The best CMS for professional web designer

It is just amazing! I am on cloud nine! Splendid CMS. Spectacular Service. Gorgeous! Dazzling! Fantastic!

Pros

It is the best lightweight CMS. Google PageSpeed Insights skyrocketed on my website with this MODX. It is almost perfection. Secure, trustworthy, ideal for any web developer who wants to innovate. It is easy to customize, modify for your personal needs, and manage on any good, reliable hosting. I cannot imagine any other CMS which could have replaced this one. I am quite a fussy, picky, choosy and troublesome web site administrator, content creator and something like web-developer, so I have spent 2 years to choose the best of the best CMS for my projects and when I have found this one, tried out it myself, created several webpages with using this CMS, I insisted my web designer use only MODX. It is born to inspire! Innovative. Inspiring. Intelligent. Indispensable. Incentive.Impressive.

Cons

For comfortable using this CMS you need to choose a good server and hosting. If you choose an improper, unsuitable hosting, you will have serious problems in the near future.

MODX is Awesome

Ignore the reviews that say things like "all the plugins are full of bugs", "it's impossible to connect to payment systems", "it can't be easily customized", and "not good for complex sites". These are simply untrue. I've tried many, many CMSs over the years, and once I tried MODX Revolution, my search was over. I've had very few problems with plugins over the years, and authors are generally responsive to bug fix requests. I do tend to write my own plugins, though, because it's so easy. The site manager screens are highly customizable. Create new tabs with custom fields arranged the way you want them. You can show or hide any of the standard fields. Set up a permissions systems and serve completely different admin screens to different users. I can create editing screens with tabs to manage complex data. In Wordpress, this would be a mess. ExtJS does have a learning curve, but most people don't seem to know that you don't have to use it to create your own plugin admin screens. I create plugins using plain old PHP and HTML. It works great, and I've added countless custom admin screens this way to manage extremely complicated data setups. I've created connections to all sorts of payment systems like PayPal, Stripe, Authorize.net, etc. It's a breeze to embed third-party shopping systems like Ecwid, FoxyCart and others. And, if you need a completely native store setup, the new plugin "Commerce" is great and has connections to many standard payment gateways built in.

Pros

MODX is endlessly flexible, and easier to plug in custom code than any other platform I've used. There is a sizable library of plugins — not huge like Wordpress for example, but they are generally well written and secure. The MODX community is a great source of help, tricks, and tips. It's very easy to add your own PHP code and plugins. You can set up a site to be edited solely through the standard MODX admin area, or completely on the front end using the plugin FRED. MODX works for everything simple information-only sites to multilingual sites with thousands of pages (I know because I've created these). It has an excellent caching system built-in. MODX has its own API language for programming, but it's pretty intuitive. It didn't take me long to be able to use it effectively, and there is excellent documentation available. I can transfer a normal MODX site to a different server and domain name in about 15 minutes. The fine-grained permissions system lets me give access to specific parts of a site to different users. The core MODX programmers and very responsive to requests and are actively updating, debugging, and adding new features all the time. MODX is the most secure platform I've tried. There are various security features built into the core code. I've only experienced one exploited vulnerability in the past 8 years, and that was rapidly patched by the MODX team. No bloated code gets inserted anywhere in pages, only the code I specifically want.

Cons

If you're looking for a plug-and-play CMS, this isn't it. There ARE some themes available at ThemeForest and other places, so if one of those works for you, great. But in general, MODX is best for custom work. In the past, the site manager was kind of slow, but in 2019 that's no longer generally the case, so this is no longer a negative for me.

I had to use it

If you're working strictly on a template, then you're good. Not a flexible UI at all.

Pros

It does what it supposed to but it just seems outdated.

Cons

It was difficult to use. There just way better options out there.

Oh my goodness, MODX how I love thee, let me count the ways

Over nine years experience using MODX and would not trade it for the world. We love MODX, the community and stability of the platform.

Pros

I've been using MODX for more than 9 years. It is BY FAR the best CMS/CMF that I've EVER used. However, that comes with a nice, juicy grain of salt. I have the pleasure of working with a team that has dived head-first into MODX and has learned it inside and out. We KNOW MODX. We extend MODX daily and use it for all kinds of things, regular simple marketing sites, eCommerce, higher-functioning websites, web apps, and even as a headless css with custom API. It's secure, flexible and can handle ANYTHING we throw at it.

Cons

If you're not a developer (either backend or frontend) you're going to have a hard time. MODX is NOT for those who are used to the relative simplicity of something like WordPress. And to be honest, that's for the best. MODX allows you to design and build whatever you want, keep it optimized and secure... BUT, if you're looking to just customize a theme, modx would NOT be a good fit

This is the best CMS software available today. Easily.

Switching to MODX has been a dream. Our agency now saves so much development time and we end up with better quality products than we used to with other systems like Wordpress, Joomla or Drupal. I cannot recommend MODX enough. Our clients love it too!

Pros

Our agency Digital Penguin has switched to using MODX for nearly all our client projects now. It is the fastest, most flexible and secure Content Management System (CMS) that we've ever had the pleasure of using. There are no restrictions in how you implement a design and it's easily the best system for SEO as you have complete control over the HTML output. There is an amazing, friendly community of people using MODX who are eager to help you learn the system, and plugins/extras are available to extend the CMS in any way you need. Don't settle for Wordpress, Joomla or any other system you need to waste time wrestling with to customize the way you want. MODX is quick, easy to learn and designed to be customized.

Cons

There's nothing I dislike about the software so far! With MODX 3 around the corner, things are only going to improve too.

Limitless Design & CMS Freedom - I always find myself choosing ModX when I need extreme flexibility

Pros

It's super that logic is separated from design. The base install does not include any extra fluff and unnecessary adds that one may or may not use. It's complete freedom and up to the end user to decide what functionality they would like or not. Whether one can code, are a php ninja or not, it's fairly easy to get a site up within a few hours. The more one knows how to code, php and more the more freedom they can have for more custom and extended functionality.

Cons

Personally I don't see many cons at all with this software. If I had to change one thing, I would extend the documentation for many of the extra features which can be added on. Most of the documentation is super however sometimes I have to figure some thing out on my own. However ModX is so flexible, i'm willing to do so to keep the freedom that comes with it. There is also an active community in which one can join.

Simple operation and openness

Pros

By developing the site you do not always know what features may be needed in the future. This system allows you to add blog or online store capabilities to landing page if necessary. Plugin code and page snippets are easily changed from the manager panel. You can add your own variables to any html page.

Cons

You may need some level of knowledge of programming languages. Snippets from add-ons have a large set of functions, so you need to study the documentation if you need to make difficult selection conditions.

Perfect CMS for designers and those with limited web coding experience

Overall my experience with the modx content management system has being completely perfect. Because of its easy to use theming setup and syntax I can easy create a website design on my computer and by using simple html & css, easily implinent it into the modx ecosystem.

Pros

What I like most about this software is its easy to use custom themeing syntax. While other content management systems require you to know actual programming languages such as PHP (hypertext preprocessor) or the Ajax programming langauge just to create and modify custom themes intended for their system, modx however does not. Modx only requires you to understand basic coding languages such as html,css,and sometimes javascript to create beautiful themes that rival the ones seen on its competitors sites.

Cons

What I like least about this software has nothing necessarily to do with the software itself. In my opinion this content management system is a perfect solution and alternative to more complex systems out there. My only gripe is its lack of adoption among designers and developers alike. By having a easy to use themeing system you would think this package would be more prevelant among its competitors but thats simply not the case.

MODX is the most user- and SEO friendly CMS i know!

We at Census develop all our websites based on MODX. This flexible CMS gives us the possibility to create simple and low-budget websites, but also gives us the framework for major websites and/or webshops. We love it, and our clients love it!

Pros

+ Open-source + Great Community + Secure + Flexable + SEO Friendly + UX Friendly + Manager available in almost all common languages.

Cons

- Some parts are DB based instead of file-based (only con for developers) - ExtJS based manager (only con for developers)

Flexible system

Pros

In practice, it turned out that this is a very flexible system with well-designed modules that allow you to build projects that are optimized for promotion. The system has documentation not only in English, but it is very important, because in CMS MODX there are tags whose syntax is intuitively incomprehensible and they are not found in other systems.

Cons

It will be very difficult for beginners to install, and even more so configure MODX, so if you would like to train your skills, you should start with other systems.

A great tool for anything from small utilities and APIs to larger multi-language communities

I've used it for projects for at least 6 years or so. Anything from a single-page utility to standard websites with custom coded features. There are so many abilities and features that get way more advanced than I've ever needed, with the intense security permissions system to multi-context/multi-domain sites, and more. I have an appreciation for the product and want to see it continue to succeed, and the core people and community that keep it going are some of the best folks around!

Pros

Their slogan "creative freedom" means you are not saddled with a ton of auto-magical output that you don't have control over. You can be in charge of every bit of code and markup that your site produces. MODX is better described as a Content Management Framework (CMF) rather than a CMS. It is better suited for developers to use in creating fully custom designs, rather than out-of-the-box templates. If I need to build something fully custom and want to build from scratch, I choose MODX.

Cons

As of this writing, MODX 3 has not been released, but it will address almost anything I could put here. The biggest problem for a lot of people is being stuck on an older version of ExtJS. Updating that library would break a lot of 3rd party plugins, and there is debate about whether to keep using it anyway. Also it can be daunting to build custom backend admin pages, but there is work to make this easier, it's also partially due to the learning curve of ExtJS. It doesn't yet have a built-in core feature for self-updating. There are 3rd party tools to help update though so this is a minor thing. The addon library is not massive, and there are certainly some older and outdated, or even abandoned plugins. This is not a huge issue due to the fact that plugins are little more than some PHP functions or a class or two, they tend to be super robust and long-lived by their nature, not having to rely on constant changing theme frameworks and other foundational issues.

Excellent customization options

Pros

I used MODX for a long time. This CMS most of all I liked the opportunity to create my own design for any menu using HTML. Later our company transferred some client sites to another CMS, but I only had positive impressions about MODX.

Cons

I have not found any serious flaws. But for those who are thinking of starting to use CMS MODX, I will say: this engine has its own terminology to which you need to get used. This can be an obstacle if you have been using another CMS for a long time.

Ideal for services

Pros

Our company is engaged in providing services. Clients are found through the Internet. Therefore, the issue of choosing a CMS was not. Uniquely stopped at MODX and not lost. It just suited us perfectly. To place information conveniently, the system was originally commercially grounded and has a friendly interface.

Cons

This CMS is concentrated only on the commercial segment. Make some information project will be difficult.

Simple CMS for site management

Pros

When creating small sites we use CMS MODX. The platform provides a large selection of templates. There is a built-in visual editor to create a unique design. You can extend the basic functionality with the help of third-party plug-ins.

Cons

Among the shortcomings of CMS MODX, I want to note the lack of a function for importing and exporting files. Also, you can not connect popular payment systems for quick payment.

Super control of your code and templates. Allot of functionallity built in the system.

Total control.

Pros

Total control of the templates. Easy to get functionality without hundreds of extras. But there is also allot of good extras to get extended functionality if you need it. The overall strength is the templateing system, where you have total controll over all of your code.

Cons

You have to know php to get advanced functions. And the API is a little hard to get into if you don't know PHP.

Professional management system

Pros

Many years ago, we transferred one of our work projects to MODX. It was not difficult to do this, the assistance of third-party programmers was not needed. For several years, we have been using this platform and we were quite pleased with it.

Cons

We recently moved the site to another platform again because CMS MODX is not well indexed by search engines.

THE hands down best CMS on the market

Been using MODX since around 2012, LOVE IT

Pros

MODX is customizable for any level of website developer. It's simple enough for a new programmer to be able to do some fun things, and advanced enough to be used for web applications and even native apps.

Cons

Nothing, its awesome. The flexibility of the platform, and support from the community makes it wonderful to use.

Not all modules work correctly

Pros

MODx is very suitable for sites that are planned to be seriously promoted in the search engines. It is also good to do websites where there are many non-standard design elements, for which it is difficult to find ready-made module templates in other CMS.

Cons

Not everyone who has a site likes to dig through codes by default, even if they are easier than code written in some programming language. Not everyone will be happy every time to call to change the settings to developers (especially if they charge him for these changes). I think most people do not like and do not rejoice. And these moments, too, must be taken into account when making a website for someone.

Simply sites editing

Pros

With the help of the system it is easy to edit made sites. This is facilitated by an excellent admin panel. In addition, it is worth mentioning the SEO module - it is easier to carry out internal and external resource optimization through it.

Cons

There are very few ready-made templates - if you need a unique website, it is better to look for a team of designers. If a question arises regarding the functions of MODX, it is unlikely that the answer will be found in the official documentation - we didn’t work at its compilation.

Flexible CMS for sites

Pros

When creating websites I use open source CMS MODX. The system automatically creates backup copies of projects, so you can not worry about the safety of personal data. Large selection of site templates and plug-ins to extend the basic functionality. There is a visual editor that allows you to change the design of the finished site template.

Cons

CMS MODX does not have enough detailed site statistics in your account. There is no possibility to connect popular payment systems and organize a full-fledged online store based on CMS.

Excellent system for creating complex sites

Pros

I've been building websites for a long time, I've tried many control systems (Wordpress, Joomla, Drupal) and I always realized that it's not very convenient for me to work with them, they are basically created either to quickly make a simple site, or they are complex and uncomfortable. In general, I stopped on MODX and now basically work on it, I can say that it is very convenient for me.

Cons

Minus only one: a simple user without knowledge of programming (at least the basics) will not be able to create a site on this system.

Difficult but powerful CMS

Pros

In CMS MODX, I like the presence of an integrated SEO module. On many CMS it needs to be connected separately. I also liked the convenient administrative panel and the ability to connect any Html-template.

Cons

CMS has its own tag syntax. Because of this, I could not quickly master the platform and begin to fully work with the code. In addition, modules need to be developed independently, almost no ready-made solutions.

CMS attracts many flexible settings

Pros

I have been using this CMS for 3 years now. Most of all I like that you can customize it for yourself with the help of a huge number of modules, most of which are free. Here you can also create your own template for any element using HTML and placeholders.

Cons

This is a great CMS, for all the time of use I have not found significant flaws. The only thing is that it would be possible to speed up the operation of the control panel so that the folders open faster.

Thanks to the developers for the functional solution

Pros

The MODx admin panel is made in such a way that the block with the structure of the site pages can be seen almost from any of its sections - it is on the left. Thus, for example, you can easily see the id of the material when it is needed.

Cons

In many modules of the system there are errors and the most sad is that to find another, correct extension with similar functionality is unlikely to work, you will either have to put up with bugs, or learn programming and fix them.

Inexpensive and high-quality platform

Pros

The main activity of our company is the development of websites and web applications. Often we work on MODX, because this system has open code, which allows us to solve all problems on one platform, because our programmers, if necessary, correct errors themselves and add missing modules. A separate service plus is a convenient SEO module.

Cons

When we first started working on MODX, there were difficulties with mastering. It was difficult to find detailed instructions, I had to learn from my own mistakes. It is necessary to replenish the knowledge base to make the platform more accessible.

Nice and quite comfortable platform

Pros

The MODX platform allowed us to create a wonderful websites. The presence of open source code has enabled our team to develop and implement all the necessary extensions to increase the functionality of the portal.

Cons

There are no statistics in my account. It is impossible to connect popular payment systems, and the provided built-in templates are sorely lacking for creating the original site.

Simple, convenient, unusual

Pros

Suitable for those who have exhausted the possibility of creating sites with the help of standard CMS-designers and craves creativity. Finally, the developers are thinking not only about the wealth of possibilities of using various plug-ins, but also about the convenience of content management. I was pleased with the SEO module and the availability of placement on the local hosting.

Cons

There are also disadvantages - the minimum number of templates does not give space to beginners. The program code contains its own unique tags that will need to be studied before work.

Works with any templates

Pros

I really like that CMS MODX is not limited to any number of templates. You can download any html-template from the Internet to the platform and it will work. This greatly simplified my work on creating a site.

Cons

The file manager is often inaccessible, to download files, you have to connect to the server directly. This is probably the only drawback that I found in 3 years of use.

Interesting CMS for sites with services

Pros

Excellent CMS for companies that provide services. As the online store MODX has not seen, so I can not say anything. ModX is very handy, although it's not possible to quickly install a template that has been downloaded from the Internet. MODX is more suitable for those who have at least a minimal knowledge of HTML, CSS, preferably PHP.

Cons

Despite the fact that there is not much information on the Internet for installing and configuring the system, I was able to independently understand and even make a self-updating sitemap.xml.

Professional platform with flexible settings

Pros

I liked the new engine - Revolution. It allows you to configure the platform specifically for my tasks, and does not use templates. I would recommend this platform to those who have been developing for at least a couple of years and are already tired of working on WordPress.

Cons

In order to install and configure the platform, you need at least basic knowledge of web development. If they are not there, you will have to call for help from a specialist, because you yourself can’t do it yourself.

Modern and affordable platform

Pros

Very modern solution, both for individual use and for the company. The openness of the code allows you to create not only sites, but all the necessary applications. Excellent module for SEO-promotion, which allows you to customize settings. I really liked the app.

Cons

It is not very convenient that the application has a small list of ready-made templates. Some other free CMS have a lot more. It is not always easy to find the answer to an interesting question, because there is not too much documentation on the application.

Easy and simple CMS

Pros

Free engine, great for creating websites services. The work is quite simple, thanks to chunks allows you to easily and quickly change the site templates. Clear visual editor. Friendly with SEO.

Cons

The system is not quite suitable for working with online stores (there is no suitable functionality); To work with a large site with a complex structure will be extremely inconvenient.

I can use the platform to create an API

Pros

I do not use CMS MODX as a content management system. But with it, I created an API for another CMS to use the database management features. This is the rare case when an API can be developed quickly and with full support for all functions.

Cons

The syntax of MODX is rather strange. It can not be said that it is bad, but it differs from the generally accepted. This creates little difficulty in learning the platform. Before I engage in development, we need to spend some time studying.

A great CMS for the coder

Overall Modx is amazing, it's easy to get your arms around if you code and want to make life easier.

Pros

Modx made coding easy. It's a cross between PHP and a CMS. You can mentally work out code chunks and snippets then simply key them in and short code them.

Cons

Modx took a bit for us to get our arms around but it really is a good CMS for the coder. For non coders it can be a bit to take in.

Focused on services

Pros

I recommend this system to all entrepreneurs who have focused their business in the provision of services. For such purposes, the system has many suitable templates and has a wide toolkit, which is sharpened precisely for commerce.

Cons

This system can be recommended only for business. Under a multi-page it will not work. I would like more templates freely available.

Good CMS for the site

Pros

There is a built-in visual editor with which we have the opportunity to create a unique design. Many third-party plug-ins can significantly increase the initial functionality.

Cons

The main shortcomings I can include the lack of a function responsible for importing and exporting files. There is no possibility to connect popular payment systems.

Interesting and useful CMS

Pros

The MODX admin is designed to create templates right in it. There are many free snippets that expand the functionality of the system. Having set the desired snippet, with the help of HTML code and so-called placeholders you can create your own template for each menu on the site (even for a separate menu item, active and inactive!).

Cons

Despite all the advantages, free extensions for MODx exist much less than for other popular CMS. And those that exist are saturated with certain bugs.

A simple platform for creating websites

Pros

We use the MODX platform when creating small sites consisting of 3-4 pages. The main advantage of the projects created on this CMS is high performance, which ensures fast loading of the site. Additional modules are supported to extend the basic functionality.

Cons

Among the shortcomings of CMS MODX, I want to point out the minimal set of templates for websites and the lack of a full-fledged visual page editor. Because of this, almost all projects come out similar to each other.

Designed for advertising services

Pros

If you, like I once, just start your small business, based on the provision of some services, it is worth paying attention to this engine. It provides the widest choice of possibilities for this. Starting from thematic templates and ending with search engine optimization.

Cons

System is originally sharpened just under the scope of services. Do on this engine a multi-page information project can only be solved by a masochist. There are simpler and more functional solutions for this.

Excellent CMS, I recommend!

Pros

This is a flexible and convenient control system. At first many of our sites were on other CMS, they slowed down a bit, some changes on the site were accompanied by problems. Once we moved these sites to MODX, everything became easy and simple.

Cons

Without shortcomings Modx also does not do. They are not so critical, but they make you think about it before installing this CMS on the server. The main disadvantage is a small number of ready-made templates.

I recommend this CMS!

Pros

In addition to the site pages, the admin panel also has a file structure - all files on the server can be edited directly from it. This is very convenient, especially if you install the code highlighting plugin.

Cons

Despite its convenience, the administrative panel MODx differs by slow work. This is especially noticeable in the fact that very often folders open slowly, it is felt that there are many complex processes in which the system itself is confused.

Platform for people

Pros

I love CMS MODX for its beautiful, thoughtful and ergonomic design, as well as for the high speed of FTP. Every element of the control system is needed. I have not yet found a single useless tool that I would not need in two years of use.

Cons

MODX has its own tag syntax. This became a problem for me when I wanted to transfer the old site from another platform. I had to learn syntax from scratch.

Good and easy program

Pros

In this CMS, I like that the application does not overload the server, it has an intuitive interface. The system of chunks allows you to quickly change the visualization of the template, has good settings for SEO promotion.

Cons

Too highly specialized system, sharpened mainly for commerce, does not have sufficient flexibility and does not have a broad functionality. Work with complex sites turns into a real routine.

Platform with excellent SEO

Pros

I like the platform for its excellent SEO, which allows us to fully optimize websites for search engines, as well as the ease of implementation of the functionality of an online store or blog and a good community.

Cons

To perform an effective system setup you need to have programming skills. There are many not updated plug-ins for a long time, and there are no statistics in the account.

Flexible platform for sites of different complexity

Pros

On CMS MODX, you can create sites of any complexity, and thanks to open source code we are able to develop and implement the extensions we need, which allow us to increase their functionality.

Cons

The platform does not have a high level of protection, being quite vulnerable. In comparison with other CMS, a rather limited number of ready-made templates and plug-ins are provided.

Great SEO it this CMS

Pros

Unlike many other platforms that I used before, this SEO module is initially connected. In addition, I really like the templates, which are highly customizable according to personal needs.

Cons

Without programming skills, it was very difficult to fully configure the system, and I needed the help of specialists. There is no statistics in the account.

Ability to change the template beyond recognition

Pros

I like MODX that the platform has excellent SEO, and the template placed on the site under her leadership for a small amount of time the members of my team can really transform beyond recognition.

Cons

Members of my team who do not have programming skills were not able to fully configure the system on their own. No statistics in your account.

Good platform for different sites

Pros

In this system, it is easy to add blog or online store features to the landing page of a website. Due to its high flexibility, our employees develop portals of varying complexity. Best for SEO.

Cons

- For full use, you must have programming skills. - No functionality for importing and exporting files. - Small number of built-in templates.

A small number of plugins

Pros

I choose MODX in those cases when I need to create something fully customizable, for example, custom designs. The system has the ability to add your own variables to any HTML pages.

Cons

It is difficult to create custom backend administrative pages. Not too large library of plugins, many of which have not been updated for a very long time.

Flexible CMS

Pros

In MODX, employees of our company can fully control the templates, and also receive many functions without the use of hundreds of add-ons, which, if necessary, increase the available functionality.

Cons

For advanced features, you need to know php. Your account has no statistics details. You can not connect popular payment systems and create a full-fledged web store.