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Concrete5 - easy to use, easy to maintain
Updated July 07, 2015

Concrete5 - easy to use, easy to maintain

Anonymous | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 8 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User

Software Version

5.6

Overall Satisfaction with Concrete5

We use Concrete5 for various websites inside our organization where people need a clean and easy to use CMS. Concrete5 is easy to implement/install and gets novice clients up and working in a short time. Training for basic functionality is relatively easy.
  • Easy to upload and manage image and document files via the file manager. It groups images as sets to use on pages.
  • Direct on the screen editing of pages. There is not a separate interface for managing pages. It is basically a WYSIWYG.
  • A number of excellent simple themes.
  • Numerous plugins that add a lot of functionality like forms, Google Calendar, Flash content, RSS feeds, Slideshows, etc
  • The dashboard can be a bit confusing for a novice user. Naming of items could be clearer.
  • Searching for themes by free or cost could be made easier, this includes plugins (blocks) as well.
  • Managing a website became much simpler and straightforward. No more local desktop modification and then moving to the web host via ftp or other clients.
  • Better looking web sites overall with the use of various themes
  • Having web sites with forms that were easy to setup created a better client experience
Concrete5 overall seems to be easier for the user to get set up and start creating websites. Having the WYSIWYG type interface on the actual web page is much more intuitive.
I have not found a particular instance where is was not suitable. Many times the choice not to use was driven by client desire, e.g. WordPress instead.

Concrete CMS Feature Ratings

Using Concrete5

25 - Used for business office websites, research labs and academic support programs.We also provide online forms for people to make request for various IT services.
2 - The skills needed to setup a web are MySQL and Apache web configuration. Creating the database for Concrete5 is fairly straightforward. Apache configuration tends to be for virtual hosted sites. One has to know how to request a URL that is an alias that points to the actual server. Then you have to edit and configure the appropriate virtual host file. Other skills are knowing how to navigate the Concrete5 interface so that you can assist and get new users started.
  • Business office needs
  • Research labs
  • Academic Support groups.
  • Concrete5 has a number of plugins or what they term blocks that you can add to enhance the web site. Forms, embed Google Calendar, embed YouTube
It is robust and open source. It can be deployed easily with a minimum amount of training.

Concrete5 Implementation