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Concrete CMS

Concrete CMS
Formerly Concrete5

Overview

What is Concrete CMS?

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.

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Recent Reviews

TrustRadius Insights

Smooth User Interface: Many users have praised the smooth user interface of the product, stating that it is intuitive and easy to …
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Best CMS

10 out of 10
March 06, 2021
Incentivized
Concrete5 gets used from standard websites to big portals with a lot of individual funcionallities. It also gets used as a framework.
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Awards

Products that are considered exceptional by their customers based on a variety of criteria win TrustRadius awards. Learn more about the types of TrustRadius awards to make the best purchase decision. More about TrustRadius Awards

Popular Features

View all 16 features
  • Admin section (40)
    10.0
    100%
  • Page templates (40)
    10.0
    100%
  • Mobile optimization / responsive design (39)
    9.7
    97%
  • WYSIWYG editor (42)
    9.2
    92%
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Pricing

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N/A
Unavailable

What is Concrete CMS?

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.

Entry-level set up fee?

  • No setup fee

Offerings

  • Free Trial
  • Free/Freemium Version
  • Premium Consulting/Integration Services

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What is Square Online?

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.

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Product Demos

Concrete CMS DevOps Hosting

YouTube
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Features

Security

This component helps a company minimize the security risks by controlling access to the software and its data, and encouraging best practices among users.

9.4
Avg 8.0

Platform & Infrastructure

Features related to platform-wide settings and structure, such as permissions, languages, integrations, customizations, etc.

9.7
Avg 7.7

Web Content Creation

Features that support the creation of website content.

8.4
Avg 7.6

Web Content Management

Features for managing website content

7.1
Avg 7.3
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Product Details

What is Concrete CMS?

Concrete CMS (formerly concrete5) is an Open Source Content Management System for teams. The vendor states users can run a secure website that content contributors will love using with Concrete CMS. Concrete is a platform that grows with the user's needs.

The user experience is built around in-context editing and is designed to be as easy to use as a word processor so that users spend less time training people, and less time having to fix things.

As an open source framework the user can build complex applications as features like permissions, workflow, file management, calendar, forms, SEO and so much more are built right in. A marketplace of add-ons & themes and an active community can help quickly deliver solutions using Concrete CMS.

The vendor boasts fortune 500 companies, nonprofits, individuals and the U.S. Army as users of Concrete CMS to power critical parts of their web presence.

Concrete CMS Features

Web Content Creation Features

  • Supported: WYSIWYG editor
  • Supported: Code quality / cleanliness
  • Supported: Content versioning
  • Supported: Admin section
  • Supported: Page templates
  • Supported: Library of website themes
  • Supported: Mobile optimization / responsive design
  • Supported: Publishing workflow
  • Supported: Form generator
  • Supported: Content scheduling

Web Content Management Features

  • Supported: Internal content search
  • Supported: Content taxonomy
  • Supported: SEO support
  • Supported: Browser compatibility
  • Supported: Bulk management
  • Supported: Page caching
  • Supported: Availability / breadth of extensions
  • Supported: E-commerce / shopping cart extension
  • Supported: Community / comment management
  • Supported: Import / export

Platform & Infrastructure Features

  • Supported: API
  • Supported: Internationalization / multi-language

Security Features

  • Supported: Role-based user permissions
  • Supported: Multi-factor authentication
  • Supported: User-level audit trail
  • Supported: Version history
  • Supported: Simple roll-back capabilities

CMS programming language or framework Features

  • Supported: PHP

Concrete CMS Screenshots

Screenshot of In-context editing is simple to understandScreenshot of Change text just like a word processorScreenshot of Versioning and workflow built on top of powerful permissionsScreenshot of Flexible backend to power complex communities and intranets.

Concrete CMS Videos

What problems does Concrete CMS solve?
Testimonial from a customer

Concrete CMS Competitors

Concrete CMS Technical Details

Deployment TypesOn-premise, Software as a Service (SaaS), Cloud, or Web-Based
Operating SystemsWindows, Linux, Mac
Mobile ApplicationNo
Supported Countriesanywhere
Supported Languagesarabic, bangla, bosnian, chinese, czech, danish, dutch, english, estonian, finnish, french, german, greek, hebrew, hungarian, icelandic, indonesian, italian, japanese, korean, lithuanian, malay, persian, polish, portuguese, romanian, russian, slovak, spanish, swedish, thai, turkish, vietnamese, welsh

Frequently Asked Questions

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.

WordPress and Drupal are common alternatives for Concrete CMS.

Reviewers rate Code quality / cleanliness and Admin section and Page templates highest, with a score of 10.

The most common users of Concrete CMS are from Small Businesses (1-50 employees).
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Comparisons

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Reviews and Ratings

(85)

Community Insights

TrustRadius Insights are summaries of user sentiment data from TrustRadius reviews and, when necessary, 3rd-party data sources. Have feedback on this content? Let us know!

Smooth User Interface: Many users have praised the smooth user interface of the product, stating that it is intuitive and easy to navigate. Several reviewers have mentioned that they appreciate the clean design and well-organized layout, which enhances their overall experience.

Reliable Performance: Numerous customers have commended the reliable performance of the product. Several reviewers have stated that it consistently meets their expectations and performs tasks efficiently without any glitches or slowdowns. Users have expressed satisfaction with its stability and responsiveness.

Versatile Features: A significant number of users have highlighted the versatility of features offered by the product. Some reviewers have mentioned that it provides a wide range of functionalities, allowing them to accomplish various tasks effectively. The availability of customizable options has also been appreciated by several customers, as it caters to individual preferences and requirements.

Confusing User Interface: Many users have expressed frustration with the confusing and difficult-to-navigate user interface of Concrete5. They find it challenging to complete tasks efficiently due to the lack of intuitive design and organization.

Slow Rendering of Admin Pages: Some users have reported experiencing slow rendering of admin pages, particularly when using older computers. This sluggish performance hampers their productivity and can be frustrating during day-to-day usage.

Limited Customization Options: Users have voiced their concerns about the limited customization options in Concrete5. They feel that these options are buried within the software, making it harder for them to personalize their websites according to their specific preferences and requirements.

Attribute Ratings

Reviews

(1-25 of 59)
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Jalen Séguin | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
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 CMS (even during the time when the developer community dwindled). The last fact that wins my allegiance is that I have 10+ yr old sites that are still functioning well, are easily maintained by the client, and haven't experienced any significant challenges. That kind of performance demonstrates how solid an investment Concrete CMS is.
David Reeder | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Reseller
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 successful in grabbing huge brand awareness and market share, which is where Concrete CMS needs to compete in the future.
Olivier Soille | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
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 community building, you can do what you want if you dev a little on. It's easy to take in hand, easy to have it in your language, easy to devon, easy to teach it to these users.
Katz Ueno | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
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 and blocks was much easier than WordPress.
October 25, 2021

ConcreteCMS: the Best!

Peter Quintus | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
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 yes, there are also add-ons available, but at least tested by a team and guaranteed not to 'screw up' existing code.
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
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 corporate entanglements.
Wayne Stewart | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 7 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
Concrete5 compares very well to other content management systems such as Wordpress, Drupal, Expression Engine and Joomla. Concrete5 seems to have the easiest learning curve from development standpoint and much easier to use for the end user.
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
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 and editing.
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
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
  • Its menu creator which, while far less automated than Concrete5's excellent auto-nav and page list blocks, does allow full control over which pages will appear in a menu
Chris Kerry | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 8 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
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 and still has the ability to be configured as needed since it is open source.
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
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 wider usage and more add-ons/themes, the superior quality of Concrete5 outweighed those factors. Concrete5 also has only had one major upgrade that wasn't backward compatible. This was a tough transition to navigate, but I understand it was done for the right reason by the core team.
Janne Wolterbeek | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
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.
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
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.
Marc Stress | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
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 required to keep your CMS platforms secure, you need to consider Concrete5 as the primary platform to grow your business, build great sites and make clients happy. Concrete5 is a strong, flexible, secure platform that works on small websites or giant data driven web applications. The biggest thing that I dislike about Concrete5 is that it does not have the name recognition of other website platforms. I hope this review helps other people learn about Concrete5 and give it a try on their next project.
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
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 forums.
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
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.
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
ResellerIncentivized
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 long way.
Anel Pasic | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
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, you can update your site to latest version without any worries.
Dave Becker | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
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.
Collin Berg | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 7 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
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 underlying code.
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