Reporter FAQ
This page is for reporters on deadline. Each answer is short and links its source or the page that explains it. Facts as of 18 October 2026.
Contents
The product
What is Exponential? A free, open source PHP content management system and application framework with a fully customizable content model, multisite, many languages and a built-in shop (Exponential in brief).
What is the newest version?
6.0.15 is the current release line; it follows 6.0.14, released on 7 June 2026. Whether the tag v6.0.15 exists
shows git tag -l 'v6.0.*' --sort=version:refname (The 6.0.x releases at a glance).
What is new? The 6.0.15 line adds Exponential Velocity, Exponential Layouts, Exponential Intelligence, the admin4 design, an audit trail and a help system (Feature stories: index).
Does it use AI? Exponential Intelligence is a writing assistant that writes drafts, as the signed-in editor, and never publishes on its own; it sends nothing anywhere until a provider is configured (Story: Exponential Intelligence).
The organizations
Who owns Exponential? Nobody owns it in the sense of a proprietary product. The Exponential Foundation and 7x hold the copyright together; the software is licensed under the GNU GPL (Licenses explained for reporters).
Who is 7x? The North American company that leads development, support and hosting; formerly Brookins Consulting (7x for reporters).
Who is the Exponential Foundation? A 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded on 19 March 2026 in Seattle that operates and funds the project (The Exponential Foundation for reporters).
History
Is Exponential the same as eZ Publish? It continues the same code base. The software was called eZ Publish while eZ Systems developed it; that product was discontinued by its creator after almost 18 years. 7x took over the code base in December 2023 and renamed the product Exponential in August 2025 (Writing about the eZ Publish years).
Is it related to Ibexa? No. "This project is not associated with the original eZ Publish software or its original developer, eZ Systems or Ibexa" (README). The rename was made at Ibexa's request (Why it is called Exponential).
When did 7x start? Founded in 2001 as Brookins Consulting; the idea of 7x in 2014, the project in 2022, the launch in December 2023 (7x in three stages: 2014, 2022, 2023).
Money
What does it cost? The software is free of charge under the GPL; "The Professional License is no longer available" (README). 7x sells services such as development, support and hosting.
How is it funded? By 7x's contributions and by sponsors, through GitHub Sponsors pages for 7x and for the Foundation (Writing about funding and sponsors).
Use and adoption
How many sites use it? No source counts installations, users or customers (What the sources do not say).
Who uses it? No customer list is published. Name an organization as a user only with its consent (Privacy in your coverage).
Where does it run? PHP 8.0 to 8.5 (PHP 7.4 usable without support); SQLite, PostgreSQL, MongoDB, MariaDB, Oracle or MySQL; Linux, BSD, macOS and Windows in documented tiers (Fact sheet for journalists).
Security
Is it secure? Do not print "secure" as an absolute. Print the process: private reports to [email protected], a first answer within one business day, fixes in the next release, published versions never changed, a Content Security Policy in the administration, an audit trail and a hardening guide (Story: security).
I found a vulnerability. What do I do? Report it privately; do not publish it before the fix (If you find a vulnerability).
Working with us
Whom do I contact? [email protected] or the contact form at exponential.earth (Press contacts).
Where are logos and images? The press kit at exponential.earth, and the screenshots of this help under the GNU FDL (The press kit, Screenshots: what you may use).
Can I get a quote? Ask by e-mail; quotes come only from the organizations, never from this documentation (Quotes policy).
Can I quote this documentation? Yes, as documentation, under the GNU FDL (Quoting and reusing the documentation).
Related pages
- Press, media and influencers: start here
- Glossary for journalists
- Myths and corrections
- 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.