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We’ve tested the best CMS tools for key features such as quality, cost, and ease of use. See our top picks.
Best Content Management Software: Our Shortlist
Our Top Picks
Best CMS
Best CMS For Ecommerce
Best CMS For Creatives
Best Supportive CMS
Best CMS For Enterprises and Established Brands
Digital.com dives deep into every topic it covers to offer trusted and reliable recommendations for the best business tools. See how we review content management software.
Tips From an Expert
“Collaboration is key when you’re determining which CMS to choose for your business needs. Consult with your team members and departments to ensure that you have the infrastructure to support a smooth transition no matter what vendor you choose.”
The Top Content Management Software of 2023
Features
- Numerous business tools
- Minimum of two staff accounts
- Incredibly feature rich
#1 Top Pick for 2023
Why it’s best: Feature-packed CMS from a reputible provider
Price
$45 per month
Price Comparison
High
Ease of Use
Moderate
Centralized CMS Structure
High
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Reasons to choose HubSpot
- Comprehensive suite of tools, conveniently bundled for package prices
- Extensive CMS optimization options for maximum reachability
- Professional and helpful customer support for launch and maintenance
Reasons to avoid
- Requires significant learning curve, especially for more complex bundled plans
- The price point is higher and may not be sustainable long-term
Hubspot is one of the most well-known CMS tools in the space, offering a comprehensive approach to site management and marketability. Hubspot offers convenient service packages that encompass all areas of business management, including sales, marketing, and operations.
Hubspot is best known for its comprehensive service packages and advanced user experiences, tying in every aspect of your business into a single streamlined experience for easier operational management.
I’m confident that no matter what Hubspot package you choose, you’ll walk away with the convenience and benefit of a more streamlined method of managing your business, especially within the scope of CMS. I liked Hubspot’s centralized structure that’s incredibly easy to use and navigate after you get over the initial learning curve.
Additional CMS perks you can enjoy with Hubspot’s intuitive interface include in-depth web analytics, custom domain security settings, live chat support for your clients, and a native blog import tool (especially handy for pre-existing brands and blogs).
- Who is HubSpot best for?
I found Hubspot to be best for larger, established brands and enterprises. While you can gain value from Hubspot at any point in your business journey, the investment vs. benefit tradeoff of time and resources spent is more appropriate and warranted for larger-scale brands with higher input and demands, especially in areas such as CMS and customer support. - Recent upgrades to HubSpot
Hubspot launches updates semi-regularly and has recently focused on optimizing its integration and connectivity ranges to suit the needs of the modern business owner. User experience, ease of use, and interoperability were the biggest focuses in their newest update, connecting all intersections of business into a single place. We look forward to seeing how the platform works to optimize user experience within the scope of CMS and other key areas of management. - HubSpot CMS pricing
Hubspot’s pricing scheme is more expensive than its competitors, with its bundled plans starting out at $45 per month. It is slightly more expensive than other options, but it is significantly more comprehensive.
Features
- Multiple staff accounts
- Up to 77% shipping discount
- Competitive transaction fees
Price
$29 per month
Price Comparison
Moderate
Ease of Use
Moderate
Centralized CMS Structure
High
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Reasons to choose Shopify
- Extensive sales tools, such as gift cards, abandoned cart recovery tools, and advanced marketing segmentation
- Easy-to-use content management system with basic native SEO alignment tools
- Affordable, centralized structure for e-commerce businesses of all sizes
Reasons to avoid
- Slightly less customizable storefronts compared to competitors such as Wix & WordPress
- Slightly more expensive than other tools in the e-commerce space
Shopify has been a one-stop-shop tool for e-commerce business owners due to its easy setup, low transaction fees, and versatile branding and optimization options. Created in 2006, Shopify has amassed over 1,000,000 businesses on-platform, spread over 175+ countries.
Shopify is a centralized platform for e-commerce business owners who want total store management through a single, convenient tool. Its extensive optimization, management, and CMS capabilities are some of the top in the industry.
Shopify truly does offer a comprehensive suite of benefits and tools for e-commerce owners, as well as one of the strongest customer service inclusions that I’ve seen – 24/7 premium customer support and assistance through phone, chat, and email.
Its CMS system is incredibly easy to use and offers light SEO support, giving you a snippet of what will show once your page is crawled. You can add integrations or enhancements via addons in the Shopify App Store if you’re looking for something more in-depth.
Shopify is a fully-hosted platform that is easy to use and can be customized in various ways. It is fast, secure, and offers a quality app store and many themes. But it can be pricey, and many features are only available through a third party.
- Who is Shopify best for?
Shopify is best for e-commerce business owners at any stage of business, whether you’re newly-launched or you’re an established brand. The scalability of this tool is unmatched, making it an easy addition to integrate into your daily operating processes. - Recent upgrades to Shopify
Shopify offers regular platform updates for its business owners and customers, most recently with the launch of Shopify Unite 2022 and their recent integration with YouTube Shopping. As the world of influence (be it micro or macro) has grown, this is an especially important avenue to make a presence on if you’re an e-commerce business owner. They also made a variety of accessibility and quality updates throughout the echelons of social commerce tools ahead of the holidays, all of which can be conveniently managed through the Shopify Admin area. - Shopify CMS pricing
The Shopify pricing tiers are affordable, especially when put into the context of the value they create in a single, centralized area. The basic package starts at $29 per month, allowing you to fully manage your store and content management system.
Features
- Advanced SEO features
- 24/7 responsive customer support
- Extensive mobile optimization options
Price
$16 per month
Price Comparison
Moderate
Ease of Use
High
Centralized CMS Structure
High
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Reasons to choose Squarespace
- Aesthetically-pleasing, competitive site options for creative business owners
- Native, easy-to-use SEO and site editing tools
- Regular updates occur, giving shop owners access to top tools and capabilities
Reasons to avoid
- Limited native SEO tools compared to other options
- No free plan tiers, which may limit startups and budget businesses
Squarespace is a fantastic visually-driven site management platform for creatives. It offers a convenient solution for CMS management, providing you with both an elegant and integrated solution for your site building and CMS needs.
Squarespace is one of the oldest platforms for site hosting and development in the space, coming onto the scene in 2003. Since that point, it has made itself the tool of choice for visually-driven and creative businesses, offering design-forward templates and a seamless experience with its native CMS system.
Its customer service and support options, as well as the range of tools available in their shop, help set this tool apart, matching the intentionality and ease of the site experience across all areas of your e-commerce and CMS.
Squarespace offers done-for-you site management and creation experiences, similar to Wix in its easily-navigable and visually-oriented native editing tool. In addition to the AI site creation tool, I was walked through tailored suggestions and “steps” to launch my site via the assistant checklist.
- Who is Squarespace best for?
Squarespace is best for creative business owners, and has shifted its marketing to appeal to that type of audience. However, I believe that any type of business owner could benefit from the tool. The SEO support and sleek designs allow business owners to instantly elevate their brand experience and perception. - Recent upgrades to Squarespace
Squarespace launches updates at least quarterly, if not monthly. Most recently, the platform has spent time optimizing its invoicing tools and website design system, giving business owners more intuitive solutions around common operational needs. They also rolled out a major e-commerce-centered update in April of 2022, which included automated product videos, review solicitation support, and shipping label process optimization. - Squarespace CMS pricing
Squarespace offers comparable services to Shopify but the way they’re implemented is vastly different. However, at a fraction of the price, many believe that their selection of templates is more competitive in the long run for creative business owners. Their prices begin from $16 per month to $49 per month, which is their most expensive package currently available.
Features
- 24/7 responsive customer care
- Free domain for one year and free SSL
- 2+ GB of storage space
Price
$16 per month
Price Comparison
Moderate
Ease of Use
High
Centralized CMS Structure
High
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Reasons to choose Wix
- AI-assisted site launch for quick onboarding to get you started
- Massive assortment of mobile-Responsive and SEO-friendly templates and tools
- Frequent releases for access to most competitive tools
Reasons to avoid
- Less comprehensive reporting options than other tools
- Requires separate mobile and SEO optimization
Wix is one of the most user-friendly and supportive CMS options in the space, offering AI- (artificial intelligence) assisted site setup and 24/7 customer support to help you quickly grow your business.
Wix offers AI-assisted website launch experiences, helping you to conceptualize, refine, and launch your website in mere minutes.
I was impressed that Wix comes equipped with a sleek, easy-to-manage content library tool suite and site editor. This allows you to give your customers a truly tailored site experience, and can instantly elevate your brand perception and awareness.
Wix offers a comprehensive package of perks, services, and tools to strategically manage your content and strategy. While it is more limited in its reporting and insights, I found Wix incredibly easy to use with AI assistance and a massive template collection for done-for-you branding that’s both professional and unique.
The site offers significantly more done-for-you site structure tools and options compared to other tools, which often rely more heavily on extensions. However, Wix doesn’t eliminate the opportunity to refine – in fact, they support it. The site offers over 300 professionally-made apps that you can use to optimize your site even further, conveniently located in the Wix App Market.
Wix is an easy-to-use website building platform that is great for entrepreneurs or small business owners who do not have the experience or money to hire a professional to build them a website. It’s a good platform for quick, easy, low-budget websites.
- Who is Wix best for?
Wix is best for artists, or those who rely heavily on graphic elements to sell their offerings and services. Its tools for business owners and “site-in-a-box” structure make it a great choice for startups and less tech-savvy entrepreneurs. - Recent upgrades to Wix
Wix is one of the most frequently updated choices of CMS on this list, giving customers a peek at what’s coming via their Release Notes tab. Most recent rollouts include the inclusion of Wix Site Inspection, which offers real-time SEO diagnoses and suggestions to improve your site’s ranking. They’ve also improved the functionality and ease of use of their content management and consultation booking elements to be included in-site. - Wix CMS pricing
Wix pricing remains competitive with some of the top CMS tools in the industry, beginning at a price point of $16 per month for its bundled eCommerce packages. We recommend these packages over the personal site packages, as they include payment processing functionality and management for your site’s overall function.
Best CMS For Enterprises and Established Brands
Features
- Free domain for one year
- Professionally-managed hosting
- Payment processing and collection capabilities
Price
$4 per month
Price Comparison
Low
Ease of Use
Moderate
Centralized CMS Structure
Moderate
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Reasons to choose WordPress
- Hugely popular, reliable, and reputable across the industry
- Wide range of SEO tools for business owners of all skill levels
- Affordable price points and inclusive package structure
Reasons to avoid
- More advanced brands may rely heavily on extensions for functionality enhancement
- Mixed reports regarding plugin qualities and conflicts with pre-existing code
WordPress has been a CMS tool of choice since its launch in 2003 and offers a competitive and comprehensive suite of services that are ideal for e-commerce business owners.
WordPress is a global name in content management software, known for its easy-to-use block editor tool and SEO optimization capabilities. Its library of en suite benefits across its range of plans has won it the title of best overallon this list, giving e-commerce business owners nearly endless ways to grow and scale their business through content.
While WordPress has more limited functionality than other tools in certain areas, it is a solid option for those who have light technical skills and a drive to optimize and customize their site. We found that their templates were the most responsive, unique, and easy to edit out of the tools on this list.
Its strongest selling points are its consistency, overall quality of the tool for the investment, and its extensive SEO optimization tools, held both natively and through market-leading extensions in their marketplace.
I enjoyed the customer-forward site “wizards” as I navigated within the tool, which offer short tutorials and step-by-step directions for more complex site-related tasks.
What was most notable to me is that WordPress can eliminate unnecessary expenditures and roles. The drag and drop nature of the native editing tool, for example, may eliminate the need for a dedicated site designer, allowing you to pour more investment into other areas of business, such as advanced back-end development. Couple this with the bevy of third-party themes available for purchase and great design is attainable for virtually any level of user.
WordPress is a content management system that is free to download and use. It is popular for its customizability and for the number of plugins and extensions that are available for it. It is easy to integrate with other tools and applications.
However, it can be difficult to find immediate help with problems, and site maintenance and security can be a challenge for those new to the platform.
- Who is WordPress best for?
WordPress’ level of versatility makes it the perfect go-to tool across industries, from personal sites to e-commerce site management. - Recent upgrades to WordPress
WordPress continues to evolve and tailor itself to its user base, offering frequent updates and several new features. Its most recent iteration was released in May of 2022, and is known as the WordPress 6.0 “Arturo” update. The brand offered 1,000 enhancements and major bug fixes. As a result, bloggers can now take advantage of exciting new template choices, block options, and new native design tools, such as the gallery block for different looks across catalogs, collection-based editing, and layout flexibility tools for collections of assets. - WordPress CMS pricing
WordPress is extremely competitive in pricing compared to other platforms, offering plans starting from $4 per month. While this blog was written based off of their base level plan, we believe that e-commerce business owners would benefit the most from their eCommerce Plan, which is $45 per month.
Compare Content Management Software
We chose Hubspot as the best CMS for its bundled packages including marketing, sales, customer service, CMS, and operations service, advanced reporting, and full blog management suite with customization options.
CMS Platform
Best Features
Pricing
Best Overall CMS
- Numerous business tools
- Minimum of two staff accounts
- Incredibly feature rich
$45 per month
Best CMS For Ecommerce
- Multiple staff accounts
- Up to 77% shipping discount
- Competitive transaction fees
$29 per month
Best CMS For Creatives
- Advanced SEO features
- 24/7 responsive customer support
- Extensive mobile optimization options
$16 per month
Best Supportive CMS Tool
- 24/7 responsive customer care
- Free domain for one year and free SSL
- 2+ GB of storage space
$16 per month
Best CMS For Enterprises and Established Brands
- Free domain for one year
- Professionally-managed hosting
- Payment processing and collection capabilities
$4 per month
How We Review Content Management Software
I rated content management service providers based on ease of use, centralization, price, comprehensive benefits, and the quality of the user experience.
I evaluated every CMS option by signing up and launching storefronts and service pages. From there, I explored exactly what platforms have to offer in key areas of business, such as SEO optimization, content publication and enhancement, and the overall quality of site designs and templates available.
I also explored what reporting and optimization options are available with each choice, providing you with transparent and accurate information regarding your CMS options.
Learn more about our review methodology.