The 10 most popular CMS platforms on the web
Yes, there are over 73 million online websites that use a CMS. However, they don't all use the same CMS. CMS encompass a variety of solutions, including free software, blogging platforms, hosted website solutions, and website creation tools. This makes the CMS market diverse and highly competitive.
- WordPress Market Share 41.28%
- Wix Market Share 7.03%.
- Squarespace Market Share 4.24%.
- Joomla! Market share 2.44%.
- GoDaddy Builder 2.50% Market Share
- Weebly Market Share 1.57%
- Duda Market Share 1.10%
- Blogger Market share 1.05%.
- Drupal Market share 1.03%.
- Jimdo Market share 0.76%.
Next, we'll give you detailed and up-to-date information on market shares and usage statistics for each CMS.
1. WordPress (market share 41.28%)
WordPress is the most popular CMS platform on the market. It was founded in 2003 as a subsidiary of b2/cafelog. Over the years, WordPress has gone through hundreds of revisions and updates. Today, it is a modern platform built on MySQL and PHP.
WordPress remains an open source project. It has the largest community in the CMS world, made up of web designers, developers, and bloggers.
WordPress usage statistics
- Total number of websites - 30 462 105
- Global market share - 41.28%.
- Number of websites in the United States - 9,145,507
Who should use it/best for
WordPress is ideal for absolute beginners, bloggers, bloggers, magazines, educational websites, and portfolios of businesses and non-profit organizations. It is designed as one of these ready-to-use solutions. You only need a few minutes to set it up and Start a blog or a website.
The most popular and beautiful websites that use WordPress include Vogue, The Obama Foundation, Angry Birds and Canada.com.
Main characteristics
- Themes - choose one of the three default themes, or go to a theme directory and browse thousands of themes to find one that you like.
- Plugins - improve the functionality of your website and offer your users the functions they will appreciate thanks to WordPress plugins.
- Publishing tools - everything you need to publish blog posts on your site.
- Embedded comments - allow your audience to participate in your content in a convenient way. Feedback is integrated and forum websites are also supported.
- Search engine optimization - WordPress is optimized for the most popular search engines and offers access to SEO plugins to boost your efforts to SEO on another level.
Pricing
WordPress is free software.
- Free.
You can download and use it for free. However, if you want to manage a website, you'll need to get a domain name and a hosting plan. It's the part of your website project that comes at a price, but that's a whole different topic. If you want to check the prices, check out our articles on best domain registrars And the best hosting providers.
To take away
It is not without reason that WordPress has such a significant market share in the field of CMS. It is one of the best CMS in terms of ease of use, freedom, and customization. Even if you are creating a website for the first time, WordPress will allow you to do it without a problem. Here is a great guide that anyone can use to complete the installation successfully.
2. Wix (market share 7.03%)
The creators of Wix were frustrated by the difficulty and cost of creating and launching websites. They wanted to create a platform that was affordable and easy to use. Wix was founded in 2006, and since then, it has become one of the most popular CMS with a market share of 7.03%.
Wix is an online website builder. It offers everything you need to create a beautiful website, whether you are an absolute beginner or a tech-savvy person looking for a quick solution.
Wix usage statistics
- Total number of websites - 4,565,423
- Global market share - 7.03%.
- Number of websites in the United States - 15,757
Who should use it/best for
Wix is designed to meet the needs of individuals and businesses, and is recommended for less experienced individuals as well as businesses that don't have the budget for comprehensive website development projects. It is often used for blog sites, e-commerce businesses, business portfolios, startup sites, freelancing platforms and entrepreneurs.
The best way to evaluate a CMS is to take a look at the websites that use it. The most popular Wix sites are Animal Music, Wendy Ju, Poke Bowlz and Rafael Varona.
Main characteristics
- The Wix editor - use a drag-and-drop editor to create amazing web pages, or use designer-designed templates to build your site in minutes.
- Application market - extend the functionality of your website with applications from the application market.
- Automated website builder - use Wix ADI to build a website by answering questions only.
- Custom domain name - personalize your website with a unique domain name of your choice.
- Wix stores and bookings - access business features for create an e-commerce website or launch a website for your coffee shop, restaurant, take-out service, or hotel.
Pricing
Wix offers free plans, website plans, and business and e-commerce plans.
Free plan
- Free.
The free account gives you access to the Wix site builder, free hosting, unlimited pages, and hosting. However, your website will have Wix ads.
Web site
- Starting at $4.50 per month.
As part of the Website plan, you have access to 4 unique offers.
Business and e-Commerce
- Starting at $17 per month.
Business & e-Commerce plans include Business Basic, Business Unlimited, and Business VIP.
In short
Wix is a comprehensive website builder with lots of tools and support for web applications. It offers numerous pricing plans that meet the needs of individuals and businesses. It is easy to use, but it also allows you to create complex websites with extensive functionality. Here is a step-by-step guide to How to use Wix to build your website.
3. Squarespace (market share 4.24%)
With a CMS market share of 4.24%, Squarespace is in third place on our list. Initially, Squarespace was a student bedroom project. Today, he is one of the main creators of websites. Although it comes with all the standard website building tools, this platform is more focused on appearance.
Squarespace templates are top quality. They are all designed by professionals and are pixel perfect. Now, let's take a closer look at these CMS usage statistics.
Squarespace usage statistics
- Total number of websites - 2,750,270
- Global market share - 4.24%.
- Number of websites in the United States - 2,000,984
Who should use it/best for
Squarespace shines with its ease of use. It is recommended for beginners. Because it offers high-quality templates, Squarespace is especially popular with beginners who value the visual aspect of a website. It supports e-commerce sites, so businesses in this sector can also use it to launch online stores.
Visit these popular Squarespace websites to check out the visuals and functionality that Squarespace offers: Slow Travel Magazine, New Inc, A+I, and Egg Shop.
Main characteristics
- Customizable pages - easily create a fully customized website. Build pages from scratch, use templates, and customize them anytime.
- Custom redirects - reorganize your website at any time with 301 and 302 redirects.
- Mobile ready - all Squarespace templates are optimized for the best mobile experience.
- Blog tools - use custom layouts, a workflow, scheduled posts, and RSS syndication to get your blog up and running in no time.
- eCommerce - start selling digital content, products, services, or subscriptions with ease using Squarespace's eCommerce features.
Pricing
Paid plans
- Starting at $12 per month.
Squarespace offers four plans: Personal, Business, Basic Commerce, and Advanced Commerce.
In short
Squarespace is a great website builder. It comes with some of the most beautiful designs you can find online. With its extensive customization options and business support, it has attracted a large portion of the global CMS market. Check out our detailed guide to How to build a website using Squarespace.
4. Joomla! (market share 2.44%)
The first release of Joomla! was published in 2005. Over the past 15 years, this CMS has grown to become one of the most versatile CMS on the market. Joomla! has managed to remain open-source and completely free. However, using Joomla! requires some knowledge and is not recommended for absolute beginners.
It is a very popular CMS in the web development niche because it is built on a model-view-controller web application framework. This framework is self-contained and can be used to create powerful web applications.
Joomla! usage statistics
- Total number of websites - 1,580,832
- Global market share - 2.44%.
- Number of websites in the United States - 466,141
Who should use it/best for
Joomla! is omnipresent. It is a robust CMS with support for a website in any niche. It can be used for small and large business websites, newspapers, newspapers, e-commerce, e-commerce, community portals, etc. However, it is better suited for people with experience using CMS because it has a steeper learning curve than other CMSs. On the other hand, there are plenty of tutorials that are easy to follow and are updated regularly.
Joomla! manages some of the most popular websites. Get ready to be surprised! The list includes peugeot, nintendo, NPO 3FM, Roger Federer, and more.
Main characteristics
- Extensible - there are over 8,000 extensions available to improve the functionality of your website.
- Layouts - render HTML from objects or data tables, which is great for creating dynamic pages.
- Fully responsive - Joomla! uses Bootstrap to provide the best mobile experience.
- Deep customization - create the website you want. Joomla! even allows you to use different templates on each web page of your site.
- Content editing - over 9 content editing tools and the WYSIWYG editor will help you streamline content creation and publishing.
Pricing
Joomla! is free software.
- Free.
Joomla! is completely free to use under GNU license. You can download and install it on your server. However, Joomla! also offers website hosting services on launch.joomla.org. You can create and launch a website on launch.joomla.org for free, but with only 500MB of storage space and the same use of subdomains.
You can upgrade to Premium to remove these limitations through the Community Referral Program, starting at $5 per month.
In short
Joomla! is an excellent CMS and its market share is a testament to that. It has a steeper learning curve than the CMS we've covered so far but a lot more customizations. This makes it a risky option for someone who has no experience building websites, but a great option for more advanced users.
5. GoDaddy Website Builder (market share 2.50%)
GoDaddy started in 1997 under the name Jomax Technologies. It later became GoDaddy Group Inc. and is now one of the most popular service platforms for everything related to websites. One of their services is their Website Builder.
GoDaddy Website Builder is a complete solution for people who want a one-stop solution. It is an easy to use constructor with plenty of options to satisfy beginners and advanced users.
GoDaddy usage statistics
- Total number of websites - 1,624,154
- Global market share - 2.50
- Number of websites in the United States - 1,376,582
Who should use it/best for
GoDaddy has a large user base. It was designed to get the job done. Designed with ease of use in mind, GoDaddy Website Builder is also useful for users with different experiences. You can use it to create virtually anything, from a simple business portfolio to a complex e-commerce store.
GoDaddy is famous for its quality websites built on its platform. To check the power of GoDaddy Website Builder, visit one of the following sites: Women Working in Technology, San Gabriel Valley Humane Society.
Main characteristics
- The drag-and-drop editor - move site elements around until you get the perfect layout, rinse and repeat for each web page, and your site is ready to be published.
- Menu tools - create beautiful pull-down menus to make your site more user-friendly.
- Theme library - choose a theme to make your website look more professional.
- Marketing - promote your website through SEO, email marketing, social media sync, and a review widget.
- Track and improve - monitor your rankings, campaigns, and information facebook to know the performance of your site and your content in order to make improvements on the spot.
Pricing
GoDaddy Website Builder offers 5 plans: Free, Basic, Basic, Standard, Premium, and eCommerce.
Free trial
- 30-day free trial.
The free trial gives you the basic tools you'll need to create and publish a website.
Premium plans
- Starting at $9.99 per month.
All GoDaddy paid plans come with a 30-day free trial.
In short
GoDaddy Website Builder is a promising CMS. The company is constantly working on it and its improvements are obvious. It is a website builder backed by the biggest player in the hosting industry. Its toolbox is varied, as are its functionalities. There is a free plan that allows you to try it out before you commit. Check out our guide on creating a website using GoDaddy website builder.
6. Weebly (market share 1.63%)
Weebly started as a small business with offices in San Francisco in 2007. Today, it is a website builder that powers hundreds of thousands of sites. While you can use it to create various types of websites, Weebly targets a specific niche: e-commerce sites. The variety of features and services it offers will help you launch, manage, and improve your webshop with a minimum of technical knowledge.
With a market share of 1.63% for CMS, Weebly comes in 6th position on our list. However, this is the most popular constructor designed specifically for online stores.
Weebly usage statistics
- Total number of websites - 1,040,819
- Global market share - 1.63%.
- Number of websites in the United States - 837,024
Who should use it/best for
Weebly is perfect for users who want to launch an online store without spending a fortune on an e-commerce site. The platform is rich in features and offers enough resources to allow you to create an online store, regardless of the complexity of your needs. It is also possible to increase or reduce the size of the store. With its simple and intuitive user interface, Weebly is perfect for less experienced users who want to launch a professional portfolio website or a commercial website.
Here are some of the most popular websites created on Weebly so you can see what it can do: The Box Brothers, Japhlet Bire Attias, Brighton Secondary School Music, and The Whiskey Ball.
Main characteristics
- Powerful website builder - use the drag-and-drop editor to create simple or complex web pages.
- E-commerce - access e-commerce tools to create a functional online store.
- App center - benefit from third-party integrations in your online store.
- Custom domain - give your online store the brand you want.
- Statistics - track site usage statistics and understand site performance.
Pricing
Weebly offers plans for websites and online stores.
Free plan
- Free.
The free plan is for basic use. It includes a Weebly branded domain, a free SSL certificate, and 500MB of storage.
Premium plans
- Starting at $5 per month.
Paid plans give you everything from basic personal use to small business sites.
In short
Weebly is a complete website creation solution. Although it is versatile and can be used to create all sorts of websites, it seems that its target market is people who need a way to easily create an online sales site.
7. Duda (market share 1.10%)
Duda is a web design platform that meets the needs of businesses and individuals who offer web design services to small and medium-sized businesses. Duda has a unique approach to building websites. In addition to offering site creation tools, it also has collaboration and customer management tools integrated into the dashboard.
Given its very narrow niche, Duda is doing remarkably well, with a CMS market share of 1.07%.
Duda usage statistics
- Total number of websites - 705,120
- Global market share - 1.10
- Number of websites in the United States - 307,337
Who should use it/best for
Duda is a website builder created by web designers for web designers. It is perfect for developing your web design agency, getting your freelance activity to a higher level or integrate your SaaS platform. This is not something that an absolute beginner should be interested in. Duda requires some technical knowledge.
Duda's websites include LWG Photography, Tygerpoort Primary School, Chef Adoni, and many more.
Main characteristics
- Drag-and-drop editor per device - create a unique look and feel for your website for every screen size.
- Navigation styles - choose from a variety of navigation styles to get the best user experience.
- Site widgets - add pop-ups, contact forms, clicks to call/message, and other widgets hassle-free and code-free.
- Team collaboration - bring your team together in one place to streamline your web design processes.
- Powerful integrations - integrate business or marketing applications, social networks, collections, or videos and sounds.
Pricing
Duda offers four plans: Basic, Team, Agency, and Enterprise.
Premium plans
- Starting at $19 per month.
You can try all of Duda's paid plans for free for 14 days. No credit card required.
In short
The Duda website builder is a powerful tool designed for agencies and freelancers who want to improve their processes and have access to high-end tools at affordable prices.
8. Blogger (market share 1.05%)
Initially, Blogger was a place where bloggers from all over the world could post their posts on their own blog sites. Google bought Blogger some time ago, but the platform has remained focused on blogging. It's an extremely easy website builder to use, but it doesn't have as many features as some of the other builders on this list.
Blogger usage statistics
- Total number of websites - 672,560
- Global market share - 1.05%.
- Number of websites in the United States - 437,905
Who should use it/best for
Blogger is perfect for people who want to start their blog without any problems. With Blogger, the learning curve doesn't exist. You can create your blog in minutes and focus on writing your next post. As the name suggests, it's better suited to blogging. However, thanks to the features that Google has brought to Blogger, you can also use it to create beautiful websites.
Some of the amazing websites created using Blogger are Pinch Good, Prado and Trail Rail.
Main characteristics
- Selection of easy to use templates - publish quality websites with Blogger's library of pre-built templates.
- Free domain - get a blogspot.com domain for free or buy a custom domain.
- Monetize your site - generate passive income with Google AdSense.
- Integrated analytics: learn a lot about your audience and the performance of your site.
- Save your precious memories - back up your messages and photos with Google for free.
Pricing
- Free.
Blogger is a completely free platform. However, if you want to get your website on a custom domain, you'll need to buy it from one of the domain registration companies.
In short
Blogger's primary focus is on ease of use. It is by far the easiest platform to use if you want to start a blog and have no experience creating websites. However, it does have some shortcomings in terms of functionality, which you should take into account if you decide to take your blog to the next level.
9. Drupal (market share 1.03%)
Drupal is an open-source CMS and one of the oldest CMS. It has all the standard features you would expect to find in a CMS. Drupal can be used to easily create content and offers excellent performance and industrial-grade security. It is a modular CMS that offers freedom of creation.
Drupal usage statistics
- Total number of websites - 562,655
- Global market share - 1.03%.
- Number of websites in the United States - 249,778
Who should use it/best for
Drupal is a multi-purpose CMS, which means you can use it to create any website. However, it has a steep learning curve, and building serious projects requires technical knowledge. It's not a CMS for beginners.
A lot of popular websites use Drupal. For example, the White House, the BBC, NBC, MTV UK And the Oxford University all use Drupal as the platform of choice.
Main characteristics
- Advanced statistics and logging: stay up to date with everything that's happening on your website.
- Advanced search - allows visitors to find what they are looking for in seconds.
- Modules - extend the functionality of your website with one of the modules offered by Drupal.
- Multi-level menu system - build complex navigation to improve the usability of your website.
- Workflow tools - define triggers and actions to improve your development practices.
Pricing
- Drupal is free software.
Drupal is an open source content management system (CMS), and is free to use under the GPL.
In short
Drupal is a very powerful CMS. However, it is very difficult to use, especially if you want to create complex websites.
10. Jimdo (market share 0.76%)
Jimdo is a website builder with extensive capabilities. You can use it to create a website or launch an online store. It was designed for end users, and its main features are ease of use and versatility.
Jimdo usage statistics
- Total number of websites - 486,843
- Global market share - 0.76%.
- Number of websites in the United States - 170 170
Who should use it/best for
You can use Jimdo for any project, even if it's your first website. Jimdo sites help businesses in all industries expand their online reach and attract more customers.
Notable examples of Jimdo sites include Christian Heuser, Les Ateliers de Laurène and Craftsmans Tattoo.
Main characteristics
- Password-protected areas - take advantage of user permissions to control who can edit and access content on your website.
- Statistics - assess the performance of your website and the activities of your visitors.
- Custom footer - create a custom footer for your website.
- Responsive design - all Jimdo sites are mobile-friendly.
- Online store capabilities - use Jimdo to launch your online store business
Pricing
Jimdo offers three pricing plans: JimdoFree, JimdoPro, and JimdoBusiness.
Free:
- Free.
JimdoFree comes with 500MB of storage, 2GB of bandwidth, and basic SEO.
Premium plans
- Starting at $9 per month.
All paid plans give you the freedom to customize websites for specific needs.
In short
If you look at CMS usage statistics, it's clear that Jimdo has made a name for itself in the CMS market. Thanks to its ease of use and beautiful templates, many inexperienced users opt for this site builder.
CMS Market Share Correlation Chart
In the correlation chart below, you can see the most popular CMS platforms, along with market shares and a number of sites.
Conclusion
This concludes our report on market shares and CMS usage statistics. We hope that this article gave you an overview. We've listed and reviewed every CMS and website builder available that has a portion of the market share. If anything should change, we'll be the first to let you know, so stay tuned!