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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 Adobe Business Catalyst (Discontinued)?

Adobe Business Catalyst was a cloud-hosted system for building and managing web content and online stores with a built-in CRM framework in addition to sales, service, and marketing features including eCommerce and Email Marketing tools. It has been end of life (EOL) since 2020.

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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.

9.5
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
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

(84)

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

(26-50 of 59)
Companies can't remove reviews or game the system. Here's why
Tom Reitz | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 7 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
Concrete5 is great for smaller content-based sites with non-technical managers. It's not well suited to large database-driven apps which need e-commerce features or many (thousands) of pages of content.
Frank Smith V | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 8 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
For a small website that is content driven this works very well to hand off to a client and [you] can put some faith that they will be able to manage it very easily on their own. This is not something I would recommend to have as an e-commerce website or any site that needs to be blazingly fast.
Kelly Lee | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 7 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
Concrete5 is great for any website, but in particular real estate and marketing websites. The super easy, intuitive and drop and drag building is superb for non technical people to keep the site looking fresh and updated.
John Smart | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Concrete5, like any CMS, is a very complex program So if you are building a site that has a lot of code and database calls, you would usually be better off building it without a CMS.
If a site is not heavily coded, then Concrete5 is an excellent choice. The only time we still use WordPress is if a client is very familiar with that platform, or it has plugins that the client needs that are not available on Concrete5. (This has only happened once!)
David Zizza | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
We have used Concrete5 for eCommerce, scientific, religious, non-profits, associations, clubs and professional sites. It's so flexible I can't really think of a situation where it couldn't be applied. And it's ability to be flexible is largely due to the development community. We have worked mainly with designers who are implementing the clients vision and then we implement their designs, but have also used third party templates modified for specific clients.
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
Make sure your web host can easily implement and install Concrete5. I use Bluehost exclusively for my Concrete5 web hosting. For me the ease of installation and set up of Concrete5 is important because most of the jobs that I use Concrete5 for, require a quick turnaround.
Hamlet Javier | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
Concrete5 is well suited for small businesses with simple websites. It's good for information sites, for blogs, for e-commerce, for lead generation, etc. The only thing I would not recommend it for would be to treat it as a CRM, as that would entail a whole lot of custom coding (but I guess that's the same for any CMS).
Joey Nizuk | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
Concrete5 is well suited for any website that is going to be a static company website with maybe a careers section, contact form, portfolio, customer management, and dynamic features like that. Although when it comes to eCommerce it's a bit tricky because there are scenarios where Concrete5 works and doesn't work. For example if there is a client who needs a large eCommerce site with a 100,000 plus product catalog that is continually revolving and constantly syncing with third party commerce vendors such as Amazon, eBay etc., then I would probably not recommend Concrete5 because there are other platforms that are solely for this type of eCommerce site (e.g. Magento). Although if there is a client who needs a smaller scaled eCommerce site to showcase maybe their own product line or a niched group of products which requires more engagement with the users then Concrete5 is perfect for this.
Kevin Call | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
Concrete5 is excellent for both small and large-scale enterprise sites due to it's excellent editing interface. Allows for easy development and deployment, and the ability to pass the project off to web editors to maintain. However, since it is database driven, I believe for small websites it can be seen as overkill, like any other database driven CMS such as WordPress, Drupal, or Joomla. I would consider it overkill only in situation where a small—under 30 page—website is needed and the content will not change often nor is there a need to publish new content via blogs or event posts. In those situations, a plain HTML based site works best, but will require someone with web knowledge to update it. Otherwise, Concrete5 is a rock solid choice—pun very much intended.
Thomas Cameron | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
Obviously some knowledge of php and mysql are helpful when installing and configuring the system. Performance hasn't been and issue with any of the sites I'm managing, however they haven't received a significant amount of traffic. Authoring is very responsive and can even be done on various tablet devices. File sets are great! Take advantage of this great feature.
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
Concrete5 fits just about any web project easily with the exception of HEAVY BIG eCommerce projects. There is an eCommerce module but it's not appropriate for stores with more than about 100 products. If you have a huge store you're better in a product like ZenCart, PrestaShop, Shopify, so on.
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
Concrete5 is a very good choice anytime you are dealing with content that you want users to be able to easily update. It may not be the best choice for a highly dynamic website but for the typical information focus business website Concrete5 is a very flexible and solid CMS choice.
Bryce Wilson | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
With each project it is best to approach it with the goals in mind. Concrete5 may not be the best fit in all cases. Given that there is such a large community centered around WordPress for example with a plethora of sound plugins that can accomplish much more that most CMS solutions, it is best to dive into Concrete5, understand how your team can best utilize what Concrete5 does best, content management. From there teams can decide how much resources they can lend towards developing tools that may not exist out of the box or within the community and slowly move towards inviting into the future of Concrete5 and what is going to be one of the best CMS solutions for some time.
Francois Simard | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
Concrete5 is awesome for small websites or web applications. It's a perfect tool when you have a few users editing the site with a small to medium sitemap. However, Concrete5 might be too minimal when it comes to building web sites with a lot of data to manipulate or content that needs to be managed by multiple users.
Guy Verville | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
While you can build a site without programming a lot, it is necessary to grasp the whole API (it is always a good idea to know what's under the hood!) to go further and exploit the whole potential of this great piece of code. I like the file manager, the way you can reuse and change a file without any fuss. My experience with modules is also good since the developers who coded them are proactive. It is true that you have to pay a little amount for those modules, which is not, for me, a problem. I prefer to pay, hence showing my respect for the work done, and have in return a quick and professional response. So Concrete5 is a good mix of everything. Developers can develop, designers can design, and the most important, users can use it effortlessly! It is hard to compete with the big kids of CMS. I hope Concrete5 will make its place in this competitive world.

Concrete5 has not yet earned its due respect. It is a pity. I have done small websites with it, so I can not say how it performs on big sites. It is very hard to sell it. Wordpress and Drupal occupy a lot of space because they are seen as 1) popular 2) stable 3) there to stay. Concrete5 still appears as a new kid. Its future is still uncertain. I recommend it for small to medium sized organisations that want a flexible and easy CMS.
Kirk Roberts | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 7 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
Concrete5 is well-suited for use on general-purpose marketing sites and can easily handle a wide range of content. Add-ons provide many ready-to-go solutions for more particular needs, and the framework makes it relatively easy for developers to create custom applications that blend in seamlessly with the system. Although the system can handle specialized tasks like blogging or ecommerce as part of a larger site, if your site really IS a blog or a store there are better options out there.
Melanie Mumme | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 8 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
When a client wants to be able to modify their own site, Concrete5 is a great choice. I tend to offer more than one solution when implementing a CMS. I give a demonstration of each option to the client (Usually WP, Concrete5 and Joomla) and then I let them decide. It is important that the client be comfortable with the interface if they are going to use it. It is also important to understand the scope of the project, as some CMS will handle certain applications and tasks better. With a good developer, anything is possible, with any CMS, but some CMS can make development times shorter, thus reducing costs for the client.
Daniel Caryll | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
For a quick project that's landing in the client's lap when its done, Concrete5 is an ideal system to get up and running. If a client is looking for some advanced blogging requiring custom post types and more automated content, Concrete5 may take longer to get set up. But almost all needs can be accomplished by using Concrete5 and if it can't, someone's probably working on making it so that it can.
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