Movable Type vs. Tumblr

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Movable Type
Score 8.0 out of 10
N/A
Movable Type is a Perl-based content management system from Six Apart, featuring the capability to host multiple weblogs and standalone content pages, manage files and user roles, templates, tags, categories, and trackback links.N/A
Tumblr
Score 9.3 out of 10
N/A
Tumblr is a very easy to use microblogging platform and social networking website, owned and operated by Tumblr, Inc. The service allows users to post multimedia and other content to a short-form blog. Users can follow other users' blogs, as well as make their blogs private.N/A
Pricing
Movable TypeTumblr
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
No answers on this topic
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
Movable TypeTumblr
Free Trial
NoNo
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional Details
More Pricing Information
Features
Movable TypeTumblr
Security
Comparison of Security features of Product A and Product B
Movable Type
5.0
1 Ratings
46% below category average
Tumblr
-
Ratings
Role-based user permissions5.01 Ratings00 Ratings
Platform & Infrastructure
Comparison of Platform & Infrastructure features of Product A and Product B
Movable Type
6.0
1 Ratings
25% below category average
Tumblr
-
Ratings
API6.01 Ratings00 Ratings
Web Content Creation
Comparison of Web Content Creation features of Product A and Product B
Movable Type
6.4
1 Ratings
17% below category average
Tumblr
-
Ratings
WYSIWYG editor9.01 Ratings00 Ratings
Code quality / cleanliness6.01 Ratings00 Ratings
Admin section8.01 Ratings00 Ratings
Page templates5.01 Ratings00 Ratings
Library of website themes3.01 Ratings00 Ratings
Mobile optimization / responsive design8.01 Ratings00 Ratings
Publishing workflow9.01 Ratings00 Ratings
Form generator3.01 Ratings00 Ratings
Web Content Management
Comparison of Web Content Management features of Product A and Product B
Movable Type
5.6
1 Ratings
27% below category average
Tumblr
-
Ratings
Content taxonomy9.01 Ratings00 Ratings
SEO support6.01 Ratings00 Ratings
Bulk management3.01 Ratings00 Ratings
Availability / breadth of extensions3.01 Ratings00 Ratings
Community / comment management7.01 Ratings00 Ratings
Best Alternatives
Movable TypeTumblr
Small Businesses
Divi
Divi
Score 9.8 out of 10
Medium
Medium
Score 9.5 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
Image Relay
Image Relay
Score 9.5 out of 10
Medium
Medium
Score 9.5 out of 10
Enterprises
Tridion
Tridion
Score 9.0 out of 10
Quora Blogs
Quora Blogs
Score 8.4 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
Movable TypeTumblr
Likelihood to Recommend
7.0
(10 ratings)
8.4
(14 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
5.4
(9 ratings)
9.1
(4 ratings)
Usability
-
(0 ratings)
8.0
(2 ratings)
User Testimonials
Movable TypeTumblr
Likelihood to Recommend
Six Apart
Is your business an enterprise level business that has more than a half dozen different content types? If so, then you might want to use a dedicated CMS rather than Movable Type. Movable Type is best used on small / medium sized businesses and is not the best solution for a full-fledged CMS. If you're using your content for something other than just displaying a website, then it's probably not for you. Movable Type works great for news/blogging sites. In fact, Daring Fireball, one of the most popular Apple-centric blogs is using Movable Type as its publishing platform.
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Tumblr
Tumblr can be complicated when it comes to using it in a work setting. With the privacy options being somewhat limited, you will want to make sure that your staff are only sharing information that they are comfortable with in the public realm. You'll need to put some effort into designing an appropriate policy that covers the use of Tumblr and what content can be shared. If you're simply finding a way to engage staff and perhaps show outsiders what it is like to work at your organization, it can be used quite effectively, but you have to be mindful of how involved it gets.
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Pros
Six Apart
  • Easy to use straight out of the box, very user friendly with an intuitive interface.
  • Great for team use where there are multiple editors and writers fixing and editing each other's works. It's easy to track who last made the latest edits.
  • Stellar support team and system. I've found that Moveable Type's support system is generally more responsive and helpful than WordPress.
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Tumblr
  • Intuitive ease of use. It was easy to set up and get the account running immediately.
  • Simplicity. Adding text, pictures and video was easy.
  • Look & Feel. For the low maintenance approach we were aiming for, we were surprised that the site actually looked pretty slick.
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Cons
Six Apart
  • Especially on the older versions, the limited number of well-developed third-party plugins is problematic for efficiently developing a well-functioning website.
  • Versions of movable type which didn't allow pages to be constructed were difficult to create continuity in design and easily editable pages for our editors.
  • The installation process could be simplified to make it easier for those new to a CMS to install.
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Tumblr
  • It can be hard to get followers, similar to Twitter.
  • Also similar to Twitter, its possible to get followers that are in no way interested in your business and seeking to promote themselves.
  • If you want to use Tumblr to promote your products online, it can be a trial and error process that can be frustrating for businesses that have little experience with photography.
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Likelihood to Renew
Six Apart
I think there are still improvements to be made. I haven't tapped in to the full functionality of the CMS yet but the rating I give it now is only based on what I've been able to use it for
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Tumblr
Because of its ease of use - both on desktop and mobile - and the perks of being able to schedule a post for future release, Tumblr is a tool that we plan to continue using in the long term. Despite feeling like a primairly one-sided tool, it can also start conversations online, which is something for which we are always striving.
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Usability
Six Apart
No answers on this topic
Tumblr
Tumblr is an easy to use tool. If you're looking for a simple platform that isn't complicated Tumblr works well. There are even ways to embed it to a company website.
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Alternatives Considered
Six Apart
Movable Type can be compared to WordPress. It's easy to use, and I would say Movable Type is actually more user-friendly.
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Tumblr
Tumblr turns out to be better than Facebook Pages as it allows the pages to be in the form of customizable templates. It doesn't conform to specific rules for publications beyond the provided templates. Compared to WordPress, Tumblr is much simpler to use. It doesn't require any page management skills.
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Return on Investment
Six Apart
  • Provided a blogging platform when we needed one.
  • Helped us compare other blogging platforms as a baseline for what minimums we require and what we don't want.
  • Users often refused to use Movable Type and would go around our official system in order to use my more friendly software.
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Tumblr
  • Tumblr has helped me meet new people with similar interests.
  • I used it for development blog postings for a game we worked on in college.
  • N/A- Not really business oriented beyond linking to pages, but I don't have one of those businesses. I've just seen people use it for that.
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