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.
Founder, CEO at Questio (Management Consulting, 1-10 employees)
Chose Concrete CMS
My initial test was to time how long it took to create a very basic site from scratch with no prior knowledge. Concrete CMS won decisively. Over time, I've worked on projects that use other systems, and the challenges I encounter always affirm my choice to stay with Concrete …
A de minimis incentive was given to thank the reviewer for their time. The incentive was not used to bias or drive a particular response, nor was the incentive contingent on a positive endorsement. More Info
Founder & Managing Director in Information Technology at Made Simple Media (Information Technology & Services, 1-10 employees)
Chose Concrete CMS
WordPress is a basic blogging tool that has been hacked into a CMS, it is not as intuitive or comprehensive as Concrete CMS. It requires more updates and it can be harder to locate settings that the user needs. However, as a business, the WordPress team has been very …
A de minimis incentive was given to thank the reviewer for their time. The incentive was not used to bias or drive a particular response, nor was the incentive contingent on a positive endorsement. More Info
Architecte logiciels in Engineering at AdQuate (Computer Networking, 1-10 employees)
Chose Concrete CMS
ConcreteCMS is different from all other a used. all others have a specific purpose, like Odoo or Dolibarr for ERP/CRM, Magento Prestashop ... for e-commerce, GLPI and other CMMS for material management, and so on. Concrete CMS is usable for all, flexible, natively for CMS or …
A de minimis incentive was given to thank the reviewer for their time. The incentive was not used to bias or drive a particular response, nor was the incentive contingent on a positive endorsement. More Info
Editor-in-Chief in Corporate at deerstudio, llc (Media Production, 1-10 employees)
Chose Concrete CMS
I didn't have to spend too much time learning Concrete CMS, whereas I had to spend a long time learning other CMSs. After struggling to develop a plugin for WordPress, developing an add-on for Concrete CMS was piece of cake thanks to many available APIs. Making custom themes …
A de minimis incentive was given to thank the reviewer for their time. The incentive was not used to bias or drive a particular response, nor was the incentive contingent on a positive endorsement. More Info
Founder & CEO in Information Technology at InDis (Internet, 1-10 employees)
Chose Concrete CMS
WordPress is a real nightmare, needs regular updates. Plugins almost need daily updates, you hardly can do anything in WordPress without a plugin. ConcreteCMS offers a solid, strong basis that already includes almost all functionality you need to develop and launch a site. And …
A de minimis incentive was given to thank the reviewer for their time. The incentive was not used to bias or drive a particular response, nor was the incentive contingent on a positive endorsement. More Info
Owner in Marketing at Pranzare (Design, 1-10 employees)
Chose Concrete CMS
Easier to set up and manage. Easier to edit content. Not as feature-rich so it might not work for very special projects. Harder to get client buy-in when they only know Word Press. Great for quick projects, and for the right client more complex engagements. Free of complex …
A de minimis incentive was given to thank the reviewer for their time. The incentive was not used to bias or drive a particular response, nor was the incentive contingent on a positive endorsement. More Info
Verified User
Chose Concrete CMS
Better user-friendly administration, more easy to be extended
A de minimis incentive was given to thank the reviewer for their time. The incentive was not used to bias or drive a particular response, nor was the incentive contingent on a positive endorsement. More Info
Project Manager in Marketing at Estudio Grafenno (Internet, 1-10 employees)
Chose Concrete CMS
Like I said before, Concrete5 is a system to build a more inclusive internet, with tools easier to manage. WordPress is a tool to make a blog and you need a lot of modifications to reach the basics of Concrete5. It's easier to work with concrete5 in many ways, both developing …
A de minimis incentive was given to thank the reviewer for their time. The incentive was not used to bias or drive a particular response, nor was the incentive contingent on a positive endorsement. More Info
Verified User
Chose Concrete CMS
Concrete5 outshines WordPress in almost all regards. The only two areas in which I've known WordPress to be the better option are:
Its "Advanced Custom Fields" plugin, which has slightly more flexibility than Concrete5's built-in attributes system
A de minimis incentive was given to thank the reviewer for their time. The incentive was not used to bias or drive a particular response, nor was the incentive contingent on a positive endorsement. More Info
Network Support Technician in Information Technology at Vision Bank Topeka (Banking, 11-50 employees)
Chose Concrete CMS
Concrete5 is much easier to use than Drupal and has more functionality set up out of the box with just enough add-ons to get the job done. I have used both WordPress and Drupal, and this sits between them. Concrete5 is not quite as easy as WordPress but much easier than Drupal …
A de minimis incentive was given to thank the reviewer for their time. The incentive was not used to bias or drive a particular response, nor was the incentive contingent on a positive endorsement. More Info
Managing Director in Marketing at Katalysis Net Ltd (Internet, 1-10 employees)
Chose Concrete CMS
We previously used Joomla! but found clients were struggling to find their way around the eding interface. Switching to Concrete5 changed this and we now have fewer support issues and much more positive feedback from clients.
A de minimis incentive was given to thank the reviewer for their time. The incentive was not used to bias or drive a particular response, nor was the incentive contingent on a positive endorsement. More Info
Senior Web Developer in Information Technology at C5 Extras (Computer Software, 1-10 employees)
Chose Concrete CMS
Concrete5 was far easier to use than alternatives--which is very important when handling support issues for clients. As a developer, the architecture makes it easier to extend the core functions elegantly without overwriting core code. Although a few other CMS platforms have …
A de minimis incentive was given to thank the reviewer for their time. The incentive was not used to bias or drive a particular response, nor was the incentive contingent on a positive endorsement. More Info
A de minimis incentive was given to thank the reviewer for their time. The incentive was not used to bias or drive a particular response, nor was the incentive contingent on a positive endorsement. More Info
A de minimis incentive was given to thank the reviewer for their time. The incentive was not used to bias or drive a particular response, nor was the incentive contingent on a positive endorsement. More Info
Front-end web design & development, graphic design in Information Technology at Self-employed (Design, 1-10 employees)
Chose Concrete CMS
I select Concrete5 when working with an experienced PHP-developer. The code is exceptionally well-written and to my clients, C5 is a secure, easy to edit platform for websites that do not have a too high dependence on third-party plugins.
A de minimis incentive was given to thank the reviewer for their time. The incentive was not used to bias or drive a particular response, nor was the incentive contingent on a positive endorsement. More Info
Verified User
Chose Concrete CMS
WordPress at the time was riddled with security breaches in the news and while Concrete5 was smaller (and therefore a smaller attack vector), after eleven years of use, Concrete5 has only had one published incident with an add-on that resolved within hours and with excellent …
A de minimis incentive was given to thank the reviewer for their time. The incentive was not used to bias or drive a particular response, nor was the incentive contingent on a positive endorsement. More Info
Principal in Corporate at 76West (Marketing & Advertising, 1-10 employees)
Chose Concrete CMS
If your web team is tired of dealing with CMS training issues, you need to consider Concrete5. If your technical team and host are tired of dealing with website security issues, you need to consider Concrete5. If you're pulling your hair out over frequent update patches …
A de minimis incentive was given to thank the reviewer for their time. The incentive was not used to bias or drive a particular response, nor was the incentive contingent on a positive endorsement. TR verified that a representative sample of customers was invited. More Info
Creative Director at TM Designs (Design, 1-10 employees)
Chose Concrete CMS
Concrete is better than all this for its UX and code base. The feature set is rich and you don't need loads of third-party plugins. It never gets hacked and is updated by a core team or is accessible via email or Slack. Has a great community backing it up and with good support …
A de minimis incentive was given to thank the reviewer for their time. The incentive was not used to bias or drive a particular response, nor was the incentive contingent on a positive endorsement. More Info
Verified User
Chose Concrete CMS
Concrete5 is by far the easiest for the end user. The user who edits the website can do so with very little training and not just with regards to the content. New pages and functions are easy to create and install. SEOand contact form functions are built in as standard.
A de minimis incentive was given to thank the reviewer for their time. The incentive was not used to bias or drive a particular response, nor was the incentive contingent on a positive endorsement. More Info
Verified User
Chose Concrete CMS
I adopted Concrete5 after an end-user trial. With a variety of well known and lesser known CMS (including the above) in their fresh install state, I asked a group of users to register an account and then add a page with some text and an image on it. Concrete5 came out top by a …
A de minimis incentive was given to thank the reviewer for their time. The incentive was not used to bias or drive a particular response, nor was the incentive contingent on a positive endorsement. More Info
Partner in Research & Development at Medon (Information Technology and Services, 1-10 employees)
Chose Concrete CMS
Concrete5 is superior in most usecases to all other commonly used CMS platforms. The only thing where Joomla is outpreforming it is bulk editing. WordPress needs at least 20 plugins to do what Concrete5 does out of the box.
Programming C5 templates and custom views is a dream, …
A de minimis incentive was given to thank the reviewer for their time. The incentive was not used to bias or drive a particular response, nor was the incentive contingent on a positive endorsement. More Info
Content Manager in Marketing at The Next Street (Education Management, 51-200 employees)
Chose Concrete CMS
WordPress is much easier to use but I feel that it has less to offer. If you are looking for an easy WYSIWYG web site editor, WordPress is probably a great option. If you are looking for something a little more robust, Concrete5 may be an option to look in to.
A de minimis incentive was given to thank the reviewer for their time. The incentive was not used to bias or drive a particular response, nor was the incentive contingent on a positive endorsement. More Info
Freelance Web Developer at SJI Associates | Design & Advertising (Marketing and Advertising, 11-50 employees)
Chose Concrete CMS
Concrete5's UI is a bit more dated compared to WordPress, and the ecosystem for plugins is smaller. But out of the box, Concrete5 does more with its clean code than WordPress does. WordPress's UI and large plugin/community around it is its biggest strength as a product, not the …
A de minimis incentive was given to thank the reviewer for their time. The incentive was not used to bias or drive a particular response, nor was the incentive contingent on a positive endorsement. More Info
Web Developer in Information Technology at Reitz Internet Technologies (Information Technology and Services, 1-10 employees)
Chose Concrete CMS
Concrete5 is easier to use than Drupal or Joomla, and beats them in terms of features. WordPress gives Concrete5 a run for its money as far as extension and theme availability, as well as user base and support availability. But Concrete5 beats WordPress hands down with features …
A de minimis incentive was given to thank the reviewer for their time. The incentive was not used to bias or drive a particular response, nor was the incentive contingent on a positive endorsement. More Info
Suitable if you are part of small to large scale companies or web-houses which have PHP developers and frontend engineers with some budgets. [Also suitable if] you or your client want to build a website that requires some features or uniqueness [and needs] some customization and freedom. Additionally suitable if you want this project to be DevOps based project or if the project requires very tight security and is inside of a closed network.
As a dev, the Page object (coupled with page attributes, nav menus and page lists) makes structuring a website or web app a dream. The separation of page templates from page types also helps, the former being about layout while the latter is more conceptual.
As an admin, you pretty much have as much control as the developers of the site decide to give you.
The versioning system allows admins to roll changes back and work on changes before publishing them.
The permissions system is exceptionally powerful, allowing roles and/or individual users to be included or excluded from each permission.
The attributes system allows pages, files and users to be given custom properties of various types (e.g. text, image, colour).
A de minimis incentive was given to thank the reviewer for their time. The incentive was not used to bias or drive a particular response, nor was the incentive contingent on a positive endorsement. More Info
Its a very solid, very consistent package that never lets you down or leaves you frustrated. It gets a 10/10 because its so much better than anything else currently available. It also gets a 10/10 because, even if not compared to others, it does not leave you wanting for features or functionality. It is an excellent piece of software that will answer almost every CMS need.
I have used it on over 30 projects in the past 3 years and it's still a pleasure to work in. Doesn't always have all the answers, no CMS does, but I still find it very easy to use from prototyping to working to final project. Also there is no problem working on a localhost then moving to a live site, like there is with WordPress. It's my go to app in my CMS quiver.
A de minimis incentive was given to thank the reviewer for their time. The incentive was not used to bias or drive a particular response, nor was the incentive contingent on a positive endorsement. More Info
Since it's not tied to a central server (other than for authorizing updates and assigning licenses to specific sites), it's available pretty much 100% of the time.
A de minimis incentive was given to thank the reviewer for their time. The incentive was not used to bias or drive a particular response, nor was the incentive contingent on a positive endorsement. More Info
The site works extremely well, the front end flies, searches and form submissions are very fast indeed. The reason its a 9 not a ten? the back end can be a little slow at times, and this is unfair, because for the backend to be so amazing, it has to do a huge amount of work!
Concrete5 is open-source and has an incredibly strong, polite, and supportive community. You can get an answer to nearly anything you want to do with Concrete5 by googling for it, searching the Concrete5 discussion forums or stack overflow, or posting your question to the forum. Members are very courteous and do not look down on those with less knowledge. And answers are always quick, informative, and supportive.
A de minimis incentive was given to thank the reviewer for their time. The incentive was not used to bias or drive a particular response, nor was the incentive contingent on a positive endorsement. More Info
Build off of an existing theme to speed up the creation of custom designed themed. Bootstrap is a good one but there are many others that are probably much simpler to build from than the Bootstrap one was. Make sure you host on a Unix/Linux server so you don't have to install PHP or MySQL separately. It's just smoother on those platforms.
WordPress at the time was riddled with security breaches in the news and while Concrete5 was smaller (and therefore a smaller attack vector), after eleven years of use, Concrete5 has only had one published incident with an add-on that resolved within hours and with excellent communication. You can talk to the CEO and the CTO (or the rest of the team). They are very engaged and you're working with a small company of people who care, not a call-center with people just waiting to go home.
A de minimis incentive was given to thank the reviewer for their time. The incentive was not used to bias or drive a particular response, nor was the incentive contingent on a positive endorsement. More Info
Concrete5 is the customer-facing side of our business. It's where we host the site that potential customers see before they choose to purchase and create an account with us. We are able to keep that site clean, user-friendly, and with a lot of available options for customers to interact with thanks to Concrete5
The ability to have multiple users and admins for the site means that we all members of our team can go in and create new content, fix or troubleshoot issues, and edit the site easily.
Our CRM isn't directly integrated with Concrete5, so when customers go to make a purchase with us, they have to leave our Concrete5 site.
A de minimis incentive was given to thank the reviewer for their time. The incentive was not used to bias or drive a particular response, nor was the incentive contingent on a positive endorsement. More Info
