Best CMS compared

Was ist ein CMS?

Die Abkürzung CMS steht für den englischsprachigen Begriff Content Management System. In die deutsche Sprache übersetzt, beschreibt dies ein System zur Verwaltung von Inhalten. Ein CMS wird also auf einem Web hosting eingesetzt, um die Erstellung und Verwaltung von Inhalten einer Webseite zu erleichtern. Mit dem Begriff Inhalt sind in diesem Zusammenhang alle Formen von Medien gemeint, also Texte, Bilder und Videos, die im Internet den Besuchern des Online Auftritts präsentiert werden sollen. Content Management Systeme gibt es in unzähligen Variationen. Einige Entwickler stellen ihre Software kostenlos und mit offenem Quellcode der breiten Masse zur Verfügung, während andere ihre Anwendungen als proprietäre Software nur an zahlende Kunden vertreiben. Zudem gibt es CMS die sich in erster Linie für einfache kleine Webprojekte eignen, sowie Systeme die für besonders umfangreiche und komplexe Webseiten verwendet werden können.

Welche Vorteile bringt ein CMS?

Der größte Vorteil beim Einsatz eines guten CMS auf dem eigenen Webhosting ist die vereinfachte Verwaltung der Inhalte. Bei vielen Content Management Systemen sind aufgrund der strikten Trennung von Inhalten, Design und Funktion entweder gar keine oder nur grundlegende Programmierkenntnisse notwendig, um mithilfe der Software eine ansprechende Webseite aufzubauen. In der Regel muss lediglich der Umgang mit der entsprechenden Anwendung erlernt werden. Anstatt sämtliche Elemente einer Webseite von Grund auf per HTML erstellen zu müssen, erledigt das CMS diese Aufgaben und der Webseitenbetreiber kann sich auf die Präsentation seiner Inhalte konzentrieren. Die meisten CMS bieten zudem verschiedene Benutzerrollen, sodass mehrere Mitarbeiter an einer Webseite unterschiedliche Aufgaben übernehmen können. So können beispielsweise Redakteure ohne IT-Kenntnisse das System zur einfachen Erstellung von Texten nutzen. Content Management Systeme werden auch benötigt, wenn es um die Bereitstellung von dynamischen Daten geht. Wenn Webseitenbesucher mit den Inhalten interagieren können und individuelle Inhalte angezeigt bekommen sollen, organisiert das CMS die schnelle Bereitstellung der entsprechenden Daten. Dies geschieht in Verbindung mit einem Datenbanksystem, in dem sämtliche Daten gespeichert sind und je nach Bedarf die benötigten Datensätze herausgesucht und dem Nutzer präsentiert werden.

Which is the best CMS for your website?

Which content management system is best for your website hosting depends on several criteria. Each system has its advantages and disadvantages, so a comparison is sensible. First, you should consider how your website will be implemented and which features it should offer to potential visitors. Your own expertise and, more generally, the planned scope of the site also play a major role. Naturally, you should also decide whether to use a free open-source system or a specific paid solution.

Most popular content management systems

The following graphic shows the market shares of the content management systems tracked by W3Techs. WordPress remains clearly in front with 58.7%. It is followed by Shopify (7.8%), Wix (6.1%), Squarespace (3.6%), Joomla (1.6%) and Tilda and Webflow with 1.2% each. CMSs not shown individually are grouped together as the remaining category.

Source: W3Techs, market shares of the tracked CMSs, as of 1 October 2026. WordPress is used on 40.2% of all websites; 31.5% of all websites do not use any of the CMSs tracked by W3Techs.

Commercial CMSs

Commercial content management systems, such as the e‑commerce platform Shopify or the website builders from Wix and Squarespace, often offer a free entry-level plan but are generally paid for professional or more extensive web presences. They provide users with an intuitive and user-friendly platform that enables the creation of professional websites without deep technical knowledge. These systems typically include integrated solutions for web hosting, security and technical support, which significantly reduces the effort required for maintenance and management of the website. In addition, they offer a variety of pre-designed templates and customisation options to meet the needs of different business models and sectors, making them particularly attractive to self-employed individuals or small businesses.

Advantages

• Further development and updates of the system are contractually guaranteed
• Intuitive and user-friendly platform
• Stability and performance are guaranteed
• Support provided under contract

Disadvantages

• Professional use is chargeable
• No access to the source code
• High dependence on the developer
• Support only from the vendor

Free open-source content management systems

Much more popular and far better known due to the huge number of community projects are the open-source content management systems. The fact that every user can use these systems free of charge for any purpose has contributed to their wide distribution. Software such as WordPress, Joomla, TYPO3 or Drupal is familiar to most webmasters, and the majority of websites on the internet use these systems as their foundation.

Advantages

• No licence fees for the software
• Open source code allows custom development
• Large community of developers and users

Disadvantages

• Higher learning curve for users without IT knowledge
• Custom changes are not possible without specialist knowledge

Most popular open-source content management systems

For the open-source CMS considered here, the same gap is evident: WordPress reaches a market share of 58.7% among the CMS tracked by W3Techs. Joomla follows with 1.6%, Drupal with 0.9% and TYPO3 with 0.5%. The remainder comprises all other CMS.

Source: W3Techs, market shares of the surveyed CMS, as of 1 October 2026.

Tip: Also read about the most popular shop systems in comparison and the distribution of market shares.

How do I find the best CMS for my web project?

Commercial content management systems (CMS) such as Shopify, Squarespace or Wix generally offer a user-friendly interface and simple drag-and-drop features that enable users without technical knowledge to create and manage professional-looking websites. They often come with integrated Web hosting and technical support, which simplifies the set-up and maintenance of the website.

By contrast, open-source CMS such as WordPress, Joomla, Drupal or TYPO3 offer greater flexibility and customisation options through a wide range of plugins and themes, but typically require more technical know-how and self-maintenance.

While commercial CMS solutions often rely on a subscription model that can incur ongoing costs, open-source alternatives are available free of charge, but can incur additional costs for advanced features or professional templates.

Ultimately, the choice between commercial and open-source CMS depends on the user's specific needs, budget and level of technical comfort.

How do I find the best CMS web hosting?

Unlike commercial CMSs, users of the popular open source CMSs depend on their own web hosting. In general, content management systems are written in a specific scripting language, which of course must be supported by the CMS web hosting. The best-known and most widely used CMSs are based on the scripting language PHP. In addition, most content management systems require a database such as MySQL. To ensure optimal operation and full functionality, developers often recommend individual settings and extensions for the scripting language support. Depending on which content management system you choose, the specific requirements for the CMS web hosting vary. Since the software itself usually does not require much storage space on the hard drive, this value depends particularly on the planned content of the website. If you want to provide your visitors with high-resolution images and videos, you should accordingly plan for more storage space.

The following table provides an overview of the requirements of the best-known applications that can be used on CMS web hosting:
 

Choose one of the best content management systems and find the right web hosting for your web project.

The best web hosting providers from our test

Rank ↕	Provider ↕	Test Score ↕	Storage ↕	Domains ↕	Contract ↕	Price ↕
1.	4,9 ★ (129)	4.8/5 Excellent 02/2026	10 GB	1	1 months	£2.41/month	View Test	To provider
1.	4,9 ★ (24)	4.8/5 Excellent 02/2026	25 GB		1 months	£11.99/month	View Test	To provider *
3.	4,9 ★ (387)	4.6/5 Excellent 04/2026	50 GB	3	0 months	£4.11/month	View Test	To provider *
4.	4,9 ★ (43)	4.5/5 Excellent 02/2026	-	-	-	-	View Test	To provider *
5.	4,8 ★ (1T)	4.2/5 Very Good 02/2026	150 GB	3	12 months	£3.38/month	View Test	To provider

As of: April 2026 | Our Testing Methodology * If you click on a recommendation with *, this supports our work. hosttest may then receive remuneration.

Our article is based on our own experience and research as well as information from external sources.

Article update:
Update 02.10.26: CMS statistics and charts updated

Sources & further links on the topic:
https://w3techs.com/technologies/history_overview/content_management (CMS distribution statistics)
https://w3techs.com/technologies/overview/content_management (CMS distribution statistics)

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