8 Best CMS for Small Business in 2024

In this article, I am going to share a list of the best CMS for small business websites in 2024.

If you are you planning to start a blog or website for your small business? then you have landed on the right webpage.

Let’s get started.

The 8 Best CMS for Small Business in 2024

Picking a CMS platform can be a bit tricky as you have to take multiple things into consideration, such as ease of use, design option, extensions, data portability options, and most importantly, the cost. Keeping these things in mind, we have prepared this list of the best CMS software in 2024.

1. WordPress

WordPress is without a doubt the most popular CMS platform on the internet. A report by W3Techs in 2021 revealed that WordPress powers over 64% of websites on the internet. Note that here we are recommending self-hosted WordPress.org CMS, not WordPress.com.

If you are confused, then let me help you understand this. WordPress.org is an open-source CMS that you can use on your own to create a website or a blog for your business. On the other hand, WordPress.com is a blog hosting platform similar to Blogger.com.

Pros of using WordPress CMS

WordPress CMS is an open-source content management system meaning you can use it completely for free as long as you want.
WordPress CMS gives you the flexibility to design almost any kind of website. So, whether you are looking to create an informational business website, blog, auction site, or more, WordPress CMS can be a great choice.
Even with no technical or programming knowledge, you can create professional-looking, highly responsive websites using WordPress Gutenberg block editor.
WordPress CMS doesn’t limit you from monetizing your website. You can use different types of monetization techniques to make money from your WordPress website.
WordPress has a massive library of themes and plugins that can help you create a fully functional and premium-designed website within a few clicks. Plus, you can install plugins to add additional functionalities to your WordPress website.
Since WordPress CMS has the biggest market share, you can find various forums, blogs, and groups around WordPress. You can use these communities and blogs to learn more about WordPress, SEO, and blogging.
WordPress is well designed for SEO. It is a lightweight CMS that allows you to modify settings such as URLs, categories, tags, snippets, and more that can help you boost your website’s SEO.
Migrating a WordPress website from one host to another is very easy. Even with no technical knowledge, you can do that with the help of any backup plugin such as UpdraftPlus.
WordPress CMS is easy to use and learn, making it the best CMS for small business.

Cons of using WordPress CMS

Since you will be using a self-hosted CMS, you have to buy hosting and web domain on your own. Plus, you will be all responsible for the backups, security, and updates of your website.
WordPress is quite feature-rich and offers so many options. Even though it is quite easy to use, it can be daunting for first-time users.

2. Joomla

Similar to WordPress, Joomla also has been around for years. It was initially released in 2005 and was an immensely popular CMS back then. Joomla is quite similar to WordPress as it offers a massive library of extensions and templates that can be used to design your website and add functionalities.

For Joomla as well, you will have to buy a domain and hosting service. The installation process of Joomla is quite easy as most web host services provide one-click installation for this CMS. However, the CMS is not ideally good for beginners.

Pros of using Joomla CMS

Joomla provides a lot of flexibility and customization options. It makes it a perfect choice for creating websites that are a bit complex or if you want something bespoke.
Even though we said that this CMS isn’t ideal for beginners, if you want to set up a blog or simple website, you can still use this CMS by installing templates and extensions.
Joomla is an open-source CMS platform, meaning you don’t have to pay a single penny to use it for your website.
Being an open-source platform, Joomla has a huge community of developers and bloggers. Therefore, if you get stuck at something, you can simply go to Google and find easy solutions to fix that issue.
Joomla offers plenty of ways to monetize your blogs. Plus, if you are a developer or web designer, you can start designing templates and extensions for Joomla.
There are plenty of eCommerce extensions available for Joomla. Therefore, you can use it to set up a mini eCommerce store as well.

Cons of using Joomla CMS

One of the reasons Joomla CMS didn’t become as big as WordPress is because Joomla is quite complex to use. Depending on what sort of functionality or website design you want, you might need to take the assistance of a developer.
Even though Joomla has a decent library of extensions, the library isn’t as extensive as WordPress. It restricts you from modifying the core functionality of the website.
There is always a risk of compatibility with Joomla. Since this platform isn’t as popular as WordPress, most of the extensions that you will find for Joomla will be outdated.

3. Drupal

Drupal is one of the oldest open-source CMS platforms. It was initially released in 2001, and currently, the Drupal community comprises over 1.3 million users. Unlike WordPress, which is famous for personal blogs, Drupal is widely used to build corporate, political, and government sites.

Drupal has a massive library of over 46,800 free modules and over 3000 free themes. You can install these themes or modules to extend and customize the functionality and the design of your website. Overall, we won’t recommend you to use Drupal to create blogs, but if you are planning to build a highly customized website that can handle a lot of data, Drupal is highly recommended.

Pros of using Drupal

Drupal is quite functional and flexible. It gives you plenty of options to create bespoke websites with great functionalities.
Drupal has a massive library of themes and modules that can be used to improve the functionality and appearance of your website.
It has a massive community of users, meaning you can easily ask your doubts and get solutions from other experienced users.
The majority of web host services allow one-click installations for Drupal. However, if that is not available, you can find so many detailed articles on how to install Drupal on different web hosts and VPS easily.
The user management function is quite impressive. You can easily assign permissions and roles for different users.

Cons of using Drupal

Not so great for blogging and SEO compared to WordPress.
Drupal is definitely not beginner-friendly. You will need to have good knowledge of programming. Else, you need to hire a professional developer to build your website.

4. WooCommerce

WooCommerce isn’t technically a CMS. Instead, it is a WordPress plugin that enables the functionality of an eCommerce website on WordPress CMS. Therefore, to use WooCommerce, you will have to install WordPress first.

We mentioned WooCommerce on this list because it is designed for a purpose and has a significant market share. Even though you will be installing WordPress in the core, WooCommerce will offer you a completely different experience. Overall, if you are looking for the best CMS software to start an eCommerce store, WooCommerce would be the perfect companion for you.

Pros of using WooCommerce

The best thing about WooCommerce is that it is completely free. You don’t need to pay a single penny to get basic WooCommerce functionalities.
WooCommerce has a great collection of themes that can be used to design a beautiful-looking eCommerce store very easily.
There is also a great collection of WooCommerce extensions (similar to WordPress plugins) that allow you to add extra functionalities to your website.
The inventory function of WooCommerce makes it easy for you to keep track of products available in your stock.
By default, you get PayPal and Stripe payment options to take payment for your customers. You can also add additional payment gateways.

Cons of using WooCommerce

Even though the user interface of the WooCommerce dashboard is quite user-friendly, some functions may appear confusing, especially to beginners.
Even though you can use any WordPress theme for WooCommerce, using themes that are specially designed for WooCommerce will make it easy for you to add functionalities and access different options.
Even though WooCommerce is completely free, you might need to pay some bucks to use extensions designed for WooCommerce.

5. Squarespace

Squarespace has gotten quite popular in recent days, all thanks to its extensive marketing efforts. It was founded back in 2004, so it is not a new kid in the market. It has been around for years, and arguably, it is one of the most successful SaaS-based CMS on the internet.

According to the report released by W3Techs, Squarespace has around 2.6% market share. Considering it is not a free CMS like WordPress, Joomla, or Drupal, these numbers are pretty impressive. Squarespace has four different plans, starting from $14 per month to up to $49 per month when billed annually.

Pros of using Squarespace

Squarespace offers a great collection of website templates that you can use to design professional-looking websites in no time.
The majority of Squarespace templates are pictures based. This allows you to replace stock images with your own to create a website that shows your business.
The admin dashboard of Squarespace is quite simple and easy to use. Almost all essential functions will be only a few clicks away. This makes it very comfortable for beginners.
With Squarespace, you receive 24/7 customer support through a live chat function or email tickets.
With Squarespace, you don’t have to worry about backups, security, or anything else. Everything will be managed by the Squarespace team, which gives a bit of confidence to beginners and people who don’t want to get into technical stuff.
All themes and web hosting are very well optimized that offer lightning-fast loading speed, even to the website with a lot of content.

Cons of using Squarespace

Despite paying at least $14 a month, you will not receive telephonic support. Even though the live chat function is pretty good, it takes a lot of time to explain even simple issues.
I am a proud WordPress user, and therefore, I feel that Squarespace is quite expensive.
Squarespace lacks advanced tools and functions that are helpful for marketing, SEO, and other things.
There is nothing like plugins or extensions for Squarespace. Therefore, you will be quite restricted when it comes to adding functionality to your website.
Squarespace is not a good option for blogging or similar things requiring marketing or SEO. You can use Squarespace only to create personal or business websites.

6. Magnolia

Next, we have Magnolia on our list. Magnolia is a java-based CMS designed to do pretty much everything. Whether you want to create an information website, eCommerce, social media, marketing automation, analytics, CRM, and ERP, Magnolia can help you with pretty much everything.

Magnolia is known for its top-notch security functions. To enhance the security of your website, Magnolia has an architecture that separates the public and the private data of your website to protect it from cyber-attacks. Magnolia is also quite easy to use. So, overall, it is one of the best CMS 2024.

Pros of using Magnolia

Magnolia enterprise integration capabilities, meaning you can install pre-designed integration modules of popular applications such as eCommerce, Salesforce, Google Analytics, and more.
Magnolia is designed to manage high loads without putting too much stress on your web host.
Magnolia features a WYSIWYG editor that allows you to design beautiful-looking websites without any prior technical or programming knowledge.
This CMS features a built-in web form tool that lets you create web forms for your visitors very easily without the need to add additional plugins or extensions.
There is a multi-site function that lets you manage and modify multi-site installations that share similar data. You can further modify the master website to make the change visible on all other associated websites.
Are you planning to create a multilingual website? Magnolia supports automatic content translation functions with the help of Google Translator, Translations.com, Microsoft Translator, and Across.
Magnolia is very well designed for SEO, marketing, and more.
Magnolia is an open, extendable, and flexible CMS that lets you modify and expand the core functionality of the website very easily.

Cons of using Magnolia

Magnolia requires you to have prior knowledge of the Vaadin framework to implement customization in web admin UI.
The uninstallation of modules is quite challenging and unsystematic.

7. HubSpot CMS Hub

CMS Hub by HubSpot is a web content management system designed on the HubSpot CRM platform. This CMS is quite beginner-friendly and is specially designed for content-focused websites such as blogs, landing pages, and marketing campaigns.

You can find plenty of templates to kickstart your website on HubSpot CMS Hub. However, the biggest drawback of this CMS is that it doesn’t support traditional templates and programming languages. You have to use a language called HubL if you want to develop something on this platform.

Pros of using HubSpot CMS Hub

HubSpot CMS is quite easy to use. Even if you have no technical or programming knowledge, you can still be able to create beautiful-looking websites using the drag-and-drop editor.
The smart content feature of HubSpot CMS Hub lets you personalize user-specific website content.
HubSpot CMS Hub provides great functionalities such as serverless hosting, flexible theme options, command-line tools, and more that provides developers multiple options to customize the website for best performance.
There are plenty of security features such as a web application firewall, global CDN, and dedicated team to take security measures that protect your website against web attacks such as DDoS, SQL injection, and more.
This CMS seamlessly integrates with the HubSpot CRM and marketing tools to provide a streamlined workflow to existing users.
The in-built ad management function of HubSpot CMS Hub lets you monetize your websites without installing additional plugins or tools.

Cons of using HubSpot CMS Hub

The HubSpot CMS Hub is a bit on the expensive side. They offer a free trial, but you will have to opt for the paid plan very soon as soon as the trial period expires.
Even though it offers WordPress and WooCommerce integration, this CMS wouldn’t be a good choice for eCommerce websites.

8. Wix

Wix is another cloud-based CMS platform that has gained quite a popularity in recent times. Though Wix is quite limited when it comes to functionality and app integrations, it is still in demand, especially for business and informational websites.

One of the main reasons behind its popularity is its simple and easy-to-use nature. It features a drag-and-drop website builder that allows you to create professional-looking websites in just a few clicks. It also offers a free plan, though with some limitations.

Pros of using Wix

The drag and drop page builder makes it extremely easy to design professional looking responsive websites in no time.
Wix boasts a massive collection of pre-designed templates that you can use for free. Plus, all of these templates are fully responsive and can be customized according to your website requirements.
There is a huge collection of Wix Apps that works similar to WordPress plugins. You can download these Wix Apps from Wix App Market and enhance the functionality of your website.
You can add the Content Manager to your Wix account to have direct access to all your website’s content, such as text, images, videos, and other files. The Content Manager also lets you make changes without modifying the page layout.

Cons of using Wix

Even though Wix features functionalities that make it appear like a CMS, it is mainly a design-driven website designing platform in the end. Therefore, use it only for designing aesthetically-pleasing static websites.
The website templates are not interchangeable.
Wix doesn’t allow you to download your website data except for blog posts. This can be unpleasant, especially when you feel like shifting to another CMS.
Even though there is a free version available, that will restrict you from using your own domain. Plus, your website will show Wix advertisements.

Closing Comments

There you have a list of the best content management system for small business.

A good CMS makes it extremely easy to modify and add website content without getting into technical stuff like programming. In the end, the best CMS for you depends on your business model and requirements.

However, if you are not sure about your needs and still have questions like what CMS should I use, I recommend going with WordPress. WordPress is the best CMS software out there that can be used for almost all types of websites – whether you want to design an eCommerce store, personal blog, or informational website.

On the other hand, if you want a CMS to set up an eCommerce store, go with WordPress with WooCommerce. Wix and Squarespace can be great solutions for creating aesthetically pleasing websites. Even though Drupal and Joomla are great CMS software, they require you to have prior knowledge and experience of programming and other technical stuff.