Which CMS is better? Comparison of free CMS: Wordpress, Joomla, Drupal, etc. Comparison of engines.
New post from Mikhail about popular CMS, as they are also called - content management system.
What is a website engine? This is a website management program that is located on the server (uploaded to hosting). There are a huge number of such CMSs, some are ideal for blogs, others only for online stores, but they all have one thing in common - they simplify website management. For example, a novice webmaster does not need to know HTML to insert text into a page; just open the desired menu item in the CMS of your choice.
WordPress
Perhaps the most popular CMS and, despite the fact that it was originally designed for blogs, it is used for various purposes. Now there are many plugins for it that can turn a site into a forum, online store, or even social network. Examples: online libraries on WordPress – “Download books for free” or Andrey Voskoboynikov.
Advantages:
- Simplicity. Everyone can understand how to manage this CMS.
– Even if you haven’t figured it out yourself, there is a lot of educational information available.
– Many plugins that will simplify or decorate your website or blog in a couple of mouse clicks.
- Free.
Flaws:
– To be honest, WordPress has no shortcomings as such. It is weak in security, but there are many plugins that will help protect against password guessing, IP blocking, etc. Also a little standard functionality, but again, that's why plugins exist.
Conclusion: WordPress is the best engine for both experienced and novice bloggers who still don’t understand much about programming. Although many bloggers who use Joomla will probably argue with me.
Joomla
Good representative of CMS. This engine makes it much easier to implement projects that are far from a blog structure. This is a more complicated version of WordPress, with more powerful functionality.
Advantages:
– Many useful extensions.
– It’s much easier to choose a beautiful and high-quality theme for Joomla than for the WordPress engine.
– There is authorization via Google, OpenID, etc., which makes it more secure.
– Also free.
Flaws:
– It will be a little difficult for beginner bloggers.
Conclusion: if you need a business card website or a personal blog, it is better to choose WordPress as the engine, and if you need a more serious project, it is better to spend time learning Joomla, which can provide a little more functionality.
Drupal
This website engine will seem very good only to advanced users; its structure, in my opinion, is too complex. Therefore, there is no point in using it on simple sites, but it will be very useful for many commercial projects.
Advantages:
– Many modules (extensions) that will increase the already huge functionality.
– Good support for developers and communities, but English-speaking.
- Free.
Flaws:
– It’s almost impossible to choose a topic. Firstly, there are few of them. Secondly, those that exist have already multiplied a long time ago. You only need to prepare to order a unique template.
– Difficult to manage.
Conclusion: An excellent CMS for serious projects that requires special study, and it’s also free.
DLE
Quite a popular website engine. Despite the fact that it is paid, it is still actively used in RuNet.
Advantages:
– Ideal for “online cinemas” and other video resources.
– Suitable for small news sites.
– Suitable for online libraries and literary portals.
– Large and varied functionality, which can only be fully appreciated by those who have at least thought about creating a more or less decent video resource.
Flaws:
– Not suitable for all projects.
– This content management system is paid.
Conclusion: extremely useful for solving certain problems CMS.
Bitrix
This is a paid engine for the site, which boasts security, reliability and stability. Has excellent support developers. And of course, among the domestic CMS, it is best suited for creating online stores.
Advantages:
– Integration with 1C.
– Good protection and stable work.
– Constant updates and support.
Flaws:
- Expensive license.
– Demanding on server resources.
Conclusion: Perfect for online store sites and many other commercial projects.
This is where I will probably complete the review of the most popular CMS.
Top 10 ranking of CMS online stores 2016 – a review that many of our readers have been waiting for. We have prepared it specifically for those who are interested in the top CMS for an online store and in choosing the best platform.
E-commerce is gaining momentum every year not only around the world, but also in Russia. And although the growth rate of electronic sales in our country is not as fast as, for example, in the USA, this growth is still not slowing down. There is currently a serious boom in the e-commerce sector, so many serious businessmen are trying to invest money in creating online trading platforms. Simply put, they create online stores.
To create a store you need an engine, that is, a platform. Choosing the right platform depends on many factors, including individual requirements and needs. To make it easier for you to understand, we decided to prepare a ranking of CMS online stores in the US and Russia for comparison, to give you a general idea of the popularity of using various solutions. We will also talk briefly about each of these platforms. You will find out what the advantages and disadvantages of each of them are, and you can make the final decision yourself.
Before moving on to a direct comparison of the popularity of CMS platforms, we would like to provide some statistics for the e-commerce market in the USA and Russia.
The USA is the second leader in e-commerce after China. The market volume here in 2016 amounted to $349 billion. Russia ranks 9th in this ranking with a market volume 17 times less - $20 billion. At the end of 2015, the share of online sales in the Russian market was 3.5%, while in In the USA this figure was almost three times higher (9%). Despite this, in Russia every year there is an increased interest in Internet products. Thus, between 2008 and 2014, online commerce in Russia grew by more than 40% annually, even during the crisis. The Russian e-commerce market has quite serious prospects for further development.
CMS rating of online stores USA and Russia 2016 – Comparative charts
We specifically decided to compare the popularity of CMS for an online store between Russia and the USA to show what solutions are used overseas. Thanks to the Builtwith analytical resource, we can present you with interesting charts that clearly show the overall trend.
As you can see, the ranking of the most popular CMS in the two countries is significantly different. WooCommerce tops the TOP 10 in the US, far ahead of other platforms like Squarespace Commerce, Shopify, OpenCart, Magento and Prestashop. The share of stores created on the basis of WooCommerce is 36%; the total share of other platforms does not even come close to this indicator.
As for statistics in Russia, WooCommerce is ahead of OpenCart by a small margin - 37% versus 22%.
Top 10 rating of CMS online stores USA vs Russia 2016
To somehow clarify the situation and help you answer the question: “What CMS is better for an online store", let's look at the most popular CMS systems for online stores.
WooCommerce (36% - USA, 22% - Russia)
WooCommerce is a powerful plugin that is attached to the world's most popular CMS platform. It is available absolutely free. It uses open source code, so anyone can change it to suit their requirements. Additional flexibility is provided by the possibility of full customization through the convenient WordPress control panel.
For WordPress sites, in particular for WooCommerce online stores, there is simply an incredibly large number, so you can choose the most suitable one for yourself and adapt it to your needs. For any type of online store there is a WordPress template/theme/template. Each template has a responsive design and works confidently with mobile devices. . There are many additional extensions for WordPress WooCommerce, including free ones, so your store will have unlimited functionality.
The WordPress platform provides a high degree of operational reliability, but you can additionally use third-party solutions. Security is never too much, especially for an online store.
OpenCart (5% - USA, 38% - Russia)
The OpenCart platform, specially created for online stores, appeared not as long ago as WordPress (in 2012), but during this time it has already won the recognition of many Internet entrepreneurs. In Russia, as you have already seen in the chart above, it is ahead of WooCommerce, although WooCommerce is significantly ahead of all other CMS platforms for online stores in the .com domain zone, including OpenCart.
Just like WordPress WooCommerce, OpenCart is a completely open source and free store CMS. New updates are constantly coming out to it, which means it is also reliable. On OpenCart you can find many useful modules for affordable price. One of the most important advantages of OpenCart is its support for a large number of payment systems, including Webmoney.
You will find paid OpenCart templates.
We have already compared these two platforms with each other before. You can read an article on this topic by following the link.
VirtueMart (<1% — США, 12% — Россия)
VirtueMart is an e-commerce solution based on the Joomla CMS (similar to WooCommerce for WordPress). Although Joomla is not a specialized platform for e-commerce, by installing one of the components for an online store you can get a full-fledged online trading platform. One such component is VirtueMart. There are many modules available for it that will help expand the functionality of your store. Built-in analytics and marketing capabilities are supported. The disadvantage is that the platform is quite complex to work with, so it will not be as easy for beginners to work with it as, for example, with WooCommerce.
Which online store CMS to choose?
Choosing a CMS is a purely individual matter. It all depends on the specific tasks, requirements and scale of your project. We believe that WooCommerce has - along with other solutions - and will soon rise in popularity in Russia from second to first place due to its rapid development and wide popularity among WordPress fans.
This is the optimal solution for those who want a powerful and reliable online store with good functionality and expandability at an affordable price. Plus, there are tons of cool templates for WooCommerce. To make our rating of online store CMS even more interesting, we will present some of these templates as an example.
WordPress WooCommerce Template Examples
Fashion Plus – template for WordPress CMS clothing store
The Fashion Plus template was created specifically for a clothing store. Includes three ready-made demo themes, several styles for store pages and headers. Supports the Slider Revolution plugin for slideshows and Visual Composer for quick page creation.
XStore - Responsive Universal Template
XStore is an excellent example of a template that has ready-made solutions for almost any type of store, be it an eyewear, cosmetics, engineering equipment, furniture or bicycle store. There are several unique mouseover effects available. The template has high page load rates. There are several options for mega menus and blog layouts.
Electro – Responsive WooCommerce Electronics Store Template
Based on Electro, you can create a simple CMS store for electronics and household appliances. The set includes a special Electro Extensions plugin with extensions for a mega drop-down menu, product carousel, special offers and improved Live Search. The template also supports working with plugins from the YITH platform: Wishlist (for a list of desired products) and WooCompare (for comparing products).
In addition to the regular menu, the template also has a special menu for mobile devices. To organize products in the catalog, you can use category tabs. Products can be displayed in a list or in a grid. The product quick view function and the “Offer of the day” function are supported. Drop-down cart. There are cool icons for design.
Mega Store – WooCommerce template for various stores
Mega Store comes with six pre-made home page layouts. You can choose one of several header options to organize a convenient product catalog and footer. For each store page, you can customize the structure, sidebar position, and add various effects. The product grid supports one to six columns.
We really hope that our comparison of CMS for an online store was useful for you. We have prepared the top 10 rating of CMS for online stores not only to show dry statistics, but also to help you answer the question: “Which CMS to choose for an online store?” Whatever your decision, the main thing is that it suits you.
If you don't know what it takes to create a successful commerce website, read a separate one dedicated to this topic. To create an online store, you will also need quality hosting. This is especially important for an online store. If you decide to choose a WordPress WooCommerce solution, read the article about. We wish you good luck in choosing a platform and creating an online store. Wishing you high conversions and successful sales!
Alexander is the founder of the “Web Laboratory of Success” website project, created to support beginning and continuing Internet entrepreneurs. He is a convinced workaholic with professional experience in managing the editorial office of an online magazine, creating and managing his own online store. Main occupation: promoting businesses (including online stores) through Facebook and Google Adwords. Main hobby: monetizing websites through affiliate marketing tools and Google Adsense. Personal confirmed records: 3 million blog visitors per month.
Which engine should you choose for an online store? This is the question most aspiring entrepreneurs ask. There are so many platforms that it can sometimes be quite difficult to navigate. This review will look at the best CMS. The user will be able to choose the most suitable engine for his web resource.
The best CMS systems
Most companies offer websites on platforms that are more familiar and easier for them to work with. Often these engines do not meet customer requirements. In order not to encounter platform limitations, you need to know the best CMS for creating a website. Choosing the right engine ensures the success of the web resource. There are 2 categories of platforms: commercial and free products.
The first type of engines was created with the aim of making a profit from the sales of licenses and add-ons. These systems lead in quality of work and popularity. Almost all useful modules are paid. Beginning entrepreneurs cannot always afford to purchase the best CMS on a commercial basis. Free engines were created for them.
System "1C-Bitrix"
This platform is the best CMS for an online store. Why did she get so popular? The engine works with an extensive 1C database. If desired, the user can set up bonus programs for buyers and specify different rates for legal entities. The platform is used to create large portals, information resources, as well as other services.
Websites made on this CMS stand out among other websites due to the quality of their work, a large number of additional modules, reliable protection against hacker attacks, and the ability to share rights between several administrators. The system requires considerable investment. Therefore, it is recommended to use the 1C-Bitrix platform exclusively for creating large projects.
Magento
This system is the best CMS for an online store among free products. More than 150 thousand websites on the Internet have been created using this engine. The platform is provided in three editions. The community edition is free. The admin panel is very convenient.
If desired, you can differentiate user rights. Interface in Russian. Answers to your questions can be found in the developer community. The user has access to options for generating detailed reports and adding discount coupons. The client can work with the 1C database.
Products are imported into Yandex.Market. There are various product filters. If desired, you can send advertising messages to customers and connect social networks. The developers offer clients to create an affiliate program for their online store. An administrator can manage multiple projects from one account.
Disadvantages of Magento
The disadvantages include the lack of integration with Russian payment systems and delivery services. This problem can be solved by installing paid modules and editing existing ones. When launching an online store, you will need to use the services of an experienced programmer.
The engine consumes a large amount of server resources. The platform should only be used to create large online stores. Modules useful for e-commerce are paid. Some of them are greatly overpriced.
Joomla
The platform ranks third in the ranking. The product is distinguished by its quality. If a user is looking for the best CMS engine, then he should pay attention to Joomla. The client can expand the extensive toolkit with the help of additional modules and plugins. High security of working with the service is ensured.
The user has access to options for connecting multi-level authorization for administrators and dividing the rights of moderators. Changing the appearance of the site is carried out by using a ready-made template from an extensive catalog. If desired, you can create a custom layout. Many clients believe that this is the best CMS for a store because it allows you to customize many elements. Websites based on this engine have a flexible structure.
Additional components for Joomla
Developers are constantly releasing updates. Initially, the platform was created for corporate web resources, blogs, and business card pages. Now the engine works with online stores and social platforms. To add products to the site, you need to download an additional component. The most common scripts are VirtueMart and JoomShopping.
If necessary, additional modules are installed. Using VirtueMart, the user can integrate the site with the 1C database, connect popular payment systems, and configure the import/export of products. The additional component is suitable for launching small and medium-sized online stores. VirtueMart is not used when creating large portals, since it does not have the necessary functions and a proper security system.
Drupal
This platform is aimed at complex websites and professional programmers. Working with the software requires experience and appropriate training. The system synchronizes with partner sites. The user can choose short addresses, use template themes, and create web resources with similar elements (a single user base). Multi-language translation function available.
The engine is suitable for large online stores and communities. In other cases, the costs will not be justified. To use the platform, you must install Ubercart. This additional component is practically no different from the VirtueMart script. The best free CMS Magento and Joomla took first place in the ranking only because they are slightly more common and less difficult to learn and customize than Drupal.
MODX
This platform can run on almost all servers and interact with different browsers. The software is distributed under a license. The engine is used to create websites of various types. The platform is also an application development environment. It is not demanding on server resources.
Installing and configuring the engine is not difficult. Disadvantages include low prevalence in the CIS countries and the lack of necessary functions to launch a full-fledged online store in these territories. Many users indicate that when working with the engine, problems arise with the security of web resources.
OpenCart
Commercial or absolutely free CMS - which is better? The OpenCart platform is an example of how free software can exceed customers' wildest expectations. This engine is the most suitable solution for small projects. The platform is easy to install and configure. The engine is not demanding on server resources.
Using a huge number of modules, you can add almost any required functionality to your online store. Developers from the Russian-speaking community will help resolve any issues that may arise. If desired, you can use the built-in module installer. Initially, the platform was not focused on the CIS market. Now you can find assemblies with additional functionality.
The developers have updated payment and delivery methods and added various filters. The most popular assemblies include ocStore and MaxyStore. The client can always create his own version from the necessary add-ons. The user has access to the function of specifying keywords and meta tags for each product separately. Disadvantages include system freezes when there is a large number of products, as well as the high cost of many modules.
PrestaShop
The developers created this platform in 2007. The engine is suitable for small and medium-sized online stores. Just like OpenCart, the PrestaShop platform has impressive functionality. To work with Russian payment systems, you will have to add additional modules. The engine is absolutely not demanding on server resources.
In 2011, PrestaShop was voted the best free e-commerce platform. Unlike OpenCart, the engine does not have official developer support. Therefore, there are not as many additional modules as users would like. The basic version of the platform uses more resources than OpenCart. The cost of additional modules is much lower than in Magento.
UMI.CMS
The platform features a responsive design and cost-effectiveness. The client can choose the language to work with, set template themes, and track statistical information such as data based on the average bill.
WordPress
Continuing the topic of “the best CMS”, we should mention this engine. The platform is simple, understandable, but at the same time functional. No technical knowledge is required to operate the engine. Even professionals will be satisfied with the simple interface. Answers to your questions can be found in the instructions.
The platform was created for blogs, news resources and other portals where you need to quickly add information. Plugins to expand functionality can be purchased at an affordable price. The developers offer more than 10 additional components for creating an online store using the WordPress engine. The most popular is the WooCommerce plugin. It is very difficult to launch a full-fledged online store based on it.
You can add no more than 100 product cards that do not require updating. The platform is easy to learn. The system is suitable for beginners who have a blog on a WordPress website. Among the shortcomings, it should be noted the lack of integration with 1C, Russian payment systems and delivery services. After installing the plugin, a conflict with the template may occur.
NetCat
The platform provides the opportunity in a mobile version. Responsive design supported. The best CMS should have good functionality for search engine promotion and website integration with useful services. This engine meets all the requirements. The interface is intuitive.
The platform works with the 1C database and electronic payment systems. When working with the platform, there is no need to use complex technological solutions. The interface can be divided into two: for users and developers.
HostCMS
The engine is not demanding on hosting and servers. This platform is the best CMS for SEO. The user has options for creating short page addresses, specifying meta tags, etc. The engine works great with web resources with high traffic. The platform works with the 1C system.
The license cost is 6 thousand rubles. The client receives a fairly functional platform with the ability to expand functionality by installing additional modules.
CS-Cart
When choosing the best CMS, many users note the advantages of this engine. Software creators offer clients a wide range of tools. The platform is distinguished by its convenient organization of Internet marketing, good form of working with orders, SEO optimization of resources, integration with 1C and the Yandex.Market service. The user has access to options for creating adaptive design and simply adding material.
Amiro.CMS
This platform is called universal. The engine is suitable for creating professional resources of varying levels of complexity. The developers offer more than 60 additional modules that expand functionality. The user can launch a high-quality website of almost any type.
LPgenerator
An online web page generator is a great solution for beginners and experts. Using the engine, you can create a business card website or a small store. Some users simply add materials to present a product/service. Clients can take advantage of a convenient editor, as well as hundreds of templates in LPStore.
The user has options for connecting a new domain and synchronizing the site with useful services. If desired, the layouts can be redone. The developers also provide tools for SEO optimization.
