18 Best CMS Platforms in 2024

If you are looking for a tool to develop your website and manage it without needing to know how to code or design, CMS platforms are the perfect solution. With just a few clicks, you can publish a website, and count on an easy-to-use system to upload and edit the content you wish to make available.

Having a website has become a necessity for companies because it adds credibility to their businesses and helps potential customers get in contact with them. With technology development and internet growth, CMS platforms allow you to enjoy an intuitive interface to keep your pages always updated. 

What is a CMS Platform?

Short for Content Management System, a CMS platform allows you to create a website, publish, edit, and manage its content. Instead of having to develop a system from scratch to build your website, by using a CMS, you can skip that part, and you don't need to know how to code or design to make your pages.

The CMS gives you all the infrastructure necessary to put a website online, and you can focus on the content and visuals of the website. The platform usually provides pre-built templates that you can fully customize. 

It also comes with a content editor where you can modify, review, and publish texts, images, and videos on your page. Another advantage is that you usually have the option to include several people as website managers, assign roles, and configure their access permissions. 

Why Use a CMS Platform

No Coding Experience Required

Everyone can build a website with a CMS platform because the coding part that is needed to make web pages available is taken care of. You don't need to know how to code. You can edit and publish content without having to write any piece of code. 

Collaborative Work

Whether your team is working remotely or in the same office, you have the opportunity to add all of them to the content management system software. It's possible to keep track of the website updates inside the same platform, complete and assign tasks in the CMS platform, and follow up on the results.

SEO

The best CMS platforms available provide you with SEO tools, which are extremely important to conquer organic visibility and make sure that your pages are seen as relevant by search engines. This can help them to appear on the first search results pages of keywords related to your products and company sector, increasing the number of visitors to your website, and even the number of sales. 

Blogging

Counting on a CMS makes it much easier to create a blog and maintain it. You will have a content editor to publish and edit articles. You also may enjoy several tools to personalize the text, for example, put words in bold and italic, the font type, and add hyperlinks, images, and videos. 

How to Choose a CMS Platform

The best CMS platforms available online have some factors in common that you should pay attention to before choosing the one you prefer. 

Easy-to-use Interface

High-quality CMS platforms must provide an easy-to-use interface so that you can quickly learn how to enjoy all of its features. You should be able to create, manage, and edit content without any hustle.

Personalization Tools

Check if the CMS platform provides customization tools to allow you to create personalized pages. That's essential to design an attractive website that's aligned with your brand's visual identity. 

Customer Support

All CMS platforms should offer multiple communication channels for customer assistance, such as live chats, email, and telephone. They must be available 24/7 as well, so you can count on expert help to fix problems anytime you need.  

SEO 

When analyzing the CMS features to choose the one that fits your needs best, don't forget to see if it has built-in SEO features. This way, you can build a website that is optimized to be able to rank on the first search result pages at Google and other search engines.

Scalability

Certainly, you intend to grow your business with time and it may entail the need to add other pages and sections to your website. Considering it, the CMS  must have the necessary tools to allow you to scale up without affecting your website performance. 

Security

What security measures does the CMS platform take to make sure your website and your visitors and customers' data are protected? It's essential to count on a safe system, which takes all the necessary precautions to prevent hack attacks and data leaks. 

Price

The price is another important factor when it comes to selecting CMS platforms. You will see that many of them offer various plans, and the price varies according to the features it contains. Set your budget, and make a list of the tools you prioritize to select a CMS that has a suitable price and provides what you wish.

18 Best CMS Platforms in 2024

1. Wix

With Wix, you can create your website, and manage and develop content to keep enhancing it. You will find hundreds of pre-built templates to choose from, which can be customized using the drag-and-drop editor. 

You can resize, rotate, align, and add new graphic elements. It's possible to have a website with different sections, like a blog, online store, portfolio, and online scheduling. Wix also helps you to make sure your website looks great on desktop and mobile devices by using responsive design. 

To keep your website protected, the CMS platform offers a free SSL certificate, 2-step verification, and 24/7 website security monitoring. As your website grows, if you feel the need to have more storage and bandwidth, you can easily opt for one of the premium plans. Then, you will have the opportunity to enjoy other features, including marketing integrations and email marketing. 

Key features: 

• Pre-built website templates
• Drag-and-drop editor
• SSL certificate
• SEO tools
• Analytics
• Responsive design
• Online ordering system
• 24-hour reservation system

2. WordPress

WordPress is one of the most popular CMS platforms around the world and it also offers a free plan. To start, you can choose among thousands of customizable themes, and have different types of pages, a blog, portfolio, and ecommerce, for example. It's very easy to publish content, and you can count on a fast and intuitive editor, which saves your work every few seconds. 

Use the drag-and-drop tool to add images and other graphic elements on each page. You can create photo galleries, and upload audio and videos too, using your desktop computer or mobile devices. Share your blog posts on social media by automatically sending them to Facebook, and Twitter, so your followers can check them out when there is new content.

WordPress also helps you to have a search-engine-optimized website, by providing many SEO tools. Use the analytics features to keep track of your website performance, and get to know more about your customers' behavior. 

Key Features: 

• Customizable themes
• Mobile-friendly design
• 24/7 customer support
• Search engine optimized
• SEO tools
• In-depth stats

3. SITE123

SITE123 is one of the best CMS platforms that offers multiple features such as responsive design, an intuitive website editor, SEO tools, and free hosting. You can also create an online store and sell globally. 

With just a few steps, it's possible to have your website running smoothly. Select a pre-built template, edit it to fit your brand, upload the content, review, and publish. If you have any questions or problems, you can count on the 24/7 customer support offered by the platform. 

You will also have the advantage of using a CMS platform that creates SEO-friendly pages, so they can be visible and indexed by search engines. 

Key features:

• Intuitive website editor
• Responsive web design
• Free hosting
• SEO tools
• Sell online
• 24/7 customer support

4. HostGator

With a 45-day free trial, HostGator provides solutions not only to create your website as you wish but also allows you to choose the shared hosting plan that suits your company better. It also offers a much more practical way to develop your website's design.

Instead of using a drag-and-drop editor, you will just need to answer some questions and Gator Builder will automatically make your pages using an optimized layout and industry-specific design. 

HostGator has analytics features as well, which enable you to measure and keep track of important metrics, and better your audience's behavior. Enjoy the SEO tools too, so you can enhance your pages to rank better on search engines. 

Key features: 

• Intelligent builder
• Easy analytics
• Image Library
• Mobile responsiveness
• LogoMaker
• Search optimized
• 24/7 customer support

5. Webnode

Webnode has a user-friendly CMS platform, which will turn the task of developing a website and managing it into a much simpler one. Use the predesigned pages and customize them by adding images and videos, changing colors and fonts, and inserting your brand's identity into them.

It's not necessary to download Webnode to your computer, it's possible to set everything up online and edit content using your smartphone. You have the option to create a new domain or use an existing one, as you prefer, the Webnode subdomain is for free. 

You will also rely on safe and stable hosting servers, which enable you to get more space and higher bandwidth as your website traffic grows. Use the backup feature to make regular backups of your website and keep your data safe. 

Key features:

• User-friendly
• Reliable hosting
• SEO tools
• HTTPS for safe browsing
• Edit on any device
• Pre-built templates
• Responsive design

6. GoDaddy

GoDaddy is a  CMS platform that allows you to develop your pages by selecting a pre-built template, editing it, then adding your content, in just a few minutes your website is ready to be published. Once it's online, you can manage everything using GoDaddy, including your ecommerce.

You can even integrate your online store with marketplaces like Amazon and eBay, and control it all in a single platform. GoDaddy also provides marketing and SEO tools to help you boost your website traffic and sales. 

To prevent any unforeseen problems, you can enjoy the backup feature, so you always have a backup of your site. Monitor your website performance by using GoDaddy web analytics features, you can track your search ranking, email campaigns, and orders, for instance. 

Key features: 

• Customizable themes
• Backup and restore
• Image library
• SEO tools
• Web analytics
• Marketing tools
• Sell on Facebook and Instagram

7. Strikingly

Strikingly is a famous CMS platform, which provides an easy-to-use editor that allows you to have your website ready in less than 30 minutes. You can create an online store, and insert tools to cultivate your audience, such as a live chat and sign-up form to register membership.

It's also possible to show your feeds from Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter directly on your web pages. To enhance security all websites created by Strikingly get HTTPS automatically for free, and you can also count on SEO and analytics tools. If you have any doubts, 24/7 customer support is at your disposal to help. 

Key features:

• Easy-to-use website editor
• Ecommerce built-in
• Analytics
• HTTPS built-in
• 24/7 customer support

8. Weebly

Customizable web page design and useful tools that enable you to create and maintain your website: Weebly offers this and much more. It has an intuitive interface, you will just need to create your account, choose the template that has more to do with your brand, edit it, and post your content.

You will count on a step-by-step guide to know how to launch your website, which can include ecommerce as well. It's also possible to integrate your website with other apps to enhance its performance, for example, CRM, live chat, and others.

Your website will be search engine optimized, with a responsive design, and the option to customize URLs, add alt text to images, and write page titles and meta descriptions too. Get to know how you may improve the pages by analyzing real-time stats.

Key features:

• Customizable web page designs
• Responsive themes
• SEO tools
• Reliable and free hosting
• Marketing tools

9. Webflow

With Webflow, you have the opportunity to create and manage your website without having coding skills and using a free plan. It offers a web design editor where you can style your website pages the way you wish, and publish them directly from the web. 

Through the Content Management System (CMS), it's easy to manage your pages, publish, edit content, and keep track of performance to know how to improve to make your website grow on organic traffic. Enjoy the SEO tools to conquer more visibility.

Key features:

• Website editor
• SEO tools
• CMS
• Fast and reliable hosting
• Create and manage an ecommerce

10. Shopify

Shopify is an all-in-one solution for businesses that want to have an online store on their website. You can use it to host your website and create and manage your blog along with your e-commerce.

Shopify also provides SEO and marketing tools to help you make your brand stand out and reach your goals. The platform provides over 70 professional online store themes that can be easily customized using the drag-and-drop store builder,

Key features:

• Drag-and-drop store builder
• Pre-built templates
• Designed for mobile devices
• Shopify payments
• Comprehensive dashboard
• SEO tools
• Shopify apps

11. SquareSpace

With SquareSpace, you are going to see how easy it can be to have an outstanding website. You can start by choosing among their industry-leading templates, then choose the color palette, and fonts to make each page aligned to your brand's visual identity.

If you intend to have an online store, you can count on SquareSpace for that and also add third-party plugins. Besides, the platform offers tools to create email campaigns and use social media to promote your website. You may create different types of pages, such as a blog, portfolio, curriculum vitae, and online store.

Key features:

• Wide range of templates
• Marketing tools
• Ecommerce tools
• Logo maker
• 24/7 customer support
• Free trial

12. Jimdo

With Jimdo, you can have your website for free. Use the built-in design features to personalize every detail of your site web pages. Add the images, logo, and text, and position every element to make it easy for users to navigate through. You can choose your domain name through the platform too.

All the websites are developed with a responsive design, so the user can enjoy them whether they are on their mobile devices or a desktop computer. Count on Jimdo's free image bank to use high-quality photos that will make your website more appealing. 

Key features:

• Built-in design features
• Responsive design
• Copyright-free photos
• Connect with social media
• SEO tools

13. Dorik

"Build beautiful websites in minutes, without code", that's what Dorik proposes to its users. You will have a single platform to not only build your pages but also maintain them always up to date. For example, by inserting new articles and features as you see necessary.

The platform offers more than 60 professional templates and over 250 UI blocks. You will have a free SSL certificate, and the website will be hosted on AWS and Digital Ocean. If you plan to build an ecommerce, there is the option to integrate PayPal, Stripe, and Gumroad. You also can add subscription forms to your website.

Key features:

• More than 60 templates
• Over 250 blocks
• Free SSL
• Payment integration
• Custom domain
• Export code

14. Simvoly

Simvoly allows you to create your customized website using the drag-and-drop tool. It offers several assets to make it even simpler to design the pages the way you wish, which includes more than 200 templates, custom blocks, and elements. Choose the fonts, and color palette, add images, and make A/B tests too. The design is fully responsive.

If you intend to make an ecommerce, tools like sales funnels and custom checkout will be very useful. You have the option to customize the buyer journey. Besides, you will have access to detailed analytics to get to know your target audience better and understand how to improve the website.

Key features:

• Page builder
• Drag-and-drop tool
• More than 200 templates
• A/B test
• Responsive design
• Sales funnels
• Custom checkouts
• AI assistant

15. Volusion

Volusion is a platform focused on enabling you to create your own ecommerce website. You will find beautiful themes for different types of stores. All you have to do is choose the one that suits you best and start customizing it. 

To help you make your website stand out, you can count on a team of experts, including SEO experts, web designers, and marketing professionals. To enhance the user experience when browsing through your website, Volusion offers several options to personalize the layout, you have different types of displays to showcase your products. 

Key features:

• Ecommerce website themes
• Responsive design
• Customize layout
• Product display options
• Home page slideshow
• SEO tools
• Fast loading

16. Joomla

Released in 2005, Joomla is a user-friendly CMS that allows you to build a scalable website to accommodate your business needs as it grows. Being open source, it gives coders the autonomy to personalize and create pages as they want.

You can create a corporate website, an e-commerce, an online magazine, or a personal blog, for example. Besides, it provides a responsive design, and it's an accessible platform, aligned with W3C Accessibility Guidelines.

Key features:

• Open source
• Search engine friendly
• Mobile friendly
• Multilingual
• Flexible and fully extensible
• Multi-user permission levels

17. Drupal

Drupal can be used to create and manage websites and applications. The platform stands out by its flexibility, allowing you to develop content as you wish. Built on the principles of collaboration, Drupal is open-source and provides free modules and themes, desktop tools, and hosting service too.

Key features:

• Free
• Open-source
• More than 40.000 modules
• More than 2500 themes
• Server software
• Database software
• Multilingual

18. Typo3

With Typo3, you can easily create and deliver content across digital channels. The platform is user-friendly and allows you to centralize the process of creating, reviewing and publishing your content.

You can enjoy features like the drag-and-drop tool that allows you to personalize each website page with a few clicks. It's also possible to bulk edit pages preview content, create personalized URLs, have XML sitemaps automatically generated, and integrate your website with SEO and marketing solutions.

Key features:

• Edit in the frontend or backend
• Manipulate images directly in the CMS backend
• Intuitive interface
• Bulk edit pages and content
• Create responsive forms
• Search engine-optimized URLs
• Integrate with marketing and SEO tools

FAQ: CMS Platforms

1. What is the best CMS platform?

The best CMS platform depends on what your needs are, and the type of website you wish to create.

2. Are there free CMS platforms?

Yes, as you can check on the list, there are several free CMS platforms. However, some of them may have limited features, it's important to assess what you need to build and manage your website to make sure a free CMS will meet your criteria.

3. What's the difference between CMS and website builder?

CMS and website builders are very similar, both are solutions to create websites. The main difference is that CMSs usually are more flexible than website builders, giving you more options to personalize your pages.

4. Do I need a CMS to start a blog?

Yes, you will need to use a CMS platform to upload, edit, and publish your content on a blog.

Choose the CMS Platform that Suits You Best

Now that you have seen some of the best CMS platforms available online, analyze each one to elect which content management system is best for your business. Enjoy the free trial period most of them offer to test the features.