Alternatives To WordPress
Powering over 28% of the world’s websites and equipped with 52,000 dedicated software plugins, WordPress’s appeal needs no introduction. But the market-leading content management system isn’t the only CMS big player in town any more.
There are numerous WordPress rivals to choose from, and some have features that elevate them above the market leader…
Joomla. Released: 2005. Global market share: 3.3%
Pros: Thriving online community; around eight thousand extensions to choose from
Cons: Those extensions tend to cost money; interface is unintuitive
Summary: Second only to the market leader, Joomla heads the pack of WordPress rivals with extensive functionality supporting shopping sites and social networks alike. It has a huge library of extensions, while features like banner management are standard – unlike in WordPress.
Drupal. Released: 2001. Global market share: 2.3%
Pros: Strong community for troubleshooting; robust levels of security
Cons: Takes a long time to master; not optimal for ecommerce portals
Summary: Drupal is the most technical of the main WordPress rivals, with complete control over technical attributes like jQuery integration. It has over 38,000 modules available, while multilingual services are standard. Drupal takes time to master, but the results are worth it.
Magento. Released: 2007. Global market share: 1.2%
Pros: An open-source ecommerce platform; thousands of extensions
Cons: Templates lack pizzazz; unwieldy for beginners
Summary: Magneto isn’t the easiest platform to master, but its mobile-optimized ecommerce functionality underpins $50 billion of trade. Ecommerce is integrated rather than added on, with everything from payment gateways to inventory management installed under the hood.
Squarespace. Released: 2004. Global market share: 0.7%
Pros: Strong community for troubleshooting; permits multiple templates on a single site
Cons: Stunning templates require high-caliber images; pricier than other WordPress rivals
Summary: An extensive array of features characterizes Squarespace, from ecommerce components to custom CSS. Images are handled with CDN and importing/processing tools, with no official plugins to worry about. Unlimited bandwidth and storage are other benefits.
Weebly. Released: 2007. Global market share: 0.2%
Pros: Up to five pages can be created for free; compatible with subdomains
Cons: Not ideal for large sites; limited support for ecommerce
Summary: A great tool for beginners, Weebly offers all the basics including social media integration and built-in site analytics. The drag-and-drop interface is extremely intuitive, and the assembler guides new users towards specific blog/store/multipurpose templates.
Jimdo. Released: 2007. Global market share: 0.1%
Pros: HTML5 compatible; guides clients through every decision
Cons: Free stores only permit five products; no SEO functionality on free version
Summary: Like Weebly, Jimdo guides new customers through each stage of selecting an appropriate template and populating it with SEO-friendly content. There are modules for blogs, Google Maps and contact forms, plus the obligatory external widgets and apps.
Whichever platform suits your business best, WestHost is ideally placed to handle hosting for your new site. Why not get in touch, and discover how we can provide dependable and affordable foundations for your next website?