A Content Management System (CMS) is software used to manage and control digital content creation. It typically comes with sophisticated capabilities to create, modify, preview, and publish content of different types and formats.
In this article, we analyze, classify, and provide a detailed list of popular and most commonly used content management systems.
1. Overview
Content Management Systems (CMSs) are platforms mainly developed to manage digital content. According to Wikipedia, digital content is any content that exists in the form of digital data.
It is any type of digital information that can be stored and accessed using computer devices and/or through the Internet. This includes any text, image, video, audio, and other structured information such as news, advertisements, weather forecasts, and GPS maps.
Broadly speaking, there are multiple types of content management systems, each of which incorporates sophisticated interfaces to manage various forms of digital content.
2. Types of Content Management Systems
There are various types of Content Management Systems, each of which has its own structure, purposes, and features.
However, the borders between the different types of content management systems are pretty overlapping. Sometimes, a specific CMS lies in more than one type or category.
According to our research, there are more than 5 types of content management systems:
- Blogging Platforms (Weblogging): a web-based software originally designed to manage and publish a series of articles and blogs. Blogging platforms often come with additional but limited features to build and manage websites.
- Web Content Management Systems (WCMS): a software specifically designed to manage web content. It provides authoring and management tools to help both developers and normal users create and manage website content.
- eCommerce Platforms: a software or web-based application which allows retailers and businesses to manage their commercial operations online. It primarily allows managing, buying, and selling products and services over the internet.
- API-Driven Content Management Systems: a back-end software for managing content. It provides the required functionality and data structure to manage data without sophisticated user interfaces. To do so, it’s being integrated with front-end interfaces and other content management systems.
- Digital Assets Management Systems: a platform that stores, manages, shares, and organizes digital content assets of different kinds in a central securely-accessible location.
- Other Content Management Systems: includes other types of content management systems that don’t fit into one of the aforementioned categories.
3. How Many CMS Systems Are There?
There are hundreds of platforms that can be considered content management systems. In this article, we did extensive research on the top and most popular content management systems. Trying to analyze and fit each system into a specific type/category.
In the following table, we summarize the total number of CMS platforms as per each type/category.
| CMS Type / Category | CMS Platforms Number | CMS Platforms Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Blogging Platforms | 8 | 6% |
| Web Content Management Systems | 66 | 54% |
| eCommerce Platforms | 7 | 6% |
| API-Driven Content Management Systems | 7 | 6% |
| Digital Assets Management Systems | 18 | 15% |
| Other Content Management Systems | 16 | 13% |
| TOTAL CMS Platforms | 122 | 100% |
4. Top Blogging CMS Platforms (Weblogging)
| Logo | CMS | Description |
|---|---|---|
 | WordPress.org | The free and widely used blogging and website builder. It is an advanced blogging tool originally created to build and manage online blogs. However, it’s being used now to build websites and powers millions of websites around the world. |
| WordPress.com | The hosted version of WordPress.org. While both versions utilize the WordPress publishing platform, the key difference is who’s actually hosting the website. With WordPress.org, you need to download the software, build your own website, and then publish it to a specific domain. While WordPress.com is the fully hosted (commercial) version of WordPress. |
 | Blogger | The free blogging management system by Google. The main goal of Blogger is to produce content in the form of online articles. It was initially developed by Pyra Labs and then acquired by Google in 2003. Blogs built in Blogger are usually hosted under a subdomain of blogspot.com. |
 | Ghost | Ghost is a free blogging platform designed to simplify online publishing for bloggers. The Ghost software package is free. Additionally, there is a paid hosted Ghost platform to run online live blogs. |
 | Serendipity | Serendipity is a blog and web-based content management system. It’s a weblog application that gives users the ability to maintain an online diary, weblog, or a complete homepage. |
 | Dotclear | Dotclear is a blog publishing application. It is popular in French-speaking countries and used by several major blogging platforms. |
 | Anchor CMS | Anchor CMS is a blogging system with lightweight features. It focuses on writing blogs. Its interface shows essential features, such as creating posts and pages and managing comments and categories. |
 | Jekyll | Jekyll is a simple, blog-aware, static site generator designed to create personal or organizational sites. |
5. Top Web Content Management System Platforms (WCMS)
| Logo | CMS | Description |
|---|---|---|
 | Joomla! | Joomla (or J!), is a powerful web content management system for building websites and web applications. Compared to Blogging platforms, Joomla is a full content management system that is better suited for larger and more complex websites. It’s more geared towards developers and experienced website creators, who seek professional web applications rather than just simple straightforward websites. |
 | Drupal | Drupal is a scalable content management platform used by millions to build and maintain websites and web applications. It supports websites of multiple levels of complexity with a variety of custom content types. It has a hugely supportive community and it’s a perfect choice for creating flexible, customizable, scalable, and secure websites. |
 | Wix | Wix is a web content management system and website builder. It lets users with no coding skills design and build websites or online stores. Wix is basically a cloud-based CMS, so there’s no software to download or install. Instead, it could be accessed and used online via a web browser. |
 | TYPO3 | TYPO3 is an enterprise-class web content management system that can run on several web servers. Although it’s similar to other popular content management systems, it’s more limited to Europe, especially German-speaking countries. |
 | Kentico | Kentico CMS is a web content management system used to build websites and online stores. It provides services such as content management, e-commerce, online communities, intranet and collaboration, and online marketing. |
 | dotCMS | dotCMS is a content management system for building and managing content-driven websites and web applications. It provides two main versions: a free community content management system, and a paid SaaS-based enterprise edition. |
 | Progress Sitefinity | Sitefinity is a scalable content management system to create and manage content on websites. It provides the ability for one Sitefinity CMS instance to manage multiple sites and share content between them. |
 | HubSpot CMS | CMS Hub is a SaaS cloud-based content management system. It provides tools to create websites focused on the customer experience. Using this CMS, users can create content, optimize websites, and gain insights about their websites. |
 | Squarespace | Squarespace is a SaaS-based content management system, website builder, and blogging platform. It allows individuals and businesses to create and maintain websites and blogs. As Squarespace is a hosted product, it can be accessed online from any web browser. |
 | Grav | Grav (shortened version of the word “gravity”) is a simple and free self-hosted content management system. It uses a flat-file database and is designed to be easy to set up and learn. Its focus is speed and simplicity rather than providing complex built-in features. It is the most-starred PHP CMS on GitHub. |
 | Textpattern | Textpattern is a simple, flexible, fast, and easy-to-use content management system. Although it’s often seen as a weblogging tool, it aims to be a general-purpose content management system. |
 | Google Sites | Google Sites is a structured web page creation tool offered by Google. Google Sites allows you to quickly build a website, without requiring experience in web design or development. |
 | MODX | MODX is a content management system and web application framework. It’s designed for publishing content on the internet and intranets. It powers multi-language, multi-domain corporate sites, personal blogs, and mobile APIs. |
 | Zephyr | Zephyr is content management software for both startups and enterprises. It provides end-to-end solutions designed for web applications. |
 | Populr | Populr is a content management system to track and create online pages. It is basically used to build engaging web content for sales and marketing teams. |
 | Craft CMS | Craft CMS is a flexible and user-friendly CMS for creating custom digital experiences on the web. It provides an intuitive control panel for content creation and administrative tasks. |
 | Umbraco CMS | Umbraco is a content management system platform. It’s designed for publishing content on the internet and intranets. Umbraco is flexible for editors and developers and powers over 500,000 websites all over the world. |
 | Adobe Experience Manager (AEM) | Adobe Experience Manager (AEM) is a comprehensive content management solution for building websites and mobile apps. It is a combination of both digital asset management and content management system. |
 | Storyblok | Storyblok is a content management system combined with a visual editor. It gives developers the flexibility needed to build fast websites. It also gives content creators the ability to edit content independently of the developer. |
 | concrete5 | concrete5 is a free content management system used to publish content on both internet and intranets. It’s mainly designed for users with minimum technical skills. |
 | Webflow | Webflow is a web design tool and flexible cms to build custom blogs, portfolios, and e-commerce stores. It has an online visual editor platform to design, build, and launch websites. |
 | Sitecore CMS | Sitecore CMS is a content management system platform used to create, publish, and manage content on websites. |
 | Silverstripe CMS | Silverstripe CMS is a free content management system for creating websites and web applications. It provides a web-based administration panel and a website editor to make modifications to parts of the website. |
 | Contao | Contao (formerly TYPOlight) is a free content management system for medium to large websites. It allows users to create professional websites and scalable web applications. |
 | DotNetNuke | DotNetNuke (DNN) is a web content management system and web application framework. It’s intended to allow the management of websites with no or little technical knowledge. |
 | CMS Made Simple | CMS Made Simple is a free content management system to provide web-based development and administration tools for developers, programmers, and site owners. It is suited to building and managing websites for small and medium businesses. |
 | OpenCMS | OpenCMS is an enterprise-ready website content management system. It helps content managers to create and maintain websites fast and efficiently. |
 | ProcessWire | ProcessWire is a free content management system, content management framework, and web application framework. |
 | Refinery CMS | Refinery CMS is a free developer-friendly and easy-to-extend content management system. It’s designed for creating custom content manageable websites. |
 | Enonic XP | Enonic XP is a free web application platform and content management system. It can be used to build web applications, complex websites, or web-based APIs. |
 | Exponent CMS | Exponent CMS is a free enterprise software framework and content management system. It allows editing website content without back-end administration. |
 | eZ Platform (Ibexa DXP) | eZ Platform (Ibexa DXP) is an enterprise content management system and digital experience platform. It allows developers to design and develop complex websites and web applications. |
 | Tiki Wiki CMS Groupware | Tiki Wiki CMS Groupware (TikiWiki) is a free web-based multilingual wiki-based content management system and online office suite. |
 | Kajona | Kajona is a comprehensive content management system and web application framework to fast build and manage websites. |
 | Pulse CMS | Pulse CMS is a simple software for small websites. It enables web developers to add web content management system capabilities to an existing site. |
 | Bolt CMS | Bolt is a simple and free content management system. It’s a sophisticated and lightweight tool for content management. |
 | ImpressPages | ImpressPages is a web content management system with a built-in content editor. It includes inline editing and drag & drop interface. |
 | b2evolution | b2evolution is a content and community management system to build and maintain websites for sharing information and collaborating with the community. |
 | ImpressCMS | ImpressCMS is a content management system for building and maintaining dynamic websites. It is a community-developed CMS with a focus on speed and security. |
 | Ametys CMS | Ametys is a free content management system primarily used to power large websites, blogs, intranets, and extranets on the same server. |
 | OpenWGA | OpenWGA is a content management system basically used to build, manage and publish websites and content-centric web applications. |
 | PHP-Nuke | PHP-Nuke is an automated news publishing and content management system. It’s controlled using a web-based user interface. |
 | XOOPS | XOOPS CMS is an extensible dynamic web content management system. It’s used to build small to large websites like community websites, company portals, corporate portals, and weblogs. |
 | Pantheon | Pantheon is a website operations platform for Drupal and WordPress. It’s designed to build, host, and manage websites. |
 | Weebly | Weebly is a free easy-to-use website builder to create a responsive-design website, blog, or online store. |
 | Marketing 360 | Marketing 360 is a website management tool to create and maintain mobile-friendly websites or online stores. |
 | B12 | B12 is an online tool for building websites. It uses artificial intelligence to create a custom draft of new sites. |
 | Duda | Duda is a versatile CMS and web design platform for web professionals and agencies of all sizes. |
 | OpenText TeamSite | OpenText TeamSite is an enterprise website content management system. It helps organizations create personalized and digital customer experiences optimized for any device, digital channel, or context. |
 | WebSphere Portal | WebSphere Portal is an enterprise software to build and manage web portals. It allows users to create and manage sophisticated business websites. WebSphere Portal was originally developed by IBM but sold later to HCL Technologies. |
 | Squiz | Squiz is an enterprise content management system to build websites, portals, and mobile apps using scalable technology. |
 | FirstSpirit CMS | FirstSpirit CMS is a flexible web content management and e-commerce solution. It’s designed for integration with complex system environments and portals. |
 | Tridion Sites | SDL Tridion is an enterprise web content management system built for global organizations. It’s used to manage complex websites and mobile apps. |
 | ExpressionEngine | ExpressionEngine is a flexible free content management system. It’s used to build full-featured websites, create a web app, or serve content to mobile applications. |
 | TinyCMS | TinyCMS is an extremely simple content management system. It’s an easy-to-use, robust, and lightweight tool to build websites. |
 | CommonSpot CMS | CommonSpot CMS is a web content and experience management platform. It comes with a content management system, a digital marketing engine, marketing optimization solutions, and IT Developer tools. |
 | Percussion | Percussion CMS is a web content management system for marketers to create and manage content-rich, SEO-friendly websites. |
 | Zenario | Zenario is a web-based content management system to build online databases, secure extranet portals, and multilingual simple sites. |
 | Elxis | Elxis is a free content management system that allows you to create small to corporate websites. |
 | CushyCMS | CushyCMS is a fast and simple tool that provides web designers with simple content management. |
 | Pligg CMS | Pligg CMS is a content management platform that creates social publishing networks similar to sites like Digg and Reddit. |
 | Statamic | Statamic is a world-class content management system to build and manage websites. It stores all content, templates, assets, and settings in files instead of a database. |
 | Subrion CMS | Subrion CMS is a content management system that allows building websites from a simple blog to a corporate mega portal. |
 | CouchCMS | CouchCMS is a free and simple content management system to be used to design websites without coding knowledge. |
 | BackBee | BackBee is a content management system that allows users to contribute and modify their website directly on the website’s web pages. |
 | MotoCMS | MotoCMS is a website-building tool for both developers and users with no programming skills. It has a drag-and-drop functionality that allows you to create stunning and responsive websites. |
6. Top eCommerce CMS Platforms
| Logo | CMS | Description |
|---|---|---|
 | WooCommerce | WooCommerce is one of the world’s most popular e-commerce platforms. It isn’t technically a standalone CMS platform. Instead, it runs as a plugin on WordPress. WooCommerce is designed for online merchants of different sizes. According to multiple sources, this solution powers over 4 million websites and more than 26% of all online stores. |
 | Shopify | Shopify is an e-commerce platform to build stores both online and offline. It’s a cloud-based software that operates on monthly subscription plans. It offers a suite of services such as payments, marketing, shipping, … |
 | BigCommerce | BigCommerce is an e-commerce platform that utilizes software as a service (SaaS) for retailers. It includes online store management services for up to medium businesses. BigCommerce helps businesses manage online and mobile stores, as well as handling payments and currency conversions. |
 | Magento | Magento is an e-commerce solution acquired by the huge software company Adobe in May 2018. It provides flexible online merchants and shopping cart systems. Magento is designed as an application for non-technically skilled users. It has an extremely large and helpful community. |
 | PrestaShop | PrestaShop is an e-commerce platform used by over 300,000 shops in different languages. It has built-in features for managing products, payments, shipping, and many others. The PrestaShop Addons marketplace provides a platform of custom-built themes and modules to merchants. |
 | OpenCart | OpenCart is an online store management system and e-commerce platform. It’s free and supports online stores and product management. |
 | Volusion | Volusion is an e-commerce solution that provides small and large businesses with an all-in-one e-commerce software platform. It gives the ability to design online stores, edit products, launch campaigns, and manage customers. |
7. Top API-Driven Content Management System Platforms
| Logo | CMS | Description |
|---|---|---|
 | Contentful | Contentful is an API content management system to create and manage content on any digital channel. It provides a platform to update the content of a website, a mobile application, or any other platform that displays content. |
 | Magnolia | Magnolia CMS is a content management system that utilizes a repository to store, retrieve and search for data. It provides the ability to manage content as data over APIs, instead of having it in a particular output (like web pages). |
 | Agility CMS | Agility CMS is a cloud-based, SaaS, and API-driven content management platform. It provides a flexible environment for developers and authoring tools for marketers to manage content. |
 | Bold | Bold is an API-first content management system to create, manage, and publish content on any digital platform. It’s a platform to update the content of a website, a mobile app, or any other platform that displays content. |
 | ButterCMS | ButterCMS is an API-first software-as-a-service CMS for building CMS-powered apps and websites in any programming language. It allows you to manage content using dashboards and integrate it with content APIs. |
 | Contentstack | Contentstack is an API-based content management system. It enables developers and content managers to manage content and create websites and applications quickly. It’s designed to allow editors to update content on their sites and apps without the need for experienced developers. |
 | Superdesk | Superdesk is a web-based API-driven content management system for news agencies, newspapers, and corporate publishers. It’s designed mainly for news agencies and digital newsroom systems. It combines CMS functionality with workflow features for news creation, production, curation, and distribution platform. |
8. Top Digital Assets Management System Platforms
| Logo | CMS | Description |
|---|---|---|
 | Microsoft SharePoint | The widely used platform, SharePoint is a web-based collaborative platform that integrates with Microsoft Office. It is primarily a document management and storage system, but it is highly configurable and its usage varies substantially among organizations. |
 | Dropbox | Dropbox is a file hosting service that offers file sharing and cloud storage solutions. Dropbox allows you to upload and transfer files to the cloud and share them with anyone. In addition to backup and sync features. |
 | Microsoft OneDrive | Microsoft OneDrive is a file hosting and synchronization service. It’s operated by Microsoft as part of the web version of Microsoft Office. It’s a remote storage service that keeps files backed up, protected, synced, and accessible on all devices. |
 | Google Drive | Google Drive is a file storage and synchronization platform by Google. It allows users to store files in the cloud, share them, and synchronize them across devices. |
 | Bynder | Bynder is a digital asset management system. It helps users to manage digital assets like images and videos by making them easy to organize, access, and distribute. |
 | Docsie | Docsie is a web-based documentation platform. It enables businesses to build, maintain, and publish excellent product documentation in multiple languages. |
 | Documentum | Documentum is an enterprise document management software. It provides a space to store documents rather than keeping them in local storage. |
 | Box for Digital Business | Box is a cloud-based content management system that lets users share, store, and manage documents, presentations, and videos remotely and securely. |
 | IcePortal CMS | IcePortal is a cloud-based content management system. It’s being used to curate and distribute media files, such as images and videos, across various channels. |
 | Canto | Canto is a cloud-based solution and digital asset management to organize, centralize, find and share brand asset library. |
 | Brandfolder | Brandfolder is a simple digital asset management platform for storing, distributing, and manipulating brand assets in one place. |
 | Widen Collective | Widen Collective is a cloud-based digital asset management system. It’s designed to support the content lifecycle from creation to distribution. It provides a centralized library to manage multiple files in one place. |
 | Salesforce CMS | Salesforce CMS is a hybrid content management system used to curate and share content. It provides the ability to manage multiple language versions of the content. |
 | PhotoShelter for Brands | PhotoShelter for Brands is a cloud-based media library that allows teams to store, organize and share content to engage audiences in real time. |
 | M-Files | M-Files is a content management tool suitable for small and large businesses. It helps users to organize and manage documents and information. |
 | Flipsnack | Flipsnack is a digital publishing tool used to publish online magazines, and transform PDFs into online pages. |
 | Zoho Docs | Zoho Docs is an online file management solution designed to store files securely, sync them across devices, and share them with friends. |
 | FileCloud | FileCloud is a cloud-based enterprise file-sharing, sync, and backup service. It provides private, public, and hybrid cloud content services. |
9. Other Top Content Management System Platforms
| Logo | CMS | Description |
|---|---|---|
 | Oracle WebCenter Content | Oracle WebCenter Content is a unified application for different kinds of content management. It provides a unified repository to house unstructured content, as well as deliver it to the users. |
 | LearnWorlds | LearnWorlds is a cloud-based e-learning platform to create branded online schools. It’s an all-in-one platform to create, sell, and market online courses and provide online training. |
 | WoodWing Studio | WoodWing Studio is a content production and publishing solution. It accelerates and streamlines the content production process. |
 | Issuu | Issuu is a digital publishing platform that makes it simple to publish magazines, catalogs, newspapers, and books online. |
 | Plone CMS | Plone is a free content management system positioned as enterprise cms. It’s commonly used for intranets and for the web presence of large organizations. |
 | Alfresco ECM | Alfresco is a set of information management solutions. It delivers content management solutions that connect, manage, and protect the enterprise’s most important information. |
 | Nuxeo | Nuxeo is a customizable and extensible enterprise content management platform for building business applications. It enhances customer experiences, improves decision-making, and accelerates products to market. |
 | Bloomreach | BloomReach is an enterprise-class platform to provide content management capabilities. It also provides marketing tools, A/B testing, multi-site management, and in-context preview. |
 | Acquia CMS | Acquia is a cloud-based platform built on Drupal. It’s designed for building, delivering, and optimizing digital experiences and cms solutions. |
 | Brightcove | Brightcove is a cloud-based online video platform to publish and distribute videos on the Web. It simplifies the delivery of video to multiple destinations and devices. |
 | BrainCert | BrainCert is a cloud-based all-in-one easy-to-use online training platform to deliver courses, tests, and live classes. |
 | Pimcore | Pimcore is an enterprise software platform for product information management, data management, digital asset management, content management, and e-commerce. |
 | CrownPeak | CrownPeak is one of the best-known providers of enterprise CMS delivered via the cloud. It is used by many large agencies as well as companies in the financial services, healthcare, manufacturing, and non-profit sectors. |
 | CoreMedia | CoreMedia is a scalable and extensible enterprise-level web content management platform. It includes personalization and testing tools, on-site tag and performance monitoring, and content governance. |
 | Chamilo | Chamilo is an e-learning and content management system, that aims to improve the access to education and knowledge bases. |
 | Optimizely | Optimizely is a coupled content management system. It provides a digital experience platform as well as testing tools, website personalization, web content management, and digital commerce. |
Thanks for the interesting CMS List.
I want to build a CMS for digital signage application. So which above CMS you think is best suitable? In case we use signageos platform, which one could give us a good digital signage CMS?
Hope to receive your feedback. Thanks.
Hello Le,
It’s fairly difficult to answer your question in a short sentence.
Choosing a CMS strongly depends on what kinds of features you are going to implement using this CMS. This starts by clearly defining your requirements for the needed signage system, then you have to check which CMS would bring you the most out of what you are looking for.
Be aware that this typically works if you don’t expect a lot of customized and additional features. Otherwise, a custom-built system can be a better option.
However, you have to provide more details about your requirements and discuss them with an IT specialist/company with more details about your goals/expectations. As a regular free/paid CMS might not be the best choice for your situation.