Hi there!
On this forum, there may have been multiple responses to this trivial question. Nevertheless, I am interested to know the latest information regarding the most popular CMS and their respective benefits. While the internet provides abundant information, I am seeking genuine user experiences rather than rewritten content.
I would appreciate any insights on the performance of admin panels, SEO settings, indexing, and design aspects of various CMS. For instance, during my previous experience with Joomla, I faced issues with changing the displayed favicon in search engines. Such intriguing details are what I am looking to explore further.
Is there anyone who has firsthand knowledge to share?
WordPress is undoubtedly a powerful CMS platform. In my opinion, its major benefits are flexibility and accessibility. The former can be categorized into two parts: WordPress is suitable for both novice and advanced users. Most functional requirements can be easily addressed through settings, plugins, or manual coding.
Moreover, dоcumentation, as well as free plugin alternatives, are plentifully available online, alongside specialists who are readily available whenever help is needed.
It takes significant efforts to acquire the necessary knowledge to develop any CMS from scratch. However, with WP, it just takes a maximum of half an hour to produce a couple of pages.
There is a plethora of content management systems available today. While some CMSs are popular worldwide, others are designed for specific sites or site groups. Some have teams of developers working on them, while others are created by a single developer.
Joomla is a widely used CMS, but it falls short of WordPress in terms of the number of projects. It has a range of templates and plugins but they are fewer in number compared to WordPress. This CMS is more complex than WordPress and may require more time to learn.
Moguta is a specialized domestic engine mainly focused on creating online stores. It is user-friendly and requires no programming skills, featuring a simple admin panel. However, the majority of its templates and plugins must be purchased.
Drupal is among the most potent CMSs, commonly used for high-traffic websites dealing with vast amounts of data. It is complex, requiring expertise to operate, making it challenging for beginners. Websites with heavy loads such as news portals and corporate websites are built with Drupal. There are paid plugins and templates, and it requires more robust hosting compared to WordPress and Joomla.
As for the most popular CMS for forums, for me it is SMF (Simple Machines Forum (https://simplemachines.org/)).
I have been using this system on many of my sites, including the current one (dnray.com), for over 10 years now.
Despite the fact that it is free, the operation of the engine is stable, and on the support forum you can always find the answer to any question about the engine, or ask your own.
For me CMS Joomla remains the most convenient. Favicon issues are now resolved. A large number of ready-made solutions, it is possible to work with the source code. There is some inconvenience. It is more complex than WordPress. But the possibilities for solving various problems are much greater, for my opinion.
My choice is Joomla.
From experience, I can say that most of the orders are for CMS Wordpress. Although I don't really like her myself, but it looks like the whole world is writing on her.
I've worked with WordPress, Joomla, Drupal, Magento, and even some of the newer, more niche ones like Ghost and Grav. Let me try to give you a detailed breakdown of my thoughts about them, including some interesting aspects like admin panel performance, SEO settings, indexing, and design flexibility. I'll also throw in some of my personal annoyances I've encountered, just like your favicon issue with Joomla.
1. WordPress
Alright, let's be honest—WordPress is the big dog here. It's probably the most popular CMS out there. And for a good reason. It's user-friendly, has a huge library of plugins and themes, and it's super flexible. The admin panel is pretty intuitive, although it can feel a bit cluttered sometimes if you're running a site with lots of plugins. For SEO, WordPress has some of the best options out there, like Yoast SEO or RankMath, which provide all the settings you need, from meta titles to sitemaps and indexing settings.
Pros:
Ease of Use: Even a newbie can get started fairly easily.
SEO: Plugins like Yoast makes it a breeze to setup and manage SEO.
Community Support: Huge community; if you're stuck, someone else has likely been there.
Cons:
Performance Issues: With too many plugins, it can get slow.
Security: Because it's so popular, it's also a target for hackers. Regular updates are essential.
2. Joomla
Ah, Joomla... This one is like the middle child between WordPress and Drupal. It's got more flexibility than WordPress but doesn't require as much hardcore coding knowledge as Drupal. But, Joomla has its quirks too. The admin panel is not as user-friendly as WordPress; it can be overwhelming with all the options, and you really need to know where everything is to use it efficiently. About the favicon issue you mentioned, yeah, changing it can be a real headache sometimes—probably due to some conflicting cache or weird settings buried deep within.
Pros:
Flexible: Better suited for more complex sites than WordPress.
Built-in Multilingual Support: No need for a plugin for multi-language sites.
Cons:
Learning Curve: Steeper than WordPress.
Plugins & Themes: Not as abundant or easy to use as WordPress.
3. Drupal
Now, Drupal is a beast. It's very powerful and incredibly flexible. But with that power comes complexity. The admin panel is not for the faint-hearted; it's almost like you need a developer background to navigate it properly. But if you know what you're doing, Drupal is great for large, complex sites that need custom data handling. SEO settings are solid, but more manual. You'd probably be doing a lot of configuration yourself or hiring someone who knows what they're doing.
Pros:
Highly Customizable: Ideal for large and complex sites.
Security: Known for being more secure than WordPress and Joomla.
Cons:
Complexity: Not beginner-friendly at all.
Cost: Usually requires a developer, so it can be more expensive.
4. Magento
Magento is another niche CMS, mostly focused on eCommerce. If you're running an online store, this is a fantastic choice. The admin panel is decent but can be quite overwhelming for beginners. SEO-wise, Magento is strong, with lots of options for metadata, product optimization, and indexing. However, it requires a lot of resources, so expect to invest in good hosting.
Pros:
Built for eCommerce: Great product and order management.
SEO & Marketing Tools: Robust out of the box.
Cons:
Complexity & Performance: Can be slow without optimization.
Cost: It's free, but the enterprise version is quite pricey.
5. Ghost
Ghost is relatively new and is targeted more towards bloggers and content creators. The admin panel is very clean and minimalistic, which I love. SEO settings are built-in but not as detailed as WordPress. If you need something quick, lightweight, and focused purely on content, Ghost is a good choice.
Pros:
Performance: Lightweight and fast.
Modern Design: The admin panel is sleek and uncluttered.
Cons:
Limited Plugins: Not much customization beyond what's built-in.
Target Audience: Focuses more on content creators than general websites.
6. Grav
Grav is a flat-file CMS, which means no database. This makes it super fast and lightweight. It's great for developers who want total control. The admin panel is surprisingly decent for a flat-file CMS, but still, this is more for devs who don't mind getting their hands dirty with some code.
Pros:
Performance: Extremely fast.
Flexibility: You can pretty much build anything.
Cons:
Not for Beginners: More suited for developers.
Limited Community: Smaller user base, so less support.
Some Intriguing Details
You mentioned an issue with Joomla's favicon—I totally get that. Sometimes, CMS have these little quirks that drive you nuts. With WordPress, for instance, if you use too many page builders like Elementor or WPBakery, you'll end up with a mess of shortcodes that can be hell if you ever decide to switch themes or builders. On the other hand, I've seen Magento sites crash because of an unoptimized database or poorly written extension. Every CMS has its own annoyances, trust me.
So, what's the best CMS? It depends on what you need. If you're looking for ease of use and a large community, WordPress is your best bet. For more flexibility and power, Joomla or Drupal might be better. For eCommerce, it's hard to beat Magento. And if you just want something lightweight for blogging, Ghost or Grav are worth a shot. Remember, there's no one-size-fits-all solution; you've got to pick the right tool for the job!
WordPress? Sure, it's the big kahuna, but its admin panel is a bloated mess if you're not babysitting plugins 24/7. SEO is decent with add-ons, but indexing can tank if your host is garbage or you've got sloppy code. Design? Themes are a dime a dozen, but half are buggy AF.
Joomla? Don't get me started—your favicon issue is just the tip of the iceberg. Its admin UI is a relic, SEO settings are a joke, and design customization is a pain unless you're a masochist.
Drupal is overkill for 90% of users; the admin panel screams "I hate you," and SEO/indexing needs constant tweaking. Design is powerful but only if you're a coding ninja. Honestly, roll your own CMS or use something lean like Statamic if you've got the chops.