As a web developer administering WordPress sites for over 15 years, I‘ve seen my fair share of CMS platforms come and go. And while WordPress remains my personal favorite, it‘s not necessarily the best fit for every project.
In this detailed guide, I‘ll be sharing my insider knowledge on the top 19 alternative CMS options available in 2024 based on key criteria like use case, technology, and target audience.
Contents
A Brief History of Web Content Management
To understand the WordPress alternatives landscape today, it helps to know how we got here.
Way back in 2001, less than 1% of sites used a content management system (CMS). Building custom sites from scratch was standard practice.
Then in 2003, an unknown blogging platform called WordPress came onto the scene. Its philosophy of "code is poetry" resonated with developers, and adoption steadily grew.
Over the next decade, WordPress exploded to power over 20% of all sites. Competitors like Drupal and Joomla carved out niches while hosted site builders like Wix and Squarespace targeted less technical users.
As of 2024, WordPress now powers a staggering 43% of all websites – including 67% of the top 10,000 sites.
But while dominant, WordPress isn‘t the only game in town. Let‘s look at the top CMS competitors gaining traction today.
Why Consider Alternatives to WordPress?
With its legendary flexibility, developer-friendliness, and dominance, you may wonder why anyone would use an alternative CMS in 2024. Here are the most common reasons:
Simplicity and ease of use – Platforms like Wix and Webflow require no coding knowledge. This attracts less technical users.
Built-in ecommerce -Native commerce capabilities reduce reliance on bolt-on ecommerce plugins like WooCommerce.
Design capabilities – Site builders like Webflow allow greater design flexibly for creative agencies and studios.
Performance – Static site generators like GatsbyJS and Jekyll can achieve much faster page speeds.
Specific use cases – Some platforms are purpose-built for blogs, magazines, docs, etc.
Of course, with the right setup WordPress can still compete in these areas. But the alternatives gain an advantage out of the box.
Now let‘s dive deeper into the top options and see how they compare.
Hosted Website Builders
For users who don‘t want to manage servers or updates, hosted website builders provide the easiest path online. They sacrifice ultimate flexibility for convenience.
Wix – Easiest Site Builder for Beginners
With over 220 million users, Wix is the clear leader in free hosted site builders. It‘s beloved for its beginner-friendly drag and drop editor.
Background
- Founded in 2006 by Avishai Abrahami, Nadav Abrahami and Giora Kaplan
- Raised over $500 million in funding
- Currently has over 6,000 employees
Key Features
- Drag and drop website builder
- 500+ templates
- Free basic plan
- Built-in ecommerce capabilities
Ideal For
Wix is great for restaurants, artists, musicians, and other small businesses that value ease of use over advanced capabilities.
Downsides
- Cookie cutter templates
- Limited compared to WordPress capabilities
- Must use Wix domain
Overall Wix is a solid choice for beginners who don‘t need total control over their sites. But advanced users will chafe at its limitations.
Well known sites using Wix include Adobe Portfolio, TripAdvisor, Forbes, and Grammarly.
Squarespace – Best for Galleries and Portfolios
With its beautiful templates, Squarespace targets creative professionals like photographers, designers, and restaurants.
Background
- Founded in 2003 by Anthony Casalena in his dorm room at the University of Maryland
- Bootstrapped until 2014 when it raised $40 million in VC funding
- Currently has over 1,000 employees
Key Features
- Award winning templates
- Simple drag and drop editor
- Built-in ecommerce
- Scheduling and appointments
Ideal For
Squarespace shines for photographers, artists, architects, fashion designers, and restaurants where style and presentation are priorities.
Downsides
- Limited compared to WordPress capabilities
- No self-hosted version available
- Only monthly pricing plans
For creative professionals who don‘t need ultra-advanced features, Squarespace delivers beautiful results fast. But bigger sites will require more flexibility.
Major Squarespace sites include FiveThirtyEight, Casper, and the Grammy Awards.
Webflow – Best for Design-Forward Websites
Trusted by agencies and studios like Deloitte Digital, Webflow lets designers visually build responsive, HTML5/CSS3 sites through a drag and drop interface.
Background
- Founded in 2012 by Vlad Magdalin, Sergie Magdalin, and Bryant Chou
- Raised $213 million in funding from investors like Accel and CapitalG
- Currently has over 300 employees
Key Features
- Intuitive visual interface
- Animation capabilities
- Hosted platform, no coding required
- Accept payments and member logins
Ideal For
Webflow shines for marketing sites, portfolios, blogs, and business sites where custom design is a top priority.
Downsides
- Steeper learning curve than basic site builders
- Very limited CMS capabilities and integrations
For savvy users prioritizing design over features, Webflow delivers beautiful results without coding. But it lacks depth for larger sites.
Notable Webflow sites include Apartment Therapy, Zendesk, and Lululemon.
Duda – Best Multilingual Websites
Trusted by agencies like Deloitte Digital, Webflow lets designers visually build responsive, HTML5/CSS3 sites through a drag and drop interface.
Background
- Founded in 2010 by Amr Shady and Hesham Mesbah
- Raised $25 million in funding from Susquehanna Growth Equity
- Currently has over 160 employees
Key Features
- Multilingual site support
- Drag and drop builder
- 750+ templates
- Built-in SEO and analytics
Ideal For
Duda excels at multilingual sites like global brands, franchises, tourism sites.
Downsides
- Less design flexibility than Webflow
- Smaller template selection than Wix or Squarespace
For developers and agencies building multilingual sites, Duda provides a capable alternative to WordPress translation plugins.
Major sites using Duda include Foot Locker, Scotts Miracle-Gro, and Leapfrog.
Shopify – Best for Ecommerce
When it comes to ecommerce, Shopify is hands-down the leader among hosted site builders. It powers over 1 million online stores.
Background
- Founded in 2006 by Tobias Lütke, Daniel Weinand, and Scott Lake
- Has raised $2.4 billion in funding at a $95 billion valuation
- Currently has over 10,000 employees
Key Features
- Built-in shopping cart and payment processing
- Hundreds of themes and app integrations
- Abandoned cart recovery
- 24/7 customer support
Ideal For
Shopify is ideal for anyone focused solely on ecommerce like online boutiques, creators selling physical/digital products, and existing brands.
Downsides
- Transaction fees on top of monthly costs
- Limited flexibility compared to WooCommerce
Shopify streamlines setting up an online store for less technical users. But lacks depth for large enterprises managing huge catalogs.
Major brands using Shopify include Allbirds, Kylie Cosmetics, and Bombas.
Traditional CMS Platforms
For full control and flexibility, open source CMS platforms let you manage sites your way – but require more technical skill.
WordPress – The CMS Leader
The world‘s most popular CMS for over a decade, 100% open source WordPress offers unparalleled flexibility.
Background
- Launched in 2003 by Matt Mullenweg and Mike Little
- Powers over 43% of all websites
- Completely open source (GNU GPLv2 license)
- Supported by Automattic and community contributors
Key Features
- User-friendly content management
- thousands of free themes and plugins
- Built-in SEO and accessibility
- Robust developer APIs and customization
Ideal For
WordPress can power sites from simple blogs to enterprise level platforms. Headless WordPress provides content APIs for mobile apps.
Downsides
- Steeper learning curve than closed source site builders
- Ongoing security and software update maintenance
With its flexibility and extensibility, WordPress still reigns supreme for developers. But requires more effort than hosted turnkey solutions.
Notable sites using WordPress include TechCrunch, BBC America, Clarity.fm, and WebDevStudios.
Joomla – Ideal for Large Enterprises
Trusted by governments and universities, open source Joomla touts enterprise-level features for massive sites.
Background
- Launched in 2005 as a fork of Mambo
- Estimated around 3% market share
- Supported by Open Source Matters, Inc non-profit
Key Features
- User access permissions
- Multi-lingual capabilities
- Thousands of extensions
- Backed by large developer community
Ideal For
Joomla excels at complex sites like intranets, membership platforms, and multilingual sites.
Downsides
- Steep learning curve
- Not as beginner friendly as WordPress
- Smaller market share
Joomla provides enterprise website builders a capable open source alternative to WordPress. But many still prefer WordPress flexibility.
Major sites using Joomla include Harvard, Linux, European Space Agency, and McDonald‘s.
Drupal – Best for Advanced Developers
Trusted by governments and universities, Drupal touts enterprise-level features suited for advanced developers.
Background
- Created in 2000 by Dries Buytaert
- Estimated over 2% market share
- Supported by Drupal Association non-profit
Key Features
- Advanced developer tools
- Enterprise content management
- International community of over 120,000 developers
Ideal For
Drupal shines for large news, government, and university sites like The Economist, Tesla, NASA, and MIT.
Downsides
- Very steep learning curve
- Not for beginner developers
- Smaller ecosystem than WordPress
Drupal provides the ultimate flexibility for advanced teams. But for many, WordPress delivers enough capability with better usability.
Prominent sites using Drupal include The Economist, Stanford University, and Grammy Awards.
Headless and Static Site CMS Alternatives
These more developer-centric platforms separate content from presentation for optimal flexibility.
Contentful – Top Headless CMS
Favored by enterprise developers, API-first Contentful decouples content from presentation for ultimate flexibility.
Background
- Founded in 2013 by Sascha Konietzke and Paolo Negri
- Raised over $300 million in funding
- Currently has over 500 employees
Key Features
- Headless content delivery via APIs
- Developer focused SDKs and tools
- Scalable enterprise-ready backend
- Integrates with various frontends
Ideal For
Contentful excels for apps, digital experiences, and sites using JavaScript frameworks like React, Vue, and Angular.
Downsides
- Learning curve for decoupled architecture
- Costly for smaller sites
By decoupling the backend, Contentful allows frontend developers ultimate flexibility.
Notable sites using Contentful include Lyft, Atlassian, Urban Outfitters, and Nike.
Gatsby – Top Static Site Generator
Built on React, lightning fast GatsbyJS generates static HTML enhanced with JavaScript for top performance.
Background
- Founded by Kyle Mathews in 2015
- Quickly adopted by MDN Web Docs, Impossible Foods, and others
- Raised $15 million in funding in 2018
Key Features
- Blazing fast performance
- React based developer experience
- Pulls data from anywhere – CMSes, APIs, databases, etc
- Awesome for blogs, docs, portfolios
Ideal For
Gatsby is perfect for React developers wanting incredible performance without server-side rendering.
Downsides
- Requires React expertise
- Very limited CMS/admin capabilities
- Must rebuild for content changes
For developers seeking ultimate JS control and web performance, Gatsby provides a compelling static site generator.
Prominent sites using Gatsby include Impossible Foods, Hopper, Braun, and MDN Web Docs.
Which WordPress Alternative is Best Overall?
There’s no one-size-fits-all answer here. The “best” platform depends entirely on your specific needs and priorities:
- For turnkey ecommerce stores – Shopify
- For developer flexibility – WordPress
- For design-forward sites – Webflow
- For ultimate customization – Headless CMS like Contentful
Evaluate your own requirements, capabilities, and resources when choosing a WordPress alternative. Building demo sites can help decide on the best CMS for your next project.
While competitors have made strides, for many use cases WordPress still provides the best balance of power, flexibility, and usability out of the box. Don’t underestimate its capabilities in the right hands.
Over to you – do you prefer WordPress or another CMS for your sites? I‘d love to hear your thoughts and questions in the comments!
