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10 Comments Word Press, Joomla, ModX CMS… What do I use?
Nowadays new webmasters have many luxuries of free content management systems for putting their websites together. However, there are loads of them, each with their different pros and cons. I’ve tried a few of them, and even tried to write my own one! But what makes a good content management system, at least, what makes for a good one that costs you nothing to use?
When I started learning to code for the web, I had to create my websites from scratch, or I could use templates from Microsoft FrontPage or *shudders* Microsoft Word. There were options of using portals on forums to create websites, but they never really were brilliant websites unless you coded the life out of a template.
More recently the internet has come to life and there are plenty of options for web masters to create their sites. Some of the codes I have used are Joomla, Word Press and ModX CMS. I’ve added plugins and modifications to achieve what I wanted on my site. I’ve even gotten frustrated and tried to code my own CMS.
Anyway, that aside, which one should you use? Really it’s personal choice, but here are a few pointers I learned…
- WordPress is the system to use if you want to use a blog. The impending release of Joomla 1.6 will better cater for blogging use (includes comments), but I still think WordPress is the software to use.
- ModX is probably the easiest to create templates for. You can assign templates to each page.
- All CMS systems have plenty of plugins to use
- I personally found the ModX CMS system the most complicated – a lot of it is done manually without fancy interfaces
- ModX is probably the easiest to get to grips with. You create a page, it appears on the menu list. WordPress would be close behind. Joomla takes a little more getting used to.
- Joomla contains the most “core” features. You can create polls, manage adverts, etc.
- The WordPress widgets system is similar to Joomla’s module system. The limitations are imposed by your template
I had used Joomla prior to using WordPress. I am glad I have made the change, as WordPress has better suited my blogging requirements. The comments part of the site is particularly useful as you can interact with readers. I used ModX for a simple site with a handful of static pages, and it was well suited.
The Bottom Line
WordPress – For websites built around a blog
Joomla – For general websites with a bit of everything
ModX – For small sites made generally of static pages
I am, and always will be a WordPress junkie. It’s great for beginners as well as expert users. Coders love it because you can edit every aspect of your site, and beginners love it because it’s just a simple CMS.
Great post, Mark!
Thanks for your comment Joe. I have really grown to enjoy WordPress. It’s a lot more intuitive than the other applications.
Word Press, Joomla, ModX CMS… What do I use? | mark bell . me . uk…
Which CMS should you use for your website?…
I use wordpress for any website I design, whether it is a blog or not. But that is because I don’t want to be bothered learning another program.
“ModX – For small sites made generally of static pages”
Its not entirely true. There are lots of enterprise level websites running on MODx, including Fortune 500 companies. The latest release of MODx Revolution gives some really powerful set of tools in the hands of developers/designers to create anything.
Also you mentioned about complex manual stuff without fancy interfaces, that’s one of the key features of MODx, it is not imposing anything on you. You write your own code as you like it.
I really urge you to try MODx Revolution and see it for yourself. Here is the nice tutorial which will get you step by step Blog setup http://svn.modxcms.com/docs/x/WQEdAQ
Thanks and best regards,
Zaigham
Hey Zaigham,
Thanks for your comment.
ModX is a very powerful tool which is probably more like enterprise level software with crazy amounts of customisation available.
For the beginner, ModX can be a bit of a put off – however if you want to work at it, I’m sure it’s very beneficial.
I may be biased (been using MODX for over two years), but MODX rocks big time, and (in my opinion) trumps Joomla, WordPress (except for blogging – I’ll give you that) and even Drupal.
You even contradicted yourself on the usability in your post:
# I personally found the ModX CMS system the most complicated – a lot of it is done manually without fancy interfaces
# ModX is probably the easiest to get to grips with. You create a page, it appears on the menu list. WordPress would be close behind. Joomla takes a little more getting used to.
What is it, now. Complicated or the easiest out of the set? I personally feel that it is so straightforward that people who used other CMSs like WordPress or Joomla are just stunned by the simplicity they end up thinking too complicated for the job. Someone on Twitter even asked me “That can’t be it all, right?” when I introduced them to MODX.
In the end it’s about the right tool for the right job. For blogs there’s WordPress. For the rest, there’s MODX. Want a blog with full creative freedom? Then it’s back to MODX.
Hi Mark,
I think I worded my issues with ModX poorly. It is the easiest to get to grips with if you want a simple website. However, what I found most difficult was expanding the core functionality as I found myself having to manually edit different things.
It’s possible there is an easier method, but it wasn’t particularly apparent to me, so I left it.
I would agree with you that ModX has significantly more expansion to full websites. But there are many plugins in WordPress that can do the same. I would say ModX takes it though as there is better template control.
All systems have their pros and their cons, and I am a big fan of the MODX system, community and everything around it.. but it’s good to have people think about why they use a system or why not.
Thanks for this article, which has some good points other comparisons lack, and the thought.
(If you ever decide to use MODX and need some pointers be sure to let me know – I’m always willing to give a newcomer a little guidance
)
Like most people i started developing sites/portals and intranets in joomla (and typo3) but at the moment i use modx for everything except ecommerce. The reason i switched was my failure to organize my workflow efficiently in joomla/typo3 leading to wasting time and core hacks, it was and it is a mess for me and i think for most people since they fail to create their own templates and buy premade ones, they rarely customize the backend and even more rarely master the Joomla API.
In modx to creating a template i use basic html/css/js and 10 modx tags. When i needed a extremelly complex dynamic template (customizable in the backend, ajax quering other db’s, multidomain for multilingual purposes) i discovered Modx API which was like a revolution to me (propably thats why they named it revolution) it was extremely clear, fast, secure and efficient. (thats why modx revo demands PDO, JSON, Modsecurity excludes and safe mode off).
In large websites with a bit of everything my experience is that joomla is a mess, Modx with its well documented API and the ability to create custom plugins and contexts makes the job done fast. I import my manager theme and form customization XML to have a unique custom translated backend in 3 clicks.
Everything in modx is organized in a manner that allows me to develop a custom web site in a breeze with my collection of snippets/chunks/templates/tv/plugins/folders that modx packs /export / import. For the first time i can arange my workflow without caring about the framework because i know it will adapt since everything can be done in numerous ways.
I also use a unique modx core for simple websites which makes install even faster and slightly easier to mass update and in addition i need less backup space for my daily backups.
When using Joomla i wasnt really trusting the addons so i was writing everything my self which is time consuming. In modx all addons i use are maintained by members of the modx team for years and seem to me like very optimized code (they are fast and i never had a problem after 2010).