Why I Like my Commercial Content Management System over an Open Source One
The argument on whether a commercial content management system (CMS) is better than an open source content management system will probably go on until the end of the internet. The people that like open source CMS’s will stick with favorite and the people that like commercial CMS’s like to stick with their favorite.
New inside and out from Randa Clay is my inspiration for this article. She recently upgraded to the new version of Wordpress and had this to say:
I always sort of grit my teeth and cross my fingers when it’s time to upgrade, it went quickly and everything still works!
Her sentiments are exactly why I’ve become a huge fan of ExpressionEngine. True, it’s not free (well, they do have a stripped down “core” version which is free), but that’s the main argument I see on forums and other sites about commercial CMS’s. A lot of people say that if it isn’t free, they won’t use it. Hopefully in this article I can explain why I think paying for a solution like ExpressionEngine trumps going the free route.
Note: I have used TextPattern (open source) and ExpressionEngine (commercial) the most, so from here on out, the comparisons I make are based on my experience with those two systems and may or may not be the case with other free or commercial content management systems.
Upside and Downside to Open Source
1. Updates always seem to break something
I witnessed it a lot at the TextPattern forums. When a new version was released, it always seemed to break something. I think that’s where the quote from Randa above comes from. She has to cross her fingers and toes in hopes that the new upgrade will not break any of the add-ons she may be using. When you get a lot of different developers working on a project and they all have different skill levels, chances are at some point or another, something is going to break. This is why everyone at the TextPattern forums was real big on not installing any extra add-ons when using TextPattern.
2. No dependable tech support
I can’t tell you how many times when using TextPattern that I would have a problem and have to wait a day or two before I received a response to my question on the forums. With open source projects, the forums is their only support method and one top of that you’re at the mercy of the members.
3. The project could close at any time
Without some sort of formal funding, an open source projects development could potentially close at anytime. A lack of interest is all it takes.
4. Price
The one upside and why so many people choose an open source content management system over a commercial one is simply based upon price. Open source is normally free, and who doesn’t like free, right? I used to think this way too. If this is you, read on for why I like commercial better and maybe I can change your mind.
Why I Think a Commercial CMS is the Way To Go
1. The big one for me is the great support
Usually with commercial content management systems, by purchasing the software, you have access to dependable tech support. I could not do without the ExpressionEngine forums (where you receive your support with a paid license). They have a wonderful paid staff on hand that is always there to answer you questions. Unlike the TextPattern support forums, if you run into a problem with EE, it will NOT go unnoticed by their professional staff. TextPattern is great, but you’re really at the mercy of the regular members of the forum for support.
2. Updates never break the system
I’ve been using ExpressionEngine for going on a year now and have done numerous updates and have yet to have a problem with an aspect of the system buckling as a result of the new code (knock on wood). A lot of the add-ons are first party too, so you can add them to your system and be able to sleep at night knowing that it’s not going to break everything.
3. Not likely to pack up shop any time soon
With commercial content management systems actually bringing in revenue, it’s not likely that they will go out of business. True, the commercial company will generally have more overhead with their employees, but I would put my money on the open source project going under before the commercial project. Also true that a lot of people develop for open source projects and if it goes under, it’s likely that someone else will pick it up and run with it. That’s great, in a way. It could also be bad if the person that picks it up is a below par developer and completely runs it into the ground.
Do You Agree With Me?
If you don’t agree with me, let me know why. These are just some of my thoughts on previous experiences with using both open source and commercial content management systems. Personally, I’m much happier with ExpressionEngine than I ever was with TextPattern. Maybe that’s because I’ve been able to learn about triple what I was able to learn with TextPattern in the same amount of time? Maybe it’s simply because it’s a far superior product than any other open source content management system that I’ve used (I have used about 10 total, but only TextPattern extensively).
What’s your experience with different content management systems been like?
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Personally for my money it doesn’t get much better than Expression Engine. What I like about it is how it’s both flexible and powerful, an important combination I look for in any technology I adopt.
Posted on Wed Oct 3, 2007
Oh, one of my favorite topics—Expression Engine. I’m almost ashamed to admit, how much I gush over it. I still custom code or use other systems if the client requires it, but we’ve switched most of our clients over and haven’t looked back. Expression Engine is powerful, flexible, and adaptable, plus the code IS accessible. And beyond all that the cost is very affordable and support is great.
We occasionally get potential clients who don’t want to spend the $99 for the nonprofit price or the $250 for the commercial price. But I’ve learned to not work with them. It’s one thing if they are ideologically opposed to commercial software or already embedded in their current system; but not being willing to fork over so little for so much, is just a level of cheapness that will be displayed every time you submit an invoice. So we refer them elsewhere.
Personally, I’m more of an advocate for open code than open source. I want to be able to access and modify the code, if I need to. I don’t need the code to be under an open source license or to be free.
I’ve used a fee open source CMS and to be honest, when using them, I was a fan of coding it myself--because of the tangled mess the code often was. But I feel with EE I can both design and develop, and their code is just amazing. Really amazing. I gush a lot. Don’t bring up the topic in polite company. It’s embarrassing.
Posted on Wed Oct 3, 2007
I don’t agree with the “project could close at any time” argument. Nobody guarantees their existence. A project large as WordPress is hard to close down, due to a great amount of people with the programming knowledge of the software. See if you can fit your argument into a browser, why do you use FireFox? Would you use an alternative paid browser? Some things are just meant to be free, it’s more of a social movement than anything. I don’t believe in open-source movement, but I just believe that some things should just be free, such as blogging softwares and browsers.
Posted on Wed Oct 3, 2007
Sam: I agree with you, there really is no commitment on the developers end for free/open source projects.
I don’t have experience with Typepad, but for someone like yourself who is “just wants to post stuff” I would imagine Typepad would be perfect. I like to have complete control over everything, so that’s where ExpressionEngine comes in. The thing about ExpressionEngine that I love is it’s so robust, plain and simple, it works and their support is the best that I have ever seen although Typepad could rival it from what you’re saying. But, I agree, support is definitely huge.
Sam W Yes, I agree. You already know my stance on ExpressionEngine. I almost skipped over it in my quest for the perfect CMS, I’m glad that I didn’t!
Alnisa: I agree 100% with your sentiments. For your clients that don’t want to pay the license fee, would Core not work for them?
How are you with dealing with the member templates? I’ve never messed with them to much but heard they are a bit of a pain for noobs using them?
Nupur: You make some good points. It’s true than any project could close down, and there are definitely exceptions to my original argument. The community surrounding WordPress is so huge that it would be picked back up by someone else if it was on the verge of shutting down. Would other smaller open source systems stay open? Probably not.
As for the browser idea, no, I wouldn’t use a paid version. My main reason for not using a paid version is that I don’t need support for a browser. In my experience with CMS’s, commercial ones come with dedicated support, and the open source / free systems do not. With the free ones, you’re basically either on your own, or at the mercy of the community (which a lot of times is not good at all). I’m not sure how WordPress’ community is as far as helping with problems and such?
For me, I can only sit and grind away at a CMS problem for so long before I get frustrated. Usually there is a small learning curve and I credit the great support from the ExpressionEngine crew for me breaking through that learning curve in no time. If I have a problem, I have an answer that is right the first time from a dedicated support expert at using that system. I don’t have to fiddle with someone in a community who may only have as much experience as myself and is just guessing as to what the problem may be (ran into that a lot with TextPattern). Again, there are always exceptions and maybe the WordPress community is awesome, I’ve never used it so I can’t say.
Thanks for stopping by.
Posted on Fri Oct 5, 2007
I use Wordpress.
My blog is small.
Wordpress is free.
Those reasons are good enough for me.
lol
Down the road, I may look into something more than Wordpress - but I need a little income before that…
Posted on Sat Oct 6, 2007
Deron says: I agree 100% with your sentiments. For your clients that don’t want to pay the license fee, would Core not work for them?
How are you with dealing with the member templates? I’ve never messed with them to much but heard they are a bit of a pain for noobs using them?
I don’t use Core much. From my point of view, Core is free and that’s great if all you want is a blog (I know it does more than that). I’ve used it once or twice for friends. But most of the individuals and organizations that we get want professional sites.
Admittedly, fairly often, they want a professional site for free or under $500, but that’s not what we offer. People who come and say, I want a site that looks like 31Three , Veerle’s Blog, or some commercial site which paid thousands of dollars or had in-house designers, and I want it for less than $500 to me are the equivalent of people who want an unlocked iPhone for $50 bucks. They have no comprehensive of the value of things, except, often an overly inflated sense of value of themselves.
As far as I’m concern, there are a number of blog shops set-up to deal with them, so I have no qualms about not dealing with them. We provide affordable design and development—and occasionally, free to our friends—but affordable doesn’t mean cheap. We can do a $10,000 project, probably for 50-75% of that cost, but we can’t make a $3,000 project cost $500. So we refer, and we almost always use commercial or nonprofit license, because eventually someone will ask for a feature that’s only available through that package.
Obviously, just my opinion, but I consider EE Core to be basic blogging software. That’s the product, I’d compare to WordPress. You want a CMS, you go with the full Expression Engine.
Member templates are a pain. Especially, since you often have to log-out to access some of them—like registration form. I’ve customized them, but they could be easier to deal with. Recently, for a client that we’ve been adding a number of member only features for, I’ve found myself just creating alternative templates—pulling the registration form code into a normal template, etc., etc. I haven’t done it enough to comment fully, but so far it seems like a viable alternative for at least some of the member templates.
Posted on Sun Oct 7, 2007
Alnisa: True that somewhere down the line the client would want a feature that Core didn’t have. I guess better to be prepared initially. Although, to upgrade from Core to a Personal or Commercial License, I think a few folder uploads is all that’s needed to upgrade.
Yeah, Core is more of a blogging software, but I still put it in the same category as a CMS. I’m managing my content with it, so to me, it’s a CMS. Everyone has different definitions though.
I wasn’t aware you could pull form code, etc., from the member templates into regular templates? That was my main problem when I looked at the member templates with EE. You can’t use any embeds or anything like that in the member templates which makes no sense to me whatsoever.
Posted on Tue Oct 9, 2007
“No dependable tech support”—I have had all my issues answered within 1-36 hours on the Textpattern forums, generally on the lower end of that spectrum. The documentation is not up to snuff and one has to go hunting for info, so certainly things could be better. But my experience with commercial software of various stripes certainly does not bear out the contention that it generally has better support. Maybe EE does, but TXP is good enough for me to get a job finished on a tight deadline.
“The project could close at any time”—This is much more likely for closed source than open. And if the closed source project ends you are screwed. If the OS project closes you have all the code, the project might fork, etc.
“Price”—It is not the price of EE that ticks me off but the pricing model. No, I do not want my client to have to get out their credit card, go through their purchase workflow or even think about what software they are using. My clients pay me to do all the thinking and handle all the nitty gritty so they don’t have to. If EE changed their approach (and a mighty unusual one it is) I would be a customer in a snap.
“Updates always seem to break something”—It is generally true that the experience of closed source software is better in this regard, since there is more time and money put into this aspect of the user experience.
Posted on Tue Oct 9, 2007
Robin: Thanks for stopping by to comment.
With the tech support point, yes, when I was using TXP maybe the problems I was having just were not ones easily solved, so it’s easier to ignore than to help? All of my support questions on the forums did not go unnoticed mind you, but it’s night and day compared to the EE support forums. It seemed like on the TXP forums, for me, every question I asked that got a reply, it never was a definitive answer. It was always a “why not try this” type of reply. I’ve found that at EE, I can ask a question and the reply is usually “Here’s how you do it...”
True, when a closed source app closes, it closes. With open source, it could stay going for sometime after the original developer decides to give it up. With open source, I think it’s great if someone else picks it up, but it’s only great if the person(s) that pick up the project actually know what they’re doing and don’t completely break everything because they’re amateurs. Of course, that is not the case all of the time.
Thanks again for stopping by. 
Posted on Tue Oct 9, 2007
Robin: “Price”—It is not the price of EE that ticks me off but the pricing model. No, I do not want my client to have to get out their credit card, go through their purchase workflow or even think about what software they are using. My clients pay me to do all the thinking and handle all the nitty gritty so they don’t have to. If EE changed their approach (and a mighty unusual one it is) I would be a customer in a snap.
I don’t understand what you find problematic with EE’s process. I pay for client’s EE costs almost across aboard. I only have a few clients were they’ve paid for their own EE licenses. You just pay for the licenses, I always add the note for which domain it will be used on, and purchase. In fact, this method works out cheaper for the client, since I qualify for volume discounts. If the client wants forum access, I request an account get created for them. If the client wants to transfer to a new developer, then we transfer the account data to their name. All pretty straight forward.
Deron: Yeah, at least with registration and login form. Otherwise, I’ve just created new forms. I haven’t gone through all the forms in membership templates. So I imagine some will be easier to adapt then others.
Posted on Tue Oct 9, 2007
allgopod2: Has EE changed this policy? Because I do recall they required the *client* to make the payment and for transactions to be directly with them. (This might have been a year ago.) If it is now different or if my memory has popped a gasket, then I’m all the happier for it.
Posted on Tue Oct 9, 2007
It’s allgood2. allgopod2 makes me sound like a second cousin to an iPod knockoff
As far as I know, there’s been no policy change. I’ve been using EE since it came out. My tired brain can’t calculate how long that is. It could have just been bad advice (or should I say misguided advice). Technically speaking, if you want the licenses in the clients name, then the primary method for doing so is to have the client pay for it. The secondary method is a license transfer. But the real question is, ‘Does the license need to be in the clients name or just tied to their domain?’
Some people are always more factual than others, so depending how you asked the question, I could imagine someone reply with the primary option, without reviewing all alternatives. It doesn’t mean the alternatives aren’t there. Obviously, so, if you consider EE offers volume discounts on licenses. How many individuals do you know need 5+ copies of EE, when a single copy can handle hundreds of domains if necessary?
For us, the software license is always in our name. We don’t consider this very important. The client has all the account data (except for our forum account); and the license key is stored in the installed software. Plus, we will always talk to the point person on the client side, to see if they want forum access and get an account created for them.
Posted on Tue Oct 9, 2007
Sorry about the name, man. Though if anyone markets the AllGoPod you can stand in line for royalties! Sounds like a typical Korean or Japanese marketing stab actually.
And thanks for the clarification. Generally my clients would want to own all rights, so I’d have to transfer the license.
Posted on Wed Oct 10, 2007
@robin - We’ve never required that a client pay for the license directly. Web developers are welcome to purchase on a client’s behalf. You can always transfer the license to the client at a later date. Many web developers do this to take advantage of the volume discount program. Generally speaking we try to be as developer friendly as possible. EE has no encrypted code, you can install dev copies, staging copies, switch domains, servers, etc.. without purchasing new licenses or jumping through hoops.
I’d be happy to give you a free developer copy of EE. Just email sales at expressionengine dot com, ask for Leslie, and mention this URL in your email to jog my memory.
@deron Many thanks for the write up! Its much appreciated.
Posted on Thu Oct 11, 2007
@Leslie: Thanks for that clarification and offer, though I thought the core was free to try anyway? I’ll email you and get the rest of my misconceptions cleared up!
Posted on Thu Oct 11, 2007
1) One of the main reasons Wordpress seems to mess up with upgrades is because of one plug-in or another.
2) Many CMSs are a lot more robust, such as Drupal. I have had great luck with it, even upgrading with plug-ins. I ended up switching back to Wordpress simply because of how it worked. However, I have also heard about Joomla being better than both.
3) For most open source software, whether or not it is a CMS, I can get support on IRC or the like a lot quicker than paid support agents. I haven’t dealt with CMS commercial tech support at any time, but any commercial tech support, no matter the size of the company, has always been slow for me. A lot of times the people helping me aren’t that knowledgable either.
4) If an open source program were to stop being developed that was popular enough, such as Wordpress, then there is a good chance that it may be forked into a new program since the code is open. Wordpress itself was based off another project.
5) Small companies have the problem of going bankrupt or having general fincial issues. This is purely opinion, but wouldn’t it make more sense to go with a large open source with lots of users as opposed to a small closed source program by a smaller company that is rather obscure?
Posted on Sat Oct 13, 2007
Leslie: No problem at all. I love EE and could probably write about it a few times a week! 
Jake: Thanks for stopping by and leaving such an in depth comment.
Yes, I’ve heard a lot of talk about Drupal and Joomla and actually tried them both out before I discovered Expression Engine. There are many nice sites using both systems, but to me, they just were not very intuitive. I couldn’t make sense of anything that was going on with their code. With EE, the template system and everything just made sense.
Wow, so the support you’ve received from other commercial systems haven’t been good? I guess my assumption that most commercial systems would have better support may be wrong. It just make sense to me that if you have a system bringing revenue, their support would be decent as well. Evidently that’s not the case. I guess I got lucky in finding EE. Great product, with great support.
Posted on Sun Oct 14, 2007
I agree with you on some points. But DeafMusician, the difference between Firefox is that it has TONS of financial support, savvy marketing, and a huge userbase. Besides, who would PAY for a web browser?
I switched from WordPress to EE Core for accessibility reasons; ZoomText 9.0 and the newer versions of WP weren’t working properly together, and I have seen the backend of the EE install and it’s wonderfully accessible. Then, I started digging through the possibilities through the wiki and learned how powerful and flexible it was. I probably could have lived without a Personal licence but I bought it should I ever have any issues, though there hasn’t been one that hasn’t been solved by the community or me individually.
The first accessibility issue I had was fixed overnight, I loved that. That never happened with WP and I hate having to look through the backend’s code.
And with EE, you can specifically design a template group for users of screen readers, while still retaining your main look. I love its flexibility. I love how powerful it is. I am an EE groupie and proud!
Posted on Sat Nov 3, 2007
Bobby: Glad you were able to comment! I appreciate you coming back.
Good points there! I’m right there with ya too, an EE groupie. 
Posted on Sat Nov 3, 2007
I looed at paid CMS before I tried some free ones.Then I learned how to make my own but then fell in love with using WP as a CMS. I just really enjoy the geeky thrills of doing all the themeing and plugin searching and etc.
Also as some one already said: My blog is small.WordPress is free. I love free.
As for closing down and not enough tech support:probably not going to happen with WP but if it does you’ll have the last laugh!
Posted on Mon Nov 5, 2007
@mccormicky: As I believe I already said, I believe that if Wordpress stops being developed, then someone will fork it and keep developing it. Maybe multiple people. As far as I know, Wordpress itself was based off of B2 itself. It will probably be comparable to how Nvu was forked into Kompozer.
Posted on Mon Nov 5, 2007
McCormicky: Yeah, free is great. I used to love free as well until I broke down the paid for a copy of EE. Man, I’m glad I did because I love this system! But to each their own, right?
Jake: Yeah, WordPress will definitely be picked up by someone should it ever stop development. The problem is that a lot of times the people that contribute to the open source applications just don’t know what they’re doing (not necessarily the case with WordPress, just generally speaking) hence the reason everyone always crosses their fingers when it comes time to update the system...something always breaks!
Posted on Mon Nov 5, 2007
@Deron Sizemore: Maybe it’s just my test environment, but I ran a few tests (nothing serious, maybe I should do them more conclusively in the future) on my local Apache server. Nothing went wrong between versions as long as no plug-ins were installed- I could even manually edit parts of the PHP code without errors. The biggest issue seem to come from smaller plug-ins (as in developer wise). I think its more the plug-in developers not knowing what they’re doing more than anything. Have user developed EE plugins ever caused any issues for you?
Posted on Tue Nov 6, 2007
Jake: Yeah, I do agree with you there. The plug-ins are usually what causes the problems between updates. From my experience with TextPattern (never used WordPress) as long as you didn’t use a lot of plug-ins, you were fine, which is why all the people in the TextPattern forums (when I was a frequent member there a while ago) always advised to develop your site using the built in functionality if possible and stay away from adding in lots of plug-ins. That’s all well and good, but unfortunately, if you wanted any kind of functionality on your site, you need plug-ins in most cases. Again, that’s my experience with TextPattern. Don’t know what all WordPress can do by default “out of the box?” It may do everything you need and then some without plug-ins?
Well, this is another thing I like about EE. On their site they have an “Add-on Library” where you can download all kinds of extra add-ons. The great thing about this is that they don’t list the add-on in their library until it’s been reviewed and accepted by the EE team. So, there is a slim to none chance that the add-ons will break something between updates. Thus far, I’ve yet to have ANY issues at all with breaking the system between updates. It takes all of 5 minutes to update and I can do it without crossing any fingers.
Thanks Jake
Posted on Wed Nov 7, 2007
@Deron Sizemore: True. Wordpress.org’s plugin directory seems to have little testing by the Wordpress developers. I feel that EE’s upgrading process wouldn’t be much better if users were to install lots of user created and tested plug-ins. Plug-ins are a double edged sword. The users want them for more functionality, and want them to be easily developable. The developers then get criticized when plug-ins break the system.
Posted on Wed Nov 7, 2007
Jake: Yeah, you’re probably right. There may very well be all kinds of add-ons for EE out there that are not officially accepted by the EE staff, but I’ve never heard of them. I just download everything I use from EE’s site so I can do my best to stay clear of any problems. 
Posted on Wed Nov 7, 2007
WordPress will never die. Period.
Then again, if EE dies...that’s just impossible. I’d sell my soul before I let EE die out.
An update of ZoomText made WP accessible for me again...but still, I stuck with EE because EE is awesome. I do design custom WP themes for my sister and friends so I am good with WordPress and icky PHP with it but EE still beats them all. Again, if I had the money I’d probably drive myself into bankruptcy buying EE, hosting, and domains. Hurrah, hurrah!
Posted on Mon Dec 31, 2007
Bobby: I definitely agree! EE is the best CMS that I’ve used and I can’t give it enough praise.
By the way, I saw your comment was caught by Akismet, sorry for the delay in marking it as not spam.
Posted on Thu Jan 3, 2008
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My name is Deron Sizemore and I am a web designer, web publisher, blogger and serial internet entrepreneur living in Lexington, Kentucky.
I haven’t used either of the CMS that you’ve highlighted, but I learned a long time ago that with free hosting, TOS can change on a whim. Accounts can be deleted when the host changes his or her mind, or ultimately, gets sold. Free platforms are just as susceptible to unexpected changes, or development dead-ends, and really, what is the commitment on the developer’s end?
I’ve used Blogger, WordPress.com, b2evo, and TypePad. Blogger, at the time, was prone to perpetual outages, and WP’s WYSIWYG editor drives me up a wall. (Seriously. I couldn’t believe how bad it was, given the popularity of the platform.) b2evo had a wonderful, centralized, support community, which TypePad lacks; but with TypePad, my experience has been that if I open a support ticket, the problem gets fixed. I like that. And I can expect it, precisely because I’m paying for it. (It’s also why I’m loathe to move to self-hosting.)
I think that one of the main things to consider when choosing a platform is what you plan to do with it. For more technically-minded individuals, being able to get directly at the code may weigh more heavily than support. For people like me, who just want to post stuff and have everything work correctly, quality support far outweighs customization/community.
Posted on Wed Oct 3, 2007