First, it’s necessary to point out that there is no CMS that would work well in every type of project. Sure, you can build pretty much anything in WordPress, but for some types of projects, it’s much better and potentially more cost-effective to pick something else.
There are plenty of articles that simply list the most popular CMS options and provide little help in the actual process of choosing the right one. I’ll try to approach it differently. Instead of just giving you the potential options, I’ll guide you through the decision process.
But before we do that, let’s discuss the general types of content management systems.
Open source CMS
Examples: WordPress, Drupal, Wagtail
These are sometimes called “traditional”. They're the most widely utilized CMS platforms out there, with WordPress being a clear leader. According to W3Techs, over 43% of all websites run on WordPress, and the number is only growing year by year.
Due to the access to code, they give developers complete freedom. On top of that, there’s a massive amount of both free and premium plugins for marketing automation, e-commerce, analytics, and much more. At this point, there are also many drag-and-drop page builders that allow people to create websites from scratch, implement changes, and modify the design without knowing a thing about HTML.
However, if you want to create something more out-of-the-box, you still may require some coding skills. On top of that, they need regular attention in terms of security and updates due to their ever-changing nature. It’s worth mentioning that it plays a particularly big role in the case of WordPress. Due to its popularity, WordPress websites are quite often a target of cyber attacks, so fully updated security is an absolute must. On the other hand, Drupal is considered one of the most secure CMSs, so it’s not necessarily a given with those kinds of platforms.
Key features of open-source CMSs:
- complete creative freedom (within the CMSs capabilities)
- hands-on approach and maintenance required
- perfect for large and complex projects
Drag-and-drop website builders (proprietary CMS)
Examples: Wix, Squarespace, Webflow
Platforms in this category provide ready-to-go layouts and drag-and-drop tools to create functional websites easily. They’re primarily aimed at small to medium businesses that don’t require any custom solutions. Most CMSs in this category work in the SaaS model.
They’re often the easiest and cheapest option because they don’t require any coding, and all the features are included in the subscription. In addition to tools and features, those platforms usually take care of all the domain, hosting, security, and infrastructure aspects to make the user experience as easy as possible.
However, in most cases, it’s impossible to implement anything that isn’t already there in the package. For example, if you wanted to integrate a specific payment option that your clients might want, it could be impossible. And if custom modifications are possible, they might be very costly.
Key features:
- easy and cheap to develop and maintain
- security, infrastructure, and hosting are all covered in the subscription
- limited scalability
- limited options in terms of design and integrations
- limited options and high cost of tailored customizations
E-commerce CMS
Examples: Magento, Shopify, BigCommerce, WooCommerce
Technically, no one stops you from using just any CMS to build e-commerce websites, but there are e-commerce-specific platforms that handle that part for you. Their main role is to provide all the necessary tools for managing online stores, but most of them also have all you may need regarding content. So, if you’re in the e-commerce business, those are your best options.
Key features:
- perfect synergy with the online store
- tools for sales analytics
- other features may be vastly different between platforms
Custom CMS
The last option that’s still used quite often is a completely custom, tailor-made CMS. This path gives absolute freedom to designers and developers and allows them to create unique websites that answer every business need.
That, of course, comes with price and time. However, more and more often, it’s the only way to create complex and visually impressive websites with perfect UX. In the following article, we explain the exact circumstances that make custom CMS a viable option.
5 Reasons Why You Should Create a Custom CMS for Your Business
What else is there?
Besides the most common types of CMS mentioned above, there are many other solutions that are aimed at specific purposes, such as enterprise-scale or mobile development. However, it’s fair to say that they’re relatively marginal compared to all the other options.
So, moving on, what are the most important questions you need to ask yourself before you choose the right CMS?
