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Initially, when you are coming across Content Management Systems, you might find yourself in the dilemma of choosing the right one for you; because after all, there are more than a dozen Content Management Systems that you can find online. And selecting the one that best caters to your needs could be an overwhelming task.

However, in most of the cases, the developers of the web designers never pay much heed to explore the different options for CMS available. They consider one to two options and then establish all of their websites based on these Content Management Systems. This brings us to conclude that the developers look for the Content Management Systems that are versatile and powerful at the same time.

Here, we have listed the top 10 content management systems that can cater to your needs. But, before we jump on to exploring the list, let us first discuss what a Content Management System is? Read on the article, to have an in-depth view of the topic.

What is Content Management System?

A Content Management System could be understood as a software platform that has been built to let the user create, archive, edit, report, collaborate, publish, and distribute information. Generally, a Content Management System is constructed in such a way that the GUI or Graphic User Interface makes the entire procedure of website establishment an interesting and interactive one.

The websites make use of Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) and the Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) to design or curate the pages. The CSS and HTML are the two components used in the creation of the websites.

While HTML is used to provide a structure to the web page, CSS helps in imparting the aural and visual layout. And with the help of the Content Management System, the user is enabled to modify and edit their contents on the websites without possessing any knowledge about coding.

Top 19 Popular CMS Platforms that you need to Know

1. Wordpress

More than 35% of the web today is powered by WordPress and so to say the number is increasing every passing day. Starting from the simple websites to the enterprise and complex portals are using WordPress as their base. As a matter of fact, even some of the applications are now being built on WordPress.

A few years back, WordPress as a Content Management System was regarded as a controversial topic as its roots are settled as a platform for blogging. That debate has been pretty befallen now because now WordPress is catering to the requirements of several non-blogging websites, which include –simple multi-page websites to social media networks with the use of plugins like BuddyPress.

Features of WordPress:                             

• Simple to use
• Flexible enough to support all sorts of web portals
• Publishing on WordPress is very easy along with the added features of easy editing and media insertion
• The scheduled publication date for your content and easily create drafts
• Drag and drop media uploading facility offered
• You can insert Alt Text and various captions and even add galleries to your website

Advantages of WordPress:

• It is a vast developing community
• Supports several tutorials and documentations
• Paid and Free plugins available, which helps in creating almost all kinds of websites
• The interface is user-friendly

2. Joomla

Joomla is known to be one of the very popular Content Management Systems. However, you should know that Joomla extends way beyond just managing the contents of a website as the designing of the software is quite powerful than it is perceived to be. Perhaps, there are several extensions included in Joomla that enhances the functionality of the CMS provider.

Joomla, in its package, includes some of the most powerful and enhanced built-in or core features. Joomla can be proficiently be used in building, organizing, managing, and publishing content for government organizations, small businesses, large organizations, and non-profits as well from all across the globe. Also, Joomla is backed by several powerful website features and large ecosystems.

Features of Joomla:

• Efficient Content Management System
• You can configure personal opinions over Joomla
• A valuable tool for the management of media
• You can locate your potential audience and find their contacts
• Easy set up of the banners and their management as well
• Provides you with popular web links

Advantages of Joomla:

• The system of Joomla is easy to be customized and add extensions
• The websites  shall easily be optimized with the search engine
• Joomla will offer you to create the websites in your language
• The site will grow organically along with the evolution of your needs

3. Drupal

The development of Drupal started way back in the year of 2011 somewhat around the month of March. Ever since the application framework and the developers have been looking forward to the end-results of the feature completion, every development that is taking place, API completion, clean-up, beta, and RC (Release Candidate) phase along with the bated breath.

Finally, in the year 2015, the Drupal 8.0.0 version was released into the market, while somewhere you could hear sighs and in other places, there were murmurs with bubbled up curiosity.

Drupal 8 has taken up the content management framework to a whole new different level to impart quality services to the users, developers, and administrators. There is a constant focus on developing such a CMS that is entirely based on how user-friendly the software could be.

Also, Drupal makes sure to bring a content presentation, new ways of developing structures of data, building several APIs, mobile accessibilities, multi-lingual capabilities and much more to the table.

Features of Drupal:

• Theme engine introduced is brand new
• The CMS is mobile-friendly
• Powered by HTML5 for creating a quality-based website
• Offers to establish the site in multiple languages
• Your website’s configuration can be easily managed
• Authoring is particularly easy

Advantages of Drupal:

• Ample flexibility provided in managing the contents
• The CMS is highly customizable
• It is tremendously scalable
• The CMS serves as an open-source for all sorts of users

4. Expressionengine.com

ExpressionEngine can be surely listed under one of the robust content management solutions ever created, which boasts a massive set of features, ease of usability and also the modern structure of the CMS.

The CMS platform is curated in such a way that it will efficiently help the publishers or the users in creating and disseminating top-notch quality content that is engaging enough to target the audience, while not lagging in the e-commerce aspects.

Some of the renowned global brands make use of ExpressionEngine to establish their website. Some of these listed brands are –Nokia, Sony, Apples, Warner Bros, and more such companies. ExpressionEngine is a highly versatile option for CMS, which can be used by various types of users, including –musicians, bloggers, hobbyists, athletes, and more. The CMS is capable enough of supporting almost all types of websites.

Features of Expressionengine.com:

• Immaculate template designing offered
• Favored communication strategies used
• Consists of Span Deterrents
• Easily detects typographies
• Features for commenting available
• Easy add-ons of desired tools and functionalities

Advantages of Expressionengine.com:

• Features several essential as well as advanced tools
• Tremendously user-friendly and offers ample adaptability
• Easy for the content managers, administrators, and the editors to curate content that can be reusable
• You can create just one content and publish it across various channels of content through ExpressionEngine

5. Magento

If you are looking for the best CMS for refined e-commerce solutions, Magento is the answer to your question. The community of Magento is one of the most renowned editions of the Magento eCommerce. The software has managed to surpass the count of more than 4 million downloads. We can understand how overwhelming it could get in choosing the correct e-commerce partner for establishing an online presence for your website.

Magento will offer you with an authoritative source for content management that you can use in your favor to create content that is rich in information highlighting the key elements of your store. Make sure that no matter how powerful and user-friendly the CMS is the content that you are uploading on your website should reflect entirely about the positive aspects of your business.

Features of Magento:

• You can control and select the type of information that you want to share across multiple online stores
• You can give permissions or assign roles across the users
• The website can be customized
• You can easily manage a group of online customers with ease
• Easy integration of Web API between Magento and any other third-party service providers
• Integrated Google Website Optimizer

Advantages of Magento:

• Versatile techniques of content management
• The platform is powerful and can accommodate a huge traffic
• Advanced SEO techniques are offered
• The configuration of the CMS is mobile-friendly

6. PrestaShop

You can get the online store starter pack of PrestaShop to be downloaded either from the PrestaShop site or it can also be hosted over the cloud network. Hundreds and thousands of entrepreneurs use this network to establish their e-commerce websites. Also, most of the highly reputed business organizations rely upon PrestaShop to build their online presence.

The PrestaShop Content Management Services boast about its robust features and functionalities that are offered to the users that enable them in the establishment of the online stores from the ground-up level.

Today, there are more than 800,000 members associated with PrestaShop from all parts of the world as the platform continues to serve as an efficient and dedicated source for e-commerce website creation.

Features of PrestaShop:

• The set of integrations are highly powerful
• Robust SEO for e-commerce websites
• The themes available are highly customizable
• You can have the benefit of 50 renowned gateways and solutions to make your payment
• The interface is intuitive
• Provides seamless customer check out for your e-commerce stores

Advantages of PrestaShop:

• It is a free premium CMS platform for hosting e-commerce websites
• The platform offers you with open source facilities
• The creation of a fully functional website is effortless
• The CMS platform is mobile-friendly

7. TYPO3

Whenever we talk about improving the web project to increase the functionality of a website, 80% of the time it is linked to switching your CMS platforms. You should make use of a better CMS so that your conversion rate increases.

In such a scenario, you can always fall back upon one such reliable CMS in business –TYPO3. It one such Open Source Enterprise Content Management Service provider that has a considerable base of the global community, which is further backed by efficient members of the association.

When you make use of TYPO3, you can easily edit your website without having any sound knowledge about CSS and HTML. The very reason that TYPO3 has managed to remain in the market and increase is that the platform is free as well as flexible. The CMS is powerful enough to bridge the gaps that could be created due to inefficient techniques.

Features of TYPO3:

• Efficient Content Management System
• Multi-lingual and massively multi-site creation abilities offered
• Enabled Digital Marketing techniques
• Highly customizable, extensible, and open
• Ultimately professional Open Source offered
• Imparts engaging user interface

Advantages of TYPO3:

• Features offered are safe and secured
• Offers ample stability even when thousands of articles are posted
• Hand-made and ready-made extensions offered
• You can make use of TypoScript that can be used for TSconfig

8. Silverstripe CMS

The SilverStripe CMS is such a platform that is compatible with both content authors and the developers. The best part about this CMS provider is they make sure to keep the coding part tucked away in a safe place, which is easily accessible to the programmers without interfering within the work of the content authors. If you go for an out-of-the-box installation process of SilverStripe, the interface will offer you easy day-to-day editing and more control over the content you publish on your website.

With drag and drop and WYSIWYG functionalities, the website editors shall have complete command over the way they want their content to be displayed as over the site without having any adequate knowledge about HTML coding. If you are capable of using a word processor, then using SilverStripe CMS will more likely be a cakewalk for you.

Features of Silverstripe:

• Delivery of content is done with the decoupled and headless approach
• Efficient asset and intuitive file management
• Have complete control over the version, history, and archive of your CMS
• Experience greater flexibility with content blocking
• Website created shall be search-engine friendly
• The website can be established in multiple languages

Advantages of Silverstripe:

• The CMS is exceptionally agile that enables fast collaboration and implementation of the work
• Very easy to use
• Ample flexibility provided in designing the layout of your website
• You will get a software development kit for creating your website skilfully

9. Concrete5

Concrete5 is another one such Content Management Service providing a platform with which a dynamic webpage can be developed. Just as other CMS platforms, by using Concrete5, you can have the ability to login and even manage well the content published over your website without the help of your web developer.

You can browse through all the pages of your website, and it’s a guarantee that you are going to find a tool on every page to edit the contents on them.

Also, the manuals are not at all intimidating; instead, the CMS platform is entirely user-friendly along with point and click administration interface. You can make use of Concrete5 for building a variety of websites such as – newspaper and online magazine, e-commerce websites, government sites, intranets and extranets, websites for small businesses, organizational and non-profit websites.

Features of Concrete5:

• Very simple to be installed
• The grid points are very responsive, and layouts can be retained
• You can drag and drop your content
• The core of the CMS supports the add-ons
• The directory contains several themes
• In-context editing facility

Advantages of Concrete5:

• Concrete5 offers you with the open-source platform
• Very easy to use
• Web pages are optimized with the search engine
• You can have the permission of creating multiple sites

10. Sitefinity CMS

Sitefinity CMS is again one of the very reliable sources of Content Management Service providers that offer you with A-grade content managing services. You can get empowered with the marketing skills if you use Sitefinity’s Content Management Services. You need not rely upon the IT sector of your business to implement classified marketing skills to target your audience. All of these essentials features are built in the Sitefinity CMS.

You can save ample time and even the operational costs by leveraging a stable and secure platform for the development of extensible traffic with the existing methods of technology. You can easily reach up to your audience with the help of providing them with compelling and consistent experiences through multiple web pages, devices, and channels in the language that they prefer the most.

Features of Sitefinity CMS:

• The website consists of a drag and drops layout
• You can easily personalize your contents
• You can create and even update content on website effortlessly
• Multi-lingual management and central multi-site system availed
• Integrated SEO tools
• Efficient Digital asset management

Advantages of Sitefinity CMS:

• You can easily use the CMS without any proper knowledge about CSS and HTML
• The CMS will help you create mobile-friendly platforms
• You will be provided with Multi-Channel Syndicate facilities, which will help in the distributions of contents through enhanced Atom Syndication and RSS
• Granular permissions and site synchronization back the CMS

11. Textpattern

Textpattern is a platform that has been created for the writers to write the content and publish them online for their audiences to read. With the help of Textpattern CMS, you could get all sorts of content published, whether it is curated for a corporate website or even for your platform. Your words will take center stage when you make use of such efficient CMS platforms like Textpattern.

When you are logging in to Textpattern, the primary thing that you are going to notice is that it allows you just to write and upload stuff. You can begin with the publishing work within just a few minutes through the direct and user-friendly interface. Also, you can alter the layout of the website whenever you wish to and adjust the built-in tags to decide the way your contents are displayed and retrieved by the audience.

Features of Textpattern:

• Organize and even upload media through the browser
• Can categorize your content
• Plain text can be easily converted to valid HTML
• Control over the date and time of publishing the articles
• Articles can be password protected
• Facility to accept comments on the articles

Advantages of Textpattern:

• The process of using the CMS platform is straightforward
• The flow of work is retained
• Easy editing of the uploaded contents even when redirected to multiple websites
• You can get a high-quality website while saving ample effort and time

12. MODX

MODX is known to be a powerful and innovative content management system that will offer ease-of-use and sufficient flexibility to the users, who value the freedom provided to them when it comes to showcasing creativity.

The platform was introduced in the year 2005 and ever since it hasn’t stopped enjoying the benefits of millions of downloads because of the very reason that it is particularly business-friendly.

Also, one of the most advantageous reasons that MODX is so popular is that it offers you with a payment system that is done on a quotation basis. That means the user of the subscriber of the CMS has to pay only for the essential features he needs.

MODX boasts the original vision of introducing the concept of CMS, and that is the design of the website should never come in the way of the contents, instead should complement it in all directions.

Features of MODX:

• Has native compatibility with mobiles
• The advanced caching system offered
• Enhanced security system
• Adequate filtering of content
• Websites created shall be optimized with the search engine
• Management is highly customizable

Advantages of MODX:

• The platform has high regards for innovation and does everything to support it
• This site building tool is designed in such a way that it will fit with almost all types of creative ideas
• You can create multiple websites
• The sites can be established in multiple languages

13. Plone

Plone 5 is the latest version of Plone, which is one of the most influential and flexible systems to build websites, extranets, and intranets all on one platform. Plone has managed to maintain an excellent track record when it comes to considering the security systems offered by the platform, which enables the CMS to host both small community organizations and globally renowned corporations.

The latest version of Plone is created with Open Source CMS technology, which is faster, better, more powerful, and efficient than most of the CMS platforms that are available in the market today. Plone is highly polished and is a user-friendly Content Management System.

Plone is one such Content Management Service provider that is going to set new standards of interoperability, accessibility, and modern techniques to manage the content published on your website.

Features of Plone:          

• You can manage multiple sites at a time
• Compliant with Accessible Standards
• Websites can be created in multiple languages
• Ample support for easy documentation
• Province for establishing Intranet services
• Completely Design-friendly platform

Advantages of Plone:

• Plone offers you the capability of enterprise integration
• It is the only Open Source CMS that ensures industrial strength in terms of security
• You can have the advantage of limitless extensibility
• Make sure of the flexible workflow to introduce advanced techniques into your content

14. Umbraco

Umbraco is one such Content Management System that uses API.net for the development of the websites, which is one of the most popular platforms among the professional program developers. The platform is offered to you in Open Source form that has the ease of development and a handy system for documentation.

Umbraco can be further used in the event of several small as well as large scale websites and even web applications.

Umbraco has managed to serve more than 100,000 websites, which were developed efficiently due to the enhanced features and functionalities offered by the CMS.

The best part about using Umbraco is that the platform will not only provide you with simple features for editing your published content and the storage of data but also will serve you with an entirely featured environment, which shall help you with efficient data management.

Features of Umbraco:

• Flexible CMS features
• Editing experience is intuitive
• Includes Umbraco Cloud for ample storage space
• The ecosystem of the CMS is powerful
• Supportive and friendly resources offered
• Personalization of the layout is available

Advantages of Umbraco:

• It is a powerful Content Management System, which helps in the creation of user-friendly sites
• Web applications and web pages can be created in multiple languages
• Storage of data and editing is quite simple with Umbraco
• You are offered with various types of ready-to-use packages when you subscribe with Umbraco

15. Grav CMS

Grav CMS is such a platform that is simple, flexible, fast, and very easy to be used. The best part about using Grav CMS is you do not have to go through the strenuous and tedious installation procedures. You can extract the ZIP archived file, and you are good to go. Although Grav CMS maintains a similar flow as that of the flat-file CMSs available in the market, the design philosophy of the platform is entirely different.

And that is something you will figure out well when you thoroughly explore the platform. The name Grav has been derived from the word Gravity. The ideology behind the nomenclature of the platform was quite simple – it was used as a temporary codename, but somehow in the long run just seemed to fit well with the context.

The underlying architecture in furnishing Grav CMS has used some of the finely designed and top-notch technologies.

Features of Grav CMS:

• Architecture involves Flat-file technique
• Provided with a complete package manager
• Contains smart caching system
• An instant installation of the CMS
• Efficient Command Line Tools offered
• Extensive documentation features

Advantages of Grav CMS:

• Helps in the creation of a database-free website
• You can have complete control over the management of files with add-ons like –Git, GitHub, and BitBucket
• The CMS is completely developer-friendly, designer-friendly, and user-friendly as well
• Easy installation of the CMS all you need to do is Unzip the file

16. Django CMS

Whenever the program developers are preparing for the customized web applications, they always prefer to work on Python language as compared to any other web development languages. This is because Python language offers the programmers with expressive yet straightforward syntaxes.

Due to this simple usage of syntax with Python Language, the programmers are empowered to simplify the process of development and maintenance of the web applications.

The best part of using Django CMS is it is entirely based on Python language. If you consider the recent statistics, most of the website developers are making use of Django CMS for this particular feature, specifically.

Also, Django CMS has an open-source framework that enables the developers to curtail the development cost of overall web applications. As a matter of fact, the web developers can write different web applications according to the requirements of the business with the help of Django CMS.

Features of Django CMS:

• Excellent documentation offered
• The development process is rapid
• The platform is versatile in nature
• Provides you with unmatched security
• Web-framework is based on Python
• All the websites created will be optimized with SEO

Advantages of Django CMS:

• Enhances the rate of customized development of web applications
• Efficient support the paradigms of MVC programming
• The web-framework is designed as batteries-included
• Compatible with some of the major databases and operating systems

17. Bolt CMS

Bolt is a highly advanced Content Management Tool that strives to be straightforward and straightforward to be used by almost all kinds of developers. It is very efficiently and quickly set up and is easy to be configured. You can make use of elegant templates if you make use of Bolt CMS.

And above all the other reasons, it is a treat to use Bolt CMS as your choice of platform for the establishment of a highly efficient website.

The developers can be rapid to be set up and are easily extendible that can cater to all your creating needs. The content fields and types offered in the flexible ContentType feature will enable you all the freedom to prepare a website just the way you need it to be.

If you want to write clean Markup language and create your templates for the site, you must choose Bolt as your CMS. Bolt makes use of Twig for the creation of Templates that are elegant, concise, and flexible.

Features of Bolt CMS:

• Has a responsive and mobile-friendly interface
• Makes use of Twig for the development of templates
• Dominant types of Content creation facilities are offered
• The website is free
• Coding is hosted on GitHub
• Compatible with PHP 5.5.9, PHP 7 and higher

Advantages of Bolt CMS:

• Extensively supported by an enhanced community
• Ample info offered for the developers and editors
• Builds and supports more than hundreds of international developers
• You can pick any theme of your choice to set the template of your website

18. ProcessWire CMS

ProcessWire is one such Content Management Service providing a platform that will connect all the essential features under one roof. Regardless of the scale offered, it is straightforward, consistent, powerful, capable, and predictable, and direct and fun to be used.

ProcessWire CMS is designed in a way that offers you with an approachable simplicity starting from its core API to the admin interface of the System.

More often than not, whenever the developers come across “simple to be used” a phrase they have this assumption that the capability of the CMS platform has been somehow reduced. However, in the case of ProcessWire, that is not how it works.

From the very beginning, you are going to come across a user-friendly interface that comes with little to no complexity at all and to use the application efficiently; you need no training at all.

Features of ProcessWire CMS:

• The enhanced document indexing feature
• Provides you with e-forms
• Efficient media management
• Templates are customizable
• Simple text editor
• Websites offered with SEO management

Advantages of ProcessWire CMS:

• There are no limits on the design and output provided by the platform
• Highly scalable on both small and large scale websites
• All of the fields created on your web page can be customized
• You can design the sites with multiple languages

19. Pimcore Open Source CMS

Pimcore Content Management System will enable you to bring together commerce, content, and the community like no other CMS platform ever can. The platform makes use of API-driven approach for the delivery and consumption of data, which makes it suitable for integration with almost all types of e-commerce frameworks.

Pimcore Open Source CMS is known to be one of the most renowned Content Management Systems that are available in the market today.

Pimcore will offer you the flexibility of connecting with enterprise systems such as BI, ERP, CRM, ESB, or any other third-party application system that is unparalleled with the PrimCore’s services offered. Pimcore’s multi-channel, single-source publishing powered ability revolutionizes the engagement of the customer for enterprise-level websites.

Through Primcore, high-quality data is pushed through a wide variety of channels that would extract for you high-level outputs powered by automated publishing techniques that will continuously engross your customers.

Features of Pimcore Open Source CMS:

• Multiple Channel delivery system
• Websites created with be SEO optimized
• Print-Publishing facility
• Analytics and Personalization available
• Ample scalability
• Usability is particularly easy

Advantages of Pimcore Open Source CMS:

• Personalized experiences can be easily managed
• You can get an improved ROI with Pimcore CMS
• Provided with Digital Marketing facilities
• You can have the benefit of single-source yet multi-channel publishing facility

Conclusion:

Whenever you are about choosing a content management system, there are a few things that you need to look for. It would work in your favor if you evaluated your company’s information management approaches and the overall goals that are followed by your business by keeping in mind the procedure of publishing contents over your website.

Here we have mentioned some of the top-listed Content Management Systems that are available in the market. These CMS will offer you with some of the most enhanced features, yet you need to understand which best caters to your needs.

Let us tell you how you can choose the best CMS for your website creation. You must start by listing all the problems faced by your business or what are your needs as a blogger. When you have prepared a list, you will be able to see the specific requirements of your website.

This will help you choose the best Content Management System – the one that will support your business efficiently or will make you a famous blogger. CMSs are available in different shapes and sizes, and each comes with its own sets of benefits and features.

Some are ideal for blogging, while others are primarily focused on the creation of best e-commerce websites. Therefore, choose wisely!