Choosing a CMS (content management system) is one of the most important stages of website development. This decision determines not only the convenience of working with the resource, but also the speed of its development, support costs, and scalability.

Different CMSs have their own peculiarities. Some are better suited for small websites and blogs, while others are focused on large corporate projects. It is important to understand which platform meets your needs today and whether it can support business development in the future. In this article, we’ll take a look at three popular CMSs — WordPress, Joomla, and Bitrix.

WordPress is the most popular CMS for various projects

Today, WordPress is the undisputed leader among all CMSs. It is used by more than 43% of all websites on the Internet. The reason for its popularity is simple: this platform allows you to create websites quickly, without significant technical knowledge, with a large selection of ready-made solutions. WordPress is suitable for blogs, corporate websites, online stores, portals, and even marketplaces.

Advantages of WordPress:

1. An intuitive interface that even those who have never worked with a CMS can understand.
2. WordPress allows you to create a website of any complexity thanks to more than 60,000 plugins.
3. A huge number of free and paid themes.
4. Websites built on WordPress are well indexed by search engines, and plugins like Yoast SEO help to set up SEO without deep technical knowledge.

Despite all the advantages, this CMS has its limitations. For example, if a project involves complex integrations, heavy load, or requires a unique architecture, the standard features of WordPress may not be enough.

Joomla — a compromise between functionality and complexity

Joomla occupies an intermediate position between simple and flexible WordPress and powerful but complex Bitrix. It allows you to create both simple websites and complex web projects with advanced logic but requires more technical knowledge to configure and manage.

The main difference between Joomla and WordPress is the approach to managing content and website structure. The former CMS is better suited for corporate websites, portals, catalogues, and even social networks.

Joomla has built-in features for managing complex structures, categories, and users. This makes it a good choice for companies that need to create a multi-level website with different access rights and complex information blocks.

Overall, Joomla is a pretty good choice for a business website or online store. However, if your project requires flexibility but without the complexity of Bitrix, Joomla may be the best option.

Bitrix — a solution for business and large-scale projects

The Bitrix content management system is focused on corporate websites, marketplaces, and large-scale business projects. They require complex user management logic and interaction with other services. The advantage of Bitrix is that it combines CMS + CRM + analytics in a single ecosystem.

Built-in features of Bitrix:

1. A full-fledged CRM allows you to work with orders, leads, keep a history of communications, and integrate with telephony.
2. Bitrix has built-in tools for analysing traffic, sales, and the effectiveness of marketing campaigns.
3. The platform supports connection to 1C, marketplaces, payment systems, and delivery services.
4. Bitrix is well optimised for high loads.
5. The platform has built-in protection against DDoS attacks, backups, and access control at the level of users and administrators.

However, unlike WordPress and Joomla, Bitrix is not free. The minimum version costs from $150, and advanced packages can reach several thousand dollars. To implement complex projects on Bitrix, specialists are needed.

Which platform to choose?

Choosing the right CMS is only the beginning. It’s important to customise the platform for specific business tasks, optimise its performance, and ensure stable support.

Web Stork helps at all stages:

1. We analyse business tasks and select the optimal platform.
2. We develop a website with the necessary functions and integrations.
3. We provide technical support and updates.
4. We optimise the speed, security, and UX of the website.

If you are not sure which CMS is right for you, contact Web Stork — we will find the best solution and implement a website that will work for your business.