Custom vs pre built content management systems

Written by Joe on Thursday, April 22, 2010

When deciding on whether you want to use a pre built content management system or have a custom content management system developed, there are a few questions that may help you. In this article I will explain the pros and cons of each in my experience.

Pre built content management systems

In the past I have worked with and customized over 10 different content management systems, custom and pre built, including Wordpress, Drupal, Joomla, and SilverStripe, which are some of the more popular systems. And if you need a simple website live fast with strong community support and tons of templates, these systems are the way to go. With any of these systems you can have a basic website live in just a few hours.

The main drawback to these systems is they are hard to customize. Customization often requires a web developer who knows the system and is experienced enough to understand and customize the code. While there are many plugins available for most systems, the funcionality you want or need might not be or may require customization that can be difficult.

Another drawback of pre built content mangement systems is once your content is in the system and you have beein using it, it can be very difficult to migrate to a new system. After you start your website and may want to add features that aren't available with a pre built system, moving content to a system that can do what you need usualy requires extra time and money.

Custom content management systems

Custom content management systems are the best choice when you need specific funtionality not available with pre built systems. Though there are many plugins now available for the popular systems, they can be dificult to customize and might not fit your needs 100%. With a custom system, the functionality you plan for, test, and help put together will do exactly what you need from the start. As soon as your site is live, all the functionality you need is right there. No need for upgrades or plugins that can be a real headache.

Another advantage to custom content management systems is they often don't look like they are on a content management system at all. With pre built systems you can usually see be looking at it what system is being used. For me it is very easy to pick out wordpress websites. With a custom system, you decide what you want and where you want it. You can get creative as you want your web designer to get.

The drawback to custom content management systems can be a lack of support and upgrades. Once it's built, that's all. It's a good idea to research a company and make sure they can provide quality work that won't break or cause problems down the road. However, if you find a good company, you can often get new features and customizations added to your site at decent prices.

Both systems have their pros and cons. In most cases you have to make a decision based on what you need. If time is your biggest issue or you are just looking to blog for fun, pre built systems are the right choice. If you need specific functionality and time isn't too much of an issue, a custom content management system is the right choice.

Have a question about which content management system is right for you? Contact us and we can help.