CMS tools: the best 10 solutions for startups

CMS tools, or Content Management System, are software, installed on a web server, and you can create and modify web content that will then be published. So, users can create websites with ease, even if one does not have in-depth programming knowledge. 

They consist mainly of two parts, the back-end, which corresponds to the administrative part to produce the contents, and the front-end, which the user uses to enjoy the contents and applications of the website.

CMS tools turn out to be very advantageous tools for startups or companies that have a limited budget, since they allow to create the own website and the content intended for it, avoiding turning to professionals of the sector and having more costs.

In order to create engaging content, able to attract as many users as possible to the website, in this article we will give you a list of the 10 best CMS tools, perfect to build functional websites and managing their contents effectively. Let’s see them below.

CMS tools: Bitrix24

Bitrix24 is a very secure solution, suitable for small and medium-sized enterprises, designed to ensure effective collaboration, communication, business processes and knowledge management. It enables better continuity of knowledge by moving data from network silos and local drives to a well-secured centralized repository. It is a website builder to create websites, landing pages and online stores of extraordinary quality. It offers industry-specific templates to create new and original websites, making changes from a SEO perspective. Among the features offered by this platform, activity monitoring, import/export of data, content management and email marketing services are also available.

Pricing

Bitrix24 offers 3 different payment plans that are divided into some subcategories: 

• Free: it is the free plan suitable for startups
• Special plans, which are divided into CRM+, for up to 6 users, and Project+, for up to 26 users, both priced at €55 per month
• Business plans, which are divided into Standard and Professional; the first one costs €79 per month for up to 50 users, and the second one for an unlimited number of users and storage space of more than 1000 GB, at €159 per month

CMS tools: Concrete5

It allows to create well-structured websites also from an aesthetic point of view, also facilitating the editing and management process over time. Among CMS tools, it is one of the most advantageous solutions for value for money and ease of use. Concrete5 allows to build sites that can be adapted to all types of devices, using the latest HTML, CSS and Javascript techniques and giving large customization possibilities for fonts, colors and layouts. It also offers numerous marketing tools to create surveys and forms, and to collect and analyze user data, as well as to ensure SEO optimization of content destined for the website.

Pricing

This platform has free trial and version. Pricing need to be requested.

CMS tools: Django CMS

Django CMS is an easy-to-use open-source platform suitable for developers, marketers and business leaders. It provides the ability to create any web application very quickly, offering a complete drag-and-drop interface that makes it very easy for the user to edit content. The functions included also allow to edit images and other content, manage documents, also offering numerous plugins.

Pricing

The price to use this platform need to be requested.

CMS tools: Drupal

Among the open-source CMS tools, the Drupal community consists of developers, designers, trainers, strategists, publishers and other professionals. It is a flexible CMS with a modular design that allows to add and remove features by installing and uninstalling modules and allowing to change the entire appearance of the website, installing and uninstalling themes. Very useful for ecommerce, Drupal allows to manage products, carts and transactions along with media and content. It creates content to adapt and meet changing user needs through third-party integrations. It also offers the ability to create multi-channel experiences to encourage audience engagement.

Pricing

The price need to be requested. A free version is available.

CMS tools: Ghost

With Ghost it is possible to create websites, publish posts, send newsletters, all in a very creative way. The platform, in fact, has original dashboards and control panels, with detailed statistics on audience engagement and business growth. It offers a library of official ghost themes, which can be installed with a single click. Ghost makes the process of capturing contacts and information easy, with native sign-up forms that work on any website, thus increasing their audience and analyzing user engagement in order to understand which content is receiving the most attention, which ones need to be improved, working on the interests and needs of the public.

Pricing

Ghost has a 14-day free trial and offers 4 payment plans:

• Starter: at $9 per month, for creators who have just started their business
• Basic: for $29 per month, and offers more opportunities for content customization
• Standard: At $79 per month, it offers high management services and priority support
• Business: at $199 per month, and represents the most comprehensive and advanced plan

CMS tools: Joomla

Joomla is among the CMS tools designed to help both inexperienced users and more skilled developers create websites and applications. It is used to build, organize, manage, and publish content for small businesses, non profits, and large organizations around the world. Joomla offers thousands of verified third-party extensions that can be easily found in the extension directory, and also has numerous high-quality templates available, a large number of which are free. Many templates provide a graphical interface that allows to change colors, fonts, layouts, and features without changing its code in the slightest.

Pricing

This platform has a free version. Prices for other payment plans need to be requested.

CMS tools: Microweber

Microweber helps users create websites, online stores, and blogs with features like drag & drop, live edits of image and video text, online payments, color and font customization possibilities, and customer support. It offers models and themes of aesthetics very well cared for, with great attention to details. Each template, in fact, comes with prepared pages and layouts. It gives the opportunity to easily add, delete, and rearrange sections of the page, giving the ability to make the website unique by mixing different layouts. Finally, hosting services are fast and secure and, moreover, Microweber offers professional support for all customer needs.

Pricing

Microweber offers different payment plans, depending on whether one chooses Hosting services or White Labelservices. 

Hosting pricing:

• Free trial: it’s the free version 
• Personal: at $5 per month 
• Premium: at $10 per month
• Business: at $25 per month 

White Label pricing:

• Basic: at $5 per month
• Pros: at $20 per month
• Pro hosting: at $50 per month
• Enterprise: the price need to be requested

CMS tools: MODX

MODX is open-source software that delivers exceptional performance to organizations looking for something beyond the traditional approach of most CMS tools, such as integrating third-party applications or a fully customized design. MODX CMS and cloud hosting provide complete control over creative vision and experiences. This solution allows to focus more on creating digital experiences and less on hosting and maintaining complex web infrastructures. From menus to maps, social media to SEO and everything in between, each element is designed to flexibly adapt to the user’s needs. It is a very secure and constantly updated platform, with customer support service always active.

Pricing

MODX offers 3 different payment plans:

• Basic: at $30 per month 
• Pros: At $75 per month, it’s the most popular plan for customers
• Business: at $275 per month

CMS tools: Wix

With this software it is possible to create personal and professional websites, whether one has in-depth knowledge of programming and web design, or being novice. The Wix Editor offers total design freedom and tons of design options with advanced features and an easy drag-and-drop system. And with Wix Code one can create a state-of-the-art website and web applications. It offers numerous templates that can be customized and drag and drop system, parallax effects, animations and much more, without any need for computer skills. 

Unlike other CMS tools, thanks to artificial intelligence, it is possible to automatically get the website for one’s business. Wix Artificial Design Intelligence, in fact, is the service that creates a website complete with images and texts for the customer and in a few minutes, answering a few simple questions regarding their business.   

Pricing

Wix offers a free version and 4 different subscription plans:

• Basic plan: at €4.50 per month
• Combo: at €8.50 per month, it offers both convenience and professionalism 
• Unlimited: at €12.50 per month, it is the most used, suitable for entrepreneurs and freelancers 
• VIP: at €24.50 per month with advanced features and priority support

CMS tools: WordPress

WordPress is the most well-known open-source software and used among the various CMS tools available on the market, which emphasizes accessibility, performance, security, ease of use, used by more than 40% of the websites. 

It offers numerous features, such as customizable and innovative design, SEO optimization possibilities, ease of use, media management and more. It has over 55,000 plugins and 10,000 themes to reconcile one’s website with different needs and desires, and allows to add online stores, galleries, mailing lists, forums, analysis, etc… 

Pricing

WordPress has a wide range of free services, themes and plugins. Paid versions are also available. 

If you are interested in WordPress, please read more on: The best CMS tool for startups: WordPress

Conclusions

To conclude, thanks to the numerous CMS tools at our disposal, it is possible to create functional and original websites, in a simple and fast way, using a low budget and despite not having particular programming knowledge. They are, therefore, suitable for companies that have limited budgets.

The list of tools mentioned above, represents the best 10 CMS tools to rely on, with good characteristics and prices. 

If you are interested in website creation, please read more on: Loading speed of websites: the best 10 plugins for WordPress and Open Source CMS and Custom Websites

Be curious! Do not limit yourself and do not stop at our proposal of tools! Check out our article Software Discovery platforms: the top 9 for us to find the one that best suits your needs.

For more information read also the related white paper that you find on this page Digital Marketing for Startups