Explore in-depth guides and comparisons of popular content management systems (CMS), including tips for managing websites with ease.
Are you ready to take your online store to the next level with a powerful, flexible platform? If so, you’re in for a treat. Today, we’re diving into OpenCart, a versatile e-commerce solution, and exploring how you can effortlessly host it on Switchweb. We’ll cover what OpenCart is, its benefits, use cases, and what you […]
MediaWiki is the open-source wiki software originally built for Wikipedia, and it’s widely used for knowledge bases, documentation sites, and collaborative community wikis. It’s free, supports multiple contributors editing simultaneously, and keeps a full version history of every change. What MediaWiki offers Collaborative editing with version control: Multiple contributors can edit the same content, with […]
What Joomla actually needs from a host: PHP and MySQL versions, memory limits, caching, and the extensions that slow sites down. Plus migrating from another host and keeping an older Joomla site secure.
ExpressionEngine is a flexible, commercially-licensed CMS built around custom content structures rather than imposing a fixed blog or page model. It’s often chosen by developers and agencies building bespoke client sites where the content model itself, not just the design, needs to be tailored to the project. What ExpressionEngine offers Custom content structures: Define exactly […]
Moodle is an open-source learning management system used widely by schools, universities, and organisations to deliver online courses and support classroom teaching. It’s free to use, with course management, quizzes, forums, and progress tracking built in. What Moodle offers Course management: Structure content, activities, and resources into courses with clear progression. Interactive learning tools: Quizzes, […]
E107 is an open-source CMS with built-in community features (forums, user management, news publishing) bundled together, aimed at people who want a community-oriented site without assembling separate plugins for each feature. What E107 offers Built-in forums and news publishing: Core community features included rather than requiring separate plugins. Theming system: Customisable templates for site appearance. […]
dotProject is an open-source project management tool covering tasks, milestones, and team collaboration, aimed at small teams who want self-hosted project tracking rather than a subscription-based SaaS tool. What dotProject offers Task and milestone tracking: Core project management functionality. Team collaboration: Shared visibility across a project for multiple team members. Self-hosted control: Full ownership of […]
Dolibarr is an open-source ERP and CRM tool covering invoicing, stock management, and customer relationships in one system, aimed at small businesses that want an all-in-one management platform without separate subscriptions for each function. What Dolibarr offers Invoicing and accounting basics: Generate and track invoices and basic financial records. Stock and inventory management: Track stock […]
CubeCart is a self-hosted eCommerce platform aimed at smaller online stores wanting a lighter-weight alternative to WooCommerce or Magento, with built-in product management, payment gateway support, and order handling. What CubeCart offers Product and order management: Core eCommerce functionality without needing a separate platform layered on top of a CMS. Payment gateway integrations: Support for […]
Craft CMS is a content-first CMS popular with developers and agencies building custom, design-led websites. It gives more granular control over content modelling than WordPress’s post/page structure, at the cost of a steeper setup process generally handled by a developer rather than a site owner directly. What Craft CMS offers Flexible content modelling: Define custom […]
Concrete CMS is an open-source CMS known for its in-context editing, where you edit content directly on the live page layout rather than through a separate admin form. It’s a reasonable option for non-technical content editors who want a more visual editing experience than WordPress’s standard editor provides. What Concrete CMS offers In-context editing: Edit […]
CMS Made Simple is a lightweight, open-source CMS aimed at smaller sites that don’t need WordPress’s larger feature set, prioritising a simpler learning curve for content editors. What CMS Made Simple offers Straightforward content editing: A simpler admin interface aimed at non-technical users. Template system: Customisable site design through CMS Made Simple’s templating. Module-based extensions: […]
CakePHP is an open-source PHP framework for building custom web applications, rather than a content management system. Developers use it to build bespoke applications faster than writing everything from scratch, using its built-in conventions for database access, routing, and validation. What CakePHP offers MVC architecture: A structured approach to building applications, separating data, logic, and […]
Cachet is an open-source status page tool, used to publish a public page showing the current operational status of a service or website, useful during outages or planned maintenance to keep customers informed without them needing to contact support. What Cachet offers Public status pages: Communicate service status and incidents to users directly. Incident history: […]
BuddyPress is a free WordPress plugin that adds social networking features, member profiles, activity feeds, groups, and private messaging, to a standard WordPress site. Unlike the other platforms in this series, it’s not standalone software; it runs on top of an existing WordPress installation. What BuddyPress offers Member profiles and activity feeds: Core social networking […]
BigTree CMS is an open-source CMS aimed at developers building custom client sites, with a module-based architecture for tailoring the admin experience to a specific project’s needs. What BigTree CMS offers Custom modules: Build admin interfaces tailored to specific content types. Developer-friendly architecture: Designed for agencies building custom solutions for clients. What BigTree CMS needs […]
Backdrop CMS is an open-source CMS built as a more straightforward, lightweight alternative to larger platforms like Drupal, aimed at smaller organisations that want Drupal-style structured content without the same level of complexity. What Backdrop CMS offers Structured content types: Define custom content structures, similar in spirit to Drupal but with a simpler learning curve. […]
