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Concrete CMS alternatives: 5 apps ranked by verified data

Facts checked Oct 25, 2026AppBreakup editorialHow we rank

Common reasons people leave Concrete CMS: much smaller theme and add-on ecosystem than WordPress, and fewer developers who know it. We ranked 5 alternatives by how directly each one replaces Concrete CMS, then by reviews, real visits and how recently each app's facts were checked against its own website. WordPress currently ranks first.

Quick comparison

#AppPricingOpen sourcePlatformsVerified factsScore
1WordPress logoWordPressOpen sourceYesSelf-hosted, Web, iOS +14 of 466.5
2Joomla logoJoomlaOpen sourceYesSelf-hosted, Web3 of 362.6
3Drupal logoDrupalOpen sourceYesSelf-hosted, Web3 of 359.6
4ApostropheCMS logoApostropheCMSOpen sourceYesSelf-hosted, Web4 of 457.2
  1. WordPress logo

    1. WordPressTop pick

    Best for: Anyone who wants the largest ecosystem of themes, plugins, hosts and developers

    Open sourceSelf-hostableSelf-hosted, Web, iOS, Android

    66.5

    score / 100

    Why switch from Concrete CMS

    Block editor with a much larger ecosystem of themes and plugins.

    Pros

    • Huge plugin and theme ecosystem for almost any feature
    • Cheap hosting and easy-to-find developers everywhere
    • Block editor lets non-developers build and edit pages

    Cons

    • Plugin-heavy sites get slow and hard to maintain
    • Frequent target for attacks, so updates can't be ignored
    • Quality of third-party plugins varies widely
    Visit WordPress Details and reviews
    How this score is calculated
    Editorial fit ×0.3100
    Reviews ×0.363
    Clicks (90 days) ×0.150
    Freshness ×0.1585
    Votes ×0.150

    0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula

    Is WordPress a good Concrete CMS alternative?

    Verified facts

    4 of 4 verified
    License
    GPL
    Checked Oct 25, 2026wordpress.org(opens source in a new tab)
    Stack
    PHP with MariaDB/MySQL
    Checked Oct 25, 2026wordpress.org(opens source in a new tab)
    Server requirements
    PHP 8.3+, MySQL 8.0 or MariaDB 10.11+ recommended
    Checked Oct 25, 2026wordpress.org(opens source in a new tab)
    Open source
    Yes
    Checked Oct 25, 2026wordpress.org(opens source in a new tab)
  2. Joomla logo

    2. Joomla

    Best for: Site owners who want multilingual and access control in core without Drupal's complexity

    Open sourceSelf-hostableSelf-hosted, Web

    62.6

    score / 100

    Why switch from Concrete CMS

    Open-source PHP CMS with more built-in multilingual and access options.

    Pros

    • Multilingual content and access levels work out of the box
    • Thousands of extensions, many free
    • Fully community-owned project with no vendor lock-in

    Cons

    • Smaller ecosystem and talent pool than WordPress
    • Admin interface takes time to learn
    • Fewer modern, well-maintained templates
    Visit Joomla Details and reviews
    How this score is calculated
    Editorial fit ×0.387
    Reviews ×0.363
    Clicks (90 days) ×0.150
    Freshness ×0.1585
    Votes ×0.150

    0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula

    Is Joomla a good Concrete CMS alternative?

    Verified facts

    3 of 3 verified
    License
    GPL
    Checked Oct 25, 2026joomla.org(opens source in a new tab)
    Extensions
    Thousands, mostly free under the GPL
    Checked Oct 25, 2026joomla.org(opens source in a new tab)
    First release
    2005
    Checked Oct 25, 2026joomla.org(opens source in a new tab)
  3. Drupal logo

    3. Drupal

    Best for: Organisations with complex content, many editors and in-house or agency developers

    Open sourceSelf-hostableSelf-hosted, Web

    59.6

    score / 100

    Why switch from Concrete CMS

    Better fit when content structure and permissions get complex.

    Pros

    • Strong content modelling, permissions and multilingual support in core
    • Thousands of contributed modules and a large professional community
    • Works as a traditional CMS or a headless API backend

    Cons

    • Steeper learning curve than WordPress for site builders
    • Major upgrades and custom modules need experienced developers
    • Overkill for small brochure sites
    Visit Drupal Details and reviews
    How this score is calculated
    Editorial fit ×0.377
    Reviews ×0.363
    Clicks (90 days) ×0.150
    Freshness ×0.1585
    Votes ×0.150

    0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula

    Is Drupal a good Concrete CMS alternative?

    Verified facts

    3 of 3 verified
    License
    GPL
    Checked Oct 25, 2026drupal.org(opens source in a new tab)
    Open source
    Yes
    Checked Oct 25, 2026drupal.org(opens source in a new tab)
    Price
    Free
    Checked Oct 25, 2026drupal.org(opens source in a new tab)
  4. ApostropheCMS logo

    4. ApostropheCMS

    Best for: JavaScript teams that want in-page visual editing for non-technical editors

    Open sourceSelf-hostableSelf-hosted, Web

    57.2

    score / 100

    Why switch from Concrete CMS

    Open-source CMS with similar in-context editing, built on Node.js.

    Pros

    • In-context editing on the live page
    • MIT-licensed core in Node.js
    • Can run headless or render pages itself

    Cons

    • Smaller community and extension catalogue
    • Requires MongoDB
    • Pro and Assembly tiers are expensive
    Visit ApostropheCMS Details and reviews
    How this score is calculated
    Editorial fit ×0.369
    Reviews ×0.363
    Clicks (90 days) ×0.150
    Freshness ×0.1585
    Votes ×0.150

    0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula

    Is ApostropheCMS a good Concrete CMS alternative?

    Verified facts

    4 of 4 verified
    License
    MIT
    Checked Oct 25, 2026apostrophecms.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Pro price
    $199/month, 5 editors
    Checked Oct 25, 2026apostrophecms.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Assembly price
    $499/month, 5 sites
    Checked Oct 25, 2026apostrophecms.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Stack
    Node.js
    Checked Oct 25, 2026apostrophecms.com(opens source in a new tab)

The best Concrete CMS alternative for…

The highest-ranked app in this list for each need.

WordPress logo

Best Concrete CMS alternative for most people

WordPress

Block editor with a much larger ecosystem of themes and plugins.

Joomla logo

Best Concrete CMS alternative for a free option

Joomla

Open-source PHP CMS with more built-in multilingual and access options.

Storyblok logo

Best Concrete CMS alternative for a free plan you can upgrade

Storyblok

Hosted CMS with visual page editing, without running a server.

Drupal logo

Best Concrete CMS alternative for open source

Drupal

Better fit when content structure and permissions get complex.

ApostropheCMS logo

Best Concrete CMS alternative for self-hosting

ApostropheCMS

Open-source CMS with similar in-context editing, built on Node.js.

WordPress logo

Best Concrete CMS alternative for iPhone and Android

WordPress

Block editor with a much larger ecosystem of themes and plugins.

WordPress logo

Best Concrete CMS alternative for working in the browser

WordPress

Block editor with a much larger ecosystem of themes and plugins.

Concrete CMS alternatives: common questions

What is the best alternative to Concrete CMS?

WordPress ranks first right now. Block editor with a much larger ecosystem of themes and plugins. Joomla and Drupal follow it in our ranking.

Is there a free alternative to Concrete CMS?

Yes. WordPress (open source), Joomla (open source), Drupal (open source) and ApostropheCMS (open source) have a free option. Check each app's verified facts for current plan limits.

Is there an open-source alternative to Concrete CMS?

Yes: WordPress, Joomla, Drupal and ApostropheCMS. WordPress, Joomla and Drupal can also be self-hosted.

Why do people switch from Concrete CMS?

The complaints we hear most: much smaller theme and add-on ecosystem than WordPress; fewer developers who know it; not designed for headless or API-first use.

How is this list ranked?

Every app is scored with the same published formula: how directly it replaces Concrete CMS, reviews (weighted by verification), visits from AppBreakup, how recently its facts were checked against its own website, and reader votes.