Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

ApostropheCMS VS ExpressionEngine

Compare ApostropheCMS VS ExpressionEngine and see what are their differences

ApostropheCMS logo ApostropheCMS

Apostrophe is a powerful website builder platform built on an enterprise open source CMS, offering in-context live editing, visual design tools, and multisite enablement in a full stack JS environment.

ExpressionEngine logo ExpressionEngine

ExpressionEngine is a flexible, feature-rich content management system that empowers thousands of...
  • ApostropheCMS Landing page
    Landing page //
    2020-11-30

Apostrophe is a powerful website builder platform built on an enterprise open source CMS. Apostrophe offers in-context live editing and dynamic visual design tools with multisite enablement. At its core is an extensible and modular system in a full stack JS environment ready for traditional or headless deployment. At last, a balance between the developer and editor experience, where side projects thrive and businesses boom.

  • ExpressionEngine Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-08-05

ApostropheCMS features and specs

  • User-Friendly Interface
    ApostropheCMS offers an intuitive and easy-to-use interface, making it simple for non-technical users to manage and create content.
  • Flexible Content Management
    It provides powerful content management features, including custom content types, widgets, and reusable content pieces, allowing for greater flexibility in content creation.
  • Open Source
    Being open source, ApostropheCMS allows developers to customize and extend the platform according to their needs without any licensing fees.
  • Rich in Features
    Out-of-the-box features include SEO tools, image cropping, and dynamic page building, reducing the need for additional plugins or extensions.
  • Active Community
    A supportive and active user community contributes to continuous improvement and provides assistance through forums, documentation, and user guides.
  • Modular Architecture
    The modular architecture of ApostropheCMS enables developers to add or remove functionalities as needed, which enhances performance and scalability.

Possible disadvantages of ApostropheCMS

  • Learning Curve
    Despite its user-friendly interface, there is a moderate learning curve for developers unfamiliar with its unique architectural concepts and syntax.
  • Limited Plugins
    ApostropheCMS has fewer plugins and extensions compared to more established CMS platforms, which might limit the scope of out-of-the-box functionality.
  • Niche Market
    While popular in certain niches, ApostropheCMS lacks the widespread adoption of other CMS solutions like WordPress or Drupal, leading to fewer third-party resources.
  • Hosting Requirements
    The platform demands more specific hosting environments, which might require additional configurations or a more robust server setup, potentially increasing operational costs.
  • Developer-Dependent Customization
    Customization often requires significant developer intervention, making it less ideal for teams without in-house technical expertise.
  • Documentation Areas
    Although improving, the documentation is sometimes lacking in certain areas, which can make it harder for new users to find the information they need quickly.

ExpressionEngine features and specs

  • Flexibility
    ExpressionEngine is highly flexible and can be used to create a wide range of websites, from simple blogs to complex web applications. It doesn't impose rigid structures, allowing developers to design content and data structures according to the project's needs.
  • Template Engine
    Its powerful template engine allows for both simple and complex designs. Designers and developers can create custom layouts and templates without having to delve deeply into backend code.
  • Security
    Known for its robust security features, ExpressionEngine prioritizes the safety of its users. It includes in-built security measures such as data encryption, secure form handling, and regular security updates.
  • Addon Ecosystem
    ExpressionEngine has a diverse addon ecosystem, enabling users to extend core functionalities easily. Many high-quality third-party plugins are available for various needs like SEO, eCommerce, and more.
  • User Management
    The platform offers advanced user management capabilities. It allows for intricate access controls and user permissions, making it ideal for membership sites and other applications requiring multiple user roles.
  • Documentation
    ExpressionEngine provides thorough and well-maintained documentation, helping developers and content managers navigate and make the most out of the platform.

Possible disadvantages of ExpressionEngine

  • Cost
    ExpressionEngine is a paid CMS. While it does offer significant advantages, the cost might be prohibitive for small businesses or individuals who are just getting started.
  • Learning Curve
    While its flexibility is a major advantage, it also means that there can be a steep learning curve for beginners. Those who are new to CMSs or coming from simpler systems may find the initial setup and customization challenging.
  • Performance
    ExpressionEngine can be resource-intensive, particularly for large, high-traffic websites. Without proper optimization and hosting, this could lead to slower load times and potential performance issues.
  • Complexity for Simple Sites
    For simpler websites, the extensive feature set of ExpressionEngine might be overkill. Users looking for a straightforward blogging platform or a basic company website may find it unnecessarily complex.
  • Limited Themes and Plugins
    Compared to other CMS platforms like WordPress, ExpressionEngine has a smaller library of pre-built themes and plugins. This may require more custom development work to achieve desired functionalities and aesthetics.
  • Community Support
    While there is a dedicated group of users, the community around ExpressionEngine is smaller compared to more widely-used CMS platforms. This could make finding community support, tutorials, and third-party resources more difficult.

ApostropheCMS videos

Editing in-context

ExpressionEngine videos

ExpressionEngine 2 Tutorials #1 - Installation

More videos:

  • Tutorial - ExpressionEngine 2 Tutorials #18 - Embedded Templates
  • Review - ExpressionEngine 3 Interface Changes

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to ApostropheCMS and ExpressionEngine)
CMS
51 51%
49% 49
Blogging
52 52%
48% 48
Blogging Platform
0 0%
100% 100
Development
57 57%
43% 43

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare ApostropheCMS and ExpressionEngine

ApostropheCMS Reviews

We have no reviews of ApostropheCMS yet.
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ExpressionEngine Reviews

11 Popular Free And Open Source WordPress CMS alternatives in 2021
It features: run multiple sites, live preview, one-click updates, with ExpressionEngine, your site content is stored in channels—flexible data containers with fields for any type of information, and more.
Source: medevel.com

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, ApostropheCMS should be more popular than ExpressionEngine. It has been mentiond 11 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

ApostropheCMS mentions (11)

  • Useful open source tools: the little things add up
    Over the years we've created lots of little open source modules that are useful on their own. Because they are not part of our core product, I don't often step back and look at them as a whole. Turns out, there's quite a collection. Tools for sanitizing HTML, tools for managing github organizations at scale, tools to improve performance, tools for localizing URLs, even a brand new tiny framework for microservices.... - Source: dev.to / 5 months ago
  • How AI Is Transforming the CMS Industry
    Apostrophe's CTO, Tom Boutell, recently presented a talk at Philly Tech Week to share his experience using the OpenAI API to integrate AI into Apostrophe. If you are not familiar with this tool, Apostrophe is an open-source CMS built on modern technologies like Node.js and Vue.js that can operate as a traditional CMS, headless CMS, and website builder. - Source: dev.to / almost 2 years ago
  • ApostropheCMS Launches Document Versions Tool
    ApostropheCMS allows multiple content contributors and editors to work on documents across multiple sites. Keeping track of when changes were made to a document and who made those changes is critical. The enterprise edition of ApostropheCMS has an important new tool for managing the content pipeline. The Document Versions tool facilitates the use and management of multiple versions of a document (page). - Source: dev.to / over 2 years ago
  • The Best 10+ Open Source Headless CMS 2022
    Get a flexible and robust open-source website builder – Apostrophe – suitable for SaaS companies, enterprises, higher education, digital agencies, and a lot more. It can enhance your digital experiences from the same dashboard and lets you customize a no-code website factory through a modern tech stack. - Source: dev.to / almost 3 years ago
  • Ask HN: What CMS are you using in 2022?
    As someone who dabbled in PHP but is mostly a self-taught JS hobbyist dev, I have been using and loving Directus (https://directus.io) since around the time they switched to Node. Development velocity is exceptional with new features released every couple of weeks and bugfixes/enhancements even more frequent, the community and core team is fantastic, and I like the fact that if I ever decide to switch to another... - Source: Hacker News / almost 3 years ago
View more

ExpressionEngine mentions (2)

  • Expression Engine & HubSpot
    Does Expression Engine support integration with HubSpot? Source: over 1 year ago
  • What technologies for these requirements?
    PHP Headless Or you go with a Headless PHP CMS. Some options for that are Bolt CMS, Suru, Twill and ExpressionEngine. A Headless CMS doesn't have any frontend. It can provide you with a REST API or you create it in their template engine and integrate your JS stuff there. There are so many, I can't count them all. You can also search for Cockpit and Strapi. Source: about 3 years ago

What are some alternatives?

When comparing ApostropheCMS and ExpressionEngine, you can also consider the following products

Sitecake - Drag and drop CMS for HTML websites. It's flat file CMS so it's pretty fast.

Drupal - Drupal - the leading open-source CMS for ambitious digital experiences that reach your audience across multiple channels. Because we all have different needs, Drupal allows you to create a unique space in a world of cookie-cutter solutions.

ClassicPress - The WordPress fork. No Gutenberg. Great future!

WordPress - WordPress is web software you can use to create a beautiful website or blog. We like to say that WordPress is both free and priceless at the same time.

TYPO3 - TYPO3.com - Infos, SLAs, Extended Support Versions and more

Anchor CMS - Free and lightweight blogging system