Which is the best CMS platform to build your website this year?

How to build a dynamic website using a CMS platform

If you are looking for a CMS (content management system) platform to build a dynamic business website, this blog will help you understand how one can easily develop a website without any prior understanding of code. In the presence of an abundance of CMS options, it is quite difficult to choose the one that will conform to all your expectations. So, if you want to know which one is best for you, stay tuned!

What is a CMS platform?

CMS, or content management system, is a platform that facilitates the creation and maintenance of web content. If this prompts you to wonder why people have been trying to learn programming languages all this time, you’re on the right track. Building a website without the use of a CMS platform will require you to master any programming language, like JavaScript, HTML, and others. But you can avoid the tiresome process of writing code by opting for a robust CMS platform.

Choosing the Best CMS Platform for Your Website

In the presence of such a wide number of CMS platforms, you ought to look for some of the key functionalities that should be present in an ideal CMS platform. Here is a list of what to search for in a CMS platform when you are seeking to develop a website of your own:

• Simplicity 

A simple-to-use CMS platform is the most desirable of all. Editing and managing appointments with the CMS platform shouldn’t involve much complexity. To put it in other words, the CMS platform should comprise a drag-and-drop interface that will make it easier for you to edit components.

• Variety in terms of design

The availability of a large number of templates is something that you should look for in a CMS platform. However, you must not forget to check if it allows users to customise their own designs.

• Data transfer 

Not only should the CMS platform have enough space to accommodate all your data, but it should also enable you to transfer data to some other file whenever needed. If you fail to ensure this, you may have trouble switching to another CMS platform.

• Plugins and integrations

Compiling all the features that every business will ever need is practically impossible for any CMS platform. But you need to take care of your needs, and this is why you should opt for a CMS platform that offers seamless third-party integration.

• Maintenance and support

When people are looking for a CMS platform, one of the foremost things they look for is a prompt query resolution system. Users need the assurance that they have someone to help them in times of crisis. They will also probably verify if the CMS platform has a considerable online community.Now that you know what to look for in a CMS platform, here is a table that will enlighten you about the pros and cons of the 15 most popular CMS platforms and their pricing structures: 

PROS 

CONS 

PRICING 

WordPress.org 

As the most popular CMS software backing about 43 percent of websites, WordPress.org is an open-source CMS that users can access for absolutely no cost. Designed initially to facilitate blogging, it is often confused with the blog hosting platform, WordPress.com.    One of the most intriguing things about WordPress is the fact that it is highly flexible and does not require any technical knowledge to build an attractive website. If you wish to further your experiments, you can also opt for a paid subscription. The SEO plugins supported by WordPress are also a major attraction for users. Its XML downloads are easily supported across various devices.Owing to its open-source nature, it has been able to build a large online community that can rescue you in any crisis.  When working with WordPress, setting up the domain name is an essential step, along with handling security and storage concerns. For beginners, the flexibility offered by WordPress can also cause some confusion.    Although users can access WordPress facilities for free, you will need to buy the domain name, which can range between $9 and $15 a year, in addition to a hosting account, which can cost you a minimum of $7.99 per month. However, there are certain service providers who can waive the hosting fee.   

HubSpot CMS Hub

 HubSpot CMS Hub is a highly appreciated content management system that is bound to take marketers and business owners by surprise. This owes much to the platform’s offerings, such as marketing automation, salestools, and what not!    Despite the absence of technical skills, you can now build your own website with the help of the HubSpot CMS. It facilitates the creation and optimization of web content through a range of features like inbuilt search engine optimization tools, marketing tools, security enhancers, drag-and-drop editorial facilities, personalised content, serverless architecture, flexibility in terms of themes, and most importantly, the provision of customization.  Unlike WordPress.org, HubSpot CMS Hub does not offer any free trials. However, its capacity to integrate with WordPress and WooCommerce makes it stand out of the crowd.  CMS Hub has a three-tiered pricing structure that includes a starter, professional, and enterprise plan.The starter plan bears a price tag of $25 per month and is best suited for simple yet well-performing websites. The professional and enterprise plans include a plethora of extra features that will assist you in creating a complex and versatile website.  

Joomla 

 Joomla is one of the developers’ favourites for a reason! Its free templates are easily accessible. All you need is a hosting platform and a domain name.The flexibility and variety offered by Joomla are unmatched, and this is exactly what is required when you are seeking to build an all-in-one website. Moreover, Joomla does not necessitate the usage of extensive codes that can only be drafted by developers. So, get started with Joomla and proceed to develop your very own e-commerce with strong support from the Joomla online community.Since Joomla is a one-stop destination for all kinds of e-commerce solutions, its complexity can be difficult for laymen to grasp. This may prompt you to seek help from an experienced developer who can successfully deploy a website even in the absence of extensions and multiple modules.Although Joomla enables you to use its features at no cost, you will still have to pay for the domain name and the hosting platform. You may incur more costs if you desire to incorporate more extensions, and you can always seek assistance from someone who is experienced in this domain.  

WooCommerce 

 The CMS platform is probably the easiest to manage, although calling it a CMS may not be technically correct because you can install it on your device only after you have plugged it into WordPress. From selling physical products to selling digital products, WooCommerce is a software that enables you to carry out all your business processes for free. However, getting hold of the domain name and the hosting platform is bound to cost you. Its easy stock tracking facility combined with a wide range of payment options may have contributed to its success.Setting up your WooCommerce-developed website can turn out to be very hectic, but you can escape the struggle by deciding to stick to the themes offered by the platform.WooCommerce offers a great deal of templates free of charge, but plugins are bound to cost you extra money. This is in addition to the costs incurred by you for obtaining the domain name and the hosting platform.  

Drupal 

 If you haven't heard of Drupal yet, it is time to acknowledge its contribution to building The Economist's website. This open-source CMS platform is potent enough to handle large sets of data along with your demand for extensive customization. In addition to this, you also need to know that you can not only install Drupal for free but also transfer your existing Drupal site.Drupal makes content management much easier due to the presence of an inbuilt system that allows you to specify roles.It also equips you with a variety of modules that function like WordPress plugins.One of the major problems with Drupal is the process of modification or addition. It becomes necessary to hire skilled developers under such circumstances. As a result, attempting to customise your site with Drupal can be costly.Drupal is an open source content management platform and therefore does not have a set price. However, the cost of setting up and maintaining a Drupal website will depend on the complexity of the website, the hosting provider and the modules and themes used.  

Wix 

 If you were to ask users of the Wix CMS platform what their preference is, they are most likely to express their wish to switch to WordPress. This does not necessarily mean that you should start your journey with WordPress, because a free and user-friendly CMS platform like Wix might be hard to find.  One of the foremost reasons why Wix is considered to be such a user-friendly CMS platform is its drag-and-drop facility, which helps you begin editing any part of the page according to your liking. Its responsive existing templates are worth having a glimpse of.  The bad part about the CMS platform is that you cannot switch between layouts. Moreover, it does not allow users to operate their e-commerce stores from the platform unless they have opted for a paid plan. The only two payment options available are PayPal and Authorize.net. Downloading or exporting data is not allowed, necessitating the need to edit each page manually.  The Wix plan that is available for free comes with a Wix-branded domain and multiple advertisements. But you can choose to upgrade to a $13 monthly plan for flexibility and to a $23 monthly plan to be able to take payments in the online mode.  

BigCommerce 

 BigCommerce is an all-in-one CMS platform that is best suited for beginners, enabling them to enjoy enhanced security features and storage.One of the most attractive features of the BigCommerce CMS platform is its free trial, which enables you to test its functionalities before you opt for any subscription. In addition to that, it also offers a free domain name, like mystore.mybigcommerce.com. Its multiple payment options and 24/7 support are the most appreciated by users.The disadvantages of big commerce include a user’s lack of control over the website, the limited number of layouts, and the restrictions on third-party integrations. It also automatically upgrades you to subsequent plans once you have attained your current target.When using BigCommerce, opting for a monthly subscription is a must, as opposed to other CMS platforms that offer yearly subscriptions at discounted prices. The standard BigCommerce plan costs $29.95 per month for up to $50,000 in annual sales, while the Pro plan costs $249.85 per month for up to $400,000.You can also opt for a customised enterprise plan offered by BigCommerce.

Shopify 

 Shopify is a one-of-a-kind CMS platform that does not even require you to install any software or keep track of management concerns. From backups and updates to physical and digital stores, Shopify is not going to disappoint you!Apart from the themes and extensions already available on the CMS platform, it also enables third-party integrations. Its multiple payment options include credit and debit cards, and PayPal is the default payment platform. In case you get stuck, you can contact their support services at any time.Integrating third-party apps with your online store can lead you to incur a lot of additional costs. Also, there may be a few features that you desperately require but cannot find on Shopify.  The pricing plans available on Shopify resemble those on the big commerce CMS platform. However, Shopify does not automatically upgrade you to the next plan when you reach a certain level of sales, and it also enables you to subscribe on a yearly basis at discounted prices. The plans range from $29 per month to $299 per month, with numerous additional features.  

WordPress.com 

 This platform is different from the one discussed previously. It is a commercial, self-hosted version of WordPress. When using WordPress.com, you can choose whether to purchase a domain name or reap the benefits of a WordPress.com-branded subdomain for free.  WordPress.com is one of the rare CMS platforms that suits the requirements of both beginners and experienced developers. Although free of charge, its smooth content management is all that you could have asked for. From creating your own website to editing content, WordPress.com has you covered. It also lets you have your own domain name for the lowest price. The e-commerce features are a blend of effective analytics, power, and flexibility.  Although WordPress.com brings a great deal of features to the table, an individualised domain name will not be entertaining unless you subscribe to the initial plan. It also doesn’t let you exercise full control over your site. Furthermore, the variety of available plugins is limited.  The free WordPress.com plan is probably the best if you compare it to other CMS platforms, but wanting to incorporate a unique domain name necessitates the need for a plan. Plans begin witheCommerce plans start at $48 per year and can go up to $540 per year.If you wish to upgrade to the VIP WordPress plan, you can enjoy countless other features. 

Ghost 

 If you are into blogging or are planning to start with it, Ghost is the CMS platform designed for you. This headless CMS platform does not impose any method of publishing content.The use of Markdown in Ghost helps format texts, much like the blocks used in WordPress. It is supportive of search engine optimization, implying that you no longer need to use plugins for SEO. It also enables you to create subscription-based services for your customers.If you want to consider flexibility, WordPress is definitely going to outperform Ghost. Designed initially with simplicity and for the purpose of blogging, Ghost has now become a complex CMS by incorporating the provision for paid subscriptions.Ghost resembles other CMS platforms in that it makes it mandatory for you to pay for a domain name and the hosting platform. However, it differs from them in that it is not supported by a lot of web hosts, the exception being Ghost (Pro). The basic Ghost plan costs $36 per month, and the inclusion of any extra subscribers can cost you up to $249 a month. 

Magento 

 Powered by Adobe, Magento is available for download and installation on individual web hosting accounts for free. These are known as Magento open sources. You can also go for the more expensive Magento Commerce, which is powerful enough to support large businesses.  The level of extensions and customization offered by Magento is absolutely unmatched. It is capable of managing huge data sets without affecting the performance of your website. From Coke and Nike to Ford, industry giants are turning to Magento for its immense set of functionalities and especially the multiplicity of payment gateways such as PayPal, cash, and direct transfers.For people who are just setting foot in the ecommerce domain, Magento can be a little difficult to adapt to. Furthermore, when you choose Magento open source, your only source of support is the online community, and the fees for experienced Magento developers can be exorbitant.Magento occupies a primary position on the list of the most expensive CMS platforms. Although it is not explicitly mentioned by Magento, the services start at $22,000 a year, making it an unfathomable object of desire for small or medium-scale businesses.

Textpattern 

 The open source CMS platform known as Textpattern has been winning the hearts of users with its simplistic approach. What makes it stand out from the crowd is its easy documentation and storage facility. Textpattern is unmatched in terms of the flexibility it offers when it comes to structuring content—and that too, for free. It is unique in that it enables readers to subscribe to its RSS feeds, through which users can organise different parts of the content in different manners.In the absence of a single-click installation process, users shall have to create a database on their web host using FTP and upload the software to be able to reap the benefits of the features offered by Textpattern. Furthermore, because text pattern is not a well-known CMS platform, users may have difficulty obtaining professional developer assistance.Although Textpattern allows free access to all its features, you may nevertheless have to buy a domain name and a hosting platform to harness the potential of its offerings. 

Blogger

Blogger, which was launched by Google in 1999, is a CMS platform designed specifically for bloggers.The blogs published with Blogger usually contain the domain blogspot, but it also enables you to buy your own domain name.  Blogger is one of the most popular CMS platforms among beginner bloggers owing to its efficiency in creating and publishing blogs. The tools available on this Google-powered CMS platform help you incorporate contact forms and advertisements. You can create up to 20 static pages and store data weighing up to 15 GB on Google Drive without even installing anything on your device.If you wish to publish anything other than a blog, Blogger may not be the right fit for you because of the absence of ecommerce features. You can utilise the free themes available on the CMS platform and customise them to a certain extent, but creating a theme of your own will require you to seek help from skilled developers. Moreover, if you plan to switch to WordPress at a later stage, you will have to copy the content manually.Although Blogger allows you to utilise its features free of charge, you will have to pay in order to get your own domain name, which is bound to cost you. However, it is advisable to get a custom domain name from a domain registrar; it will enable you to make a swift shift to some other CMS platform.  

Bitrix24

This business tool comprises numerous features such as easy task management, business communication, and customer relationship management in addition to a CMS platform. The perfect match for any small business is the basic plan, which comprises up to 5 GB of free storage and 12 free user accounts.From effectively handling your landing page to your entire e-commerce website, Bitrix24’s unique drag-and-drop interface can do it all. Even the free Bitrix24 plan will offer anything and everything that you would need to handle your small to medium-sized enterprise.  For those who are already in possession of a CMS, Bitrix24 can prove to be of great benefit. However, getting hold of a CMS platform through Bitrix24 may not be an ideal option. The numerous features stacked in the CMS platform can be perplexing for newcomers.Bitrix24 comprises numerous plans ranging from the Start+ plan, which costs $24 per month, to the Professional plan, priced at $199 per month, but you can also get discounts when opting for a yearly plan. The most attractive of all plans is a monthly subscription that you can utilise within your enterprise by paying a minimum of $1,490.

TYPO3

Apart from its utility in website management, TYPO3 is best suited for internal company sites as a free, open-source CMS platform launched in the late 1990s.The extensions offered by the CMS platform are probably the reason why customers are holding on to it for so long.TYPO3 is a CMS platform that is unrivalled in its ability to handle large websites with multiple languages, making it popular primarily among international organisations with a global client base.Its strong yet flexible environment facilitates modifications and up to 6,000 extensions.There may be many benefits to Typo3, but it fails to conform to customer expectations as far as teams are concerned. Working with this CMS platform necessitates the hiring of a developer to create a theme from scratch and to maintain your website. 

Conclusion 

Following an in-depth examination of the 15 most popular content management system platforms, it is possible to conclude that WordPress.org is the most preferred CMS platform among both novice and experienced developers.From creating your own online community to selling products and services, WordPress will equip you with all the features that you will ever need in order to carry out your business processes smoothly and effectively.If you are still unsure about which CMS platform will be most beneficial to your company, contact Sterling Technolabs' skilled and experienced developers.They will patiently listen to all your demands and not only suggest which platform to use but also help you build your website. So, begin your website development journey with the most suitable CMS platform right away.