Content Management Systems (CMS)
Content Management Systems (CMS) Overview
Top Rated Content Management Products
These products won a Top Rated award for having excellent customer satisfaction ratings. The list is based purely on reviews; there is no paid placement, and analyst opinions do not influence the rankings. Read more about the Top Rated criteria.
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Content Management Systems (CMS) TrustMap
TrustMaps are two-dimensional charts that compare products based on trScore and research frequency by prospective buyers. Products must have 10 or more ratings to appear on this TrustMap.
Content Management Products
(1-25 of 167) Sorted by Most Reviews
The list of products below is based purely on reviews (sorted from most to least). There is no paid placement and analyst opinions do not influence their rankings. Here is our Promise to Buyers to ensure information on our site is reliable, useful, and worthy of your trust.
Microsoft's SharePoint is an Intranet solution that enables users to share and manage content, knowledge, and applications to empower teamwork, quickly find information, and collaborate across the organization.
Progress Sitefinity is a content management and customer analytics platform. It supports content management, tailored marketing, multi-channel management, and ecommerce sites.
Key Features
- Role-based user permissions (163)81%8.1
- Page templates (164)81%8.1
- Admin section (168)80%8.0
Wordpress is an open-source publishing platform popular with bloggers, and a content management system, known for its simplicity and modifiability. Websites may host their own blogging communities, controlling and moderating content from a single dashboard.
Key Features
- Library of website themes (128)87%8.7
- Mobile optimization / responsive design (127)86%8.6
- Admin section (129)81%8.1
Bloomreach is a Commerce Experience Cloud, that aims to enable brands to deliver customer journeys so personalized, they feel like magic. It offers a suite of products that aim to drive true personalization and digital commerce growth, including: Discovery, offering AI-driven search…
Key Features
- Email deliverability reporting (28)86%8.6
- API (39)82%8.2
- WYSIWYG email editor (14)81%8.1
Wix is a free, hosted website builder, designed to be user-friendly and customizable without requiring coding from the user. It is well-known for its eCommerce solution, which allows users to build an online store.
Key Features
- Library of website themes (89)79%7.9
- Page templates (92)75%7.5
- Mobile optimization / responsive design (92)66%6.6
Top Pros and Cons
Squarespace is a CMS platform that allows users to create a DIY blog, eCommerce store, and/or portfolio (visual art or music). Some Squarespace website and shop templates are industry or use case-specific, such as menu builders for restaurant sites.
Key Features
- Page templates (85)89%8.9
- Admin section (84)85%8.5
- Library of website themes (83)82%8.2
Drupal is a free, open-source content management system written in PHP that competes primarily with Joomla and Plone. The standard release of Drupal, known as Drupal core, contains basic features such as account and menu management, RSS feeds, page layout customization, and system…
Key Features
- Page templates (67)89%8.9
- Admin section (68)89%8.9
- Publishing workflow (67)85%8.5
The Acquia Digital Experience Platform is an "Open DXP" with its two core pillars being content and data. Built on top of one of the largest open-source content management systems, Drupal, it aims to provide the flexibility and interoperability a modern organization needs. With…
Key Features
- Role-based user permissions (31)81%8.1
- Admin section (27)79%7.9
- API (27)73%7.3
Optimizely Content Management System hosts is powered by AI-driven personalization that enables the user to deliver individualized content to each visitor. The solution helps define creative recommendations, artificial intelligence, assisted segmentation and contextual data personalize…
Key Features
- Role-based user permissions (49)86%8.6
- Admin section (50)74%7.4
- Publishing workflow (48)74%7.4
Founded in 1997 with a vision to create the first truly open content management system, Magnolia is presented as the fastest way to launch digital experiences. With a mission to help clients move fast and stay flexible, and boasting users among brands like Atlassian and The New York…
Key Features
- Role-based user permissions (63)92%9.2
- Publishing workflow (66)88%8.8
- Page templates (65)86%8.6
Joomla! is a free and open source content management system used to publish web content. Included features are page caching, RSS feeds, printable versions of pages, news flashes, blogs, polls, a search function, and support for language internationalization.
Key Features
- Availability / breadth of extensions (44)75%7.5
- Page templates (44)75%7.5
- WYSIWYG editor (45)71%7.1
ExpressionEngine is a content management system from EllisLab in 2002, a successor to pMachine Pro, a blogging system, which is written in object-oriented PHP and uses MySQL for data storage. ExpressionEngine is their flagship Content Delivery Platform.
Key Features
- Role-based user permissions (32)99%9.9
- Admin section (31)99%9.9
- Code quality / cleanliness (31)91%9.1
Adobe Experience Manager is a combined web content management system and digital asset management system. The combined applications of Adobe Experience Manager Sites and Adobe Experience Manager Assets is offered by the vendor as an end-to-end solution for managing and delivering…
Key Features
- Role-based user permissions (38)77%7.7
- Page templates (37)75%7.5
- Bulk management (36)70%7.0
Concrete CMS (formerly Concrete5) is a free and open source, PHP built content management system for content on the web and also for intranets. It is optimized to support the creation of online magazines and newspapers.
Key Features
- Admin section (40)98%9.8
- Page templates (40)97%9.7
- WYSIWYG editor (42)85%8.5
WebWave — an alternative for agencies and freelancers for creating custom websites for clients with the support of CMS. Using CMS with no sacrifices WebWave is a CMS platform that gives a designer precision up to 1 px in every single detail just like in more sophisticated graphic…
Cascade CMS (formerly Cascade Server) by Hannon Hill is a content management system, with built-in tools to help users eliminate stale content, increase digital outreach, and promote end-user adoption and accountability. Cascade CMS is designed for decentralized web teams in most…
Key Features
- Role-based user permissions (19)80%8.0
- Admin section (19)80%8.0
- WYSIWYG editor (19)61%6.1
Salesforce CMS is a hybrid CMS allowing users to author content once and deliver it anywhere, in or out of Salesforce. In CMS Workspaces, users create content, define content access, and define channels so they can share content and limit access to appropriate contributors. For an…
Key Features
- Role-based user permissions (37)88%8.8
- API (37)83%8.3
- Community / comment management (31)81%8.1
Square Online (formerly Weebly) is a basic content management system with blogging and eCommerce features. It can be utilized for building standard websites or specialized webpages for online stores.
Key Features
- Mobile optimization / responsive design (39)90%9.0
- Page templates (40)20%2.0
- Library of website themes (40)20%2.0
Crownpeak DXP is a composable, enterprise-ready Digital Experience Platform that empowers global teams to seamlessly orchestrate personalized digital experiences across all content channels. Marketing teams can create, manage, and monitor inclusive, accessible and transactional…
Key Features
- Publishing workflow (27)84%8.4
- Page templates (27)83%8.3
- WYSIWYG editor (26)76%7.6
Image Relay Marketing Delivery keeps digital assets and product information in one place with the goal of supporting fast, seamless creation and delivery.
Sitecore Experience Manager is an enterprise-grade CMS competing with Oracle WebCenter, IBM Web Content Manager and Adobe. It presents a fairly wide and comprehensive swath of inbuilt features. In Sitecore WCM editing takes place from within the page with its inline editor, allowing…
Key Features
- Role-based user permissions (19)90%9.0
- Code quality / cleanliness (18)90%9.0
- WYSIWYG editor (19)80%8.0
Elementor is a Wordpress page builder and creative toolkit from the company of the same name in Israel.
Key Features
- WYSIWYG editor (25)90%9.0
- Page templates (27)82%8.2
- Mobile optimization / responsive design (27)77%7.7
Tridion (formerly SDL Tridion) aims to connect people, processes, and information through a complete portfolio of collaborative Content Management, Knowledge Management and Headless delivery technologies. Combine with Accelerators for fast time-to-value and RWS Translation Management…
Key Features
- Admin section (8)90%9.0
- Role-based user permissions (9)90%9.0
- WYSIWYG editor (8)80%8.0
Adobe Business Catalyst is an all-in-one cloud-hosted system for building and managing web content and online stores. It has a built-in CRM framework in addition to sales, service, and marketing features including eCommerce and Email Marketing tools. It is scheduled to be shutdown…
Key Features
- Dynamic content (15)90%9.0
- Email deliverability reporting (26)81%8.1
- Dashboards (15)80%8.0
Paligo, headquartered in Stockholm, offers their component content management system (CCMS), supporting the creation and publishing of technical documentation and help systems.
Learn More About Content Management Systems (CMS)
What are Content Management Systems (CMS)?
The term Content Management Systems (CMS) commonly refers to platforms that support the design, development, and publication of website content. These systems organize, track, and retain digital content such as documents, text, images, audio, and video. They enable the delivery of a consistent brand experience across multiple platforms and devices. Some CMS solutions require no coding or technical expertise, other solutions require additional knowledge to take advantage of their customizable features.
CMS vs Website Builder Software
CMS software overlaps with Website Builder Software that contains CMS features and provides hosting services but has limited features and capabilities when compared to more robust CMS solutions.
Blogging Platforms are an example of a CMS platform that is exclusively devoted to supporting blogging. Closely related categories include Enterprise CMS, which manages digital content across an entire organization, and Content Marketing Software, which offer tools that extend the functionality of content management systems.
Content Management Systems (CMS) Features
Content Management Systems (CMS) include many of the following features.
- Support multiple website use cases
- Content planning and management tools
- Omni-channel delivery, multi-device, and browser support
- Site design themes
- Pre Built page templates
- Plugins
- Multimedia, images, audio, and video
- Forms
- WYSIWYG (what-you-see-is-what-you-get) editor
- Drag and Drop
- Content tagging
- Customization and code editing
- Content versioning and archiving
- AI dynamic page personalization
- Dynamic content
- Machine learning image recognition and tagging
- SEO
- XML
- Multiple users
- Collaboration and publishing workflow
- Analytics and reporting
- Scalable
- Mobile optimization
- Cloud-based, on-premises, or hybrid installation
Content Management Systems (CMS) Comparison
Use Case: Some CMSs are tailored for specific uses. Shopify, BigCommerce, and Magento are used for eCommerce sites. HubSpot CMS readily supports business and marketing sites through its integration with HubSpot’s CRM, marketing, sales, and service tools. Where site design is a primary consideration, Squarespace is a popular choice. Drupal is employed to support flexible customization and large amounts of data and transactions. The extensive functionality provided by free and paid plugins, along with a vast pool of community resources and support, makes Wordpress.org the most widely used CMS.
Skill Level: CMS have varying expertise requirements. Wix is a good choice for beginners that have modest website requirements, requiring no coding or technical knowledge. Wordpress.org is used by both new and experienced users. Free open-source systems such as Drupal and Joomla have a greater learning curve.
Portability: When selecting your first CMS, investigate how readily your content and data can be exported to other systems if your needs change.
Costs: Even free open-source CMS systems will entail additional website-related costs such as domain registration, hosting, and paid plugins when needed.
Start a Content Management Systems (CMS) comparison here
Pricing Information
Prices start around $12 a month and range up to $300 a month or more depending on the features provided and the amount of data or number of transactions supported. One-time licensing for robust CMS exceeds $1,000. CMS for enterprise eCommerce begins around $500 a month and vendor price quotes are often required. eCommerce CMS pricing usually includes hosting services. Full-featured open-source CMS solutions are available. Free trials are available.
Content Management Systems (CMS) Best Of Awards
The following Content Management Systems (CMS) offer award-winning customer relationships, feature sets, and value for price. Learn more about our Best Of Awards methodology here.
Related Categories
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the main features included in CMS platforms?
Can I use CMS to build an ecommerce website?
Yes, CMS products can be used to build an ecommerce website and manage site content (e.g. product catalog, product descriptions, images, etc..). If you’re planning on using your CMS to build and run an online store, here are a few must-have features:
- WYSIWYG editor
- Publishing tools
- Admin controls
- SEO marketing tools
- Deep website customization capabilities
- Social media & email marketing integrations
- A/B testing capabilities
- Analytics and reporting metrics
How much do Content Management Systems (CMS) cost?
What does content management system (CMS) software do?
What are the best Content Management Systems (CMS) products?
These are some of the popular Content Management Systems (CMS) products.