Top 5 Alternatives to WordPress

Every website needs a good Content Management System (CMS), a web application that manages all of your site’s information. Even non-techies can maintain a site if they have an easy to use CMS. The most popular CMS is WordPress. But what other systems are out there to choose from? Let’s examine top 5 alternatives to WordPress when building a new website.

Drupal (Free)

Advantages
Drupal is a great developer CMS.It gives you a lot of flexibility for adding custom features. There are tons of themes and over 7,000 add-ons available. There are a lot of themes to choose from. You can add multiple user roles each with different levels of access. Drupal has a well-developed forum with many active users. All of your basic content (blog posts, tutorials, podcasts, etc.) can be created without code. Instead you use the Content Construction Kit (CCK) and Views Modules.

Disadvantages
Configuration can be a little tricky. Basics are easy to understand but getting into more detailed features takes time. If you don’t already know code then it can be complicated to use. Loading can be a little slow.
Bottom Line: If you are new to web design and just want the basics, this may not be the best option. However, if you want to develop an advanced site, Drupal is a great choice.

Joomla (Free)

Advantages
Joomla is great for websites with many pages of content (though not the regular blog-based sites). There are a good number of themes available. Joomla is easy to learn if you have the time to devote to it. It is very versatile. It’s a good option for corporate site because they can get very detailed. There is a pretty strong community forum and many plugins.

Disadvantages
Learning Joomla can take a lot of time. It’s not for people who want everything set up for them because it requires advanced knowledge. Customization and organization can be awkward. There aren’t as many themes as WordPress. It is more difficult than necessary for people who are looking to maintain a basic blog site. Some of the better plugins are paid.
Bottom Line
Joomla is a middle of the road CMS. Joomla isn’t as easy as WordPress or as good for developers as Drupal.

Text Pattern (free)

Advantages
TextPattern is not as famous as Drupal and Joomla but works well out of the box. It can be easy to customize. Less technical users will appreciate the way it is user-friendly. You can convert plain text to HTML without a lot of effort. It is easy to post articles. There are some fantastic plugins.
Disadvantages
There aren’t as many people who use TextPattern which means there isn’t a very large community. It can be hard to find templates because there aren’t as many choices as the other systems. The admin interface isn’t great looking. It takes time to learn how to use it well, unlike some of the other systems.
Bottom Line
Not the best of all the choices but worth a try if you are posting hundreds of articles.

Concrete 5

Advantages
Set up is simple. The community is not large but is helpful. If your plan is to build and manage a website without investing a lot of time and cost then you should give it a try. Add-ons are purchased similar to the Apple App Store and customer service is great. Most of them are free although some are paid. In line editing is a terrific feature.

Disadvantages
Contact forms need to be developed manually. Many of the add-ons cost extra. Not great for complex web applications.
Bottom Line
Not a good choice for blogger based sites.

Blogger

Advantages
Blogger (by Google) is a little different from the other systems on the list, because it is primarily for blogging. However, it is a CMS that competes with WordPress and many businesses prefer a blog based system. It is extremely simple out of the box. You choose a name (which will end in blogspot.com) and a template. If you want to work in code, there is an option to work in .html but it isn’t necessary. Posting is a breeze. You don’t have to pay for hosting so it is completely free.

Disadvantages
There aren’t a lot of disadvantages because Blogger is very easy to use. It’s more of a personal decision whether to use Blogger or WordPress. Image storage isn’t great. It doesn’t have as many themes as WordPress. It also doesn’t have the same amount of blogging tools as WordPress. However, people who use Blogger have many good things to say about it.