To help you choose your next CMS, we have compiled a list of the most used content management systems, with their strengths, weaknesses, and prices.
Find all the details below in the article.
Enjoy reading!
What is a CMS?
To begin with, what is a CMS platform?
A CMS (acronym of “Content Management System”) is an application or software that allows you to create, modify, organize and publish information, texts, images, or other necessary content on a website.
Also known as a content management system, it is a platform for managing the content of a website.
Have a look at our blog post to learn more about the benefits that a CMS can bring you!
The list of the best CMS
There are many CMS solutions out there. Here is our list of the best and most popular ones.
WordPress
WordPress enables you to effortlessly build and oversee a dynamic website utilizing the PHP/MySQL extension. It is freely accessible for download and utilization, thanks to its “open source” nature. As of 2022, WordPress holds the largest market share among CMS platforms, with an impressive 42.9% usage rate.
Practical, it is possible to create various unique websites, such as showcase sites, online stores, informational sites, internet portals, and more. Additionally, this content management system provides a vast selection of 10,000 themes, which can be freely modified or acquired through paid options.
Pros:
- Ease to use
- More than 23 000 free plugins
- Customizable CMS: many themes to modify
Cons:
- Slow page loading if too many extensions are used
- Not all plugins are secure
- Some plugins incompatible with themes
PRICE: Free, or offers from $11/month to $44/month
Joomla!
Joomla! is a free and accessible open-source solution. Like WordPress, the CMS uses PHP code and MySQL system. Developed and maintained by an active community of professionals and volunteers.
With Joomla! you have a multilingual platform of 64 languages and 8,900 extensions. Powerful, Joomla! is impractical for beginners; it requires time of adaptation to master it as a whole.
Pros:
- Multilingual support that facilitates the translation of the site
- Optimization of the pages facilitated (information of the meta tags…)
- Increased security (SSL connection, security extensions, two-factor authentication…)
Cons:
- Technical complexity
- No integrated backup tool (installation of a component required)
- Shorter extension list that does not allow adding all the features to the site
PRICE: Free, or offers from $99/year to $399/year
Drupal
Drupal is an open-source CMS. Quite complex, it is mainly aimed at developers or at least at the technically advanced public. In fact, it allows you to design anything you can imagine by configuring the CMS without coding.
With this CMS, you can create all website categories: showcase site, blog, e-commerce, etc. The platform is focused on the creation of complex sites. Thus, you have at your disposal no less than 40,000 extensions and 2,600 themes. Because of this, we do not recommend using Drupal for projects of low to moderate complexity.
Pros:
- Multilingual software integrated into the CMS (no extensions to integrate)
- Excellent security (high coding standards, strict review process…)
- Numerous extensions
Cons:
- Advanced CMS control
- Social networks are not integrated
- High consumption of resources (tool not adapted for low-cost web hosting)
PRICE: Free, the prices offer evolves according to the different options you choose (number of licenses, add-ons…)
Shopify
Shopify is the number 1 competitor of WordPress, the second most used CMS in the world, with over 6.4% of the market share in 2022. With its catalog of customizable themes and 4,100 extensions, this CMS is ideal for creating an online store: physical or digital products.
The platform offers various solutions for managing site promotions.Firstly, advertising campaigns on various platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, Google, Amazon, and eBay. Moreover, with the creation of discount codes and the implementation of automatic discounts.
Pros:
- Store and product promotions with advertising campaigns
- Platform suitable for computer or web design novices
- Complete product management
Cons:
- Online chat available only in English
- Only 9 free themes
- Impossible to customize the HTML and CSS codes of pages
PRICE: Offers from $29/month to $299/month
PrestaShop
PrestaShop is the reference CMS for e-commerce. The work of editing the pages of a site on this CMS focuses on product sheets, which you can organize into categories. To customize the site, the platform provides access to 10,000 modules and themes.
Like Shopify, the PrestaShop back-office offers a dashboard with the performance of the online store, such as the value of the average basket, net profit or the transformation rate. Multilingual and multicurrency, it also allows you to sell internationally with, for example, the management of taxes, currencies, and translations into various languages.
Pros:
- Total management of products (product sheets, prices, promotions, suppliers…)
- PayPal, Stripe, MailChimp, and Facebook integrations
- Many modules for one of the many customizations
Cons:
- Many themes and paid modules
- SEO requires some technical knowledge
- Not suitable for marketplaces (when you exceed 10,000 items, the performance decreases considerably)
PRICE: Because of its modularity, count from $782 to $4887 approximately
Wix
Wix is a user-friendly CMS tailored for creating straightforward websites. You don’t need coding knowledge as the platform facilitates website creation through easy drag-and-drop functionality. With over 500 templates and 200 additional extensions, Wix provides free and high-quality web hosting services.
Wix gives you access to royalty-free image galleries and an image editor to customize your site. Creative,the CMS allows you to include animated backgrounds on the site to attract the attention of your visitors and distinguish yourself from the competition.
Pros:
- Selection of quality and fully customizable templates
- Great ease of use
- Domain name registration directly from the platform
Cons:
- Not optimized for SEO (code overloads, poorly written URLs, performance…)
- No possibility to migrate to other systems or other hostings
- Ads on the free version that can be disabled by paying $8.30/month
PRICE: Free, or offers from $23/month to $38/month
Squarespace
With more than 100 themes and about 20 extensions, Squarespace is known for offering very well-designed templates. The platform is mainly aimed at small sites and can create all kinds of sites, from showcase sites to e-commerce sites, through a blog.
Like some CMS mentioned above, the platform is based on an intuitive drag-and-drop builder, which requires no coding skills for the user. Easy to use, Squarespace offers interchangeable templates, so you don’t lose your content, numerous tutorials, professional support, and a community forum.
Pros:
- Templates with high-quality design
- Possibility to import/export the website
- Free domain to buy
Cons:
- No multi-currency sales function
- No free version
- Limited SEO customizations
PRICE: From $15/month to $41/month, 14 days free trial version
Magento
Magento is an open-source platform ideal for online stores and, more specifically, marketplaces. Complete, the platform allows you to customize 100% your store. The Magento interface gives you access to all aspects of the e-commerce store: management of product sheets, sales, delivery, orders, customers, etc.
Multilingual and multicurrency, the CMS also allows you to open up to the international market by managing various sites in a single back office. The platform facilitates your marketing strategy with, for example, newsletters, surveys, and a shopping cart system that is saved when the customer leaves the site. Unfortunately, by offering all these features, the site has become complex to use. You should therefore have a technical base or be accompanied by a team of developers.
Pros:
- Wide range of SEO tools
- High security of the website
- Complete CMS that allows you to manage everything
Cons:
- CMS hard to learn
- Does not manage the hosting of sites, only the online store
- Can become slow
PRICE: Free, or annual subscription whose price is determined by the volume of goods sold and/or the average basket per customer.
Weebly
Weebly is a practical CMS for people without advanced computer knowledge, thanks to its drag-and-drop system. It is suitable for showcase sites, blogs, and e-commerce sites only.
Like some CMS, Weebly presents a dashboard with various metrics on the website, such as website traffic, orders, products, or marketing campaigns. With about fifty themes, the platform has some design flexibility and quality themes. Furthermore, the CMS offers you to integrate your social networks and to set some aspects related to SEO (even if this feature is not well worked)
Pros:
- Fast websites
- Weebly mobile application
- Simple and easy-to-use editor
Cons:
- No domain choice with the free version
- Phone support and priority support only available with the paid offer
- Limited blog creation tool
PRICE: Free, or offer from $6/month to $26/month or more, depending on the type of site
Magnolia
Magnolia is an open-source CMS designed to meet the complex needs of medium and large companies. It is aimed at individuals who master the Java language and have basic knowledge of web development (JSP and Servlet).
Offering about fifty modules, Magnolia CMS has many content management features: multilingual publication, data import/export, marketing campaign management, integration of external programs such as CRM, RSS feed aggregation, etc.
Pros:
- Workflow
- Intuitive interface
- Various comprehensive features
Cons:
- Good knowledge of web development required
- Small community, so few help forums
- Software complex to use
PRICE: You’ll need to contact the company directly to begin the process of getting a quote, free trial
Closing thoughts
Choosing a CMS is an essential step for your future website. Each CMS has different advantages and disadvantages. That’s why you must weigh the pros and cons and select a platform according to your needs.
Do you want an intuitive website, easy to manage, with a personalized design? Then create it with us with our complete offer!
- Full Design and development
- Custom images, icons and illustrations
- Technical maintenance and content updates
- Responsive design (phone, tablet, etc.)
- Training on how to manage your site (no technical knowledge required)
- Unlimited revisions at every stage
Let’s talk about your project!
