CMS Alternatives to WordPress

1. Drupal

Drupal is a powerful and highly flexible CMS known for its enterprise-grade security, scalability, and structured content management. It is widely used by governments, universities, and large organizations that require advanced content workflows and user permissions.

• Platform Type: Open Source, Self-Hosted
• Best for: Enterprise, government, and large-scale content management.
• E-commerce: Third-party solutions like Drupal Commerce exist, but the setup is complex compared to Shopify, Craft Commerce, or WooCommerce.
• Customization: Highly customizable, but most features require custom development.
• Scalability: Excellent for high-traffic websites and complex digital experiences.
• Use Case: Best for organizations with strict security requirements, structured content needs, and multiple user roles.
• Ease-of-Use: Drupal has a steep learning curve and is not beginner-friendly—it is best suited for developers or organizations with dedicated technical teams. While recent versions (Drupal 9 and 10) have improved the admin UX, they still lack the ease of use found in WordPress or Joomla.

2. Craft CMS

Craft CMS is a robust content management system designed for flexibility and custom content modeling. Unlike WordPress, it does not rely on pre-built themes or plugins for core functionality, making it ideal for businesses that need a highly tailored website with a strong foundation for growth.

• Platform Type: Proprietary, Self-Hosted.
• Best for: Fully custom, developer-friendly websites.
• E-commerce: Craft Commerce is a solid WooCommerce alternative
• Customization: High degree of flexibility but requires developer knowledge.
• Scalability: Excellent for structured content and high-performance sites.
• Use Case: Ideal for businesses that need a scalable, high-performance website with a streamlined content editing experience. Well-suited for companies that prioritize custom content structures, design consistency, and long-term maintainability over quick setup.
• Ease-of-Use: Craft CMS has a clean, intuitive admin interface that makes content management easy for non-technical users. However, building and customizing a site requires a developer, which can be a long-term advantage for business owners who want a website built with structured, maintainable, and scalable code rather than relying on third-party plugins or page builders.

3. Ghost

Ghost is a modern, streamlined CMS explicitly designed for content creators, bloggers, and publishers. Unlike WordPress, which tries to be an all-in-one solution, Ghost is optimized for speed and simplicity, making it an excellent choice for those focused on writing, newsletters, and membership-driven content.

• Platform Type: Open Source, Self-Hosted & Cloud-Based.
• Best for: Blogging, content-focused businesses, and newsletters.
• E-commerce: Not designed for e-commerce.
• Customization: Limited compared to WordPress, but highly optimized for speed.
• Scalability: Fast and efficient, built for publishing at scale.
• Use Case: Great for journalists, bloggers, and content-driven brands that want a lightweight, distraction-free platform without the complexity of traditional CMS options.
• Ease-of-Use: Ghost is simple and intuitive for writers and editors, with a minimalistic interface focused on content creation. However, customization beyond themes requires developer knowledge, and its ecosystem is much smaller than WordPress.

4. Grav CMS

Grav is a flat-file CMS that eliminates the need for a database, making it incredibly fast and lightweight. It is designed for businesses and developers who want a high-performance website with minimal maintenance and hosting requirements. Unlike traditional CMS platforms, Grav stores content in simple text files, making it easy to back up, migrate, and run on nearly any server without complex configurations.

Flat-file CMSs do not handle large amounts of dynamic content as efficiently as database-driven CMSs. Features like complex content filtering, faceted search, user-generated content, and relational databases (e.g., pulling related posts and dynamic product catalogs) require workarounds or may not be practical.

• Platform Type: Open Source, Self-Hosted.
• Best for: Lightweight, database-free sites.
• E-commerce: Not an e-commerce platform.
• Customization: Highly flexible, file-based (flat CMS), no database required.
• Scalability: High-speed performance, but not suited for large-scale, database-driven applications.
• Use Case: A viable choice for businesses that need a fast, secure, and low-maintenance website without the complexity of managing a database. Suitable for basic small business websites, marketing pages, documentation sites, and personal projects where simplicity and speed are key.
• Ease-of-Use: Grav has a simple, intuitive admin panel for content management, but setting up and customizing a site requires some technical knowledge. It lacks a plugin-heavy ecosystem like WordPress, meaning businesses may need developer assistance for advanced functionality.

5. Joomla

Joomla is another longtime open-source alternative to WordPress. Joomla 5, released in October 2023, introduced several usability improvements aimed at making the CMS more modern, user-friendly, and efficient. These included a streamlined admin interface, performance optimizations, and an enhanced media manager.

• Platform Type: Open Source, Self-Hosted
• Best for: Content-heavy websites with multi-user management.
• E-commerce: Third-party solutions (VirtueMart, HikaShop) exist but are not as polished as WooCommerce or Shopify.
• Customization: More structured than WordPress, now with improved admin UX in Joomla 5, though still requiring technical knowledge for deep customization.
• Scalability: Good for medium to large businesses.
• Use Case: Joomla is best for businesses that need complex content structures and multi-user workflows but don’t want to use Drupal or WordPress.
• Ease-of-Use: Joomla 5 has made significant strides in usability, but the learning curve for non-technical users is still steeper than that of WordPress.

6. Shopify

Shopify is a leading cloud-based e-commerce platform designed for businesses that want a turnkey solution for selling online. With built-in payment processing, inventory management, and seamless integrations, Shopify is a popular choice for merchants who prioritize ease of use over deep customization.

• Platform Type: Proprietary, Cloud-Based.
• Best for: E-commerce-first businesses that do not need additional website features.
• E-commerce: Top-tier, built-in e-commerce functionality.
• Customization: Limited compared to self-hosted platforms like WooCommerce or Craft Commerce.
• Scalability: Excellent for growing online stores that do not require customization.
• Use Case: Best for businesses that want an easy-to-use, all-in-one e-commerce platform without the technical overhead of managing their own hosting, security, or updates.
• Ease-of-Use: Shopify is beginner-friendly, with a streamlined dashboard and drag-and-drop store builder. However, customizing beyond built-in themes and apps requires developer assistance, and businesses are limited by Shopify’s ecosystem.
• Limitations: Shopify’s pricing scales with revenue and transaction fees apply unless Shopify Payments is used. Advanced customization is restricted by proprietary code (Liquid). Shopify is primarily an online store platform, so its support for additional website features like blogging, news, or documentation is limited. Many businesses need to pair it with another CMS to create a full-featured website, which may make a self-hosted, e-commerce-enabled CMS (like WooCommerce or Craft Commerce) a better long-term fit for those wanting more flexibility.

7. Squarespace

Squarespace is a cloud-based website builder designed for small businesses, creatives, and individuals who want a visually polished website with minimal effort. It offers drag-and-drop site creation, built-in hosting, and stylish templates, making it a popular choice for portfolio sites, simple business websites, and small online stores.

• Platform Type: Proprietary, Cloud-Based.
• Best for: Small businesses, creatives, and portfolio sites.
• E-commerce: Workable for small stores but lacks advanced e-commerce customization compared to platforms like Shopify, Craft Commerce, or WooCommerce.
• Customization: Limited flexibility compared to open-source CMS options, though custom CSS and developer mode allow some modifications.
• Scalability: Squarespace is not ideal for high-traffic, complex sites, as it lacks the performance and extensibility of self-hosted CMS solutions.
• Use Case: Best for users who want an attractive, managed website with minimal effort and don’t require extensive customization or complex integrations.
• Ease-of-Use: Squarespace is designed for DIY users, with an intuitive site editor and pre-built templates. However, businesses looking for more customization often hire developers to enhance styling, optimize SEO, or integrate third-party tools.
• Limitations: Cloud-based platforms like Squarespace offer convenience but come with trade-offs in flexibility, data ownership, scalability, and integrations. Businesses needing more customization, long-term control, or growth potential may be better served by one of the other self-hosted CMS listed in this post, such as WordPress, Joomla, or Craft.

8. Statamic

Statamic is a modern, flat-file CMS that combines the speed and simplicity of a flat-file system with the flexibility of a dynamic CMS. Unlike WordPress, it does not rely on a database, making it fast, secure, and easy to maintain. Built on Laravel, Statamic is a solid choice for businesses that need a developer-friendly CMS with an intuitive content editing experience.

• Platform Type: Proprietary, Self-Hosted.
• Best for: Businesses and teams that need a flexible, structured CMS with an easy-to-use content editor.
• E-commerce: Supports e-commerce via the Statamic Commerce add-on but lacks the ecosystem of Shopify or WooCommerce.
• Customization: Statamic is highly customizable and built on Laravel, making it a great fit for developers who want full control over content modeling and functionality.
• Scalability: Well-optimized for small-to-medium sites, but flat-file storage limits its ability to handle large, database-heavy applications with extensive filtering or user-generated content.
• Use Case: Best for businesses that want a modern, flexible CMS with a streamlined content editing experience and better performance than traditional database-driven platforms. Works well for marketing sites, small business websites, and projects using Git-based workflows for content versioning.
• Ease-of-Use: Statamic has an intuitive, user-friendly control panel, making content management simple for non-technical users. However, setup and advanced customization require developer expertise, as it lacks a sizeable third-party plugin ecosystem like WordPress.
• Limitations: Statamic’s flat-file nature means it lacks robust database-driven features, making complex content relationships, large-scale dynamic filtering, and user-generated content more challenging. A database-driven CMS like Craft or WordPress may better serve businesses that need advanced dynamic functionality.

9. Webflow

Webflow is a cloud-based website builder and CMS that offers a visual, code-friendly approach to web design. Unlike Squarespace and Wix, Webflow provides greater design flexibility, dynamic content capabilities, and clean HTML/CSS/JS export, making it a popular choice for designers, front-end developers, and businesses that want more control over their site’s look and feel.

• Platform Type: Proprietary, Cloud-Based.
• Best for: Businesses, designers, and developers who want a highly customizable, no-code visual builder with CMS functionality.
• E-commerce: Supports e-commerce but is less robust than Shopify, Craft Commerce, or WooCommerce, making it ideal for smaller stores.
• Customization: More flexible than Squarespace or Wix, with fine-tuned control over HTML, CSS, and animations. Users can export code, a feature most other cloud-based CMSs lack.
• Scalability: Well-suited for small to mid-sized businesses but not ideal for enterprise-level content management or complex user-based applications.
• Use Case: A solution that is best for businesses that want a visually driven website with custom design freedom without managing hosting or writing extensive back-end code.
• Ease of Use: Webflow has a steeper learning curve than Squarespace or Wix, as it requires some understanding of HTML, CSS, and web design principles. However, it provides greater control over layout and interactions for users who invest time in learning it.
• Limitations: Webflow is stronger for design-focused sites but weaker for content-heavy projects requiring deep content relationships, large databases, or advanced functionality. A self-hosted CMS like WordPress, Drupal, Joomla, or Craft may better serve businesses needing extensive integrations, advanced e-commerce, or large-scale content workflows.

10. Wix

Wix is a cloud-based website builder designed for small businesses, entrepreneurs, and individuals who want a DIY website solution with minimal technical effort. It offers a drag-and-drop editor, pre-built templates, and an integrated app marketplace, making it one of the easiest website builders for beginners. However, its flexibility and scalability are limited compared to platforms like WordPress or Webflow.

• Platform Type: Proprietary, Cloud-Based.
• Best for: Small businesses, freelancers, and individuals who need a simple, all-in-one website solution without coding.
• E-commerce: Supports built-in e-commerce but is less flexible than Shopify, Craft Commerce, or WooCommerce, making it better for small stores rather than large-scale online businesses.
• Customization: Highly template-driven, with a drag-and-drop builder for easy design. Advanced customization is limited compared to open-source CMS platforms.
• Scalability: Wix is not ideal for large or complex websites, as it lacks advanced content management features and cannot be easily migrated to another platform.
• Use Case: Best for users who want a website up and running quickly, with built-in hosting, maintenance, and security, without needing external tools or custom development.
• Ease-of-Use: One of the most beginner-friendly website builders, requiring zero coding knowledge. However, its ease of use comes at the expense of flexibility and long-term scalability.
• Limitations: Wix locks users into its ecosystem, meaning you cannot export your site’s code or migrate it to another CMS. Businesses needing more control over design, content structure, and integrations may be better served by Webflow, WordPress, or one of the self-hosted CMS highlighted in this post.