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2011
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26 Best Free Content Management Systems (CMS)

And you thought there are only three. This is my Twelfth post in this series. It is a convenient list, a one stop shop if you like, of the best free self-hosted Content Management Systems available these days.

There are many Content Management Systems available and it can get confusing and difficult to figure out the best ones. But after an extensive research, reviews and trying few of them, below are the best free Content Management Systems available.

What is a Content Management System?

A CMS or more specifically a Web Content Management System is a software system that provides Website authoring, collaboration, and administration tools designed to allow users with little knowledge of Web programming languages or markup languages to create and manage Website content with relative ease. A robust WCMS provides the foundation for collaboration, offering users the ability to manage documents and for multiple author editing and participation. Most systems use a database to store page content, metadata, and other information.

Other Definitions of CMS:

  1. A CMS is a Web application you run on your Web server to help facilitate creating a Website. A good CMS should be flexible, unobtrusive and help you make a great Website. It should provide you with tools to help the layman keep track of content, while letting more experienced Webmasters handle the look and feel. [Source]
  2. A CMS is a software that keeps track of every piece of content on your Website, much like your local public library keeps track of books and stores them. Content can be simple text, photos, music, video, documents, or just about anything you can think of. A major advantage of using a CMS is that it requires almost no technical skill or knowledge to manage. Since the CMS manages all your content, you don´t have to. [Source]
  3. A CMS is a software application used to upload, edit, and manage content displayed on a Website. A CMS can perform a variety of different tasks for a Website including regulating when content is displayed, how many times the content is shown to a specific user, and managing how the content connects or interacts with other elements of the Website. The CMS also enables less technical individuals to manage content on a Website easily without having an extensive coding background. [Source]
  4. A CMS is a software application that runs on a server. A CMS makes it easy to publish and administer content. Some basic features that are common to all Content Management Systems are: Separation of content, structure and design; Easy content production with little programming skills. [Source]

Which CMS to choose?

That is up to you, your needs and what programming languages your Web server support. I personally use Joomla and WordPress. But I can´t discount any of the others, that´s why they are listed here for you to choose from. To help you better make an informed decision to narrow your choices, try this CMS Comparison tool, and also try the CMS demos listed here. And most importantly, before you install your CMS software, make sure that your Web server meets the technical requirement.

For this post, I followed three criteria for choosing the best Content Management Systems.

  1. Free.
  2. In active development: still being updated and maintained (at least since 2010).
  3. In my opinion, the best.

Place your cursor over each image and link for a short description. Also try out the CMS software demos before you install. All links are External. Good Luck!

1. PHP based

The following Content Management Systems are mainly written in PHP scripting language. Your Web server must be capable of running PHP among other technical requirements.

Joomla is a free, open-source content management system and application framework that powers 2.7% of the entire Web. Has a vibrant volunteer community, user-friendly features and plenty of power.

Joomla! – {Try demo}

SPIP is a system for publishing content on the Internet. It is a publishing system for the Internet in which great importance is attached to collaborative working, multilingual environments, and simplicity of use for Web authors.

SPIP – {Try demo}

WordPress is Web software you can use to create Websites or blogs. The core software is built by hundreds of community volunteers, and there are thousands of plugins and themes available to transform your Website into almost anything you can imagine.

WordPress – {Try demo}

Drupal is a free software package that allows anyone to easily publish, manage and organize a wide variety of a Website´s content. It is an open source content management platform powering millions of Websites and applications.

Drupal – {Try demo}

CMS Made Simple, is an open source content management system that allows for faster and easier management of a Website´s content. It is scalable for small businesses to large corporations.

CMS Made Simple – {Try demo}

TYPO3 is a free Open Source CMS for enterprise purposes on the Web and in intranets. It offers full flexibility and extendability while featuring an accomplished set of ready-made interfaces, functions and modules.

Typo3 – {Try demo}

Concrete5 is a free open source CMS written in PHP. Many content management systems are focused on the developer or the Website owner needs, but concrete5 is a CMS that truly delivers the best to both worlds.

Concrete5 – {Try demo}

Textpattern is a flexible, elegant and easy-to-use CMS. Textpattern is an open source content management system; it allows you to easily create, edit and publish content and make it beautiful in a professional, standards-compliant manner.

Textpattern – {Try demo}

e107 is a CMS written in PHP and using the MySQL database system for content storage. It is completely free, totally customisable and in constant development.

e107 – {Try demo}

SilverStripe is an open source Web content management system used by governments, businesses, and non-profit organisations. As a platform, SilverStripe CMS is used to build Websites, intranets, and Web applications. SilverStripe CMS enables Websites and applications to contain stunning design, great content, and compelling interactive and social functions.

SilverStripe – {Try demo}

GetSimple is an XML based lite Content Management System. Loaded with features that every Website needs, but with nothing it doesn´t. GetSimple is the simplest way to manage a small-business Website. Unlike others it does not require a MySQL Database.

GetSimple – {Try demo}

Symphony is a Web-based CMS that enables users to create and manage Websites and Web applications, from the simplest of blogs to bustling news sites and feature-packed social networks. From its beginning, Symphony has been engineered around principles like openness, simplicity, and standards-compliance.

Symphony – {No demo available}

sNews is a free, standards compliant, PHP and MySQL driven Content Management System. sNews is extremely lightweight, simple and customizable. sNews is suitable for developers with beginner-to-advanced PHP skills and a good working knowledge of how to work with, set up and manage MySQL databases. sNews is not geared towards the end-user who knows little or nothing about building and developing PHP-MySQL Websites.

sNews – {Try demo}

Contao is a Web based Open Source Content Management System, formerly known as TYPOlight, that generates accessible Websites.

Contao (formerly known TYPOlight) – {Try demo}

Kajona is a PHP5 based content management framework. Since Kahona is written as a framework, external developers are able to enrich the system with new functionalities using one of the many hooks/plugin concepts Kajona provides. The drawback is that the community seems to consist of mainly German members. Even if there are translated documents and tutorials, the German documentation is much more comprehensive.

Kajona – {Try demo}

Wolf CMS simplifies content management by offering an elegant user interface, flexible templating per page, simple user management and permissions, as well as the tools necessary for file management. Wolf CMS´s main target audience is Web developers, Web designers and others who have at least some PHP skills.

Wolf CMS – {Try demo}

Pligg is an open source CMS. Pligg provides social publishing software that encourages visitors to register on your Website so that they can submit content and connect with other users. Pligg creates Websites where articles are created and voted on by members, not Website editors.

Pligg – {Try demo}

Really Unique CMS Groupware

Tiki is one of the most feature-rich CMS packages. In fact, Tiki is the Open Source Web Application with the most built-in features. Tiki Wiki CMS Groupware, has all the integrated features you need "out-of-the-box", like:

  • Wikis (like Wikipedia)
  • Forums (like phpBB)
  • Blogs (like WordPress)
  • Articles (like Yahoo News)
  • Image Gallery (like Flickr)
  • Map Server (like Google Maps)
  • Link Directory (like DMOZ)
  • Multilingual (like Babel Fish)
  • Bug Tracker (like Bugzilla)
  • RSS Feeds (like Digg)
  • Free Open Source software (LGPL)

Learn more about Tiki. Read the Top 10 Reasons to use Tiki.

Because Tiki is in a state of continual development, not all features are fully developed. This page provides a rating system for each feature to help you judge if Tiki is the right tool for you.

Tiki Wiki CMS Groupware is a powerful, Web-based application. Tiki is the ideal tool for you to build and maintain your Website/Wiki/Groupware/CMS/Forum/Blog/Bug Tracker or any other project you can imagine.

Tiki Wiki CMS Groupware – {Try demo}

Read What Wikipedia has to Say

  1. Joomla!
  2. SPIP
  3. WordPress
  4. Drupal
  5. CMS Made Simple
  6. Typo3
  7. Concrete5
  8. Textpattern
  9. e107
  10. SilverStripe
  11. Kajona
  12. Wolf CMS
  13. Tiki Wiki CMS Groupware

2. Java based

The following CMS is written in Java programming language.

OpenCms is an easy to use Web CMS. OpenCms helps content managers to create and maintain beautiful Websites. OpenCms is based on Java and XML.

OpenCms – {Try demo}

Read What Wikipedia has to Say

3. ASP.NET based

The following 2 Content Management Systems are based on the ASP.NET framework.

DotNetNuke is a Web Content Management Platform for Microsoft ASP.NET. The flexible DotNetNuke open source CMS platform also functions as a Web application development framework. DotNetNuke is flexible and open platform and is easy to use.

DotNetNuke – {Try demo}

MonoX is an ASP.NET portal framework for building Web portals and applications on Microsoft platforms. The second version was rewritten to support new ASP.NET 2.0 features, including Web parts, personalization, master pages, themes and provider models. MonoX introduces an open and standards-compliant architecture that allows integration of custom ASP.NET controls without the need for a proprietary API.

MonoX – {No demo available}

Read What Wikipedia has to Say

4. Python based

Plone CMS is mainly written in Python programming language. There are also other languages used within the project.

Plone is a free and open source CMS which can be used for any kind of Website, including blogs, internet sites, Webshops and internal Websites. It is also well positioned to be used as a document pulishing system and groupware collaboration tool. The strengths of Plone are its flexible and adaptable workflow, very good security, extensibility, and high usability.

Plone – {Try demo}

Read What Wikipedia has to Say

5. Ruby based

The following 3 Content Management Systems are written in Ruby programming language as a Ruby on Rails Web application

Radiant is an open source CMS designed for small teams. Radiant features include: elegant user interface; flexible templating with layouts, snippets, page parts, and a custom tagging language; a first-class extension/plugin system, and a simple user management and permissions.

Radiant – {Try demo}

Refinery CMS is the most popular Ruby on Rails CMS and supports Rails 3. Refinery is perfect for creating custom content manageable Websites.

Refinery – {Try demo}

BrowserCMS is a Rails CMS. It supports larger teams of editors, has a robust set of features as part of its core, allows for varied permission models, and is customizable via modules.

BrowserCMS – {No demo available}

Read What Wikipedia has to Say

6. Perl based

Movable Type is mainly written in Perl programming language. PHP scripting language is also used for dynamic publishing.

Movable Type is powerful enough for building Websites, blogs, and communities on a single platform. Movable Type makes it simple to manage entire Websites, start new blogs, and build an engaged community of readers and customers.

Movable Type – {No demo available}

Read What Wikipedia has to Say

Try Before You Install

Below are references where you can try the CMS software before you install it.

General References

Your Turn to Talk

There are many more free Content Management Systems that did not make the list. Which CMS do you use? Do you have any others you think I should add? or anything else to say? If so, please share your opinion in the comments section. Your opinion matters, unless it is a Spam.

If you enjoyed this post, please consider: linking back to it, subscribing by email to future posts, or subscribing to the RSS feed to have new articles delivered to your feed reader. Thanks!

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Last Updated: March 20, 2014
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About the Author |
Boutros is a professional Drupal & WordPress developer, Web developer, Web designer, Software Engineer and Blogger. He strives for pixel perfect design, clean robust code, and user-friendly interface. If you have a project in mind and like his work, feel free to contact him. Connect with Boutros on Twitter, and LinkedIn.
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4 Responses to “26 Best Free Content Management Systems (CMS)”

  1. Beyowi says:
    July 30, 2013 at 2:14 PM

    Hi very nice article! I’m using Ruby on Rails (RoR). Ruby on Rails is also well known for its coding convention, Agile practices and security strength.

  2. Rafael says:
    March 16, 2012 at 7:20 AM

    Thank you for that great list. Good job!

  3. CMS FOR says:
    January 23, 2012 at 8:17 AM

    Very nice post. It really provides information about some popular content management system. However, I am working with Drupal & WordPress for a long time. But your post really get me aware about some new content management system.