Previously, making a website was a hectic task I mean you have to go through a lot of programming and coding but now building a website isn’t hard anymore, there many online services and software that are specifically designed to create and maintain websites and blogs. If you are thinking of making a website or a blog or an online store, then here are some open source online website builders that you should definitely try.
1.Wordpress
When it comes to building websites or blogs then WordPress is the most popular CMS (Content Management System). In fact, 30 percent websites on the internet are using Wordpress for content managing.
Plenty of themes available, plugins, customization options and a community with millions of users, makes Wordpress special. No matter what you need, you will have a plugin to do the things for you. We recommend you Wordpress and buy an awesome theme but if you are on a budget or financially tight then you can also use free themes and there are plenty of free themes to choose from.
There are the ton of resources to guide you step by step to set up an awesome website while using Wordpress. Almost every web host supports Wordpress and Wordpress runs on MySQL and PHP.
2. Joomla
My 2nd pick is Joomla a free open-source Content Management System for creating any kind of website that you want, either an e-commerce website or a general blog. Joomla is a community type Content Management System tool and it provides extensive security features to manage the content and your websites. It offers Two-Factors authentication to access the admin area which is pretty secure. Moreover, Joomla also runs on PHP and it provides a lightweight PHP framework.
Likewise Wordpress, Joomla also provides several premium and free plugins to enhance your productivity and to give you a better experience.
3. Builder Engine
If you are new to designing a website then Builder Engine is one of its kind Open Source Website Builder. Builder Engine is specially designed to build and manage websites with ease. You don’t have to use different plugins, unlike Wordpress, for managing files, SEO optimization, backup, HTTPS support, analytics, security settings, restore capabilities etc. Its user interface is straightforward and gives you an instant access to your admin account with just a couple of clicks.
The community edition of Builder Engine is free to use but for more modules and extensive support, you can purchase its premium license which is around $299 per year. Builder engine also runs on PHP and MySQL.
4. Drupal
Drupal is another popular open source website building platform for building amazing digital experiences. It's made by a dedicated community. Any user can use it, and it will always be free. Due to its complicated interface, Drupal lacks in terms of flexibility, usability, and features, unlike Wordpress and Joomla. But that being said, Drupal offers built-in support for multilingual websites and custom content view support and types etc. Drupal also runs on PHP and MySQL.
5. Open CMS
OpenCms a is a professional, easy to use Open-Source Open Source Website Builder. OpenCms helps website builders and managers worldwide to create and maintain beautiful websites fast and efficiently. Open CMS uses Java and XML technology unlike other open source website builders that use PHP and MySQL, but you can deploy an open source environment like Oracle and MySQL for database management. Open CMS may look dated when compared to other website builders but it has a wide range of modules to extend the functionality and add new features.
6. Modx
Modx is considered very much similar to Wordpress. However, Wordpress is assumed to be user-friendly and for everyone but Modx is more oriented for the developers. When you install Modx you will not see too many options to click and menus etc. To use Modx you should be familiar with intermediate level programming languages and HTML. Though is it difficult to use for regular users but for the developers, it is one of the most secure open source website builder.
To help you out for the website development, the Modx has video tutorials and very good documentation and instructions. Modx also runs on PHP and MySQL.
7. SilverStripe
SilverStripe was mainly developed keeping developers in mind. It is quite secure, powerful, and inflexible, but that doesn't keep every user away from it. But its user interface is quite confusing and lacking. SilverStripe is the instinctive open-source website builder and content management system and its flexible framework is loved by editors and developers alike. SilverStripe runs on PHP and MySQL.
8. Django CMS
Django is created using Python web framework and for database management it uses MySQL. It is a quite fast lightweight. Although Django content management system heavy focusses on developers but its drag and drop user interface and instinctive editor makes it considerably easy for the regular users to create and maintain websites. Django provides multilingual support so that users can manage content in different languages.
There are also many 1st party and 3rd party themes that you can use to enhance your productivity and core-functionality.
9. PrestaShop
As you can guess from the name that PrestaShop is developed to create and maintain e-commerce websites and online stores. As it mainly focuses on online stores and e-commerce website, it provides several modules to track inventory, associate products with suppliers, sort orders, support for various payments methods, create custom filters, create manufactures list, fast content and product navigation, manage special offers and discounts, analytics, etc.
If you are looking for an e-commerce website or an online store then PrestaShop is for you.
10. Concrete5
Concrete5 CMS is yet another popular open-source website builder that makes it easy to build a website. It is for both for beginners and advanced users. The user interface of the Concrete5 CMS is very minimal but you will find all the options to properly manage a website. It provides drag and drop support, automatic updates for add-ons, easy theme controls, support for template and page types, built-in SEO and social media tools, etc. Concrete5 runs on PHP and MySQL.
