Top 10 CMS Platforms for Building and Managing a Website

A content management system (CMS) makes it easier to create, organise and publish website content without building every page from scratch. Some platforms are designed for straightforward websites, while others offer advanced tools for online shops, large organisations or developers creating digital experiences across multiple channels.

There is no single CMS that suits every project. The right choice depends on your budget, technical skills, content plans and the level of flexibility you need. Here are ten popular options to consider.

WordPress

WordPress is a widely used, open-source CMS that can power everything from personal blogs to large business websites. Its themes and plugins make it highly adaptable, and there is a large community of developers and users to draw on.

Best for: Blogs, business websites and projects that need room to grow.

Consider: You will need to arrange hosting, and you may need to manage updates, security and backups. The quality and maintenance of plugins can vary.

Shopify

Shopify is an e-commerce platform with built-in tools for managing products, orders, payments and online shop content. It is designed to make selling online more straightforward, with hosting and many core store features included.

Best for: Businesses focused on selling products online.

Consider: Costs and available features depend on your plan and any additional apps. Businesses with unusual requirements may need custom development.

Wix

Wix combines a website builder with content management features. Its visual editor and ready-made templates help users create and update websites without extensive coding knowledge.

Best for: Small businesses, freelancers and organisations that want to build a site themselves.

Consider: The platform is convenient, but some users may find it less flexible than an open-source CMS when a website has complex needs.

Squarespace

Squarespace offers hosted websites, templates and content-management tools in one package. It is known for design-led layouts and provides features for publishing, portfolios and online selling.

Best for: Creatives, service businesses and brands looking for a polished website with minimal setup.

Consider: Customisation is more controlled than with developer-focused or open-source platforms.

Drupal

Drupal is an open-source CMS built for flexibility and structured content. It can support complex websites, detailed user permissions and large amounts of content, making it a popular choice for organisations with specific technical requirements.

Best for: Large or complex websites, public-sector organisations and projects with advanced content needs.

Consider: It typically requires more technical expertise to build and maintain than a simple website builder.

Joomla

Joomla is an open-source CMS that sits between simpler website tools and more developer-intensive systems. It includes content and user-management features and can be extended with additional templates and extensions.

Best for: Websites that need more built-in structure than a basic site builder offers.

Consider: You may need technical support to configure, extend and maintain a Joomla site.

Webflow

Webflow brings visual website design, a CMS and hosting together. It gives designers considerable control over page layouts while allowing teams to manage structured content through the platform.

Best for: Design-focused websites and teams that want visual control without building everything from code.

Consider: Its way of working has a learning curve, and highly customised projects may still need developer input.

Contentful

Contentful is a headless CMS: content is managed separately from the website or app where it appears. Developers can deliver the same content to different channels using APIs, while editors work in a central content platform.

Best for: Businesses publishing content across websites, apps and other digital channels.

Consider: A headless setup usually requires developers to build the front-end experiences that display the content.

Adobe Experience Manager

Adobe Experience Manager (AEM) is an enterprise content management platform for managing websites, digital assets and customer experiences at scale. It can be particularly useful for organisations already working with other Adobe products.

Best for: Large organisations with complex digital operations and dedicated technical teams.

Consider: It is a substantial platform to implement and manage, so it may be more than smaller businesses need.

Ghost

Ghost is a publishing platform with a focus on writing, newsletters and memberships. It offers a clean editorial experience and can be used as a hosted service or self-hosted, depending on the setup.

Best for: Publishers, bloggers and businesses building an audience through written content.

Consider: It is more specialised than general-purpose CMS platforms, so it may not be the right fit for complex websites or large online shops.

How to choose the right CMS

Before choosing a platform, consider what your website needs to do now and how it might change over time. These questions can help narrow down the options:

• Who will manage the content? Editors may value a simple publishing workflow, while developers may prioritise flexibility and control.
• What are you publishing? A blog, an online shop and a large multilingual website can have very different requirements.
• How much technical support is available? Hosted platforms handle more of the infrastructure, while self-hosted or highly customisable systems can require ongoing technical work.
• What will it cost over time? Look beyond the initial plan or licence. Include hosting, extensions, development, maintenance and training.
• Can it support future growth? Consider new markets, additional content channels, integrations and increased traffic.

Final thoughts

The best CMS is the one that fits your team’s skills and your website’s purpose. WordPress offers broad versatility, Shopify focuses on e-commerce, and hosted builders such as Wix and Squarespace simplify site creation. For more specialised or large-scale projects, Drupal, Contentful and Adobe Experience Manager may be worth exploring.

Shortlist a few platforms, test their editing experience and check how each handles your essential features before making a decision. A little planning at the start can help you choose a CMS that remains useful as your website develops.