10 Best CMS Platforms With Their Pros and Cons

Searching for the best CMS platforms to build your website?

A CMS (Content Management System) platform makes it simple to create a website without knowing any coding. There are several CMS options available, making it difficult to select the best CMS for your needs.

To help you find the right CMS, in this article, we will cover the 10 best CMS platforms, along with their pros and cons.

What is a CMS Platform?

A CMS (content management system) is a piece of software that makes it simple to manage content and build websites.

Usually web pages are typically written in HTML, CSS, and JavaScript programming languages. If you wanted to build a website without using a CMS platform, you would need to know these languages and write a lot of code.

CMS platforms solve this issue by allowing you to create a website without having to write code or learn programming.

Unless you’re searching for a developer-friendly CMS, in which case you already know how to code.

Market Share of CMS Platforms

Despite hundreds of CMS available, just three — WordPress, Shopify, and Wix — control nearly three-quarters of the market as of December 2024.

Below is the image of top content management systems, along with their market share.

Difference Between CMS and Website Builder

It’s easy to get confused between a CMS and a website builder since both are used to create websites. But they’re different tools. The following image will help you gain clarity.

How to Choose the Best Content Management System Software?

There are several CMS platforms available; which one should you choose? Before we jump into our list of best CMS platforms, here is what you should look for in a good CMS.

• Ease of Use: Consider the ease of use of the CMS platform. If you’re a beginner, you’ll want to choose a platform that is user-friendly and easy to learn. Look for platforms with intuitive interfaces, drag-and-drop editors, and straightforward documentation.
• Customization: Look for a CMS platform that offers a wide range of customization options.
• Scalability: Choose a CMS platform that can grow with your business. Consider the scalability of the platform and its ability to handle a large volume of content, visitors, and traffic.
• Support: Look for a CMS platform that offers good support options. Consider the availability of documentation, tutorials, forums, and customer support channels.
• Security: Choose a CMS platform that prioritizes security. Look for platforms that offer frequent updates, security patches, and robust security features, such as SSL certificates and firewalls.
• SEO-friendly: The CMS platform should be SEO-friendly, meaning it should have built-in tools and features to help optimize your website for search engines.
• Mobile responsiveness: The CMS software should be optimized for mobile devices. Since more and more users are accessing the internet from mobile devices.
• Data Portability: A great CMS platform should have tools for you to export your data easily and move it elsewhere.
• Price: Some CMS platforms are completely free and open source. Others charge a monthly fee. Even with free CMS platforms, you’ll often need to pay for third-party extensions, designs, and/or web hosting services. When choosing a CMS, try to find out as much as you can about pricing to avoid unpleasant surprises.

With these things in mind, let’s take a look at the best CMS platforms to choose from.

10 Best CMS Platforms

Here are some of the best ones:

1. WordPress.org

WordPress.org is #1 on our list of the best CMS platforms. It is a free and open-source CMS that powers over 43.6% of all websites on the internet.

Further, WordPress.org is a self-hosted platform, which means that you need to install it on your own web hosting account. This gives you complete control over your website and its data, unlike other hosted platforms that may limit your access and control.

It’s important not to confuse WordPress.org with WordPress.com. WordPress.org is a free, open-source CMS that you can use to build any type of website. WordPress.com, on the other hand, is a blog hosting platform.

If you’re not sure what the difference between the two, see our complete comparison of WordPress.org and WordPress.com.

Pros:

• It features an easy-to-use interface that allows you to create, edit, and manage content without learning any coding.
• WordPress gives you the flexibility and freedom to create any type of website. These include an online store, membership sites, multilingual websites, etc.
• It offers thousands of free WordPress themes and free WordPress plugins. Plus, you can also download premium themes and plugins from third-party websites.
• WordPress.org is also SEO-friendly, which means it includes tools and features that help you optimize your website for search engines. You can also choose from plenty of SEO plugins to help you do more.
• It also offers strong community support.
• Lastly, you are completely free to make money online from your website in any way you want.

Cons:

• You’ll need to set up your hosting and domain name and be in charge of things like security and backups.
• Because WordPress gives so many options and so much freedom, getting started might be a bit overwhelming. This is why many beginners use drag-and-drop page builder plugins for WordPress.
• Although WordPress.org is free to use, there may be costs associated with using premium themes or plugins.

Price:

As open-source software, WordPress is free to download. However, you will need to pay for a domain name, hosting, and any premium plugins or themes you want to use.

If you need help getting your WordPress site up and running, see our step-by-step guide on how to create a WordPress website.

2. Joomla

Joomla is another well-known free, open-source CMS platform that comes with many templates and extensions. It’s free to use, but you’ll require hosting and a domain name. Joomla powers 1.7% of all websites on the internet.

Moreover, Joomla is feature-rich, and many web hosting provide a one-click installation. It is, however, a great CMS platform for developers and experienced website creators; thus, it is not a good choice for beginners.

Pros:

• Joomla offers lots of flexibility and options. It’s an excellent option if you’re creating something complex or unique.
• Offers a wide range of templates and extensions that allow website owners to customize their websites to their specific needs.
• Joomla supports several languages, making it perfect for websites that cater to a global audience.
• You can use Joomla to run an e-commerce store.

Cons:

• While Joomla is easy to use, it can be quite complex for beginners.
• Fewer templates and extensions, as compared to WordPress.org.
• Plugins may not always work well together. You will need coding knowledge to fix them.

Price:

Joomla is free, but you’ll need to pay for a domain name and Joomla-compatible web hosting. Hostinger is a good option in this case because it provides Joomla hosting plans with many helpful features.

3. Drupal

Drupal is an open-source CMS software that allows you to create a fully customizable website that handles a large amount of data.

Drupal-powered websites are highly secure and difficult to hack. It offers free installation and help in transferring an existing Drupal site. Drupal updates regularly, and you should always have the most recent update installed for the best performance.

Pros:

• Drupal makes it simple to add content. The custom content types are flexible and will provide several options.
• Since the CMS software performs security tests on a regular basis, it is less vulnerable to hacking attacks.
• Built-in modules to help you expand the functionality of a site.
• Support is available via community support options.

Cons:

• Hard to change the appearance of your website. It’s not as beginner-friendly as WordPress.
• The setup process is very time-consuming and lengthy if you are using a lot of modules.
• Expensive customized themes.

Price:

Drupal is free, but you’ll need to pay for a domain name and web hosting.

4. HubSpot CMS

HubSpot CMS is a great CMS for businesses and marketers looking to connect with customers.

It comes with a built-in integration with the free HubSpot CRM (check out these WordPress CRM plugins). This not only allows you to add leads straight to your CRM, but it also allows you to customize your website for each visitor, which can help you convert them into customers.

Developers can edit the code to customize the site, while non-technical users can create pages with a drag-and-drop editor.

As a SaaS CMS, you’ll have access to HubSpot’s premium cloud hosting, which makes it simple to get started with your website.

Pros:

• HubSpot website builder is simple to use even with little to no technical skills.
• They have smart content features that allow you to tailor your website page for particular users or larger segments.
• Built-in security features such as global CDN and Web Application Firewall to keep your site safe from DDoS attacks, hackers, etc.
• It integrates seamlessly with their email marketing tool and sales CRM, allowing you to optimize your operational workflows.

Cons:

• There is a free trial available, but there is no free version.
• HubSpot CMS is not ideal for e-commerce websites.

Price:

HubSpot CMS plans start from $20/month and have all the features you need to build a fully functioning website.

5. Magento

Magento is an eCommerce platform owned by Adobe that provides practically limitless options for tech-savvy business owners. It includes two types: Magento Open Source and Magento Commerce. Magento Open Source is free to download.

Further, Magento Open Source is a very flexible platform that can be used to create a site that does exactly what you want. However, it will take time to understand and explore all of the platform’s out-of-the-box features and extensions — even if you have experience in website development.

Pros:

• Magento is highly customizable, with many third-party extensions available to add more functionality.
• It supports several payment gateways.
• Magento is a mobile-friendly platform for developing a mobile website without any difficulty.
• You can manage a lot of products and customers using Magento.

Cons:

• Magento is an expensive solution, so the installation cost is very high.
• If you’re new to eCommerce, Magento may seem daunting.
• Magento doesn’t work without dedicated hosting services. You’ll need to get a fast Magento hosting service for your store.

Price:

Magento Open Source is free to download and use. However, Magento Commerce price starts at around $22,000/year, which puts it outside the budget of many new businesses.

6. Shopify

Shopify is a hosted eCommerce platform allowing online retailers to create and run their own stores.

It makes running an eCommerce business as easy as running a WordPress.com site. Though you will have less control over its appearance and functionality, you will get various tools, security, and support to help you to maintain your site.

This may be excellent if you’re a first-time business owner or don’t have the time or money to design every component of your site. To get your store up and running quickly, you may use Shopify’s built-in blogging tools, ready-to-go payment choices, traffic statistics, etc. Shopify also handles software updates and other aspects of day-to-day site management.

Pros:

• Shopify’s robust backend editor and impressive inventory management make it ideal for managing and developing larger stores.
• Shopify offers an excellent range of apps and third-party extensions to help you take your business to the next level.
• Choose from a number of free and paid templates, or if you can’t find one to match, make your own from scratch.
• Shopify supports over 100 payment options and provides its own gateway, Shopify Payments.
• Sell across multiple channels, including Facebook, Instagram, Amazon, and eBay.
• Shopify has 24/7 support through live chat, email, phone, and even Twitter.

Cons:

• Your costs may increase if you want to add lots of third-party apps to your store.
• Unless you use Shopify Payments, you’ll need to pay a hefty transaction fee on top of other payment gateway costs.

Price:

Shopify pricing starts at $24/month (billed annually).

7. Wix

Wix is one of the top website builders available on the market today. Its simplicity makes it a popular choice for non-technical users who want to create a website from scratch.

Furthermore, it offers an intuitive drag-and-drop building tool. So you can add elements to your site and manage your content without writing a single line of code.

Pros:

• You can easily create and customize web pages using the drag-and-drop site builder.
• Wix offers a wide range of ready-made templates. They are fully responsive and look great on mobile and desktops.
• You can add many apps to your site from the Wix App Market. These work like WordPress plugins to give your site new features.
• Wix offers a range of e-commerce features, including payment processing, inventory management, etc., making it a good option for online stores.
• Built-in SEO features, including customizable meta tags and structured data, to help users improve their website’s search engine rankings.
• Wix offers 24/7 customer support through phone, email, and live chat to help users with any issues.

Cons:

• You can’t change to a different template on Wix once you’ve selected one.
• Using the free plan, you’ll have a Wix-branded domain name and ads on your site.
• Difficult to download and export data.

Price:

You can use Wix for free if you are okay with having a Wix-branded domain name and ads on your site. Paid plans offer more flexibility and start at $13 per month (paid annually).

If you want to take online payments, you must pay $23 per month or more (paid annually).

8. WooCommerce

WooCommerce is a free and open-source WordPress e-commerce plugin. It is not a standalone CMS like WordPress but rather a plugin that extends the functionality of WordPress to build an e-commerce store.

Furthermore, if it was a CMS platform, it would have a 5.5% market share. That’s the percentage of all websites in the world that use it.

Pros:

• WooCommerce is free to download and use, but you’ll need hosting and a domain name to get started.
• Several WooCommerce themes are available, making it extremely simple to customize your site.
• It offers many extensions (known as WooCommerce plugins) that allow you to add new functionality to your site.
• You may use WooCommerce to sell both physical and digital products.
• WooCommerce is SEO-friendly, which means you can optimize your online store for search engines.
• WooCommerce has a huge and active user community, so you may quickly find support and help if you need it.

Cons:

• Since WooCommerce is a plugin, you’ll need a WordPress website to use it, which means you’ll have to pay for hosting.
• While WooCommerce is very customizable, you may need to pay for extra plugins if you want to add more advanced functionality or features.

Price:

WooCommerce is free to use, but you’ll need to pay for a domain name and a web hosting account. Also, you need to pay for extra plugins and extensions that you can use for your online store.

9. BigCommerce

BigCommerce is another popular hosted CMS platform for eCommerce stores. If you’re a beginner, it’s simple to get started with.

BigCommerce will host your site as well as provide the CMS platform itself. It also takes care of security and backups for you.

One of BigCommerce’s notable features is its multi-channel approach to selling. You may sell through your own hosted store, Amazon, eBay, and other platforms.

Plus, you can even harness some of the other CMS options on this list. For example, you can pair BigCommerce and WordPress to get the best of both worlds.

Pros:

• It offers a 15-day free trial, so you can give BigCommerce a go before committing.
• You can use a free domain name from BigCommerce.
• You can use digital wallets like PayPal, Apple Pay, and Amazon Pay or pay by credit or debit card to make payments.
• BigCommerce doesn’t charge any transaction fees, no matter what payment gateways you use.
• The built-in cookie consent feature helps you meet GDPR requirements in ways that other similar platforms don’t.

Cons:

• Limits are placed on annual online sales, and if you exceed them, you must switch to a more expensive monthly plan.
• BigCommerce does not give you as much control over your store as WooCommerce does. Limited themes and integrations may prevent you from using a third-party service to build your business.
• Compared to some of its competitors, you must pay a lot to use the abandoned cart feature.

Price:

BigCommerce offers a 15-day free trial. After that, the premium plan starts from $29/month (billed annually) for up to $50k/year in sales.

10. Squarespace

Squarespace is a hosted website-building platform that allows non-technical individuals to easily create a website. You may also use it to build a simple e-commerce store.

Squarespace is not as flexible as all of these other tools, but that’s actually its selling point. By simplifying things, Squarespace makes it easy for non-technical users to create basic websites.

Nevertheless, if you’re creating something more than a simple blog, portfolio, or brochure website, you’ll want to use more versatile CMS software.

Pros:

• Squarespace offers sophisticated themes that are optimized for tablets and phones.
• Customize the site with hundreds of fonts, colors, and stock photos to fit your brand.
• The free custom domain name from Squarespace if you sign up for a year.
• Squarespace offers unlimited storage and bandwidth.
• It comes with a pretty usable and reasonably priced built-in email marketing tool.
• Offers import tools for importing content from other platforms.

Cons:

• It takes time to figure out how the editor works.
• Squarespace doesn’t offer a free plan. However, there is a 14-day free trial available.

Price:

Squarespace offers four plans, with monthly licensing fees ranging from $16 to $49 depending on the tier of service used and whether you want to pay monthly or annually. With all the plans, it does offer a free 14-day trial.

Which is the Best CMS Platform?

We think WordPress.org is the best CMS platform and website builder in the world. WordPress powers more than 43.6% of all websites on the internet, and there’s a solid reason for it.

WordPress offers everything you might want in a CMS platform. It’s simple to get started, and many WordPress web hosting companies offer a one-click installation process. Further, you can use WordPress plugins to extend the functionality of your site as you want.

WordPress allows you to build an eCommerce store, an online forum, an LMS (learning management system), a membership site, and practically anything else you can think of.

We hope this article helped you learn more about the best CMS platforms.

If you choose WordPress.org as your CMS to build your website, then check out these useful resources:

• Beginner Guide on Creating a Website With WordPress
• Start an Online Store With WordPress + WooCommerce

Lastly, follow us on Facebook and Twitter to stay updated on the latest WordPress and blogging-related articles.