Overview
What is ExpressionEngine?
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.
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Website development that's simplified and streamlined
ExpressionEngine. One CMS to rule them all!
Solid, more flexible alternative to WordPress
ExpressionEngine - the CMS of Choice
Great For Novices
EE Above the Rest for Client UX.
ExpressionEngine, Affordable Comercial CMS
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ExpressionEngine: A CMS Worth Checking Out
ExpressionEngine is dream of any developer.
ExpressionEngine can do it all... For a price.
Satdaya is a creative services firm that includes web development among our services. We recommend and use ExpressionEngine to our clients …
Free yourself from convoluted CMS markup with ExpressionEngine
Powerhouse CMS great for ecommerce and large sites
Popular Features
- Role-based user permissions (33)10.0100%
- Code quality / cleanliness (32)10.0100%
- Admin section (32)10.0100%
- Availability / breadth of extensions (32)8.080%
Reviewer Pros & Cons
Pricing
License
$299.00
Entry-level set up fee?
- No setup fee
Offerings
- Free Trial
- Free/Freemium Version
- Premium Consulting/Integration Services
Product Demos
Entry Analytics EEDPX Demo
EE Harbor's Transcribe Add-on Demo
ExpressionEngine Demo of a Staff Section
ExpressionEngine demo door Keesâ„¢ Internetbureau
DevDemon's Channel Forms add-on for ExpressionEngine
Solspace's Calendar Add-on for ExpressionEngine
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.
- 10Role-based user permissions(33) Ratings
Permissions to perform actions or access or modify data are assigned to roles, which are then assigned to users, reducing complexity of administration.
Platform & Infrastructure
Features related to platform-wide settings and structure, such as permissions, languages, integrations, customizations, etc.
- 9API(24) Ratings
An API (application programming interface) provides a standard programming interface for connecting third-party systems to the software for data creation, access, updating and/or deletion.
- 8Internationalization / multi-language(21) Ratings
The software supports multiple languages, countries, currencies, etc.
Web Content Creation
Features that support the creation of website content.
- 10WYSIWYG editor(30) Ratings
What-You-See-Is-What-You-Get editing tool allows users to build pages without writing code.
- 10Code quality / cleanliness(32) Ratings
Code generated by WYSIWYG editor is clean and validates according to W3C standards.
- 10Admin section(32) Ratings
The admin page is easy to navigate and use.
- 8Page templates(28) Ratings
The CMS has standard webpage templates or types of web pages (e.g. homepage, article page, interior page, blog page, etc.); users can also build custom templates.
- 7Library of website themes(11) Ratings
A library of website frameworks or themes is available as a starting point for building a website.
- 9Mobile optimization / responsive design(15) Ratings
The CMS helps users build webpages that work well on mobile devices – whether m-dot pages or responsively designed pages.
- 9Publishing workflow(25) Ratings
The software allows users to set up a custom workflow for updating the website, including approval processes.
- 6Form generator(18) Ratings
Users can build website forms for visitors to fill out.
Web Content Management
Features for managing website content
- 10Content taxonomy(25) Ratings
Users can create multiple levels and types of content categories including tags.
- 10SEO support(25) Ratings
The CMS helps users create the right website infrastructure (pagination, page headers, titles, meta tags, url structure, etc.) to increase the site’s visibility in search engine results.
- 10Bulk management(27) Ratings
Users can change an attribute on a group of documents or sites all at once through features such as global search and replace, making bulk changes easier.
- 8Availability / breadth of extensions(32) Ratings
There is a broad library of extensions, plug-ins, modules or add-ons that allow users to easily customize their websites without building custom code.
- 9Community / comment management(30) Ratings
Users can put post/page comments through an approval process, auto-approve commenters based on their email addresses, block commenters by IP address, delete comments, etc.
Product Details
- About
- Tech Details
- FAQs
What is ExpressionEngine?
With CodeIgniter, an agile, open-source framework, web professionals can use ExpressionEngine to build websites and applications. The software is meant to be useful for companies of any size and private individuals as well, and to that end it is highly customizable, and implementation may vary. Like many content management systems, various add-ons will determine what the system does, though the core features are somewhat broader than similarly classed free offerings. The Multiple Site Manager allows a user to create and manage multiple sites from a single ExpressionEngine installation. Nexcess (a partner) provides a hosting environment for an ExpressionEngine-powered website.
ExpressionEngine Video
ExpressionEngine Technical Details
Deployment Types | Software as a Service (SaaS), Cloud, or Web-Based |
---|---|
Operating Systems | Unspecified |
Mobile Application | No |
Frequently Asked Questions
Comparisons
Compare with
Reviews and Ratings
(86)Community Insights
- Pros
- Cons
- Recommendations
Reliable Performance: Many users have praised the product for its reliable performance. Several reviewers mentioned that the product consistently meets their expectations and performs well in various scenarios. Ease of Use: The ease of use is a common pro mentioned by several customers. Users appreciate how intuitive and user-friendly the product is, making it easy to navigate and operate without any hassle or confusion. Great Customer Support: Some users have expressed their satisfaction with the great customer support provided by the company. They have found the support team to be responsive, helpful, and efficient in resolving any issues or inquiries they had.
Cons:
- Quality Issues: Some users have experienced quality issues with the product, including defects and malfunctions. Several reviewers have mentioned receiving damaged items or products that broke shortly after purchase.
- Lack of Customer Support: Many customers have expressed dissatisfaction with the lack of responsive customer support. Several users have reported difficulties in contacting the company for assistance or resolving issues related to their purchase.
- Limited Features/Functionality: Some users feel that the product lacks certain features or functionalities they expected. Reviewers have mentioned specific features missing from the product, such as advanced customization options or compatibility with other devices, which have impacted their overall experience.
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ExpressionEngine is recommended by many users as a great and promising update in the CMS market. It is praised for being free, open-source, and supported by a helpful developer community. Users suggest exploring extensions in the market to enhance its capabilities.
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Improvement is needed in areas such as help and support, as well as managing SEO. Those concerned about security should consider alternative solutions. Reading the developer documentation thoroughly is advised, along with using EE Harbor extensions.
3.ExpressionEngine is suitable for creating different channels and effectively managing website content. It is favored by confident HTML and PHP developers seeking customization options. The platform is considered user-friendly and secure, with the ability to handle large data or databases through proper caching.
While some express concerns about the direction and progress of ExpressionEngine, many still regard it as a leading commercial offering. It is advised to carefully consider project requirements and customization needs when choosing between ExpressionEngine and other CMS platforms like WordPress or Drupal. The value of the EE support plan and the helpfulness of the community are also mentioned as factors to consider for web agencies.
Attribute Ratings
Reviews
(1-4 of 4)Great For Novices
- The blog tool was decent.
- Managing users was easy.
- It was difficult to alter functionality in the admin section. For example, we needed multiple-file uploading and in order to do this the templates had to be directly altered. This direct manipulation of templates makes it hard to upgrade the version without losing custom changes. Same goes for implementing custom file storage.
- WYSIWYG editor
- 60%6.0
- Code quality / cleanliness
- 50%5.0
- Admin section
- 80%8.0
- Page templates
- 70%7.0
- Content taxonomy
- 30%3.0
- SEO support
- 20%2.0
- Bulk management
- 40%4.0
- Availability / breadth of extensions
- 10%1.0
- Community / comment management
- 50%5.0
- Role-based user permissions
- 100%10.0
- It allowed us to launch a new site very quickly.
- It was tedious to make changes to functionality that wasn't module/plugin based.
- Uploading/creating new articles.
- Managing existing content.
- Adding new users to create content.
- The ability to create your own plugins has been helpful.
- At this time, there aren't any.
- Product Features
- Product Usability
- Adding or removing users.
- Tag management became a huge issue. The more tags that were added the slower the dashboard ran b/c it was trying to load in EVERYTHING instead of a paginated approach.
- Modifying the system was next to impossible. It was so cumbersome to use our file management system.
ExpressionEngine is dream of any developer.
- We noticed extensive capabilities in the area of user management. The application allows for multiple administrators so that work can be spread out through multiple resources at a company rather than bottlenecking with the web developer.
- ExpressionEngine has gained a significant following through its high level of customization and ease of use. The interface is straightforward and offers easy access to both front-end and back-end editing. Because this CMS software is open source, you get the best of both worlds. You can add to your website’s functionality through the use of PHP, which means the functionality you desire from a website is easily within reach. For the non-technical user, you can simply work on your site from a simple front-end interface with a simple navigation.
- For functionality and flexibility, ExpressionEngine content management system software is a versatile option for operations large and small. It has obviously extended its reach to many professional websites, which is evidenced on the front page of their product site.
- ExpressionEngine has a thriving community base filled with veteran CMS users who can help you with questions through the community forum. For the programming-savvy individual, you have access to a developer portal complete with documentation, forums and tips for increasing your knowledge of the software.
- Very powerful CMS. Expressionengine can be thought of as a database, where you create your collections and tables and define all sorts of fields for them. Then you can gather the information in this collections any way you want and show it on front-end or at the backend.
- EE very easy to setup. For a site that is based on eCommerce/ Articles / News this CMS is excellent.
- Plugin, Module installation should be with ease. Upload as zip - install.
- Multisite function should be included with purchase and not be as separate module and restriction to 3 sites - it should be infinite.
- WYSIWYG editor
- 90%9.0
- Code quality / cleanliness
- 90%9.0
- Admin section
- 90%9.0
- Page templates
- 100%10.0
- Library of website themes
- 10%1.0
- Mobile optimization / responsive design
- 90%9.0
- Publishing workflow
- 90%9.0
- Form generator
- 10%1.0
- Content taxonomy
- 90%9.0
- SEO support
- 100%10.0
- Bulk management
- 90%9.0
- Availability / breadth of extensions
- 80%8.0
- Community / comment management
- 100%10.0
- API
- 50%5.0
- Internationalization / multi-language
- 50%5.0
- Role-based user permissions
- 90%9.0
- If you’re not completely sold on the software itself, then you can visit their website to see a comprehensive showcase of popular websites that were created using this content management system software.
- SEO friendly URLs are one of the best features of EE.
- Reports
- Websites
- Data Collecting
- Creating Reports for management with CSV , PDF and XLS outputs
- Conferences
- Product Features
- Product Usability
- Product Reputation
- Prior Experience with the Product
- Vendor implemented
- Implemented in-house
- Window servers are a bit tricky to implement. Please don't try to run Expression Engine on Windows. Yes, it's possible to run it on Windows, and self torchering individuals might even enjoy it. Still, Expression Engine is developed on and for the LAMP stack. Just get Linux!
- Creating channels and assigning channel fields are as easy as it can be.
- eCommerce modules can be a pain in the afternoon.
- First-party and Community Support - ExpressionEngine has a large support base both from EllisLab, the maker of ExpressionEngine, and the vast community of users. Any challenges that arise during a project, there is either a third-party plugin or a solution already posted on a discussion forum.
- End-User Experience - Every website we build is custom from the ground up; no two are alike. Each install of ExpressionEngine is built and organized to fit that specific client. With the use of custom fields, our clients can easily update and maintain their website while keeping the styling intact. Many systems will give one large WYSIWYG box and it's up to the user to ensure the styling of the content matches the page and branding. ExpressionEngine allows us to create a entry form guiding them through the process of creating or editing a web page. We can decide how strict or loose the content areas are based on the technical expertise of the client or website administrators.
- Templates - The templates built into ExpressionEngine use native HTML for rendering. Within the HTML, we're able to inject their tags into our code to process the functionality. This makes moving our front-end code into the back-end quick and seamless. This is incredibly helpful for maintenance purposes as we find reading HTML is far quicker and easier to read and diagnose than PHP code.
- Third-party Plugins - ExpressionEngine has a large community of module, extension and plugin developers to help solve any challenge. Custom fieldtypes can be easily installed for better user experience. Powerful add-ons for eCommerce and site searches developed by well-known and highly reputable companies ensure support is always available. ExpressionEngine does not suffer from an over-abundance of third-party plugins questioning the level of support especially with ExpressionEngine system updates.
- License - ExpressionEngine is a licensed product and has a license fee that comes with each install. Most of the additional first-party functionality that is available outside of the core ExpressionEngine install has a license attached. For large websites with a lot of functionality, software licenses for ExpressionEngine and third-party plugins as well can cause the price to exceed the budget of a client.
- Third-party Plugins Required - EllisLabs has been making strives in adding native functionality into ExpressionEngine that would have required third-party plugins in previous versions. They tread carefully not to punish plugin developers who are selling their plugins by building it into the system at no additional charge, however certain functionality like page organization for site navigation should be already included and more streamlined for the client.
- System Updates - Compared to other content management systems, ExpressionEngine is not the easiest when updating to newer versions. Its a manual process of copying, uploading and moving files. There is no "push-button" approach without purchasing a commercial add-on by a third-party developer. With the requirement of third-party plugins to be added for user experience, each system update will require a proactive approach by the plugin developers and the admin updating the system to ensure the plugins will work on future versions. Most admins will wait several months to ensure plugins and minor bugs are ironed out prior to updating.
I did not give a ranking of 10 as there are some instances where other systems would handle the job better than ExpressionEngine; it's not the end-all-be-all. If a client is looking strictly for an eCommerce site, there are other systems that are better prepared for the task and will cut down on development time reducing the overall budget for the project.
- WYSIWYG editor
- 80%8.0
- Code quality / cleanliness
- 80%8.0
- Admin section
- 90%9.0
- Page templates
- 100%10.0
- Publishing workflow
- 90%9.0
- SEO support
- 70%7.0
- Bulk management
- 70%7.0
- Availability / breadth of extensions
- 100%10.0
- Community / comment management
- 100%10.0
- API
- 70%7.0
- Internationalization / multi-language
- N/AN/A
- Role-based user permissions
- 90%9.0
- Our main goal for our company is to design, build and launch a website that the client loves and is proud of. ExpressionEngine gives us that luxury while making it as customizable as possible. We can design and build a site quicker and easier as we have fine-tuned our process of modulating certain aspects of the sites that are included by default.
- With the wide array of plugins available, we have been able to solve any challenge quickly and easily with the great support from EllisLab and the third-party developers.
- With the speed that we can convert our front-end code into the system's back-end, we are able to simplify and decrease what was the more time-consuming stages of a project.
- WordPress,Modx
For basic content management, it only takes a general understanding of online forms to manage the information on the website itself. As long as the system is organized well (depending on the experience of the website developer) anyone who has experience using word processing programs like Microsoft Word or Excel can use ExpressionEngine. We've trained a wide range of clients to manage their own website content with a single training session.
- We built our own website using ExpressionEngine including two other associated websites using the same system install.
- The speed at which we can install, convert our HTML templates and implement within the system saves us a lot of time which, in turn, saves money.
- We have successfully transitioned to becoming the primary developer for several ExpressionEngine sites that were not originally developed by us. This often involved a website redesign and we were able to transition easily while using their existing data.
- Having trained clients on several other content management system, I've found the training sessions for ExpressionEngine tend to take less time from start to finish and the client's understanding is more concrete by the end.
- I've been able to use the same ExpressionEngine install and database to run both our company website and also my personal portfolio. Since the data is shared, I only need to upload my project assets once and assign which website I'd like for it to be shown, on one site or both.
- We've created an asset management system to be used internally by our employees. This allows us to see our catalog from anywhere without needing to be on-site.
- We are considering developing a client portal with the ability for our current clients to get a snapshot of the progress of their project. There are existing systems, however they do have their limitations as they are created for the masses. Having the ability to build the system specific to our needs and also live on our domain would be ideal.
We recently completed a website project using a similar content management system. By the end of the project, we felt it wasn't a good comparable option and will not be using that system for any future projects. For the smaller budget projects, we have begun using WordPress, however we would not consider that a viable option for site that need the functionality and flexibility of ExpressionEngine.
- Product Features
- Product Usability
- Product Reputation
- Vendor Reputation
- Third-party Reviews
ExpressionEngine? Hmm... Only if you like making your job easier and your clients happy.
- If you know HTML and CSS, you can begin using ExpressionEngine. Unlike other CMS products out there, you don't necessarily need to know PHP, C#, .NET, or any other language.
- If you DO know PHP, you can extend ExpressionEngine to limitless usages. The 'hooks' provided within the code base allow you to further stretch ExpressionEngine's capabilities to whatever needs you might have. You can think of ExpressionEngine as a 'development environment' that allows you to define the needs.
- ExpressionEngine allows you, the developer, to establish guidelines for your clients during the development process. There are no boundaries or limitations that bind you to specific realms.
- ExpressionEngine's control panel is clean, simple, and allows users to create, edit, and find their entries with ease.
- Maybe not a weakness per se, but one thing that tends to 'get' people in the beginning is the understanding of the parsing order. There are many thing that ExpressionEngine can do. One thing you will find yourself questioning is "Why aren't my variables rendering properly?". Many times it is due to a parsing order issue. One thing that can help with this is properly mapping out your development prior to beginning your code.
- The use of third party addons is a great extension to ExpressionEngine. However, you definitely want to keep a development version of your project on ice for any updates to, not only your addons, but ExpressionEngine yourself. There is not a good way to 'roll back' your project once you update your version.
- Multiple environment development scenarios can prove to be problematic. This is to be somewhat understood though due to the reliance of the database driven nature of the CMS itself.
- The reliability of ExpressionEngine and the upfront time it saves in terms of development have been the primary reasons we accepted ExpressionEngine as the base of 99% of our projects. Time is money and the time saved by simply launching ExpressionEngine and developing using its template driven design process cuts time exponentially.
- The reusable code blocks, snippets, and global variables alone cut development times in half. Top that with the available addons from third party providers and you find yourself having more time to focus on customer first worries.
- Once you have developed with ExpressionEngine and become comfortable with it, you can build a bootstrap install of your most used configurations. This allows you to launch a development environment for a new project and automatically begin with sometimes 60% of the work already done.
- You have control over what your customer sees. You also have control over what the entry templates look like for your customers. This means that you know what the answers are to the questions that will be coming your way. Good documentation makes your support job much easier.
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