foundation is a separate nonprofit (Two organizations, one project).
Related pages
- Fact sheet for journalists
- Boilerplate descriptions you may copy
- The product family for reporters
- Who is 7x?, Who is the Exponential Foundation?
- Free documentation: this page is free to copy, translate and improve under the GNU FDL 1.3.
Become an Exponential Partner
Partners share their information, provide funding, contribute back and develop the products with us, and that is how Exponential grows. A partner website and dashboard are planned for mid-2027: please become a partner today to speed up our growth rate and land new features faster.