Best Content Management Systems (September 2026)

1

Weebly

Top pickFree plan

weebly.com

Best for Small businesses and freelancers needing simple websites

Weebly is a website builder that provides a drag-and-drop editor for creating small business sites, blogs, and online stores without coding knowledge. It includes customizable templates, mobile-responsive design tools, and built-in e-commerce features such as product listings and payment processing. Weebly also offers basic SEO settings, analytics, and integrations for marketing and shipping. It is now part of Square, which ties its store functionality into Square's payment ecosystem. Weebly suits small business owners, freelancers, and individuals wanting a simple, hosted platform for building and maintaining a website without technical setup.

• Drag-and-drop editor
• Built-in e-commerce tools
• Responsive templates

2

Kentico

kentico.com

Best for Mid-sized to large organizations with .NET environments·Free trial

Kentico (Kentico Xperience) is a digital experience platform combining content management, e-commerce, and marketing tools in a single system. It offers a content hub, page builder, and personalization features alongside built-in email marketing and analytics. The platform supports both traditional and headless content delivery, allowing content to be reused across websites, apps, and other digital channels. Kentico is typically deployed by mid-sized to large organizations needing to manage complex websites, multiple brands, or online stores, and is often used by marketing and development teams working together within .NET-based environments.

• Headless and traditional CMS
• Built-in e-commerce
• Marketing automation tools

3

Storyblok

Free plan

storyblok.com

Best for Teams needing headless CMS with visual editing

Storyblok is a headless content management system that combines API-first content delivery with a visual editor, allowing marketers to preview and edit pages built by developers. Content is structured into reusable components, or 'bloks', which can be assembled into pages and reused across websites, apps, and other channels. It supports multiple frontend frameworks and offers a space for managing content across different languages and environments. Storyblok is aimed at development and marketing teams that need a decoupled content infrastructure while still allowing non-technical editors to manage page layouts.

• Visual component editor
• API-first content delivery
• Multi-language content management

4

Wix

Free plan

wix.com

Best for Small businesses and non-technical website owners

Wix is a cloud-based website builder that includes content management capabilities, allowing users to create, edit, and publish web pages through a drag-and-drop editor. It offers a library of templates, built-in hosting, e-commerce features, and an AI-assisted site generator (ADI) for faster setup. Wix also supports blogging, SEO tools, and third-party app integrations via its App Market. It suits small businesses, freelancers, and individuals who want to build and manage a website without coding knowledge, though it offers a Velo development platform for more advanced customization.

• Drag-and-drop editor
• Template library
• App marketplace integrations

5

Umbraco

umbraco.com

Best for .NET developers and agencies·Free trial

Umbraco is an open-source content management system built on the .NET framework, offering a customizable backend for creating and managing websites. It provides a flexible content structure, a friendly editor interface, and an extensible architecture that developers can adapt through packages and APIs. Umbraco is available as a self-hosted platform (Umbraco CMS) and as a managed cloud offering (Umbraco Cloud). It suits developers and agencies working within the Microsoft technology stack who need a customizable, developer-friendly CMS for building bespoke websites and digital experiences.

• Flexible content modeling
• Extensible via packages/APIs
• Self-hosted or cloud deployment

6

Joomla

Free plan

joomla.org

Best for Developers and technical teams needing flexible sites

Joomla is an open-source content management system used to build and manage websites, from blogs and small business sites to more complex portals and intranets. It provides a template-based architecture, a built-in extension directory for adding features, multilingual support out of the box, and user access control for managing contributors with different permission levels. Joomla is self-hosted, requiring installation on a web server, and is maintained by a volunteer community. It suits developers and technically comfortable teams who want flexibility and control over site structure without ongoing licensing fees.

• Extension directory
• Multilingual support
• User access control

7

Craft CMS

Free plan

craftcms.com

Best for Developers building custom, structured websites

Craft CMS is a content management system built for designers and developers who want granular control over content structure and front-end presentation. It uses the Twig templating engine and lets teams define custom fields, entry types, and content models rather than relying on fixed templates. Craft is often chosen for bespoke websites, marketing sites, and applications where flexibility and a tailored editorial experience matter more than out-of-the-box themes. It supports multi-site setups and integrates with various hosting and deployment workflows.

• Custom content modeling
• Twig templating engine
• Multi-site management

8

Ghost

ghost.org

Best for Independent publishers and newsletter creators

Ghost is an open-source content management system built primarily for publishing, blogging, and newsletters. It includes built-in tools for email newsletters, membership and subscription management, and SEO, alongside a editor designed for long-form writing. Ghost can be self-hosted or used via its managed hosting service, and it offers themes and an API for custom site development. It suits independent publishers, writers, and small media or content teams looking to combine publishing with audience monetization, rather than teams needing complex e-commerce or enterprise workflow features.

• Built-in email newsletters
• Membership & subscriptions
• Self-hosted or managed options

9

Sitecore

sitecore.com

Best for Large enterprises with complex multi-site web needs·Paid only

Sitecore is an enterprise content management and digital experience platform that combines web content management, personalization, analytics, and commerce capabilities. It allows organizations to manage content across multiple sites, channels, and languages from a central platform, with tools for marketers to build and personalize customer journeys. Sitecore integrates with various marketing and commerce systems and supports both headless and traditional delivery models. It is typically deployed by large organizations with complex, multi-brand or multi-region web properties and dedicated development and marketing teams to manage implementation and ongoing content operations.

• Multi-site content management
• Personalization and analytics
• Headless and traditional delivery