The Top 5 CMS Applications in 2025

Whether you’re launching a blog or building an eCommerce site, choosing the right CMS is an important step. At purely.website, we support a wide range of CMS platforms on our secure UK based web hosting.

Here are five of the best CMS applications, fully supported on purely.website hosting packages.

1. WordPress

Ideal for: Blogs, business websites, portfolios, eCommerce (with WooCommerce)

Market share: Powers over 40% of all websites globally WordPress is the world’s most popular CMS, and for good reason. It offers unmatched flexibility, a vast plugin ecosystem, and an intuitive editor that makes content creation accessible for beginners and professionals.

• User-friendly visual editor
• Tens of thousands of free and premium themes
• Plugin library for SEO, security, eCommerce, analytics and more
• Active global community and regular updates
• Supports multilingual sites and complex layouts

Perfect for: Small businesses, bloggers, charities, online stores

2. Joomla

Ideal for: Community portals, membership sites, complex navigation structures

Known for: Native multilingual support and user management Joomla strikes a balance between flexibility and power, with more structure than WordPress and less complexity than Drupal. It’s suited to users who need strong content organisation, access control, and advanced module management.

• Built-in access control and user permissions
• Native multilingual support
• Extensive module and extension directory
• Advanced menu and layout configuration
• Ideal for sites needing structured content and workflows

Perfect for: Clubs, associations, educational websites, medium sized businesses

3. Drupal

Ideal for: Large-scale websites, enterprise platforms and education

Strengths: Custom workflows, high security, scalability Drupal is a developer-centric CMS designed for building custom applications and data-driven platforms. It’s widely adopted by universities, NGOs, and governments for its ability to handle complex data structures and high traffic volumes.

• Highly customisable content architecture
• Advanced user role and permission management
• Multilingual capabilities
• Built-in caching and performance tools
• Active security team and frequent updates

Perfect for: Government websites, universities, custom platforms

4. PrestaShop

Ideal for: Small to medium online stores

Focus: eCommerce with full control PrestaShop is a robust open-source eCommerce CMS, designed for merchants who want to own their platform rather than rely on SaaS solutions. It includes everything needed to run a secure and functional online shop.

• Built-in product, inventory, and order management
• Marketing tools including vouchers, promotions, and abandoned cart emails
• Support for multiple currencies and languages
• Customisable themes and over 3,000 modules
• SEO-ready out of the box

Perfect for: Retailers, international sellers, shop owners avoiding platform fees

5. Grav

Ideal for: Developers, tech-savvy users, minimalist websites

Unique selling point: Flat-file architecture (no database required) Grav is a fast, modern flat-file CMS that focuses on speed and simplicity. It’s ideal for users who prefer flexibility, version control, and low server resource usage without sacrificing design or features.

• Flat-file structure (no MySQL needed)
• Fast performance and minimal overhead
• Built-in markdown support
• Git-friendly workflow for developers
• Flexible theming and plugin architecture

Perfect for: Developers, agencies, minimalist portfolios and docs

Why Choose purely.website for CMS Hosting?

All these platforms are fully supported on our web hosting packages, where you’ll benefit from:

• UK-based servers
• Free SSL certificates and daily backups included as standard
• Containerised hosting for enhanced security and reliability
• A beginner-friendly control panel for easy management
• Expert support ready to assist with any issues you face

Author: Daniel Knights Daniel is the purely.website Product Manager, with a career spanning over two decades, at the forefront of the web hosting industry and has represented a variety of leading web hosting companies. Daniel has the core responsibility of delivering the most superior customer experience for purely.website members. His knowledge of industry standards comes through his extensive experience that includes advising companies on infrastructure strategy and architecting and delivering advanced hosting and domain name management services that are easy to use though innovative tools and UX initiatives.