Selection of cms. Comparison of free CMS: Wordpress, Joomla, Drupal, etc. Mega Store – WooCommerce template for various stores

The website customer must decide which content management system to choose ( CMS— Content Management System). This is a very important question; the success of the future site, the cost of its production and subsequent operation significantly depend on its correct solution. The correct functionality of the CMS ensures easy and rapid development of the site - convenient expansion and updating of materials, quick changes in the structure of the site. A good CMS makes it possible to quickly add functions that were not included in the project in advance (for example, photo galleries, video materials, forums, etc.).

One option to solve the problem of choosing a CMS is to choose a common management system. The widespread use of a control system means that many problems have already been solved in this control system that you did not even set for yourself, that a large number of users have already identified almost all the programmers’ errors, and programmers have already corrected them, that there are many programming specialists on the labor market for this system, there are no problems with choosing hosting, etc.

In RuNet you can find many ratings of content management systems. Most of these rankings are created through surveys of studios, their clients, or votes. Those. only those who were interested in it participate in them. Therefore, it is no coincidence that these ratings show the predominance of paid CMS over free ones, which has always been doubtful to me. For example, http://ratings.cmsmagazine.ru or www.ratingruneta.ru/cms, according to which it is boxed paid CMS that predominate.

Recently, at RIF 2010, a report was published by the company iTrack, which conducts a total collection of statistics on all domains in the RU zone. The guys wrote their own robot that crawls all domains and looks for a control system on them. This is an impartial survey of the sites themselves, so to speak, without subjective commercial distortions. 🙂 Well done, thanks to them for their work and useful data!

Research methodology

A specially programmed “spider” (robot program) regularly crawls all sites in the RU zone and collects data for analysis. The study is repeated every few months.

If the site does not respond immediately, it is checked several times over another twenty days.

Here I will present the results obtained in April 2010.

General results of the study

Total respondents were 2,728,307 domains.

The response rate of domains was 66.12%. The remaining domains are obviously not used.

CMS was found on 15.2% of domains. On the rest, either no CMS is installed at all, or the webmasters have taken serious measures to hide it (which happens for security reasons), or the site has a less common system installed, like those that many web studios do and use it only on their clients’ sites .

The share of paid circulation CMS is only 13% of the total share of discovered CMS.

The figure shows the distribution of shares between the detected CMSs.

Rating of paid CMS

Half of the paid CMS installations are 1C Bitrix. Its share is 49.2% of paid CMS or 6.4% of all installed CMS. Half of the remaining pie of paid CMS is NetCat (3.6% of the total number of CMS). Other paid CMSs are very poorly distributed.

As a rule, rare paid CMSs are used by web studios. To do this, the web studio reworks a free management system or develops its own. This CMS is usually distributed only among clients of the developer studio. The advantage for web studios is obvious - such a unique CMS binds the client to the studio for the entire life of the created site, because All modifications and maintenance of the site can only be performed by the authors. It will be very difficult for a third-party programmer to understand such a CMS without documentation and descriptions.

Rating of free CMS

The leader among free systems is WordPress - its share is 37.7% or about 33% among all used CMS. This is the absolute leader today.

It is followed by Joomla, which is installed on 28.8% of sites with free engines, which is 25% of the number of CMS on the Russian Internet.

DLE (DataLife Engine) has good results - 16% of free engines or 14% for RuNet.

It is followed by uCoz, which slightly exceeds 1C Bitrix in frequency of use (6.5% of the total number of CMS), and then Drupal, which with an installation frequency of 4.1% exceeds the second paid CMS NetCat.

The functionality of the listed free CMSs is in no way inferior to the leaders of the paid market. (With the exception, perhaps, of the uCoz engine, on which it hardly makes sense to build serious projects - it is too tied to its hosting).

In a number of functions, free systems are even significantly superior to paid circulation solutions. So draw your own conclusions!

Speed ​​of operation of various CMSs

When choosing a CMS, it is important to take into account its performance, so that later it does not turn out that the site cannot cope with even a small load.

The figure below shows the loading speed of the first page. The graph is shown in relative units; the speed of the fastest CMS is taken as 10 points.

In principle, the spread in the performance of different engines is not very large - only four times. Such a small difference can always be compensated by optimizing the site or choosing a faster hosting.

It turns out that paid CMS have no advantages here; 1C-Bitrix is ​​one of the slowest management systems.

Separately, it should be said about the performance of the most popular WordPress system. The study showed that it lags behind the best examples. This is due to the fact that accelerators are not included in the basic package that most sites have.

Therefore, site owners on this CMS should not forget to include accelerator modules in the package. Regular accelerators are quite sufficient; the widespread and not the best WP-Cache module provides several times the acceleration, which is enough even for sites with a large load. But there are also Super Cache, Hyper Cashe, DB Cache and others. In general, accelerator plugins can improve performance tens or hundreds of times.

Usually, the problem of web server performance is underestimated by customers. Most customers raise this issue with the manufacturer at a time when they have already managed to attract significant traffic to the site. But not every CMS has the ability to quickly improve performance. Therefore, it is better to use a CMS that allows you to optimize performance.

Which engine should you choose for an online store? This is the question most aspiring entrepreneurs ask. There are so many platforms that it can sometimes be quite difficult to navigate. This review will look at the best CMS. The user will be able to choose the most suitable engine for his web resource.

The best CMS systems

Most companies offer websites on platforms that are more familiar and easier for them to work with. Often these engines do not meet customer requirements. In order not to encounter platform limitations, you need to know the best CMS for creating a website. Choosing the right engine ensures the success of the web resource. There are 2 categories of platforms: commercial and free products.

The first type of engines was created with the aim of making a profit from the sales of licenses and add-ons. These systems lead in quality of work and popularity. Almost all useful modules are paid. Beginning entrepreneurs cannot always afford to purchase the best CMS on a commercial basis. Free engines were created for them.

System "1C-Bitrix"

This platform is the best CMS for an online store. Why did she get so popular? The engine works with an extensive 1C database. If desired, the user can set up bonus programs for buyers and specify different rates for legal entities. The platform is used to create large portals, information resources, as well as other services.

Websites made on this CMS stand out among other websites due to the quality of their work, a large number of additional modules, reliable protection against hacker attacks, and the ability to share rights between several administrators. The system requires considerable investment. Therefore, it is recommended to use the 1C-Bitrix platform exclusively for creating large projects.

Magento

This system is the best CMS for an online store among free products. More than 150 thousand websites on the Internet have been created on this engine. The platform is provided in three editions. The community edition is free. The admin panel is very convenient.

If desired, you can differentiate user rights. Interface in Russian. Answers to your questions can be found in the developer community. The user has access to options for generating detailed reports and adding discount coupons. The client can work with the 1C database.

Products are imported into Yandex.Market. There are various product filters. If desired, you can send advertising messages to customers and connect social networks. The developers offer clients to create an affiliate program for their online store. An administrator can manage multiple projects from one account.

Disadvantages of Magento

The disadvantages include the lack of integration with Russian payment systems and delivery services. This problem can be solved by installing paid modules and editing existing ones. When launching an online store, you will need to use the services of an experienced programmer.

The engine consumes a large amount of server resources. The platform should only be used to create large online stores. Modules useful for e-commerce are paid. Some of them are greatly overpriced.

Joomla

The platform ranks third in the ranking. The product is distinguished by its quality. If a user is looking for the best CMS engine, then he should pay attention to Joomla. The client can expand the extensive toolkit with the help of additional modules and plugins. High security of working with the service is ensured.

The user has access to options for connecting multi-level authorization for administrators and dividing the rights of moderators. Changing the appearance of the site is carried out by using a ready-made template from an extensive catalog. If desired, you can create a custom layout. Many clients believe that this is the best CMS for a store because it allows you to customize many elements. Websites based on this engine have a flexible structure.

Additional components for Joomla

Developers are constantly releasing updates. Initially, the platform was created for corporate web resources, blogs, and business card pages. Now the engine works with online stores and social platforms. To add products to the site, you need to download an additional component. The most common scripts are VirtueMart and JoomShopping.

If necessary, additional modules are installed. Using VirtueMart, the user can integrate the site with the 1C database, connect popular payment systems, and configure the import/export of products. The additional component is suitable for launching small and medium-sized online stores. VirtueMart is not used when creating large portals, since it does not have the necessary functions and a proper security system.

Drupal

This platform is aimed at complex websites and professional programmers. Working with the software requires experience and appropriate training. The system synchronizes with partner sites. The user can choose short addresses, use template themes, and create web resources with similar elements (a single user base). Multi-language translation function available.

The engine is suitable for large online stores and communities. In other cases, the costs will not be justified. To use the platform, you must install Ubercart. This additional component is practically no different from the VirtueMart script. The best free CMS Magento and Joomla took first place in the ranking only because they are slightly more common and less difficult to learn and customize than Drupal.

MODX

This platform can run on almost all servers and interact with different browsers. The software is distributed under a license. The engine is used to create websites of various types. The platform is also an application development environment. It is not demanding on server resources.

Installing and configuring the engine is not difficult. Disadvantages include low prevalence in the CIS countries and the lack of necessary functions to launch a full-fledged online store in these territories. Many users indicate that when working with the engine, problems arise with the security of web resources.

OpenCart

Commercial or absolutely free CMS - which is better? The OpenCart platform is an example of how free software can exceed customers' wildest expectations. This engine is the most suitable solution for small projects. The platform is easy to install and configure. The engine is not demanding on server resources.

Using a huge number of modules, you can add almost any required functionality to your online store. Developers from the Russian-speaking community will help resolve any issues that may arise. If desired, you can use the built-in module installer. Initially, the platform was not focused on the CIS market. Now you can find assemblies with additional functionality.

The developers have updated payment and delivery methods and added various filters. The most popular assemblies include ocStore and MaxyStore. The client can always create his own version from the necessary add-ons. The user has access to the function of specifying keywords and meta tags for each product separately. Disadvantages include system freezes when there is a large number of products, as well as the high cost of many modules.

PrestaShop

The developers created this platform in 2007. The engine is suitable for small and medium-sized online stores. Just like OpenCart, the PrestaShop platform has impressive functionality. To work with Russian payment systems, you will have to add additional modules. The engine is absolutely not demanding on server resources.

In 2011, PrestaShop was voted the best free e-commerce platform. Unlike OpenCart, the engine does not have official developer support. Therefore, there are not as many additional modules as users would like. The basic version of the platform uses more resources than OpenCart. The cost of additional modules is much lower than in Magento.

UMI.CMS

The platform features a responsive design and cost-effectiveness. The client can choose the language to work with, set template themes, and track statistical information such as data based on the average bill.

WordPress

Continuing the topic of “the best CMS”, we should mention this engine. The platform is simple, understandable, but at the same time functional. No technical knowledge is required to operate the engine. Even professionals will be satisfied with the simple interface. Answers to your questions can be found in the instructions.

The platform was created for blogs, news resources and other portals where you need to quickly add information. Plugins to expand functionality can be purchased at an affordable price. The developers offer more than 10 additional components for creating an online store using the WordPress engine. The most popular is the WooCommerce plugin. It is very difficult to launch a full-fledged online store based on it.

You can add no more than 100 product cards that do not require updating. The platform is easy to learn. The system is suitable for beginners who have a blog on a WordPress website. Among the shortcomings, it should be noted the lack of integration with 1C, Russian payment systems and delivery services. After installing the plugin, a conflict with the template may occur.

NetCat

The platform provides the opportunity in a mobile version. Responsive design supported. The best CMS should have good functionality for search engine promotion and website integration with useful services. This engine meets all the requirements. The interface is intuitive.

The platform works with the 1C database and electronic payment systems. When working with the platform, there is no need to use complex technological solutions. The interface can be divided into two: for users and developers.

HostCMS

The engine is not demanding on hosting and servers. This platform is the best CMS for SEO. The user has options for creating short page addresses, specifying meta tags, etc. The engine works great with web resources with high traffic. The platform works with the 1C system.

The license cost is 6 thousand rubles. The client receives a fairly functional platform with the ability to expand functionality by installing additional modules.

CS-Cart

When choosing the best CMS, many users note the advantages of this engine. Software creators offer clients a wide range of tools. The platform is distinguished by its convenient organization of Internet marketing, good form of working with orders, SEO optimization of resources, integration with 1C and the Yandex.Market service. The user has access to options for creating adaptive design and simply adding material.

Amiro.CMS

This platform is called universal. The engine is suitable for creating professional resources of varying levels of complexity. The developers offer more than 60 additional modules that expand functionality. The user can launch a high-quality website of almost any type.

LPgenerator

An online web page generator is a great solution for beginners and experts. Using the engine, you can create a business card website or a small store. Some users simply add materials to present a product/service. Clients can take advantage of a convenient editor, as well as hundreds of templates in LPStore.

The user has options for connecting a new domain and synchronizing the site with useful services. If desired, the layouts can be redone. The developers also provide tools for SEO optimization.

Free CMS (Content Management System - “content management system”) are in great demand. You can simply download any of them, install them on your hosting and launch the site. But they are all so different that, having mastered a couple, it is not a fact that the third one on the list will be initially understandable. This is especially true for specialized platforms for online stores. Most do not have a common basis in the interface, and the approaches to creating the structure and functionality of pages differ significantly.

Beginners who want to master any CMS should understand what it is for and what it should be like. To avoid misfires and wasted time. TOP 10 list for your attention.

Rating of the best free CMS 2019:

Our choice!

1. WordPress / WordPress → detailed review

WordPress is the most famous and popular CMS in the world, a kind of niche symbol. It was written to create blogs, but in the process it turned into a universal engine thanks to the developers of plugins, templates and community activity. The control panel has built-in libraries of plugins and templates with an immense range. Everything has reviews, ratings, instructions, ratings. You can sort by various criteria - it’s easy to choose. Many studios draw templates for this system. Mountains of videos with lessons and kilometers of discussion forums are included. It is easier to learn to use than many others.

WordPress operates with two types of content - page and article. The button for creating a post is placed separately, you can publish a post directly from the site - everything is tailored to the convenience and speed of publishing the news feed. SEO is implemented through plugins, as is speed optimization, security and much more. To create stores, landing pages, forums and other things, there are many specialized, powerful plugins, which in terms of capabilities are reminiscent of separate, full-fledged software. It is also available in website builder format for those who prefer to use a ready-made boxed version.

Pros:

• Popularity: a large number of developers work in the WordPress ecosystem, constantly expanding/improving the range of plugins and templates;
• There are many hosting providers that have a separate plan with settings optimized for this CMS;
• A huge number of available educational materials of any format;
• Relatively easy to learn, more or less suitable for beginners;
• A large number of high-quality and useful free plugins;
• Most templates have fairly detailed customization settings without the need to edit the code;
• Able to withstand huge traffic with decent hosting;
• Versatility due to plugins, suitable for creating large websites.

Cons:

• More than a third of all websites in the world run on WordPress, which makes this system one of the main targets for attackers and inexperienced developers;
• Out of the box, the system is suitable for creating a simple blog or business card;
• Creates a considerable load on the server, the hosting must be good;
• Produces duplicate pages, although this can be solved using a plugin.

2. Joomla / Joomla → detailed review

Joomla is the second most popular CMS on the list. Large community, lots of plugins and templates. Best suited for creating small and medium-sized informational websites. It works especially well when creating types of resources that are filled with content by users themselves - message boards, forums and even social networks. There are well-developed plugins for all this. Out of the box the functionality is relatively rich (many general, fine and SEO settings). The difficulty of mastering is average. The logic of interaction with the system is unique. If you're not used to it, you can get confused in modules, template cells for displaying content, and connections between them. Once you get used to it, it will no longer seem confusing and difficult.

Joomla allows you to create fairly complex types of sites with simple types of content. It has a great interface for administering a large number of articles. E-Commerce is developed through plugins, although it is better not to create a large store here - the engine has average performance, much depends on optimization and the quality of hosting. There are an endless number of templates (both paid for $30-60, and so on), they contain a variety of functionality: some contain more than a hundred built-in modules with kilometers of settings screens. What's good is that the templates are easy to edit with code - they are based on HTML and CSS. Knowing them, you can modify almost everything. Flexible, interesting mass CMS.

Pros:

• Suitable for creating any type of website, the main thing is not to overload the engine with modules and the volume of the database (content), otherwise with weak hosting there will definitely be problems with page loading speed;
• Adaptability for running social networks at a decent level - not many engines can do this;
• Powerful ecosystem, information and experienced developers in abundance;
• There are many templates, plus they contain a huge range of functionality;
• A wide selection of plugins and components, many of which are free;
• Full access to the code; a minimum set of editing skills is required.

Cons:

• The control panel is confusing and looks complicated to the average beginner;
• The speed of work is average, although this gap is filled with fast hosting, optimization with plugins and settings;
• Powerful template instances are difficult to set up - you can rarely do without reading the instructions;
• The level of security out of the box is mediocre and requires additional work using plugins and hands;
• Engine updates do not always work correctly and can lead to failures, including the inability to log into the control panel or loss of data.

3. Drupal / Drupal → detailed review

Drupal is an engine aimed exclusively at experienced developers. It’s absolutely not suitable for beginners as a first CMS, and it’s not even worth trying. The level of difficulty of mastering is high. Well suited for creating large websites with a complex data structure. Allows you to create as many custom content types as you like, which can be displayed through modules at any point on the site’s frontend. No restrictions on layout or content. Thanks to the CCK (Content Construction Kit) plugin, you can embed various types of content into documents, bypassing the taxonomy mechanism characteristic of this system.

The engine is universal and will allow you to create a business card, a portal, a store or a dating site. It features a high level of security out of the box and speed of operation. However, it creates a large load on the database, so it requires more or less fast hosting. There are enough SEO settings even without installing additional plugins, of which a lot has been written for the system. Characteristic features are excellent scalability, optimization, and the need for programming knowledge for effective use. There are a lot of templates (paid for $50-60, on average), but the installation process is relatively complicated. You need to copy files into directories, and then manually activate the modules. The system is not for beginners.

Pros:

• True versatility, flexibility in all directions;
• Ability to create and implement an endless number of content types;
• Out of the box, powerful SEO, security and a modest appetite for hardware;
• Extensive community, a lot of guides, documentation and competent developers within the ecosystem;
• A rich set of modules that expand the basic functionality;
• The ability to use hooks - procedure processing modifiers to simplify large-scale changes to the engine algorithms;
• High level of standardization - almost all code is written by developers in the same style, making it convenient for the community to work with it.

Cons:

• Not suitable for ordinary users due to the obvious difficulty of learning and using;
• Without programming knowledge, it will not be possible to configure most modules;
• For stable and fast operation of the site you need a powerful server.

4. OpenCart / OpenCart → detailed review

OpenCart is one of the most popular E-commerce platforms. Designed exclusively for creating online stores and out of the box contains an impressive set of features: a visual template editor, no restrictions on the number of products, categories, manufacturers, pages and other things, supports multilingualism, discounts, reviews, delivery options, tax calculations, product ratings, etc. etc. The engine system is modular, that is, the store can be expanded unlimitedly. There is a built-in statistics collector (views, sales report, popularity rating, etc.), but SEO optimization out of the box is lame. You will have to use a third-party and, most likely, paid module.

The level of difficulty of mastering is average. The system is logically built, but the store has a lot of obvious and subtle settings. It will not be easy for a beginner, but if you have motivation, there is a considerable chance of bringing the project to fruition. Stores of modules and templates are built right into the control panel; you can search by filters. The design editor interface is user-friendly, with syntax highlighting. For many templates, you can customize the appearance and functionality in the visual editor mode. Within one admin panel you can manage several stores at once. And before downloading the update, the system scans installed extensions for compatibility in order to avoid conflicts that could disable the store. This is a big plus.

Pros:

• Can be learned and used effectively by a beginner;
• Advanced functionality - almost everything important for the store is included out of the box;
• Convenient user interface for shopping;
• High performance and relatively low hosting speed requirements;
• Many high-quality templates and useful modules;
• Developed ecosystem: a lot of information and active developers;
• Detailed built-in statistics of sales and store traffic;
• Simple code, which makes it easy to make modifications;
• There is a detailed setting of access rights (for managers, for example);

Cons:

• Weak SEO out of the box (few settings, problems with indexing pages, producing duplicates, errors when generating CNC), the problem is solved by installing extensions;
• Inconvenient image loader;
• No quick checkout out of the box;
• There is no live search for products (by the first letters of the name);
• You cannot sort articles into categories to display them as a news feed, for example;
• Engine updates are released quite rarely;
• Quite a large number of minor bugs and inconveniences (for example, the button to add out-of-stock items to the cart is always active).

5. MODX / MODEX → detailed review

MODX Revolution is a flexible system whose properties are closer to frameworks than to CMS. Suitable for creating all types of websites, easily scalable. However, large websites are not very convenient to administer due to the chaos in displaying the tree structure of pages and elements. The problem is solved by a module like “Collections”. The module installer with search is located right in the admin panel, there are ratings, you can read descriptions of extensions. In general, out of the box the engine is lightweight and does not boast detailed functionality. Requires the mandatory installation of a gentleman's set of modules, at a minimum.

The level of difficulty of mastering is average, provided that the user is fluent in HTML/CSS. The control panel has a clean, pleasant design and a relatively clear layout. Can be used by beginners, but rely on educational materials. Out of the box you get powerful SEO optimization tools and a high level of security. The engine does not have ready-made designs specially tailored for itself, but it allows you to add any HTML template to the site. The range of these is huge, but to edit within the system you will have to learn its specific syntax, which is not used anywhere else.

Pros:

• High level of flexibility, structures and elements of any complexity can be built;
• Excellent optimization of code and settings to meet search engine requirements;
• Undemanding quality of hosting, high website performance;
• High level of security, flexible settings for authorization of user groups;
• Good implementation of multilingualism, high quality Russian localization of interface elements;
• A sufficient set of ready-made modules available for installation directly from the admin panel;
• Pleasant to the eye and more or less understandable interface;
• Detailed official documentation in Russian.

Cons:

• Inconvenient approach to installing templates;
• Non-standard engine syntax;
• Without programming skills it is impossible to work productively with the engine;
• There are few adapted templates; modifications by hand and code are usually required to optimize HTML layouts and display them correctly;
• There are an order of magnitude less training materials than more popular CMSs.

6. Magento / Magento → detailed review

Magento is the most popular shopping engine in the world, owned by Adobe Inc. A very powerful CMS with a developed community. But not on RuNet. You can download the Community Edition for free, but it is not at all adapted to our market and does not have Russian localization. A raw, potentially advanced product that requires manual development - code. There are assemblies for use in RuNet (localization, integration of our social networks, payment systems, etc.), but they are paid. In general, this free system has a high level of monetization: templates, modules, developer services, licenses - almost everything is paid.

This engine should only be used if you have a decent budget. The cost of developing stores on Magento is high, especially when purchasing an Enterprise license (from $15,000 per year). The functionality is excellent, the control panel is informative and relatively convenient. A lot of statistical reports, a built-in rating system for evaluating products and commenting, discounts, adjustment of user rights, a good level of SEO optimization and security out of the box, an advanced caching algorithm to speed up page loading - all this and much more is included out of the box.

Pros:

• Good functionality out of the box, suitable for creating huge stores;
• Lots of templates, although most of them are paid and not cheap;
• An effective caching system that greatly increases page loading speed;
• You can manage several stores from one admin panel;
• Everything related to search engine optimization and site security is well implemented.

Cons:

• Demanding quality of hosting;
• Difficulty of use, from the installation process to code modifications;
• There is a relatively small number of ready-made extensions, and the services of qualified developers are very expensive;
• The overall high cost of stores, despite the formal availability of a free version;
• The original version is not at all adapted for use on the Runet, and the assembly optimized for our market costs from 8,000 rubles.

7. ImageCMS / ImageCMS → detailed review

ImageCMS is a platform for creating online stores, a hybrid of WordPress, Premmerce and WooCommerce. A ready-made boxed combination that requires the installation of a minimum number of additional modules. The level of functionality and flexibility is average, the difficulty of mastering is average, but without knowledge of at least HTML/CSS you won’t get far. There are only four ready-made templates, there is a cosmetic design customizer, so to get a unique look for the store you need to either order the development of a design, or carefully redo the existing one by hand. One is expensive, the other is difficult to implement and almost impossible for beginners. But there are integrations with MoySklad, 1C, Nova Poshta, RetailCRM and other popular services out of the box. A lot has been done for SEO optimization.

The control panel is similar to that of WordPress, the only difference is the number of extensions pre-installed out of the box. There are a lot of them here, which makes the admin area look oversaturated. In fact, this CMS is an assembly that requires modifications to meet the requirements of a specific task. There is no direct compatibility with WordPress plugins; developer optimization services are expensive. It makes sense to use this system only if you have enough functionality out of the box. After all, templates, modifications and custom plugins will cost more than it’s worth. The shops here are good only if you have a sufficient budget.

Pros:

• The core of the system is the well-known WordPress, understandable and convenient;
• A rich built-in set of plugins that covers most of the requirements for running a store;
• Full arsenal of WooCommerce features available;
• There is a high-quality built-in blog.

Cons:

• There are few native extensions, it’s not easy to find a programmer, and the cost of services will be inflated;
• You cannot manually configure the display order of individual products and other useful little things;
• There are few ready-made templates, and an individual design from a developer costs from $2000;
• High load on the server, low performance with a large database volume;
• Weak ecosystem - there is quite a bit of information on the product, discussions, etc.

8. TYPO3 / TypoTri → detailed review

TYPO3 is an advanced development environment for experienced users. It’s not easy to learn, and it’s also not easy to maintain. Definitely not for beginners. Programming knowledge and experience in website development are required for normal use. It shows itself best in creating blogs, portals, online magazines/newspapers of strong medium volume (up to 5-6k pages). Let's say that creating a store or social network is also possible, although it involves unprofitable difficulties - many plugins and modifications will be required. You also need to have a budget to be successful. Good hosting, programmer services, modules - you'll have to spend money.

The interface of this CMS is by no means simple, and to customize the site, a special internal language is used - TypoScript. Without mastering it, success cannot be achieved. This results in the high cost of specialist services - the profile is narrow, not everyone can help. Out of the box, the system does not have sufficient functionality to implement serious websites. Many plugins can be downloaded from the repository for free. Their quality level is supervised by the CMS community. You can manage multiple projects from one control panel. The Templavoila template engine will help you turn any HTML template into a compatible one. There is also a visual editor for making cosmetic changes. Flexible, powerful, specific engine for pros.

Pros:

• High-quality localization of the engine interface;
• Using the Templavoila/TypoScript combination allows you to do whatever you want with the design;
• High degree of website scalability;
• Support for page caching, which significantly speeds up their loading;
• A sufficient set of extensions collected in a reliable single source - TYPO3 Extension Repository;
• Great for creating websites for large corporations and industry giants.

Cons:

• The community is predominantly English-speaking, there is little Russified documentation;
• Creates a large load on hosting and takes up a lot of space;
• Difficult to learn, absolutely not suitable for beginners;
• Suitable for creating sites where only the administrator will publish information, that is, projects without user content;
• The high cost of maintaining the functionality of the site.

9. CMS Made Simple → detailed review

CMS Made Simple is a system designed for use by beginners. Indeed, there is a visual design editor, similar to those found in cloud-based website builders. Easy installation on the server, simple configuration, a good set of available extensions that are easy to use. Suitable, first of all, for creating business card websites and online stores, but it is impossible to achieve a unique design using the editor - only cosmetic changes. Deep customization will require code edits (PHP, HTML, CSS), which negates all the simplicity and convenience and puts the system on the same level as other CMS in terms of complexity of effective use.

The interface is partially Russified, there is little documentation in the native language - to fully master it you need to be familiar with the English language. The engine works quickly and does not require super-hosting even to launch a store. There are few built-in templates; they are written in an accessible HTML/CSS format, which allows you to adapt third-party design themes for use within the system. The API is open; developers have written more than 200 plugins of varying levels of quality and usefulness. Optimization is excellent thanks to the lightweight engine and built-in page caching mechanism. Security is implemented at a good level out of the box. It's a good engine, but its potential is revealed only in the hands of experienced developers.

Pros:

• Relative simplicity of the control panel;
• Ease of making cosmetic changes to templates;
• Good level of SEO optimization and security;
• Beneficial for creating small stores on a limited budget;
• Low requirements for hosting quality;
• A sufficient set of ready-made plugins to solve typical problems;
• Regular updates.

Cons:

• Small and mostly English-speaking community;
• A meager amount of training materials, including video lessons in Russian;
• It is impossible to obtain a unique design without interfering with the code;
• Sometimes, during updates, previously working plugins “fall off”;
• Without knowledge of the English language and, at a minimum, the basics of programming, it will not be possible to unlock the potential of the system.

10. Concrete5 / Concrete 5 → detailed review

Concrete5 is a popular CMS, similar in the mechanics of interaction with website builders based on a visual editor. The distinctive feature and reason for the popularity of the system is its truly simple interface, within which you can create quite complex websites. By adding elements (widgets), the user assembles pages. They can then be edited by changing the contents of the blocks, colors, backgrounds, fonts, navigation, etc. The editor allows for simple customization of any elements without getting into the code. If you need more, please, this is a CMS, the code is completely open.

Templates can be downloaded for free and purchased ($30-45) on the marketplace of the system’s official website. To expand functionality, you can use plugins by downloading them there. The selection is decent, although it doesn’t reach the leaders in popularity, of course. This CMS is perfect for creating company websites, information portals, and blogs. To a lesser extent - for online stores, since out of the box there are no integrations of payment systems, deliveries and other things that are important for the Runet. SEO optimization capabilities out of the box are basic; paid plugins start at $30.

Pros:

• Interface in the style of designers with a visual editor;
• Suitable for use by beginners;
• Centralized plugin and theme stores with many free options;
• Moderate average cost of templates and paid plugins;
• The engine supports multi-languages.

Cons:

• Poor adaptation of the system to the needs of the Runet: few extensions with service integrations that are important to us, a small community, sluggish discussions on forums, dead groups on social networks, documentation in English.

In details, the process will differ depending on the CMS used: which plugin to download, where to click, how to install and configure the template, what the texts should be - all this and much more are nuances that depend on the choice of engine and the problem that you solve with its help .

FAQ (Question – Answer)

• Is it possible to make a website using a CMS yourself?

Creating websites on a CMS requires preparation. The person must be an experienced PC user in general and understand entry-level coding (HTML/CSS). The ability to perceive training materials and then apply them in practice is also important.

Few people can just sit down and use the same relatively simple WordPress or very simple Concrete5 from scratch, without preparation and tips. You need to have an understanding of the process and/or be able to learn. These things are not intuitive by default.

In general, yes, it is possible to create a website on a CMS yourself. But it depends on what kind and who will do it. Some can, many others cannot and never will. This is a fact. The task is not for everyone. Many people succeed from scratch if they have stable motivation. The rest pay third-party developers or use website builders - the simplest option.

• Which CMS is better to choose?

The easiest way is to choose a profile system for the type of site you are creating. For example, creating a good store based on Woocommerce + WordPress is the best way for beginners. It is quite possible to implement a full-fledged online store on your own; many people do this. It will be easier for an experienced webmaster to create a store on Opencart than on WP in combination with the Woocommerce plugin. This is because it is a specialized CMS for an online store, containing a solid layer of necessary functionality out of the box. Information sites work well on Joomla, blogs on WP, websites of large companies, portals, etc. on Drupal, Typo3 and MODX.

In addition to the specialization of the engine, it is necessary to take into account the cost and quality of the plugins that will be needed to implement the idea. The popularity of the system also plays a role. The more in demand the engine, the more information, extensions, templates and developers who can help for a reasonable fee. This will ultimately affect the comfort of work and the cost of the project. In general, when you decide on the type of site (business card, store, blog, portal, etc.), read/watch reviews, ratings for specialized CMSs. Choose the most popular one on the RuNet - this is a general recipe that is justified in most cases.

• Is it possible to make a website using a CMS for free?

Definitely not. The engine itself may be free, but the hosting and domain are definitely not. Unless you are creating a website on LAN for yourself. There are many paid plugins for any system, and templates too. Entire studios and development teams make money from these ecosystems. That is, a free CMS means there is no need to pay the cost of an engine license and open access to its API for everyone. Meanwhile, the costs of creating/maintaining a website can be impressive depending on a number of factors.

To be fair, we note that in initially paid ecosystems, the average prices for extensions are often higher, and there are fewer free ones - both plugins and templates. The cost of developer services depends on the popularity of the system and its complexity. The cost of hosting, as well as the requirements for it for a specific CMS and type of site, also vary. All these and many other factors influence the project estimate. One thing is for sure - you will have to invest money in any case. But how much is an individual question.

If you have no money at all to maintain a site, you can use the uCoz constructor - with a free tariff it gives you the opportunity to get hosting and a domain for free: 400+ MB of server space, a site on a subdomain (such as *.ucoz.net, *.ucoz.org, etc. . or free domains *.tk, *.ml, *.ga), access to HTML/CSS/JS source code and other features.

There are many free CMSs. They have varying degrees of popularity and features. There are specialized ones, and there are universal ones due to the structure and extensions. Monetization occurs around any popular system - developers write plugins, provide services, draw, layout and sell templates. Life inside such ecosystems is in full swing, people work and earn money in them. Websites always cost money; there are no free ones.

Creating a website using a CMS is not a task for everyone. It is much easier for the average PC user to solve this problem with the help of a suitable website builder. It makes sense to use a CMS when you have plans to connect your activities and income with this type of system. Or it’s just very interesting to find out what’s going on there. Many engines remain the domain of pros and gifted beginners for a long time. And it is no coincidence that they are complex. General advice for beginners, taking all factors into account: use WordPress or website builders.

If you want to try out what and how, then the easiest way is to go to any free hosting, install WordPress or Joomla automatically, and then go through them with an inexperienced eye, try to create pages, edit a standard template, etc. Without being tied to the result, just watch and understand how it happens. It is advisable to support the voyage by watching a couple of basic training videos to make it a little more interesting.

Systems like Drupal, MODX, Magento, TYPO3 are definitely complex and are not suitable for the role of the first CMS. If necessary, they should be addressed after mastering another, more accessible system in terms of understanding. Usually we are talking about WordPress - the most obvious and practical for the first steps. Or OpenCart is the number one choice for creating your first store. Joomla is good for those who want to relatively easily learn the basics of programming in practice and create a business card or information portal. The templates here are pure HTML/CSS and are quite easy to edit.

Before creating a website, you need to choose a suitable engine. With its help, pages will be developed and moderated. The choice of software is extensive, which provokes certain problems. Sometimes it is very difficult to choose the best CMS for creating a website. The review will describe the main evaluation criteria and ten most popular engines that allow you to run various projects.

What to look for when choosing a CMS

It is recommended to select a content management system only after a detailed analysis. First of all you need to clearly understand what kind of Internet resource will be developed. This could be a business card, a corporate portal, an information project, an online store, and so on. After this, some of the options will be eliminated immediately.

All the shortcomings of the remaining systems are revealed. If the user does not see any serious problems among them, then we can proceed to comparing the advantages. Positive aspects are one of the main evaluation criteria. The point is that each platform is unique and offers its users a number of convenient development solutions.

It is almost impossible to study all existing CMSs. This will take many years. That's why we've made it easier by providing a quick overview of the ten best engines from different developers.

WordPress Platform is provided absolutely free. This is one of the reasons for its popularity. In the early years of its existence, CMS was positioned as a quality tool for creating blogs. Most popular bloggers use this particular engine.

After numerous updates and efforts from developers, additional plugins have appeared. Now WordPress is a feature-rich product. Websites of large companies, news resources, forums, entertainment venues, and so on operate under its management.

The management console does not have any distinctive features. The main menu is located vertically. All tabs have clear names even for those who have never seen the CMS admin panel before. The simplicity of the interface makes it easy to fill pages with content without the help of specialists.

By expanding the standard functionality with the help of plugins, you can change the engine beyond recognition. Each plugin performs a specific task. For example, it adds buttons for social networks, installs photo galleries, allows you to add comments, distributes user rights, creates blocks, and so on.

Advantages of CMS WordPress

WordPress users report different benefits, but the main ones are:

• free license;
• simple and intuitive interface;
• wide selection of plugins;
• the ability to create projects on various topics.

Disadvantages of CMS WordPress

When you first get acquainted with the system you may not notice existing problems. However they are:

• Some extensions have vulnerable code.

Probably every developer has heard about the existence of Joomla. This is one of the engines that was created more than ten years ago. The considerable age of the platform speaks of its reliability and relevance. Five to ten years ago, there was no such choice of engines on the market. If in those days we asked the question, which CMS is better for creating a website, then many would answer - Joomla.

To launch sites controlled by this system, the user does not need to know programming languages ​​and carry out complex settings. Everything is easily adjusted through the control panel. It is made in one color and translated into Russian. The main menu tabs are located at the top. In addition, the console has built-in statistics.

Adding materials is done using the built-in editor. Its functionality is wider than that of many competitors. It is possible to structure the text as you wish, add images, tables, links to video clips, change the text format, and so on.

There are a large number of extensions for Joomla that can be downloaded from the official portal or from third-party resources. All of them are free. The exception is ordering exclusive modules from developers. You can add an unlimited number of different instruments. This allows you to create projects of any complexity.

In addition to creating websites, you will need their effective promotion. Joomla has fields for meta tags, robots.txt and Sitemap files. These are not the most modern solutions, but they are the basis of SEO.

Advantages of CMS Joomla

Over the years of its existence, Joomla has developed and increased its potential, offering webmasters a number of advantages:

• several thousand free modules;
• the project is not abandoned and is updated periodically;
• convenient content structuring;
• works correctly on most modern hosting systems;
• several thousand modules for solving various problems.

Disadvantages of CMS Joomla

Like most free engines, Joomla has several disadvantages, complicating the webmaster's task:

• There is no technical support for users;
• to ensure fast loading of pages, you need to professionally configure the system and server;
• There are often cases of engine hacking.

Bitrix is ​​a multifunctional product that is used by owners of various business areas. Depending on the specifics of the future project, you need to select the appropriate tariff plan. This is not easy to do. The official portal offers many editions, which may confuse a potential client. Among them are ready-made solutions for government organizations, for clinics, for educational institutions, as well as for private projects of any subject. All tariffs are paid and have different prices.

The control panel has many tabs. They allow you to add content, view statistics, manage users, implement marketing solutions and make settings. It should be noted Bitrix has extensive functionality. However, basic tools are not always enough to achieve your goals. You can increase the capabilities of the engine using third-party modules.

In addition to the standard CMS, the software creators offer separate package for developing a mobile application for IOS and Android. This solution is perfect for owners of commercial resources. With its help, the number of clients increases.

The purchased license is valid for exactly one year. Then you will have to renew it or the user will not have access to updates. The remaining functions remain active even without renewal.

Advantages of CMS 1C-Bitrix

The platform has many positive aspects. This is an opportunity to create different projects, from a business card to an online store. You can also note:

• Russified interface;
• a wide selection of tariff plans for any task;
• quick integration of third-party services;
• detailed analytics on the main admin page;
• modern security solutions.

Disadvantages of CMS 1C-Bitrix

The main disadvantages include a paid license, which must be renewed every year. There are also a number of other problems:

• additional modules are paid;
• the interface is quite complex for an inexperienced specialist;
• The official page is overloaded with tabs, which makes it difficult to search and select the desired tariff.

Evolution control system ranks high among the best engines for website creation. This is primarily due to the free license. It is freely available. In addition, the license does not need to be renewed; it is unlimited. An additional success factor is the ability to create projects of various types.

Understanding the operating principles of the engine is not easy. It has many tabs in the admin panel, on the official portal and on third-party resources little information, and no technical support at all. Every webmaster who chooses Evolution must have enough time and be able to independently search for the necessary information.

Finding a good developer is also not easy and the cost of services can be high. But You can register several employees on a ready-made website, who will handle maintenance and other day-to-day tasks. This is done by separating access rights.

If you understand all the features of the system, then you can design projects of any complexity. The functionality of the platform allows you to add a feedback form, comments, various blocks, images and other elements to the pages. Additionally, it is possible to configure key phrases, a 404 error page, manage files through the built-in manager and manage templates.

Benefits of Evolution CMS

The first thing I want to mention is the flexibility of the platform. It contains many settings that can be adjusted through the admin panel. In addition, there are a number of other positive aspects:

• modules are downloaded and installed directly through the management console;
• distributed free of charge to both individuals and legal entities;
• the license is unlimited and does not require renewal;
• high level of security;
• open source.

Disadvantages of Evolution CMS

When asked which CMS is best for creating a website, only a small part of programmers answer – Evolution. There is an objective explanation for this:

• complex structure of the administrative panel;
• limited number of reference materials;
• Finding a design theme that meets your personal criteria is very difficult, since the choice is limited.

The platform is actively developing both on the Russian market and beyond. Built on the basis of the engine thousands projects. The main purpose of the platform is to create an online store, but it can also be used to create websites on other topics. Including corporate, news and other types of projects. The admin panel has the function of adding catalogs, blogs, articles, images, videos and other content. At the same time, it is not at all necessary to sell something on the created pages. Thus, the engine covers almost all areas of website development.

On Insales you can create a website for the price of hosting (190 rubles/month) and everything will be included. For this money, a webmaster gets a lot of benefits. Including high-quality templates, hosting services, technical support, a domain as a gift when paying for 3 months, free project modifications. Considering the features, InSales is a more profitable option than free platforms.

The included themes have a responsive layout. They display correctly on laptops, tablets, smartphones and other devices, regardless of screen resolution. If necessary, the template can be easily modified using the built-in editor.

Launching a resource on any topic using InSales is not difficult. The point is that modules are initially installed and configured. The administrator does not have to search for extensions on different sites; everything necessary is already in the management console.

Advantages of CMS InSales

The InSales engine is easy to use and installs in just one minute. Besides, it has the following advantages:

• organization of directories of any nesting;
• logical structure of the admin panel;
• built-in video lessons that allow you to quickly understand the features of the functionality;
• technical support;
• templates have adaptive layout for mobile devices;
• free modifications from company specialists.

Disadvantages of CMS InSales

The disadvantages include the fact that the system cannot be purchased as an engine and installed on your hosting for permanent use; you can only renew the selected tariff plan within the platform;

The MODX engine is divided into two editions - Evolution and Revolution. Both options are open source and are distributed absolutely free. The only costs involved are the purchase of hosting. You can download the software for personal use or for mass creation of web resources for the purpose of further sale. This is an attractive point for various web studios.

It's important to note that software creators stopped working on Evolution. This means that users may no longer receive updates. For development It is recommended to choose a more functional and modern option - Revolution. Although it does not deserve the title of the best engine for creating websites, it does have several convenient solutions.

After installing the engine on the server, in the management console you can find a standard set of functions, which are enough to create sites of low and medium complexity. For more global projects, you need to install modules. At the moment there are about three hundred of them. Installation is carried out through the admin panel by pressing one button.

Using this platform you can create a wide range of sites, but the development process may be delayed due to the complex interface. If you need the help of specialists, their list can be found on the official page of the engine.

Advantages of CMS MODX

The strengths of the platform are obvious. This is a free license and a large list of modules. In addition, there are a few more pleasant surprises:

• free updates with increased security levels;
• if necessary, you can differentiate user rights;
• no restrictions on the number of added pages.

Disadvantages of CMS MODX

In addition to the positive aspects, the site has several disadvantages. Among them are:

• lack of ready-made templates;
• lack of technical support;
• inconvenient control panel;
• Not every user will be able to work on MODX, and programmer services are expensive.

This platform has a wide selection of tariff plans. There are six of them in total. Three of them are focused on launching an online store. Moreover, all six allow you to launch websites of various types. The cost of the cheapest tariff is 4900 rubles. The maximum edition is estimated at almost eighty thousand.

Without exaggeration, using UMI you can create a resource on any topic. This could be a personal page, a corporate portal, a store, a blog, an information page or a simple business card. It all depends on the chosen tariff plan. However, it is worth noting that these sites can turn out to be quite simple and not expressive. This is due to the limited number of extensions.

The functionality of the platform depends entirely on the number of modules included in the package. You can choose the cheapest edition and purchase the missing components separately. The initial plan includes a file manager, automatic updates, backup, search, statistics, sliders, blogs, SEO settings and the ability to add articles. Then everything depends on the developer’s budget.

One of the main features is the structure of the main menu and the principle of adding materials. Everything is organized very simply. You can add a page in a few seconds by checking the box in the required section. All menu tabs are translated into Russian and are presented in the form of icons. You can understand the basics of UMI management in one day.

Benefits of CMS UMI

UMI is one of the best CMS for creating a website due to its ease of management and wide functionality. Besides, there are other advantages:

• deleted files are placed in the Recycle Bin with the possibility of recovery;
• the file manager is accessed through the admin panel;
• Administration can be carried out by several people with different access rights;
• integration of services, including 1C;
• organization of any page structure.

Disadvantages of CMS UMI

The disadvantages of UMI include the following:

• high license cost;
• modest selection of modules;
• ready-made solutions are very expensive;
• not a standard design customization system.

The presented CMS is largely focused on creating online stores and corporate projects. There are many convenient tools for this. It is also possible to develop blogs, forums and news projects, but NetCat's potential in this direction is much more modest.

The engine is provided only on a paid basis. The cheapest tariff costs 4,900 rubles, and the most expensive is 45,000. You can run an unlimited number of websites on one license.

To expand the standard functionality, you can install modules from partners. There are about 120 extensions in total. Among them are payment systems, a user’s personal account, mailing lists, tools for SEO promotion, social network icons and much more. It's important to note that most modules are offered free of charge.

As for the admin panel, it does not raise any questions. At the top of the console is the main menu. A block with child tabs is located vertically. Through the console, you can not only manage content, but also view statistics and notifications. The main page displays new posts, number of indexed pages, new users, and so on.

Benefits of CMS NetCat

The creators of NetCat tried to introduce a large number of modern options, and they succeeded. Among the main advantages are:

• informative statistics;
• presence of a recycle bin with deleted content;
• the ability to run any number of web resources on one license;
• high level of security;
• free modules.

Disadvantages of CMS NetCat

The platform has a number of negative features, Things you need to know before making your final choice:

• problematic integration with 1C;
• high license cost;
• high hosting requirements.

One of the most complex engines is Drupal. It has many settings, a modular system and a complex admin panel. It can take months, even years, to learn this platform. If the user manages to understand how Drupal works, it can become one of the best engines for creating a website, but not everyone has the time and patience.

For Drupal tens of thousands of modules are provided, opening up new opportunities for the user. This allows you to create projects of high complexity on any topic. The license and all modules are provided absolutely free. This CMS runs stores, forums, blogs, large portals, news projects, business cards, social networks, and so on.

There are no problems with choosing a design either. The administrator can choose from several thousand free templates. They can then be customized as per the requirements.

Benefits of CMS Drupal

The platform is used by a huge number of developers from all over the world for the following reasons:

• free license;
• a large number of templates and extensions;
• regular updates;
• the ability to create any resources, regardless of complexity and topic;
• ample opportunities for promotion in search engines.

Disadvantages of CMS Drupal

Choosing Drupal you will have to face the following difficulties:

• high hosting requirements;
• complex control panel;
• lack of technical support;
• a large number of low quality modules.

The DIAFAN engine costs 12,000 rubles. If it is not possible to buy a full license, you can rent the system for 260 rubles per month. With the help of this CMS, stores, forums, information portals, and so on are successfully created.

Considering that the basic version of the engine includes a huge number of modules, admin is very overloaded. The main menu consists of several dozen tabs, and to view it, you need to scroll the page several times.

Among the system functionality there is a basket with deleted content, a visual editor, convenient page creation, dynamic blocks, captcha, mailings, adding images, comments, polls, personal messages, convenient search and much more.

Advantages of DIAFAN.CMS

Among the advantages of the system one can note its versatility and several features:

Disadvantages of DIAFAN.CMS

DIAFAN also has weaknesses. Their list includes:

• the main admin menu does not fit on one page;
• integration of third-party services takes a lot of time and requires professional knowledge;
• the license is valid for only one domain.

Conclusion

There is no clear answer to the question of which CMS is best for creating a website. Each developer has his own opinion on this matter. Webmasters and professional studios use several options at once. The fact is that one engine has everything you need to create blogs, and with the help of another you can develop a news project in a few minutes. Our review helps readers learn more about each content management system and choose the most suitable option for themselves.