Open-Source Content Management Systems (CMS)

Content management systems (CMS) are used to create, edit, and publish website content without changing code directly.

They suit company websites, blogs, and portals where editorial processes, permission management, and flexible content structures matter.

Website builders focus on visual page design, while a CMS covers structured content management and editorial processes. For selling online, e-commerce platforms offer product catalogs, shopping carts, and order management. Web analytics platforms help analyze how people use the published content.

Features

Below is an overview of common features of content management systems.

WYSIWYG editors

Role and permission management

Media management

Page and post management

Taxonomies (categories and tags)

Multilingual support

Versioning and drafts

Themes and templates

Plugin or module systems

APIs

Products

Below is an overview of popular open-source software in the category «Open-Source Content Management Systems (CMS)». The list is sorted alphabetically.

Well-known proprietary examples include Contentful, Framer, Squarespace and Webflow.

Drupal

Drupal builds websites and manages structured content. Organizations can adapt the CMS to a wide range of requirements.

  • CMS

Ghost

Ghost publishes website content and newsletters and manages paid subscriptions on one platform.

  • CMS
  • Website Builders

Joomla

Joomla builds websites and web applications and manages their content through a content management system.

  • CMS

WordPress

WordPress builds websites and provides tools to edit, manage, and publish their content.

  • CMS
  • Website Builders

XWiki

XWiki manages company knowledge and public wiki pages with a visual editor, search, versioning, and access rights. An optional paid app adds team calendars.

  • Calendar
  • CMS
  • Knowledge Bases