CMS: Content Management System allows publishing, editing, modifying and maintaining content via a central interface. CMS is used to avoid complete coding for building the site from scratch.
Some prefer not to use CMS and code their own site; however, many prefer to use CMS as there are readymade layouts, designs and more.
PHP is one of the major server-side scripting languages used all over the globe for web development. Today, we will discuss some of the best PHP-compatible CMS available in the market.
The shocking number of CMS available that is compatible with PHP makes it all the more difficult to sort the best one. However, keeping all major factors in mind, a list has been prepared after thorough research.
Below are the best open-source PHP cms
1. WordPress
WordPress is a famous CMS that has been used by millions of consumers and site developers in order to build unique and elegant websites for themselves or their clients respectively.
WordPress has a steep learning curve so an amateur might not be able to explore or exploit its options to the optimum level. WordPress is compatible with third-party plug-ins too. You are welcome to add as many necessary plug-ins as possible after you purchase them, but you need to have enough slots in the WordPress plan to accommodate them.
Every plugin has to be configured once when it is added and you can do that only from WP-Admin. WP-Admin is a WordPress interface that is quite user-friendly.
Some of the excellent features offered by WordPress are blogging, e-commerce, form builder, iOS and Android Apps, retina ready, newsletter, podcasts, audio player and membership system.
Pros of WordPress:
- Highly customizable design along with features and functions
- Third-party tools are compatible
- Controlling your hosting needs for quicker growth
- The open-source community provides unlimited knowledge online
Cons of WordPress:
- Excellent technical knowledge is needed to set up and manage
- Coding knowledge is required along with handling troubleshooting issues in WordPress
- Coding knowledge to custom design the site
- A steep learning curve removes amateurs and inexperienced coders
Read Best Wordpress Interview Questions
2. Concrete5
Concrete5 is an excellent and powerful CMS with an open-source management system. Its main purpose is to assist in building an intuitive and comprehensive website. It is free open-source software licensed under the MIT software license.
If you think that the software is free to use as there will not be many options or tools to use; your thinking is completely wrong. They provide lots of features and tools even after being free to use the software.
Some of these excellent features offered by Concrete5 are – intuitive editing, SEO, quick installation, core support add-ons, multi-device optimization, form builder, content workflow, and security.
There is no limit for imagination or creativity; it is the same with Concrete5. There are no limits to creativity here, the tools and features assist you to achieve everything you can think of.
Pros of Concrete5:
- Open-source, so the code is not restricted to one individual
- Drag and drop content blocks into the template
- Provides excellent SEO
- Complete control along with admin access to assign permissions
Cons of Concrete5:
- A smaller community which leads to lesser support when needed
- Additional features and add-ons have to be purchased even though the basic software is free to use
3. Joomla
Joomla is again an open-source CMS that is not suitable for beginners. There is a particular reason for this; the coding done in CMS is complex and a beginner would be able to understand the coding, while still not understanding its logic or how it works.
Joomla has a wide selection of common and business add-ons to create an intuitive, responsive and unique website. Most of these necessary business add-ons are free of cost from Joomla.
Joomla has an active community, so support is always present for those who need it. Some of the important features that Joomla offer are – indexing, search, version control, permission control, and rich text editor.
The standard add-ons here are blogs, e-mail forms, discussion forums and photo galleries. Users can also add their input (content) if you provide the user-contribution page.
Pros of Joomla:
- Quick installation
- Plug-ins and Add-ons
- Quick and Easy Navigation
- Advanced Admin controls
- Excellent Support
Cons of Joomla:
- Limited customization options
- Paid plug-ins are required and some are not compatible
- Not recommended for beginners
Read Best Joomla Interview Questions
4. Drupal
Drupal has been called by many terms over the years due to its diversified features and functions. However, it is still an excellent Content Management System (CMS).
Drupal is unique in providing an application development framework that assists developers to go for a modular, interoperable method with a common interface. This is also an open-source platform supported by the users of diverse communities developing and supporting Drupal.
You could think of Drupal as a more social media-favorable CMS due to its functions and features which leans towards developing or easily building blogs, social networking pages, websites and more.
Drupal supports a variety of content types like videos, texts, polls, statistics, blogs and more. Some of its excellent functions are scalability, reliability, manageability, and security which covers everything we need from a CMS.
Pros of Drupal:
- Impressive amount of functionality
- Supports lots of content types
- Advanced User Management
- Graphics and Page Content Management
- Plug-ins
- Support
Cons of Drupal:
- Need technical knowledge for installation
- Users need to get adjusted with the ever-changing Drupal scripts
- It takes the tool of efficiency comparatively
Read Best Drupal Interview Questions
5. Modx
Modx is another excellent PHP compatible CMS. This veteran in the industry is more business-friendly. It has an innovative and powerful side of the content management system, that we can explore. Features like the ease of use and flexibility in creating a simple yet unique website are present here.
Modx began with a notion – a CMS should never get in the way of design rather complement it. It is a wonderful notion and it holds true meaning here. Developers and designers would totally agree with this ideology of Modx.
Some of the excellent features from Modx that have been evolving over the years are – highly customizable manager, all device compatibility, multilingual-multisite-multi-server support, SEO, security and content filtering.
There are many more features that I will leave for you to figure out and use them as per your needs.
Pros of Modx:
- Quick and efficient load time
- Template code is easy to work with
- SEO
- Ease of use
- Excellent community support
Cons of Modx:
- User roles and permission settings are confusing
- Most plug-ins need an installer and it is a bit tricky
- Blog/article set up should be made easier
6. SilverStripe
SilverStripe is relatively a small open-source content management system that has huge growth potential. Even with lots of competition in the CMS market, SilverStripe has won a prestigious award and is thriving in the industry with hosting sites for many companies.
Let's talk about the CMS and its benefits. It has excellent features like blogging, form builder, newsletter, manager, statistics and more. The interface might be a bit scary or intimidating for people with no technical knowledge.
There are various sectors of this software that need improvement; however, the features offered covers up for most of these areas.
Pros of SilverStripe:
- Powerful functionalities provide developers with unlimited possibilities to customize
- Easy to use interface for people with technical knowledge, while others can get used it in no time
- A good set of modules and extensions
- Active community
- A localized CMS with veteran developers
Cons of SilverStripe:
- Different menu for themes/modules/extensions required
- Shortage of readymade themes
- No third-party documentation
- They need more modules and add-ons dedicated to their CMS
Read Best SilverStripe Interview Questions
Final Thoughts
A CMS is the foundation for every website and PHP is like its brain. The other features would act as various parts of the human body.
When everything is in its proper place, the body is in excellent condition, so is the website. With that being said, I really hope this article is informative enough to help you figure out the best PHP CMS.