Find the right WordPress alternative for your brand to shine
We have created a list of the top 51 WordPress alternatives. Just because more websites are hosted on WordPress than any other CMS, doesn’t mean it’s right for everyone.
Luckily, no matter what niche market you are in, there are plenty of alternatives floating around. Some of them you’ve probably heard of and others are just waiting to be discovered.
Your goal should be to rank on the first page of Google because if you don’t no one will find you. Here’s are some results.
Whether you are a small business, enterprise team, blogger, e-commerce store, or someone looking to express some digital creativity, there are WordPress alternatives for you.
Don’t settle with a CMS that doesn’t fit your requirements. These 51 CMS competitors are just the tip of the iceberg to get your web design juices flowing. There is an endless supply of website providers. So, do your research, and pick a platform that doesn’t hold your site back.
Let’s dive into WordPress alternatives.
Dive through the list of WordPress alternatives:
1. Drupal
This wouldn’t be a real CMS competitor list without Drupal. They are one of the most flexible CMS options available. Since it’s an open-source platform there is support for just about any need and you can find modules that can adapt to any situation. You’ll typically find enterprise websites that need advanced security and custom solutions using Drupal.
2. Sitecore
Sitecore combines a marketing platform and CMS. It offers incredible flexibility, although in return is very complex and lacks user-friendliness. If you decide to run with Sitecore be prepared to pay heavy development costs or hire an in-house technologist.
3. HubSpot COS
HubSpot is by far the most popular marketing automation tool on the market. What a lot of people don’t know, however, is they’ve recently released a CMS platform that has amazing performance options.
Average websites are static, yet HubSpot has developed a way to create an
That means you can custom tailor your website to show different users different content. Let’s not forget, when HubSpot’s marketing automation, CRM, and COS software are all being utilized you’ve got one powerhouse technology stack.
4. Shopify
New e-commerce owners flock to Shopify for it’s a simple, yet extremely effective interface. We love the platform.
Even the greenest users can get a site up and running with a day on Shopify. To top it off, there is a built-in blogging platform, 24/7 support department, and automatic submissions to social buying networks.
5. BigCommerce
BigCommerce specializes in e-commerce scalability, allowing all business sizes to thrive. The dashboard has advanced customization modules so that people working in different positions can focus on the most critical tasks for their role. BigCommerce is considered to be more of an all in one system and relies less on 3rd party add-ons than the competition.
6. Miva Merchant
Miva has the ability to handle large product lines and for that reason is the top go to for larger enterprises looking for an e-commerce solution. They strive to improve business processes so that you can focus on generating sales and not boring backend administration headaches. You’ll find that a lot of Miva users have stuck with this WordPress alternative for close to a decade. Now that’s customer retention!
7. WebGUI
This is another open-source option that is written in Perl. They provide a standard CMS, although the features lie within their extensive database of add-ons. These include shopping carts, point of sale systems, and file distribution. WebGUI is perfect for a team with a technical administrator who wants to control the user interface. The IT team can limit or grant additional access to where they see fit.
8. Magento
With the ability to manage multiple e-commerce storefronts, Magento appeals to large scale operations. Sometimes, the sheer amount of options, apps, and extensions can prove to be too much for a small team to handle. There is a long setup time with an even longer learning curve, but when you get the hang of it, Magento is well worth the effort. I strongly suggest having a dedicated developer in-house.
9. eZ Platform
eZ Platform is the opposite of WordPress, great backend, hard to use frontend. The name says it all though; it’s easy to use. Additionally, users aren’t limited to web development on eZ. With a quick API setup, you can start developing basic mobile apps. Symfony – the PHP framework is used as eZ Platform’s backbone.
10. MODX
MODX attempts to maintain a high level of security while still allowing users to be creative with their design. It’s certainly a lesser-known alternative, so if you haven’t heard of it that’s okay. MODX is often compared to Drupal.
Their biggest upside is the well-documented help sections of videos, books, and forums. The biggest difference between MODX and other competitors is its basic nature. This CMS is meant to be used with hard code and less drag-n-drop widgets.
11. Concrete5
Concrete5 is known for its ease of use, but it shouldn’t be compared to Wix. It is easy to use like Wix, however much more comparable to WordPress in extendibility. You’ll typically find small organizations and client-related businesses using Concrete5. There are many fewer users on this platform, so the market place for themes and extensions is somewhat light.
12. Composr
Composr serves a slightly different market in the CMS space. They’ve created an environment for users creating portfolios, galleries, or catalogs. Composr has created a truly unique product. If the typical CMS models aren’t working for you take a closer look at Composr.
13. Squarespace
A quick and easy option, Squarespace can create an aesthetically pleasing website in less than a day. Just understand that your options are rather rigid. There won’t be a ton of wiggle room when it comes to creating specific customized options. Squarespace works best with basic, unsophisticated, and sleek sites.
14. TextPattern
TextPattern uses Textile Syntax which may come as a surprise to people who are used to standard HTML. There are add-ons to create a Wysiwyg interface, but if you are going to go that route there are most definitely easier alternatives. TextPattern is without a doubt for minimalists and writers who are looking for the most basic of interfaces.
15. Refinery CMS
Refinery is another open-source Ruby CMS platform, and currently the most popular. Typically, users pick Refinery when there is a large amount of content that needs to be managed in a not so customized way. It will meet basic needs. Think of Refinery as your next size up after you’ve outgrown a pair of pants as a kid.
16. DotNetNuke
DNN has received multiple awards as the choice CMS for small businesses. Their ease of use and well-organized backend makes DotNetNuke a favorite for users looking to get their website up and running quickly. This platform is known for flexibility and can also function as an application builder.
17. Umbraco
Considered to be intuitive to must developers, Umbraco is often called easy to use. Don’t be fooled though, that is only the case for users ready to write code from scratch. This is no drag and drop CMS substitute. It scales nicely with large sites and easy to keep up to date.
18. TinyCMS
TinyCMS is a great alternative WordPress option, small, fast, and all-around reliable. An average page on TinyCMS can be loaded in half the time as those on WordPress. They boast about not using a database as their point of differentiation between competitors, which makes installation quick and simple. TinyCMS is meant to be used with smaller websites as it doesn’t scale well with large amounts of data.
19. OpenText
OpenText has created a nice niche for themselves in the multi-lingual department. They are one of the few CMS providers that offer data transfer between different languages on the same website. That’s pretty powerful for an international organization. They also offer an entire enterprise suite of software, so this is clearly a top contender for the larger companies out there.
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20. Joomla
Joomla is ideal for mid-sized businesses that lack a dedicated technical team. The backend interface is designed for people without a technical background. Changing content is quick and, for the most part, easy. Joomla’s large developer community offers endless 3rd party add-ons.
21. Microsoft SharePoint
More typically known as a team collaboration software – not too different from Google Drive – SharePoint has slight potential as a CMS option. This won’t be used as more than an intranet or publishing site, but it still deserves a spot on the list. A blogger who has experience with Microsoft products can feel more at home on SharePoint than other blogging channels. It can even come in handy if you have a virtual team working on multiple pieces of content at once.
22. Weebly
Incredibly simple websites, no coding knowledge needed, and multiple use cases. That is how you sum up Weebly in a sentence. This platform is for small businesses or consultants looking to put up their first website. You can bounce between a regular site, a blog, or an e-commerce store. Weebly is all over the place for first-time web users.
23. Wix
Another no coding needed drag and drop option. Wix is a direct competitor with Weebly as they are both targeting users that aren’t quite in need of a fully flexible website quite yet. This is a great place to start, although when you want to move past a basic web presence you’ll need to upgrade.
24. SilverStripe
You know you’re doing something right when you can promote Forbes as a satisfied customer. Silverstripe doesn’t try to box users in with over-developed features. They practice straightforward development and customization. Once a site is developed it can simply be passed on to someone with less technical know-how to manage.
25. TYPO3
TYPO3 can do just about whatever you want to accomplish. That being said, it’s not in the slightest bit intuitive and you better be ready to dump a lot of time into creating your site. Need a module? Not a problem, if you can design and implement it yourself. Incredibly difficult to get started, however once going this guy is a monster.
26. Zenfolio
Zenfolio gives freelance photographers a way to display and sell their images in a professional setting. They’ve combined portfolio page, gallery, shopping cart, blog, and regular web pages to keep you all in one place. Zenfolio is the Shopify of photography. Create a high-quality image gallery with little web experience.
27. PhotoShelter
PhotoShelter is another photographer based CMS platform, but it have carved out a niche that attracts more professionals than part-timers. You’ll find many more options on PhotoShelter than Zenfolio. They have everything from marketing tools, point-of-sale system, delivery, rights management, and more.
28. Magnolia
Magnolia has focused on creating great web content for mobile devices. They make it as easy as possible to optimize the content on all screen sizes and traffic channels. Any business that sees a heavy flow of mobile traffic to their website should check out Magnolia.
29. Jimdo
Jimdo has quietly crept up in popularity, and I say quietly because they’ve done it without making so much as a splash around the web. They claim to power over 20 million websites and their market revolves around boutique or local shops. They’ve established an atmosphere where new features don’t necessarily mean greater complexity and small businesses seem to be eating that up!
30. GoDaddy
Who hasn’t seen those Danica Patrick Superbowl commercials? Most of us think of them as just a domain registrar, but they do just about everything digital. GoDaddy will set you up with a domain, hosting, CMS, and create the website, all for a fee, of course. If you want to keep everything within one portal and love a drag’n’drop CMS, then GoDaddy is the place to start.
31. IM Creator
IM Creator is not about bells and whistles. It’s a get in, get out kind of website builder. There is no need to hire an expensive designer, just sit down and crank out a basic site in a few hours. If you aren’t sure about IM Creator, they offer a free version where you can get your feet wet before making an investment.
32. Webs
Webs is an all in on small businesses and ease of use. You can put this platform in the same category as Wix and Weebly, with drag and drop builders. They’ve been around since 2001 and 55 million sites have been created using their software, so don’t worry about them going anywhere anytime soon. If you are a solopeneur or consultant these guys have got your virtual back.
33. Volusion
Volusion is an e-commerce CMS that wraps it’s web management tools around additional business services. Out of all the e-commerce solutions they are the most customer-centric. Other than that, Volusion has fallen behind its niche competitors in the digital selling space. New features are few and far between.
34. Duda
Flexibility to move elements into the perfect location, and custom widgets for every need make Duda a top choice for doing it yourself users. If you need a jump start the theme marketplace goes above and beyond most competitors. Duda’s best features allow you to develop a mobile website that differs from your desktop site.
35. Blogger
Blogger is one of the best known blogging CMS platforms on the market. The best part? Blogger is completely free to use. You’ll start out with a Blogspot domain which has become synonymous with beginner, so you’ll want to purchase your own from a registrar. This is blogging only CMS, don’t expect to create an entire website here.
36. Ghost
Another blogging only CMS, Ghost was developed to be a back to the basics WordPress alternative. Ironically, it was also developed by a prior WordPress developer that was upset with the direction the CMS had headed. Ghost is a great publishing platform with a small, yet unique following.
37. Medium
Everyone has heard of Medium. This blogging platform was created by the same company that founded Blogger and partnered with the co-founders of Twitter. Because of their background, Medium heavily incorporates social subscribing aspects. You’ll need to sign up with an account from one of your social networks if you want to use Medium.
38. Tumblr
Tumblr is most often associated with teens and microblogging. It’s hard to take Tumblr seriously as they lack any insight into analytics and SEO additions. You can count Tumblr as a social network more than a blogging platform. Though, the upside to that is your content can go viral much more quickly when it gets noticed.
39. Strikingly
Strikingly exclusively builds one-page websites. These single page sites have grown in popularity in the past couple of years as design tastes shifted toward panel sections. Sometimes all you need is a simple walkthrough, and that is exactly what Strikingly accomplishes.
40. uKit
uKit is relatively known to the market, although it has picked up steam fast. They only collaborate in four different languages – English, Portuguese, Romanian, and Russian – which is a little light compared to some of the other options. My favorite uKit service is their offer to create a fully functioning website within two weeks for only $50! If that isn’t a bargain I don’t know what is.
41. Yola
Yola is one of the few CMS providers that offer a telephone support line. However, growth is limited as menus can only go two levels deep on premium templates. It seems like Yola is targeting startups and entrepreneurs. Unfortunately, there is no blogging option, though, a Tumblr add-on is available.
42. SiteBuilder
A basic website is free on SiteBuilder and most features are separate paid add-ons. This is a nice solution because as you need new qualities you can pay as you go. SiteBuilder is a fast and easy CMS that matches up fairly similarly to the other drag’n’drop platforms. It’s basic enough to get the job done without a headache.
43. Rainmaker
One of my personal favorites, Rainmaker combines CMS and marketing automation platforms into a great all-in-one system. Not only is Rainmaker a WordPress alternative, but they have also taken the open-source code and turned it into a well-oiled machine. It’s everything WordPress has to offer plus greater security, no need for additional plugins, and no continuous updates. Sold to WPengine (hint we love!). Good job Brian Clark, my friend.
44. Sitefinity
After significant performance improvements, Sitefinity has become a powerful CMS contender. They are clearly priced for the mid-market business as they are noticeably more expensive than the likes of Wix. Content is easy to scale as your business grows and it won’t take the tech team to implement simple HTML changes.
45. Odoo
One of the few enterprise open source website creators available. They have some serious integration options ranging from purchase tracking, project management, supply chain management, accounting, and demand forecasting. If you don’t need those integrations you can easily keep the core system intact and avoid paying for any unnecessary fees.
46. WebsiteBuilder
With over 10,000 themes to choose from, WebsiteBuilder has one of the most comprehensive marketplaces for users. WebsiteBuilder puts an emphasis on digital marketing benefits. It’s only natural that they include advertising, social media, SEO, and email features to keep visitors coming back.
47. Zoho Sites
Zoho has a plethora of digital products and services. They have created an all in one environment for everything from CRM to CMS software. No plugins, just a fully synced Zoho network. With Zoho, you’ll get everything from dynamic content management to sales outreach. The biggest downside is if you need a variety of payment options for customers then you’ll need to find an advanced developer. Zoho deals mostly in Paypal payments.
48. EZGenerator
For experienced web designers, EZGenerator does a great job chunking up the different steps to website creation. For anyone new to the game it can come across as counter-intuitive and somewhat clunky. For anyone with basic HTML/CSS experience, EZGenerator can be a powerful CMS option.
49. ucraft
ucraft is one of the newer options in the CMS space and they have a very inexpensive pricing plan to boast about. They want website development to be painless and easy. ucraft put extensive effort into their user interface functionality which makes it incredibly simple without sacrificing design elements.
50. TOWeb
TOWeb is definitely for beginners looking for a basic site. The customization options are limited, however, that’s what you should expect out of a web editor. You can throw this product into the small business or personal use category. TOWeb allows you to get a website up and running within a short time and there’s no coding necessary.
51. Pixpa
Pixpa has artists and photographers everywhere drooling. Their creative showcases help any creative type to draw attention to their work. If you are only selling digital or physical prints then Pixpa is a great e-commerce alternative, although additional products don’t play nicely in this sandbox.
Talk about a ton of WordPress alternatives, right? The funny thing is, that’s only scratching the surface, the CMS competitive landscape is a tough nut to crack. So, what CMS platform does your business use? Are you happy with its functionalities, or has it been a complete nightmare?
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General FAQ’s
WordPress is a content management system (CMS); by far, the most popular open-source CMS, used by approximately 75 million websites. WordPress is free to install, deploy, and upgrade. Thousands of plugins and templates power a flexible and simple interface, which reduces development costs and deployment time.
Why use WordPress for small businesses?
A WordPress website for a start-up or small business is a great fit. Since WordPress is currently the most extensive blogging and website-building platform in the world. Both the flexibility, cost, and maintenance make this a good option for small businesses and start-ups.
How much does a WordPress website cost?
A WordPress website is designed and developed by a digital marketing agency, like Matrix Marketing Group, which will start at $7995 and go up from there. Most custom WordPress website design and development work fall within the following price ranges:
– Custom WordPress Theme: $3,000-$6,000 (for design and development)
– Custom WordPress Website: $8,000-$18,000 (for design and development, with custom plugin functionality.)
– Custom WordPress eCommerce Site: $10,000-$20,000.
