When creating a new Website you have endless possibilities like using a CMS, Website builder or a static Website to choose from. There are technologies like Angular, ReactJS, etc. you can use to create your Website. Beside that there are endless CMS like WordPress, Joomla, Drupal etc. Additionally there are many Website builder options like from WIX, GoDaddy and Jimdo. Last but not least there is still the option just to have a static Website without using any of these tools. But which one to choose and what are the differences?
I worked on a lot Website projects and have used many different technologies to create Websites. I have used for example WordPress, WIX, GoDaddy, Jimdo, Angular and static Websites as well just to name a few of them. After all these projects I can say that there is no clear answer which technology is the best. It always depends on the project and the requirements coming with it.
I will try to summarize the advantages and disadvantages of all solutions (CMS, Website Builder or a Static Website) to help you deciding about the technology for your next project.
This list might be not complete and you may have a different view on some points. Therefore I invite you to share your opinion and experiences in the comments to bring more perspectives into that topic.
CMS
Advantages
- Flexible
- Dynamic
- Extensions with plugins
- Many themes
Disadvantages
- Security (every plugin can have vulnerabilities)
- Speed (many plugins can make it slow)
- Knowledge (not easy if no CMS experience)
- Time intensive (if no experience with CMS)
Website Builder
Advantages
- Easy (for everybody)
- Secure (Webhoster takes care)
- Fast Results
- Ready to use themes
- Extensions
- Support
Disadvantages
- Price (possibe extra costs)
- Limited Features
- Sometimes slower
- No updates needed
Programming (i.e. Angular)
Advantages
- Endless possibilities
- Complex websites / webapps possible
- Independent from hoster or plugin developers
- Dynamic
- Flexible
- Can be very fast
Disadvantages
- Development skills needed
- Additional software needed (like IDE,…)
- Security (good knowledge needed)
- Less themes
- Changes may need a build of the webapp
- Updates can be time intensive
Static Website (HTML, CSS, PHP)
Advantages
- Fast
- Security (depends on libraries used)
- Easy (usually basic HTML, CSS knowledge is enough)
- Works nearly on every hoster
- Easy to update
Disadvantages
- Possibilites are limited
- Static
- Less themes
- Additional tools needed if no text editor used
Very often CMS systems or Website Builders are compared but the question about what technology to use is not answered. That’s why I write this article to make it easier to answer the basic question first. From my experience these are my recommendations when it comes to the comparison between CMS, Website Builder and a Static Website:
Small Website with static content (i.e. Freelancer Website)
→ Static Website with theme
→ Website Builders
Medium sized Website with static content (i.e. Product Page)
→ Static Website with theme
→ Website Builders
→ CMS (i.e. WordPress, Joomla, etc.)
Medium sized Website with dynamic content (i.e. Company Website)
→ CMS (i.e. WordPress, Joomla, etc.)
→ Programming (i.e. Angular)
Big Website with dynamic content (i.e. Company Website, Forum)
→ CMS (i.e. WordPress, Typo3, etc.)
→ Programming (i.e. Angular)
Software as a Service Application / Dynamic Webapps (i.e. Job Portal)
→ Programming (i.e. Angular)