Top ExpressionEngine Alternatives for Your Next CMS Project
ExpressionEngine CMS is renowned for being a secure, flexible, extensible, and user-friendly open-source CMS, empowering content creators with its signature Channel Manager and powerful templating language. It allows for beautiful content creation, live preview, and even multiple website management from a single installation. However, like any software, there are times when its features or philosophy might not perfectly align with a project's specific needs. If you're exploring other options, this guide highlights some of the best ExpressionEngine alternatives available today.
Discovering Top ExpressionEngine Alternatives
Whether you're looking for different pricing models, a more specialized feature set, or a community-driven development approach, the world of Content Management Systems is rich with excellent alternatives. Here's a closer look at some top contenders that stand out as viable replacements for ExpressionEngine.
WordPress
WordPress is an immensely popular open-source software that allows you to create beautiful websites, blogs, or applications. Available across various platforms including Mac, Windows, Linux, and Web, it offers a Freemium and Open Source model. As a robust ExpressionEngine alternative, WordPress boasts extensive features like blogging, deep customizability, a vast ecosystem of plugins, and multi-site management, making it suitable for a wide range of web projects.
Tumblr
Tumblr is a free web-based platform also available on Android and iOS, primarily focused on microblogging and social networking. While more specialized than ExpressionEngine, it serves as an excellent ExpressionEngine alternative for personal blogs or content sharing platforms due to its ease of use, social feed integration, image/photo sharing capabilities, and tagging features.
Ghost
Ghost is a fully open-source, hackable platform designed for building and running modern online publications. Available for Mac, Windows, and Linux, and offering commercial hosting options, it's a strong ExpressionEngine alternative for professional bloggers and journalists. Key features include robust blogging tools, intuitive nodes, and excellent Markdown support for streamlined content creation.
Drupal
Drupal is a powerful, free, and open-source software package that allows individuals and enterprises to easily publish, manage, and organize a wide variety of content on the web. As a self-hosted PHP-based ExpressionEngine alternative, Drupal offers a highly modular system, extensive customizability, multi-language support, and a strong community, making it ideal for complex, data-heavy websites.
Joomla
Joomla is an award-winning free and open-source content management system (CMS) that enables you to build websites and powerful online applications. Self-hosted and PHP-based, Joomla stands as a solid ExpressionEngine alternative, particularly noted for its modularity, e-commerce capabilities, and intuitive website builder features.
ProcessWire
ProcessWire is a friendly and powerful open-source CMS and CMF (Content Management Framework) built on a strong foundation. Available for Mac, Windows, Linux, and web-based environments, it's a self-hosted PHP solution. As an ExpressionEngine alternative, ProcessWire offers a robust API, custom data fields, front-end live editing, and the flexibility of a headless CMS, making it highly adaptable for developers.
Squarespace
Squarespace is an all-in-one commercial web solution for creating beautiful websites. It includes domain registration, e-commerce, hosting, and 24/7 support, all within a web-based platform. For those seeking a managed, user-friendly ExpressionEngine alternative with integrated design and e-commerce functionalities, Squarespace offers a streamlined experience for publishing and website building.
SilverStripe
SilverStripe is a free and open-source Content Management System and Framework for creating and maintaining websites and web applications. It's a self-hosted solution that offers strong features for an ExpressionEngine alternative, including blogging, e-commerce integration, a focus on security, and both GraphQL and REST APIs, making it a powerful choice for scalable web projects.
MODX
The MODX Digital Experience Platform is a free, open-source, and self-hosted solution built on PHP, providing complete control over creative expression for websites. As an ExpressionEngine alternative, MODX excels in offering robust blogging, publishing, and web server capabilities, giving developers and designers the freedom to build unique digital experiences.
concrete5
concrete5 is a free and open-source CMS that balances developer and site owner needs with its in-context editing capabilities. Available as a web-based, self-hosted platform, concrete5 is a strong ExpressionEngine alternative for those who value intuitive content management directly on the live site, making it easy for non-technical users to update content.
Each of these ExpressionEngine alternatives offers unique strengths, catering to different project requirements and user preferences. We encourage you to explore their features, community support, and pricing models to determine the best fit for your next web development endeavor.