Websites

Find your perfect CMS. 15 best choices for 2025

Jul 10, 2025 17 min read

László Kovács

Content Manager, SpaceLama.com

Building a website is now easier than ever, as no programming skills or technical know-how are required. With modern content management systems (CMS), anyone can effortlessly launch an online store, blog, corporate site, or portfolio without any coding knowledge. But with so many options available, how do you choose the right platform?

In 2025, over 68-71% of all websites run on a CMS, a significant increase from about 24% in 2011. Some systems prioritize convenience and speed, while others focus on flexibility and scalability. In this article, we’ve gathered more than 16 of the best CMS platforms for both beginners and experienced developers, comparing them based on functionality, cost, support levels, and ideal use cases.

What is a CMS? Do you need one?

A CMS (Content Management System) allows you to manage a website without manually editing code. With a user-friendly control panel, you can add articles, products, and pages, change designs, and connect plugins and integrations.

5 main types of CMS

Before selecting a specific platform, it’s helpful to understand the different types of CMS available. In 2025, these systems can be categorized into five main categories.

1. All-in-one website builders

Examples: Weebly, Squarespace, Wix

These platforms offer everything you need: hosting, templates, an editor, a domain, and support. Users get a ready-made system without needing to understand code.

Best for beginners, small businesses, freelancers.

2. Open-source CMS systems

Examples: WordPress, Joomla, Drupal, MODX

Open-source systems can be freely downloaded, installed, and modified to meet your needs. They typically require their own hosting and some technical skills.

Best for developers, agencies, companies with a technical team.

3. Cloud-based CMS

Examples: Webflow, Shopify, Ghost (SaaS version)

Cloud CMS platforms operate on a SaaS model: your site is hosted on the provider’s platform, and you pay for access to the functionality. There’s no need to worry about servers or updates, as everything is managed by the provider.

Best for those seeking a fast, stable solution without technical hassles.

4. Enterprise CMS

Examples: Sitecore, Adobe Experience Manager, Bitrix24, Kentico

These systems cater to large companies with high traffic, complex structures, and integrations (CRM, ERP, CDP, etc.).

Best for corporations, government agencies, banks, large eCommerce stores.

5. Headless CMS

Examples: Strapi, Contentful, Sanity, Storyblok

In the headless model, the CMS manages only the content, while the frontend is developed separately. This is ideal for complex web applications, mobile apps, and projects where content needs to be separated from design.

Suitable for developers, companies with multi-channel content, publishers, web apps.

How to choose a CMS in 2025

Before diving into the list of the best CMS platforms, it’s essential to identify the key parameters that matter most to you.

Purpose of your website. Are you building a blog, an online store, a corporate portal, or a landing page?
Budget. Are you looking for free solutions, or are you open to SaaS options with a subscription?
Technical skills. Are you a beginner, or do you have experience as a developer?
Scalability. Is it important for you to easily expand your site as your needs grow?
SEO and marketing. Do you require built-in tools for promotion and search engine optimization?

The best CMS platforms of 2025

1. WordPress

WordPress is the world’s leading open-source CMS, commanding about 62.5% of the market. Whether you’re running a blog, a corporate site, or an eCommerce store (thanks to the powerhouse that is WooCommerce), WordPress has you covered. Launched in 2003 as a blogging platform, it has since transformed into a versatile solution capable of powering everything from personal websites to complex business portals. And, won’t you know it, SpaceLama’s blog runs on WordPress!

As a self-hosted platform, WordPress gives you complete control over your hosting and domain name, allowing for extensive customization and scalability. With a vast ecosystem boasting over 59,000 plugins and 13,000 themes, plus a thriving global developer community (it’s really easy to find a WordPress developer if you need any changes to your theme or a tweak or two in the website’s backend), it’s perfect for users at any skill level. WordPress is so well-documented that even AI models like ChatGPT, Claude, Mistral, and DeepSeek can easily create, debug, and customize plugins and themes. This means the entry barrier is lower than ever!

Key differentiator. Its maximum versatility, as WordPress is suitable for almost any type of site.

Suitable for blogs, corporate websites, online stores.

Type. Open-source (self-hosting).

Advantages:

An enormous number of templates and plugins available.
Seamless support for WooCommerce in eCommerce.
A large community with abundant training resources.
It’s free.

Disadvantages:

Requires customization and periodic updates.

2. Weebly

Weebly is a user-friendly website builder that allows you to create websites quickly and easily with its drag-and-drop functionality. As a SaaS (Software as a Service) platform, Weebly includes hosting, security, and integrated tools like SEO and analytics in its subscription plans. It offers customizable templates, a built-in E-commerce platform, and some basic SEO tools to enhance your online visibility. It’s perfect for small businesses, entrepreneurs, and individuals looking to establish an online presence without any technical expertise. Weebly is used by over 40 million users worldwide.

Key differentiator. It’s Weebly’s simplicity. Everything is managed right in your browser, with no coding or complex settings required.

Suitable for beginners who need simple landing pages or portfolio websites, as well as small or offline businesses.

Type. SaaS platform (cloud-based, with cloud hosting).

Advantages:

Visual editor for easy drag-and-drop functionality for effortless website creation.
Built-in templates with basic SEO and marketing add-ons.

Disadvantages:

Limited flexibility. Weebly has less customization compared to open-source platforms.
Restrictions on lower-tier plans may limit features.

3. Shopify

Shopify is the leading standalone eCommerce platform, powering around 27% of all online stores and hosting over 5.5 million active shops in 2025. It takes care of everything from hosting and payment processing to inventory management and marketing tools, making it the go-to choice for online retail operations.

As a SaaS product, Shopify handles all the technical details, including server maintenance, security, updates, and compliance. It processes over $292 billion in transactions annually, with more than half of its revenue coming from U.S.-based merchants. Shopify also supports features like dropshipping, abandoned cart recovery, and omnichannel selling.

Key differentiator. A ready-made eCommerce solution designed specifically for online stores.

Suitable for eCommerce, dropshipping, multi-channel sales

Type. SaaS platform (cloud-based, with cloud hosting).

Advantages:

Get your online store up and running quickly with almost no hassle.
Hundreds of integrations. Seamlessly connect with social networks, marketplaces, and POS systems.
Reliability and scalability. A robust platform that grows with your business needs.

Disadvantages:

Sales commissions. The basic plan includes commissions on every sale, which is a no-go for many businesses.
Design flexibility. Shopify offers less design customization compared to WordPress + WooCommerce. A limited number of themes leads to many shops looking similar (if not the same), which may be a detriment to your brand image.
Platform dependence. Relying heavily on Shopify will make it challenging to switch to a different CMS once you’ve streamlined your operations on their platform. If they increase commissions, remove an important feature, or ban your account, it could cripple your business.

4. Tilda

Tilda is a popular block website builder that emphasizes design and storytelling. It powers approximately 591,000 live websites worldwide and has enabled over 1 million unique sites (including discontinued ones).

It enables users to create responsive sites — landing pages, blogs, and small stores — using ready-made or custom-made blocks via its visual “Zero Block” editor. It’s a tool for flexible visual editing that allows you to create unique blocks from scratch, rather than using ready-made templates. No coding skills required, but advanced users can integrate custom HTML and export code for external hosting.

With Tilda, users can create responsive sites (think landing pages, blogs, portfolios, and small eCom shops) using either ready-made or custom building blocks through its visual “Zero Block” editor. This flexible visual editing tool allows you to craft unique sequences of blocks from scratch, eliminating the need for coding skills. However, advanced users can integrate custom HTML and export code for external hosting.

Key differentiator. Tilda is known for their visually stunning websites. You can effortlessly create landing pages as well as presentations.

Suitable for landing pages, portfolios, presentations, storytelling sites.

Type. SaaS platform (cloud-based, with cloud hosting).

Advantages:

Tilda’s Zero Block editor, a powerful tool for flexible visual editing.
Ready-made animations and design templates to enhance your site with stunning visuals.
Built-in CRM and lead capturing forms to streamline your customer interactions.

Disadvantages:

Limited flexibility without coding as customization options are a tad bit restricted.
Tilda can be challenging for building large or complex projects, making it less ideal for extensive online stores or media websites.

5. Joomla

Joomla is a CMS with a flexible architecture, ideal for content-rich sites. It supports over 2 million active users and around 1 million notable business websites, consistently seeing 300 new sites launched daily.

Built on a PHP/MySQL framework, Joomla offers built-in multilingual support, flexible content management, and robust user access control, making it perfect for portals, news platforms, and community sites. It also boasts a vibrant community, with the Joomla Extensions Directory (JED) averaging over 138 million downloads (more than double the average per extension compared to other CMS platforms).

Key differentiator is its powerful access and structure management system. It is more flexible than the one that WordPress has, but with added layers of complexity.

Suitable for news portals and sites, large online communities.

Type. Open-source.

Advantages:

Flexible content structure management.
Extended access rights and modules to fine-tune user permissions and functionality.
Multilingual support for publishing content in many languages simultaneous;.

Disadvantages:

Steeper learning curve than WordPress, which may require additional time to master.
Fewer plugins and templates, which means you may need to hire a programmer sooner or later.

6. Magento (now – Adobe Commerce)

Magento is a powerful eCommerce platform from Adobe, offering extensive capabilities for customizing, scaling, and managing large online stores. Its headless and API-first implementations are aligning with modern development needs, with 60% of new Magento projects adopting an API-first approach. Additionally, progressive web app (PWA) integrations can reduce time-to-market by about 25%.

Key differentiator. Designed for large online businesses with high requirements for functionality and security.

Suitable for corporate online stores, multi-brand platforms, B2B sales.

Type. Available in both open-source (Magento Open Source) and commercial versions (Adobe Commerce, SaaS).

Advantages:

Comprehensive features to support diverse online retail needs.
Flexible architecture with deep customization options to tailor the platform to your business.
Easily handle multiple store locations, language localizations, and currencies.
Access a vast array of extensions and integrations.

Disadvantages:

The complexity of the platform can be daunting for new users and it takes a lot of time to implement.
High cost of support and hosting, as ongoing expenses can be significant.
Requires an experienced team of developers to fully leverage Magento’s capabilities.

7. Webflow

Webflow is a visual editor and CMS designed for creators, enabling you to build custom sites with stunning animations and interactions. Unlike traditional CMS systems, Webflow automatically generates clean HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, ensuring that the final product is polished and optimized for performance, speed and SEO.

As of 2025, Webflow powers over 15,000 active eCommerce sites, and its revenue has doubled from $100 million in 2022 to over $213 million in 2024. It’s particularly favored by creative agencies and tech startups that require beautiful, fast loading websites without the need for developers.

Key differentiator. Development-level design—full control over layout without writing any code.

Suitable for creative agencies, designers, and SEO professionals.

Type. SaaS platform (cloud-based, with cloud hosting).

Advantages:

Allows you to create unique, custom designs tailored to your vision.
Built-in CMS and hosting for easy management.
Support for animations with dynamic elements and engaging interactions.

Disadvantages:

Some familiarity with web design principles is necessary to maximize the platform’s potential.
Costs can be steep for plans that include CMS and eCommerce features.

8. Drupal

Drupal is an advanced CMS designed for large projects where security, complex structure, and high load are critical. While it’s not the easiest platform to learn, it offers extensive customization options for developers and is frequently used by universities, governments, and global corporations.

As of 2025, Drupal powers approximately 1.7 million websites and is trusted by major organizations like NASA, Tesla, and Pfizer. However, due to its complexity, Drupal is best suited for teams with development experience or access to technical resources. It requires installation on a hosting provider, and most modern versions are managed using Composer, a PHP-based dependency tool.

Key differentiator. Reliability and security at the enterprise level so Drupal is ideal for government agencies and large portals.

Best for government portals, corporations and universities.

Type. Open-source.

Advantages:

High level of security with robust security features to protect sensitive data.
Support for complex architecture to manage even more complex user permissions and access levels.
Wide scalability to easily handle growth and increased traffic.

Disadvantages:

Complicated interface for beginners as the learning curve will be steep and uncomfortable for new users.
A skilled development team is essential to fully leverage its capabilities.

9. Squarespace

Squarespace is a cloud-based visual builder that emphasizes stylish design and ease of use. It’s particularly popular among creatives (photographers, designers, and musicians) who want to create attractive-looking sites quickly and without zero headaches. The platform offers beautiful pre-designed templates, integrated eCommerce, marketing tools, analytics, and domain management, all accessible from a single dashboard.

By 2025, Squarespace supports more than 4.5 million active subscriptions. It’s the fourth most popular CMS in the world, widely used in the US, UK, and Australia.

Key differentiator. Premium designs and an intuitive interface allows you to build a simple, but good looking website in less than an hour.

Best for creatives, photographers, and professionals.

Type. SaaS platform (cloud-based, with cloud hosting).

Advantages:

Simple, but pretty looking templates that are good enough for a non-demanding website.
Intuitive visual editor to effortlessly customize your site, fast.
Built-in SEO and eCommerce tools.

Disadvantages:

Less flexibility and third-party extensions. Squarespace has limited customization options compared to more open platforms.

10. OpenCart

OpenCart is a lightweight and straightforward CMS designed for creating eCom shops, featuring open-source software and minimal system requirements.

OpenCart is easy to install and manage, making it accessible even for store owners with minimal technical skills. It integrates seamlessly with social media, with nearly 24.5% of its stores using Instagram for sales and 24.3% leveraging Facebook.

Key differentiator. OpenCart is easy to install and use. It’s an eCom CMS suitable for a quick start without unnecessary complexity, and you will still own both your domain and hosting.

Suitable for small and medium-sized online stores.

Type. Open-source.

Advantages:

It’s free and easy to install.
Intuitive admin panel to manage your store effortlessly with a user-friendly interface.
Wide selection of themes, plugins and modules.
Suitable for beginner entrepreneurs that need to start selling their inventory quickly.

Disadvantages:

Less scalability compared to Magento, as OpenCart may not handle larger operations as effectively.
Limited marketing features (you will have to depend on additional modules and plugins to get the job done).
Less active community compared to WordPress or Shopify. You will have fewer resources and support options available.

11. Framer

Framer is a no-code website builder that designers and marketers use to create interactive, animated sites without writing a single line of code. Users appreciate its familiarity with popular tools like Figma, making the transition seamless for designers. With a design-first approach, reliable hosting, and collaboration tools, Framer has become the go-to solution for visually rich, interactive web projects.

Key differentiator. You can create animations and interactivity without utilizing any code. It’s perfect for designers who love dynamic sites but lack the technical know-how.

Suitable for product landing pages, presentation sites or MVPs (minimum viable products).

Type. SaaS platform (cloud-based, with cloud hosting).

Advantages:

Support for react-like logic for more dynamic interactions.
Very fast visual editor to build and edit your site quickly with an efficient interface.
Animations and effects “out of the box”. You will be able to easily incorporate engaging animations and effects into your projects.

Disadvantages:

Not suitable for complex or content-heavy websites.
Some constraints on how pages can be organized and structured.

12. Notion Sites

Notion offers a feature for publishing pages that transforms notes and databases into minimalist sites. It’s perfect for users who already rely on Notion for internal documentation, team portals, personal blogs, or simple landing pages. As of mid-2024, Notion has introduced custom domain support, basic SEO controls, and Google Analytics integration.

Key differentiator. Super-fast site launch without a traditional CMS, directly from your knowledge base.

Suitable for internal sites, blogs, landing pages.

Type. SaaS platform (cloud-based, with cloud hosting).

Advantages:

Publish pages directly from the Notion interface as you can seamlessly turn your notes into live sites.
Perfect for those already working within the Notion ecosystem.
Quickly create and modify content without any hassle.

Disadvantages:

Limited design flexibility compared to dedicated website builders.
Limited support for SEO and analytics as basic features may not meet all advanced needs.

13. Strapi

Strapi is an open-source headless CMS built with JavaScript/Node.js. As a headless solution, it focuses on content management and exposes content through APIs (REST and GraphQL), making it ideal for websites, mobile apps, and digital products that require structured content.

Key differentiator. Strapi allows full control over your frontend, whereas the CMS functions only as a backend content manager.

Best for projects relying on using React, Vue or Next.js for frontend.

Type. Strapi is both open-source and headless.

Advantages:

Complete freedom on the frontend.
REST and GraphQL API.
Suitable for both mobile and web applications, as it’s versatile enough to support various digital platforms.

Disadvantages:

Programming skills necessary.
No built-in visual site interface.

14. Hugo

Hugo is a powerful static site generator that transforms text content (typically in Markdown) and templates into a fully static website in an instant, making it ideal for blogs, documentation, and corporate microsites.

Hugo doesn’t come with a visual editor. All content is written in Markdown files, and templates are managed through code editors. This platform is particularly popular among developers because it seamlessly integrates with modern deployment pipelines, allowing you to publish your site automatically using Git, CI/CD tools, or hosting platforms like Netlify and Vercel.

Key differentiator. Fastest publishing and extreme security. Hugo has no database, only HTML.

Suitable for technical documentation, blogs, or corporate websites.

Type. Open source Static Site Generator (SSG).

Advantages:

Lightning-fast generation speed.
Static sites reduce vulnerabilities, enhancing overall security.
Integration with Git and CI/CD. Effortlessly connect with version control and continuous integration/deployment tools.

Disadvantages:

Hugo has no visual editor.
All content must be created in Markdown format, which may require command-line interface (CLI) knowledge.

15. Sanity

Sanity is a modern headless CMS that provides real-time collaboration, AI-assisted content editing, and flexible data models. Content is stored in its “Content Lake” as structured data (not HTML), allowing for greater versatility. Editors utilize Sanity Studio (a React-based interface) to collaboratively edit content, complete with custom workflows and versioning.

Key differentiator. Complete freedom of data structure combined with real-time editing through Sanity Studio.

Suitable for applications with custom logic, sites with dynamic content, multi-channel platforms.

Type. Headless and SaaS (cloud-based, with cloud hosting,)

Advantages:

Very flexible data model. Tailor your content structure to fit your specific needs.
Integration with any frontend frameworks (React, Next.js, etc.)
API support based on GROQ. Utilize a powerful query language for efficient data retrieval.

Disadvantages:

Requires technical skills.
No visual page builder. Content creation is code-centric, lacking a drag-and-drop interface.
Paid plans when scaling. Costs can increase as your needs grow.

Choosing the right CMS is one of the first steps for effectively managing your online presence, whether you’re running a hobbyist blog, an eCommerce site, or a corporate platform. Each CMS offers unique features tailored to different needs, from the simplicity of Squarespace to the robust capabilities of Drupal. By selecting a platform that aligns with your goals, you can enhance your website’s functionality and user experience.

Ready to bring your vision to life? Secure your domain and hosting with SpaceLama today, and get started on building your dream website with the CMS that best fits your needs!