Choosing the best content management system for your project requires a great deal of thought before taking the plunge.   Always remember the end user, and ask “what is the best content management solution for my client and they’re project, that I know I can work with”.

The days of static HTML sites are numbered with the growth of content management.  It’s becoming almost standard to build sites on some sort of a CMS. There are so many content management systems out there now which is great, but it can also make choosing the right one for your project a little tough! Every web project you get will be different, and so it will likely require a specific CMS.

Here is a list of CMS’s both free and paid that will get the job done well no matter what project you’re working on.

Small, Brandable Content Management Systems

Some nifty little CMS’s as well as SaaS options.

Cushy CMS

Free and very easy to use, hosted option, great for small sites that require easy updates.  Also brandable with the paid plan.

Surreal CMS

Great little CMS, similarly to Cushy, you simply add class=”content-editable” to define editable regions.  It can be accessed from your own FTP or domain name and is fully brandable.  Free for upto 3 sites, then $25 a month.

Light CMS

LightCMS is a simple to use, standards-friendly system, and it’s built to help your business succeed.  It’s got a great re-seller plan too.

Orbis CMS

Very small, open-source, self-hosted CMS that’s super easy for your clients to use and you just need to add a line of php on any areas that need to be editable.  Fully brandable with owners permission.

PageLime

Great SaaS option for designers, only $19/month for upto 50 sites.  Easy to use as Cushy and fully brandable.

Perch

Really tiny CMS and that’s the beauty of it.  Very easy to use like Cushy/Surreal and fully brandable.  Self-hosted and £35 as one off license.

Scalable Content Managent Systems

Not to say that the above aren’t scalable, but for the much bigger projects and social/community aspects you may want to have a look at these:

MODx

Fantastic free, open-source CMS that is tailored specifically for designers and developers.  The main idea is that the cms fits into your design rather than the other way round.  It’s also got a great community and is one to keep an eye on for sure.

Expression Engine

Probably one of the most popular CMS’s among web designers, and for good reason.  It’s extremely powerful but easy to use, adapting to your design process whilst still being easy for your end user.  It’s also modular so you can add and remove features with ease.

Pligg CMS

Described as ‘The Social Networking CMS’ pretty much does what it says on the proverbial tin.  It’s open-source, completely free and pretty swish!

Plone CMS

Plone is “A powerful, flexible Content Management solution that is easy to install, use and extend”.  Plone is among the top 2% of all open source projects worldwide, with 200 core developers and more than 300 solution providers in 57 countries.

Joomla

One of the big players, Joomla is a free and open-source self-hosted CMS.  It’s ease-of-use and extensibility are what have made Joomla one of the most popular content management systems.  Although you can build pretty much any type of site with Joomla, it’s probably a bit overkill for small sites.

WordPress

Although widely associated with being a blogging platform, WordPress can be used as a CMS as well as a shopping cart.  It’s easy to use interface and clean output have made it one of my favourite options for both blogging and CMS solutions.  It can be hosted or self hosted.

Radiant CMS

Radiant is a no-fluff, open source content management system designed for small teams.

Drupal

Another big player with a slightly bigger learning curve than say Joomla. Equipped with a powerful blend of features, Drupal supports a variety of websites ranging from personal weblogs to large community-driven websites.

Movable Type

Flexible enough for custom blogs and websites and powerful enough for the most demanding content management and social media needs.   The popularity of this CMS cannot be denied, powering some pretty big sites including BarackObama.com and even Britney’s site!

Concrete5

Free open source CMS that’s super easy to use for both you and your end user.  They offer both hosted and self-hosted options.