Does design a website from scratch can seem like an intimidating task? Do you want to design a website and manage the content without coding or in-depth technical know-how? Enter CMS. CMS or Content management system is a software that allows publishing, editing and modifying content as well as maintenance from a central interface. CMSs are often used to run blogs, news portals, and e-commerce websites. Many corporate and marketing websites use CMSs as well. Websites built with CMSs can also be used by Resellers as an alternative to the SuperSite and are very easy to manage.

Content management systems help you keep track of each and every bit of your content on the website. The content on your website can be anything like simple text, documents, photos, music, videos. The best part of CMS is that it requires almost no technical knowledge or skill to manage and maintain it, everything about your content is managed by CMS.

Website building has become much easier with the availability of many content management systems. Although there are many content management systems out there, the level of complexity and the options that they offer can vary. Some of them are very simple, easy to use and also give the flexibility to customize the website. In this article, we are going to compare some of the most popular CMS’s to help you choose the one that fits your needs.

WordPress

WordPress is a content management software that you can use it to create a beautiful website or blog. WordPress is free, but the kind of features and ease of utilization are priceless.

This software is built by the community of hundreds of volunteers, and if you decide to use this CMS software you will find thousands of plugins and themes available that can transform your site into amazingly anything you imagine. There are over 60 million people who are using WordPress CMS to power their website. WordPress also has a wide range of third party themes as a part of its offering.

WordPress started as a blogging platform and has rapidly become a preferred platform for it. WordPress can accommodate multiple authors – this is a very important feature for serious publications. Because of its popularity and enormous community, it has evolved a lot from its original purpose, and now it is not just a blog, but an all-in-one web publishing platform or CMS.

“WordPress is an easy to use CMS and the codes are easy to understand. WordPress Themes can be deployed faster as compared to any other CMS. We generally recommend WordPress as its interface is easy to understand even for non tech guys.”  – Domenico, Reseller/WordPress User

Pros – Easy to use, Themes
Cons – Very limited, Susceptible to Hackers

Drupal

Drupal is an open source content management platform powering millions of websites and applications. It’s built, used, and supported by an active and diverse community of people around the world. You find thousands of add-on modules and themes that will let you build any type of site you can imagine. Drupal can also be used to build advanced database management websites if one has the proper technical knowledge.

Drupal is a full-fledged, enterprise-grade CMS. It’s recommended for large projects where stability, scalability, and power are prioritized over ease of use and aesthetics. The application is quite popular and is also backed up by an enthusiastic community. Drupal was designed from the ground-up to be search engine friendly which makes it an excellent platform for any business website.

A bare Drupal installation looks like a desert after a draught. The lack of themes doesn’t make things any better. You will have to find a good designer if you want your website to look really good. Drupal also requires a bit of technical knowledge and has a steep learning curve.

“I prefer drupal because of its security aspect. It checks its modules for security breaches. Also, it allows role based authentication. One can assign different roles and permissions to those roles.
Drupal has a multi-site-feature (1 installation on many sites). It has been extremely useful for my e-commerce business with the use of the drupal commerce module.” – Aaron, Web Developer/Drupal Enthusiast

Pros – Most features and customization, Best CMS right out of the box
Cons – Steep learning curve, Lacks Design Options

Joomla

Joomla is an award-winning content management system which helps users build websites and also powerful online applications. Installing and setting up of Joomla is very easy and you do not have to be an advanced user. Joomla is an open source content management solution that is available freely for everyone. Joomla works extremely well as an enterprise-grade CMS. It’s capable of handling a large volume of articles when compared to WordPress. It also works well when it comes to handling e-commerce websites. Joomla can be used by Resellers to create their own E-commerce website from the ground up as an alternative to selling Domains and Hosting Products.

Joomla! is considered extremely powerful, with a wide range of functionality that allows you significant modifications and flexibility. What sets Joomla apart from the rest of the CMS’s is the amazing community that stays behind the software with its extremely democratic approach to running the Joomla! project. Making WordPress SEO friendly is as easy as installing a free plugin. With Joomla, you’ll need a ton of work to get to the same level of search engine friendliness. Unless you have the budget to hire a SEO expert, you might want to look at alternative solutions.

“We prefer Joomla! because we have a ready to start e-commerce site which uses 3rd party plugins suited to our needs. The maintenance is easy and no developers are required.” – Marco, Joomla User

Pros – Very flexible, handles large websites well
Cons – Not SEO Friendly, Lack of free plugins when compared to Drupal/WordPress

Even though WordPress, Joomla, and Drupal are built on the same technology stack, they vary heavily in features and capabilities. For beginners, WordPress is the one which will most likely satisfy the needs of the individual. It all boils down to the end result and expectations of the user. Joomla has a slight learning curve and is better at handling bigger websites than WordPress. Drupal is the most complex out of the three and has every feature that any CMS user can ask for. Resellers can choose either one depending on their requirements to build a beautiful website to help boost their businesses. Hopefully, the above comparative information will help you choose a CMS that fits your requirements.

Which CMS do you prefer and why? Please let us know in the comments below!

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