Best Content Management System to Use in 2024 (Free & Paid)

Content management systems (CMS) are handy tools for website owners who want to manage content effectively. Today, many different CMS are available in the market, each with unique benefits and features.

In this article, we are going to introduce you to the top 10 CMS of 2024 that are most popular with users and developers.

What is a Content Management System?

A Content Management System, more commonly known as a CMS, is a web-based platform that allows website owners to easily manage their content without needing someone specializing in IT or programming. These solutions were developed to simplify the creation and management of websites, resulting in an explosion of possibilities.

There are several types of CMS today, each with advantages and disadvantages. Most CMS are free and open source; the code can be modified according to user needs.

WordPress.org

Launched in 2003, WordPress is the reference CMS worldwide. Open source and accessible, it is a complete content management system in terms of use. With more than a thousand pre-established themes, it ensures the simplified creation of a website or an e-commerce site.

Moreover, as strongly oriented Google Friendly, WordPress provides real-time analysis of the SEO of a site thanks to its Yoast SEO plugin. The platform also allows the ability to analyze the site’s PHP database for web development insiders.

Intuitive, this system allows rapid modification of a site’s content, whether at the textual or visual level. Designed primarily for blogging, WordPress makes updating posts regularly and publishing new content easy. Another strong point is that a forum is available to solve any blockage encountered. Listing approx 40% of sites, this platform owes its durability to its versatility and responsiveness.

Wix

Suitable for novices, Wix is ​​one of the easiest site creation tools to handle. Indeed, even for users with no HTML knowledge, the platform offers 500 customizable templates. This modular aspect aims to match the branding of the final site with the company’s brand. Wix allows intuitively integrating different image or video-type media to push its versatile side further. Thus, the platform guarantees any site’s raw creation and content modification at any time.

Another advantage of the Wix platform is that it has many functions that allow the addition of social networks or the subscription to the newsletter of the site’s owner. However, Wix is ​​not a CMS for responsive design, so the site display may differ depending on the medium used. To remedy this, it is necessary to manually organize the blocks of the content displayed.

Webflow

Still growing, Webflow is recognized as one of the best code-free website builders, making it an ideal platform for Webflow development. This builder pushes its interface towards its content-moderating functions. Among other things, this CMS has a drag-and-drop function that facilitates importing any element. This platform puts personalization on a pedestal by combining the best features of HTML, CSS, and Js languages. The design can be modified down to the pixel for more meticulousness.

Webflow also has an SSL (Secure Socket Layer) feature providing security for data and site source code. Each site created through this CMS is also subject to ISO27018, a communication protocol for protecting data hosted in cloud computing. This certification is also enforced for automatic backups performed by the platform. In addition, the elements stored on the platform are reusable to facilitate the standardization of the site’s design.

PrestaShop

Since its launch in 2007, the PrestaShop solution has grown in popularity. This notoriety of the CMS owes to its reactivity, lightness, and accessibility. PrestaShop has an entirely free native version for personal use or for launching a digital activity.

This platform also ensures reliability since it is modular and compatible with many international VPNs. Another strong point of this CMS is that it allows the integration of a large volume of catalogs without limits in terms of referencing.

In addition, PrestaShop is intuitive at all levels, whether back-office or front-end. On the technical side, this CMS is compatible with most web servers when PHP and MySQL are installed upstream. Offering a structured navigation window, PrestaShop allows a quick and efficient site configuration. In addition, this CMS has the merit of offering a responsive design for a smartphone display, a significant asset.

Joomla

This platform is the second most used CMS after WordPress. From installation to configuration, the Joomla system is intuitive, making learning easier. Joomla enjoys an ergonomic environment where users can list different types of files. This flexibility in content management allows this CMS to integrate several styles on the same site. Multilingual, the free version of Joomla includes 64 languages ​​and allows the export of computer codes according to the user’s choice.

In addition, Joomla has almost infallible security. Although it requires basic knowledge of computer programming, this platform has more than 600,000 users who can help novices. However, the platform still needs to be considered more convenient by Google and is subject to restricted positioning. Joomla is thus oriented to creating large-scale presentation sites for professional use.

Drupal

With durability based on its security, Drupal is the preferred CMS for large structures. With the addition of multi-functional plugins, this system provides users with great flexibility. A godsend for organization maniacs, Drupal integrates an information classification system. It also has a structured and scalable architecture to provide ergonomics in content management. Drupal supports a multitude of languages ​​for the necessary copies.  

Powered by a responsive and diverse community, Drupal has become a CMS with complete functionality. Moreover, with a back office for web developers, this tool can be used to create a multitude of sites. Thanks to very advanced personalization, Drupal allows a complete contextualization of the purposes of the final site, as well as regular updates. The latest innovative version, Drupal 8, has more excellent functional coverage for blogs or showcase sites.

Contentful

This content infrastructure manages data for a site or application. Focused on responsive design, each site created by this Headless CMS offers a display depending on the support screen. This functionality is the strong point of this revolutionary CMS. Contentful allows users to organize site elements to improve the visitor experience. In addition, this option allows the reuse and distribution of content used on the site.

With its dedicated AWS cloud, the Contentful service manages and secures the site’s data. The pinnacle of international openness, Contentful also uses several CDNs (Content Delivery Networks) located in the four corners of the globe. Also, a site running Contentful has no latency caused by geographical distance to the site’s central server. Belonging to the new generation of CMS, Contentful offers the cloud migration service of any site to its platform to avoid the loss of user data.

Sitefinity

Simplicity and efficiency are the watchwords of this CMS. Sitefinity is designed to adapt to the evolutionary growth of the site created. Adding new elements is done thanks to the modern and intuitive tools of the platform for a gain in productivity. Content creators or developers and Sitefinity users are satisfied with the simplified handling of the platform. At the forefront of personalization, Sitefinity guarantees multi-channel delivery and an adaptive UX function.

In sum, Sitefinity is as practical for selling as it is for news. Continuously improving, the platform offers feature updates or bug fixes. A lever for SEO referencing, Sitefinity has several integrated tools to guarantee the visibility of the site’s content on the jungle of the web.

CMS Hub

CMS Hub differs from its competitors by being the only CMS integrated with a CRM by default. This initiative allows you to centralize all your data on a single platform. The latter is, therefore, dedicated to sales or interactive sites oriented toward the visitor experience. Its intuitive interface ensures simplicity in data management and editing. Moreover, CMS Hub allows users to use customizable pre-made themes to offer site creation free of web programming.

Additionally, its technical side joins its practicality thanks to the creation of forms and CTA buttons. In addition, the final site has increased dynamics and allows reactive data collection to support visitors. Finally, this CMS allows site migration to retain user data.

Magento

Magento is the CMS par excellence in the creation of e-commerce sites. It is mainly because of its seniority and community, which improves it daily. This open-source CMS offers the management of several stores simultaneously and supports a multitude of computer languages. This feature facilitates the publication of the same product on different sites and stock pooling.

This system is also rich in native features and requires little installation of modules. Web marketers thus favor Magento for its international scope and marketing optimization tools.

Besides, Magento is the epitome of online selling. Magento ensures a complete configuration of e-commerce, from the management of each product to that of each catalog. For natural referencing enthusiasts, the platform can offer an exciting SEO placement to the final site. Very connected, Magento has many gateways between users. To make the most of these capabilities and stay competitive in the ever-evolving e-commerce landscape, businesses should explore Magento 2 migration services to ensure a smooth transition and continued success.

What is a paywall?

A paywall is a virtual barrier erected by content providers to restrict access to certain online content, requiring users to make a monetary payment to unlock premium material. In essence, it acts as a tollgate, preventing unrestricted entry to specific articles, videos, or other digital resources. The term “paywall” encompasses the practice of charging users for access to exclusive content, representing a strategy employed by publishers and creators to generate revenue and sustain their digital platforms. The paywall meaning lies in the deliberate separation between free, readily available content and premium offerings, urging users to invest in a more comprehensive and specialized online experience.

How to choose a suitable CMS?

Choosing the suitable CMS is essential because its operation and capabilities will directly impact your website’s quality and performance. It is therefore essential to consider several criteria:

• Flexibility and features
• Utilization facility
• Security
• Updates and maintenance

Once you have considered these points, you will need to choose a web host that provides the disk space, bandwidth, and technical support necessary to make your site accessible on the Internet. Remember that most hosts offer generic solutions and are not necessarily optimized for CMS. Choosing a host that offers specific services for the CMS you want to use is essential.