Which content management system (CMS) is the right one for which application? The choice of appropriate CMS is of fundamental importance, especially for companies. Following, we compare the Open Source CMS TYPO3, Drupal, WordPress and Joomla!
The first question when choosing a CMS is the question: Should it be an Open Source CMS or a proprietary / commercial CMS? Private users often use Open Source CMS for cost reasons, but Open Source often is a good choice for businesses as well. Here are some advantages of Open Source CMS over commercial CMS. The question of Open Source must be clarified in each individual case. Further information can be found on our Open Source Software info page.
Unlike many other Open Source CMS available in the market, TYPO3 is a mature, feature-complete Enterprise Web Content Management System.
In addition to administration of complex websites, TYPO3 offers connections to numerous third-party systems, which are already present in the existing software architecture. For example, TYPO3 can be used to link ERP- and CRM-systems, in order to integrate existing content in business-relevant processes. In this way, TYPO3 significantly contributes to the bottom line of a company.
TYPO3 fulfills almost all the requirements that companies place on a license-free content management system: support for global websites through multilanguage- and localization features, connection to any software system, comprehensive system for user authorization and access as well as almost endless possibilities to add own functions through specially developed extensions.
TYPO3 is especially well-suited for internationally active, large companies. The features for provisioning localized, multilingual content help editors to efficiently manage even very large websites at all times. Since TYPO3 is a server-based CMS, with which companies have the possibility to manage all texts, documents and files through any given web browser, content editors and writers can use the CMS without HTML- or other programming knowledge, and add or change content or design templates.
The TYPO3 CMS is an Open Source Web Content Management System for creating complex websites, Intranets and extranets. With its enormous flexibility and unlimited scalability as well as its out-of-the-box interfaces, features and widgets, TYPO3 is es especially suited for corporate use in a business-critical environment.
Unlike TYPO3 or Joomla!, which are pure-play web content management systems (CMS); or WordPress, which is often used as blog software, Drupal follows the approach of combining simple web content management with social community software. In addition to the basic features of a web CMS, Drupal places a strong focus on providing an extensive set of social community tools. These include, among others, a blog systes, fora ad diverse web 2.0 features, which allow for the simple creation of user-generated content. The obvious strengths of the systems lie in this area.
Unlike TYPO3, Drupal was not developed for use as an Enterprise Web CMS, but as a comprehensive social community solution. However, the use of Drupal can be sensible if the focus is on extensive social software, combined with simple Web CMS capabilities.
By contrast to TYPO3, WordPress is actually a pure weblog system, which can be expanded or rather converted to a Web Content Management System (CMS), though with considerable effort.
WordPress, unlike TYPO3, is primarily a blog system, which, for the most part, is best suited for creating small websites; these websites are filled with content through community publishing, i.e. the active participation of users or employees. Even for small website projects, selected extensions must be installed, so that a tradtional Web CMS with editing system can be implemented for a company. WordPress can be utilized as a Web CMS for companies with a lot of work, but one needs a lot of time and expert knowledge to provide the system with all necessary plugins and to make it operational. In contrast to this, many functionalities are integrated into TYPO3 by default.
Together with TYPO3, Joomla! is one of the most popular Web content management systems on the market. Joomla! had its origins in the Open Source project Mambo.
Since the program code of Joomla! is entirely object oriented and components adhere to the Model View Controller (MVC) design principles, one can create extensions and web applications using the Joomla! framework and its corresponding API. By using the new Joomla User Interface (JUI) library, users can individually customizse Joomla 3.x extensions. In this way, Joomla! can be used to subsequently implement additional Enterprise features such as SAP connectors or similar features. In addition, the new version Joomla! 3.x provides numerous features for developing mobile web applications. With Bootstrap, Joomla relies on an HTML-/JavaScript framework, which is especially well-suited for Responsive Design and mobile apps.
In order to quickly and easily create websites for small- or medium-sized companies, an association or for a private person, Joomla! certainly is a good choice. However, when it comes to managing Enterprise Web content management solutions with unlimited scaling requirements as well as multilanguage fallbacks across multiple domains under a single umbrella for global corporations and corporations, or even implementing complex translation workflows with external agencies through the CMS, TYPO3 remains the CMS of choice. Many of the features required in a business-critical environment are already included in the TYPO3 basic package and only need to be activated, while Joomla! can only be brought to speed with a large number of extensions, which then must be further adapted and customized.
Features | TYPO3 | Drupal | Joomla | WordPress |
Website | ||||
Available since | 2000 | 2001 | 2005 |
|
Developers | > 70,000 | > 38,000 | n/a | n/a |
Open Source license | GNU General Public License | GNU General Public License | GNU General Public License | GNU General Public License |
Programming language | PHP | PHP | PHP | PHP |
Number of languages | 50 | 181 | > 60 | 50 |
Used for | Medium-sized & large companies, esp. international organizations | Medium-sized & large companies | Small companies | Small companies and blogs |
Strengths | Stability, localization, feature-rich, investment security | Barrier-free for editors | Interfaces, single-site installation | Blog functionality, configurable for editors |
Plugins/Market Place | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Weakness | Steep learning curve for developers | Steep learning curve for developers | Poor feature set for international websites | Vulnerable for security issues |
Are you looking for a CMS service provider or a digital solution? We are happy to help. Further information about our agile way of working and our solutions can be found in our CMS solutions as well as our CMS products.