CMS examples: 30 best content management systems for your projects

Choosing the right Content Management System (CMS) is a crucial step for anyone building a digital presence. A CMS helps you create, manage, and publish content, whether it’s a website, blog, or online store. With so many CMS examples out there, many people make the mistake of choosing a CMS based on popularity rather than what actually fits their needs.

Just because a platform is widely used doesn’t mean it’s the right choice for your team. A CMS that works well for a large media company might be too complex for a small business or too limited for a developer building custom apps. This is why it’s important to choose a CMS like BCMS that aligns with your content structure, business goals, and audience.

This guide focuses on usability, or how well a CMS works for real users in real situations. This article will break down different types of CMSs and group them into categories based on what you need, whether you’re a developer, content creator, or part of a growing business.

Content Management Systems are a type of software that help people create, manage, and update digital content, like websites or blogs, without needing to know how to code. It makes it easier to keep content up to date across different platforms, whether it's a small website, an online store, or a large company portal. It also allows multiple people to work together on content more easily.

For developers, a CMS can be a flexible tool to build and customize applications. For marketers, it offers simple tools to create, plan, and track content. Small businesses often want a CMS that’s easy to use without needing tech skills. And large companies (enterprises) need a system that can handle many users, keep content secure, and support more complex processes.

While the popularity of a CMS systems may seem like a trustworthy benchmark, it often does not reflect the real-world usability that users need. For advanced users, developers, and enterprises, a CMS must offer more than just name recognition. It must provide essential features such as capacity, adaptability, security, and a simple user interface. This list ranks CMS options based on usability, not just popularity, ensuring that you get the best fit for your specific needs.

Ideal for: Simple websites like blogs, company pages, and shopping websites.

Headless CMS is ideal for: Businesses that need content across web, mobile, and other platforms.

Ideal for: Portfolios, documentation sites, or landing pages.

This list rates CMS software not just by their popularity but based on practical usability for various user categories, such as developers, marketers, small businesses, and enterprises, which guides users to a solution that meets their requirements

Great fit for: Developers who need easy customization, growth, and simple integration with modern frameworks.

Headless CMS for developers is the most beneficial option, as it separates the content management from its presentation. This provides unmatched flexibility, allowing developers to use any front-end framework (like React, Angular, or Vue.js) while accessing content through APIs.

Strapi is an open-source CMS that is customizable and developer-friendly. It offers a flexible API and supports various databases, allowing developers to create unique content structures and connect them with any front-end framework.

Contentful is a cloud-based CMS that provides an API-first approach. It helps developers manage content easily, allowing them to connect it with modern websites and mobile apps. It’s especially useful for large-scale content management.

For a smaller project, check out: Contentful Alternatives

Sanity offers real-time collaboration, giving developers full control over content with its customizable content studio. It has advanced tools like the GROQ query language and a portable text editor, making it easier to manage and manipulate content exactly how you want.

Prismic is another headless CMS that works smoothly with modern development frameworks. It has built-in content tools and scheduling features, making it a flexible choice for developers creating websites that need dynamic content updates.

Directus connects with your existing database, which enables developers to customize content management. It’s highly flexible and works with any frontend technology, making it great for custom web development projects.

BCMS is a helpful CMS tool made for developers. It allows you to build your website easily and gives you many customization options. It works well with popular tools like Next.js, Nuxt, and Gatsby. BCMS makes it easy to manage both the content (like text and images) and the design of your website. The simple dashboard helps you keep everything organized, even if your project is more complicated.

BCMS provides a starter project that lets you choose your favorite framework and quickly begin your next project with a pre-built BCMS template. You have the option to choose from your favorite framework of your choice to create performant websites.

Great fit for: Marketers, bloggers, and teams that need a visual editor and an intuitive interface, and a content hub.

For marketing teams and content creators, having a WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) editor is essential for creating engaging content without relying on developers. These systems, CMS provides user-friendly interfaces that allow teams to focus on content creation without worrying about the technical aspects of web design.

WordPress is the most popular CMS globally. It is known for its ease of use and extensive plugin ecosystem, which makes it a good tool. The block editor allows for good content creation, and its large community of developers provides support for nearly any functionality you may require.

Webflow is a website builder that combines web design with content management. Webflow’s involuntary visual interface allows content teams to create responsive, SEO-friendly websites without coding. It’s particularly strong in its design capabilities, offering full creative control.

Ghost is a simple, minimalistic platform designed for professional publishing. It features an easy-to-use content editor, making it a great choice for bloggers, journalists, and content creators.

Craft CMS is recognized for its user-friendly control panel, allowing content teams to design custom content structures without requiring technical skills. It offers flexibility with a powerful templating system that enables the creation of customized content experiences.

ButterCMS is an API-first CMS with a full WYSIWYG interface. It provides content teams with a straightforward and efficient way to manage their content. Its integration capabilities facilitate easy content delivery across multiple channels.

Squarespace is ideal for individuals and businesses looking to quickly create professional websites without needing technical skills. It’s great for personal websites like portfolios and blogs, small businesses that need an online presence, and creatives like artists, photographers, and designers who want to showcase their work with stylish templates.

Great fit for: Large organizations requiring advanced security, compliance, and workflow management.

Enterprise-level CMS solutions must prioritize security, expansion, and compliance with industry regulations. These systems are created to handle complex workflows, support large teams, and manage considerable amounts of content while ensuring data integrity and delivering top-notch performance.

A comprehensive enterprise content management system that integrates with Adobe’s suite of tools, providing personalized content delivery, digital asset management, and good analytics. It is designed for large organizations with complex content needs.

Sitecore is recognized for its strong content management and digital marketing features. It provides personalized experiences and growth, making it ideal for enterprises with various customer bases.

Kentico Xperience integrates content management, online marketing, and e-commerce functionalities, offering enterprise organizations a suitable solution for their digital needs.

Magnolia was created specifically for global enterprises. It provides amazing features like personalization, content staging, and full workflow management tools. It’s perfect for large-scale websites that need comprehensive content management solutions.

Liferay provides a business portal that supports collaboration and content management across organizations. It is highly secure, scalable, and integrates seamlessly with other enterprise applications.

Great fit for: Beginners, small businesses, and non-technical users who need a hassle-free solution.

If you are just starting out or do not have much technical experience, you will find that simplicity is your best friend! These CMS platforms offer an easy and hassle-free way to set up your websites, blogs, or online stores. Their user-friendly features- such as drag-and-drop capabilities, ready-made templates, and clear, step-by-step instructions, allow you to focus your energy on creating good content without being concerned about technical aspects like coding, hosting, or design.

Wix is known for its easy-to-use drag-and-drop editor, allowing anyone to create a website effortlessly. It provides a range of templates suitable for various purposes, whether you are setting up a personal blog or launching an online store.

A great option for small businesses, Weebly offers easy-to-use tools for building websites and online stores. It includes everything needed to set up a simple e-commerce store with integrated payment options and stock tracking.

Carrd is a page builder platform for creating one-page websites, making it ideal for portfolios, landing pages, or personal sites. Its minimalist design ensures that even those without technical skills can quickly launch a professional-looking website.

Jimdo allows users to create websites without any technical skills. It provides a simple interface that helps users build websites using pre-made templates and simple drag-and-drop features, making it perfect for small businesses or personal sites.

Great fit for: Businesses looking for built-in shopping features, payment integration, and growth potential.

A CMS with strong e-commerce features is essential for online stores. These CMS platforms come with built-in shopping cart systems, payment gateways, and tools for managing product catalogs and products. They are designed to help businesses simplify customers’ online shopping experience while simplifying store management on the back end.

Shopify is one of the most popular e-commerce platforms, offering a wide array of tools for building, managing, and growing an online store. It’s scalable, secure, and easy to set up, making it ideal for businesses of all sizes.

BigCommerce offers advanced features like multi-channel selling, custom pricing, and built-in SEO tools. It’s ideal for businesses looking to scale their online stores with powerful features and integrations.

OpenCart is a free, open-source e-commerce solution that is both simple to use and highly customizable. It’s ideal for businesses that need a lightweight solution with various extensions and integration options.

PrestaShop is an open-source, self-hosted eCommerce CMS that offers significant flexibility and customization options. It is designed to help merchants create fully functional online stores with complete control over their design and functionality. With thousands of modules and themes available, PrestaShop supports everything from basic store setups to complex, multi-language, multi-currency operations.

Great fit for: Developers who need speed, security, and static HTML-based websites.

Static site generators are ideal for developers who want speedy websites that are easy to maintain and secure. These CMS options generate static HTML pages, which means no server-side processing is required, resulting in faster load times and a reduced attack surface. They are particularly useful for personal websites, blogs, and documentation sites where content does not change frequently.

Hugo is one of the fastest static site generators available, known for its speed and simplicity. It’s designed for developers who want to generate static websites quickly without compromising on flexibility.

Jekyll is often used for personal blogs and documentation sites. It works well with GitHub Pages and is ideal for developers who prefer writing in Markdown and using version control to manage their site content.

Gatsby is a React-based static site generator that enables developers to build high-performance static websites. It’s great for modern websites, offering scalability and a developer-friendly environment with lots of plugins.

Eleventy is a flexible static site generator that’s super easy to use and quite fast. It shines for simple sites while also offering fantastic advanced options for your more complex projects.

Next.js is a popular React framework that merges with Markdown, allowing developers to create optimized static websites. It is good for crafting modern static sites while using JavaScript for dynamic functionality.

Great fit for: Businesses and content creators targeting international audiences.

If you’re looking to expand your reach across different countries, having a multilingual CMS is crucial. These platforms offer good tools to manage content in various languages, making it easier to create a simple experience for users worldwide. They also provide functionality for localization, SEO in different regions, and the ability to manage multilingual content from a single dashboard.

Joomla comes with built-in multilingual capabilities, making it a great option for businesses looking to create websites in multiple languages. It allows content translation and management in a variety of languages with minimal hassle.

Drupal is recognized for its flexibility and good multilingual tools. It is ideal for large-scale websites with complex multilingual content needs, as it supports translation workflows and language-specific SEO.

TYPO3 offers advanced multilingual and localization features, making it ideal for large-scale international projects. It includes full support for content translation, language switching, and managing content in various languages.

BCMS makes it easier to manage content in different languages. Instead of creating the same content over and over for each language, you only need to do it once. BCMS then helps you show the right version to people based on their language or location.

You don’t need to install extra tools or worry about updating each translation by manual updates. BCMS takes care of everything in one place, from setting up different languages to making sure the right message reaches the right audience.

A diagram example of how BCMS handles multiple languages in one setting

Our article, "How to Create a Multilingual Project with BCMS" guides you through the steps to create a website with different language versions.

Great fit for: Content creators and businesses focused on organic search traffic.

A CMS for SEO helps ensure your website ranks well in Google. These platforms include tools and integrations that make it easier to manage SEO elements like meta tags, alt text for images, sitemaps, and URL structures. With an SEO-optimized CMS, users can boost their visibility and organic search traffic without in-depth technical SEO.

WordPress, when paired with popular SEO plugins like Yoast or Rank Math, is one of the best CMS options for SEO. It offers easy-to-use tools for managing on-page SEO and optimizing content for search engines.

Storyblok is a headless CMS designed for marketing teams, offering a user-friendly visual editing experience similar to traditional CMS platforms. It includes a native SEO app for easy customization of metadata fields.

Ghost is a CMS built with SEO in mind. It’s fast, offers built-in SEO features, and integrates seamlessly with third-party SEO tools, making it ideal for content creators who want to drive traffic through organic search.

Statamic offers built-in SEO tools like easy control of meta tags, sitemaps, and URL structures. It also provides a simple, fast platform for managing your content with an SEO-first approach.

When picking a CMS, don’t just go for the most popular one. What matters most is how easy it is and whether it fits your team’s needs. Consider how comfortable your team is with technology, how much your project might grow in the future, and how you plan to manage your content.

For developers looking to gain more control and flexibility, BCMS is an excellent choice. It offers a powerful backend through its API-first system, making it easier to build complex solutions. Plus, its user-friendly dashboard simplifies content management. BCMS can handle large projects, and it is a fantastic option for developers and large companies.

Remember, in the end, the best CMS is the one that helps your team work better together and makes it easier to create and share great content.

Choosing the right CMS means thinking about what you or your team really needs. For example, a developer may want more technical control, while a content team may just need something easy to use. Big companies often need a system that can handle lots of users and keep everything secure.

This article shared a list of the top CMS options to help you find the right one. We explained what each system does best, who it's good for, and what kind of features you can expect.