The Shifting Landscape of Content Management Systems: A 2025 Analysis

Executive Summary

The content management system ecosystem is experiencing a fundamental transformation. While traditional open-source platforms still command significant territory, the tide is turning toward managed, user-friendly alternatives. Current data reveals that WordPress maintains its position as the leading CMS with 43.3% of all surveyed websites, yet this represents a notable retreat from its historical dominance, signaling important implications for businesses and developers alike.

The Current State of CMS Adoption

Platform Distribution Overview

As of October 2025, approximately 71.4% of websites utilize some form of content management system, leaving 28.6% running custom or non-CMS solutions. With over 281 million active domains tracked by Netcraft, the CMS market encompasses more than 200 million websites globally.

Leading Platforms by Usage:

Platform	Launch Year	Architecture	CMS Market Position	Overall Web Presence
WordPress	2003	Open Source	60.7%	43.3%
Shopify	2006	SaaS	6.8%	4.8%
Wix	2006	SaaS	5.7%	4.1%
Squarespace	2004	SaaS	3.4%	2.4%
Joomla	2005	Open Source	2.0%	1.4%
Webflow	2013	SaaS	1.2%	0.9%
Drupal	2001	Open Source	1.1%	0.8%

The Decline of Custom Solutions

The proportion of websites operating without any CMS has contracted by 2.8 percentage points between 2024 and October 2025. This ongoing trend demonstrates the industry's movement toward standardized, maintainable platforms rather than bespoke development approaches.

WordPress: Dominance Under Pressure

Historical Context and Recent Trajectory

WordPress experienced remarkable expansion from 2014 through 2022, with usage increasing by 105% during this period. However, the platform has since entered a correction phase, surrendering nearly seven percentage points of market position since its 2022 peak of 65.2%. Current figures place WordPress back at 2018 levels, erasing gains made during the pandemic digital acceleration.

Factors Behind the Erosion

Several dynamics contribute to WordPress's declining trajectory:

• Complexity Overhead: Managing plugins, theme compatibility, and core updates requires technical expertise
• Security Responsibilities: Self-hosted installations demand ongoing vigilance and maintenance
• Competitive Alternatives: Managed platforms offer reduced operational burden
• User Experience Gaps: Modern no-code builders appeal to non-technical decision-makers

The Rise of Managed SaaS Platforms

Shopify's Strategic Position

Now capturing 6.8% of the CMS market and powering 4.8% of all websites, Shopify has established itself as the clear second-place contender. The platform demonstrated explosive pandemic-era growth:

• 52.9% market share expansion from 2020 to 2021
• 26.9% additional growth from 2021 to 2022
• Stabilization and sustained performance through 2024-2025

Shopify's technical performance credentials, particularly strong Core Web Vitals scores, make it competitive beyond its ecommerce origins.

Wix's Momentum

Wix has achieved one of the most impressive growth trajectories this year, now serving 4.1% of surveyed websites. Its 32.6% year-over-year market share increase from October 2024 to October 2025 reflects significant traction among small and medium businesses seeking accessible, low-friction web presence solutions.

Squarespace's Steady Climb

From just 0.3% market share in 2014, Squarespace has methodically expanded to 3.4% today, with 2.4% of all websites now built on the platform. This represents a 9.7% increase year-over-year, driven by demand for design-first, maintenance-light solutions.

The Fall of Traditional Open Source Alternatives

Joomla and Drupal's Contraction

Once titans of the open-source CMS world, Joomla and Drupal commanded significant portions of the web. They were the go-to choices for developers and organizations seeking powerful, flexible, and free platforms. However, the digital currents have shifted dramatically, leaving these once-prominent systems facing a steep decline in adoption. It's a stark reminder that even the most established players aren't immune to market evolution.

The numbers paint a clear picture of this contraction. Back in 2014, these two platforms together held nearly 15% of the CMS market. Fast forward to 2025, and that combined share has dwindled to just over 3%. The past year alone saw Joomla's market presence shrink by 20%, while Drupal experienced an even sharper 31% reduction. This isn't just a minor dip; it's a significant re-evaluation by the market.

Why Folks Packed Up and Left: The Open Source Exodus

A few big reasons explain why so many businesses started looking elsewhere. For starters, the sheer simplicity of managed SaaS platforms like Shopify and Wix became a huge draw. Many companies, especially the smaller ones, just found the whole 'install and configure' routine of traditional open source systems a bit much. They really just wanted to get a website up and running, not become full-time system administrators. The idea of a fully managed, drag-and-drop setup, complete with integrated hosting and security, felt like a breath of fresh air.

This desire for simplicity also fueled the no-code and low-code revolution. Platforms like Webflow, which we'll touch on later, and even the advanced visual builders within Wix and Squarespace, put serious design and development capabilities into the hands of people without deep coding knowledge. It meant you could iterate faster, test ideas quickly, and launch projects without needing a dedicated development team for every little tweak. That's a tough act for a more code-heavy system to follow.

Developer Preferences: A New Generation's Tools

Developer tastes changed dramatically, too. The web development scene moved at lightning speed towards modern JavaScript frameworks like React and Vue, along with headless architectures and API-first approaches. While Drupal has certainly worked hard to improve its API capabilities, its core structure, often seen as a bit monolithic and very PHP-centric, just didn't feel as nimble to a lot of newer developers. Joomla, bless its heart, also struggled to keep pace with these rapid shifts in preferred tools and methods.

The rise of the Jamstack philosophy really highlighted this shift. Jamstack, which stands for JavaScript, APIs, and Markup, emphasizes pre-rendered sites that are incredibly fast, secure, and scalable. This approach often pairs beautifully with headless CMS solutions, where the content is stored separately from the presentation layer. Developers found this setup offered more flexibility, better performance, and a more enjoyable workflow compared to the traditional, tightly coupled CMS environments.

The Real Cost: Beyond 'Free' Software

Then there's the total cost of ownership, which is a big one. Sure, the software itself for Joomla or Drupal is free, but running a site on these platforms often racks up significant expenses. Think about hosting, ongoing maintenance, security updates, and any custom development work. For many, that initial 'free' appeal quickly faded when they faced a steady stream of operational costs. SaaS platforms, with their clear, predictable monthly fees covering pretty much everything, offered a much simpler financial picture.

Cost Factor	Traditional Open Source (e.g., Drupal, Joomla)	Managed SaaS (e.g., Shopify, Wix)
Initial Setup	Requires server setup, software installation, database configuration. Can be complex and time-consuming.	Account creation, template selection, drag-and-drop building. Very quick and user-friendly.
Hosting	Separate hosting provider needed; costs vary based on server specs and traffic. Requires management.	Hosting is included in the subscription fee; fully managed by the platform.
Maintenance & Updates	Manual updates for core, plugins, themes. Requires technical expertise and time. Potential for breaking changes.	Platform handles all core updates and maintenance automatically. No user intervention needed.
Security	User's responsibility for patches, firewalls, backups, and vulnerability monitoring. Can be a major headache.	Platform provides robust, continuous security monitoring, patching, and DDoS protection.
Custom Development	Often requires specialized developers for complex features or integrations. Can be expensive.	Relies on app stores and built-in features; custom code options are more limited but often simpler.
Support	Community forums, third-party developers. Official support often comes at an extra cost.	Dedicated customer support teams, often 24/7, included in the subscription.
Cost Predictability	Variable, with unexpected costs for fixes, security incidents, or scaling.	Highly predictable monthly or annual subscription fees.

Beyond just the money, the sheer burden of security and ongoing maintenance became a deal-breaker for many. Keeping an open-source CMS secure means constant vigilance: applying patches, monitoring for vulnerabilities, and dealing with potential breaches. This demands a certain level of technical know-how and time that many small to medium-sized businesses simply don't have. With a SaaS platform, all that heavy lifting is handled by the provider, letting businesses focus on their actual work.

Finding Their Footing: Niche Roles for the Veterans

Despite the overall decline, it's not all doom and gloom for these platforms. Drupal, in particular, continues to hold its own in specific, highly specialized niches. Its robust architecture and powerful content modeling capabilities make it a strong contender for large-scale enterprise websites, government portals, and complex educational institutions that require intricate workflows, multi-site management, and deep customization. These organizations often have dedicated IT teams capable of handling the platform's demands.

Joomla, while facing a steeper challenge, still finds a home with certain community-driven projects, smaller non-profits, and websites that benefit from its specific extensions or a developer base already familiar with its ecosystem. Its flexibility, though sometimes a double-edged sword, still appeals to those who need a high degree of control without the full complexity of Drupal.

• Complex Enterprise Solutions: Drupal's strength in handling vast amounts of structured content and intricate user permissions keeps it relevant for big organizations.
• Legacy Systems: Many established sites built on these platforms remain, with migration costs often outweighing the benefits of switching.
• Open-Source Philosophy: A segment of users and developers remains committed to the principles of open source, valuing community control and transparency over proprietary solutions.

Both platforms fell from the No. 2 and No. 3 positions to No. 5 and No. 6, overtaken by modern website builders. Google Trends data shows Joomla briefly exceeded WordPress in search interest around 2008, but has failed to maintain relevance as market needs evolved.

Webflow's Emergence

Contrasting sharply with legacy platforms, Webflow has climbed to 1.2% market share since its 2013 launch. The platform appeals to design-focused organizations seeking visual development capabilities without extensive technical dependencies.

Ecommerce Platform Dynamics

WooCommerce vs. Shopify

The ecommerce segment presents an interesting comparison:

• WooCommerce: 12.4% CMS market share, powering 8.9% of all websites
• Shopify: 6.8% CMS market share, powering 4.8% of all websites

WooCommerce's dominance exceeds the combined market share of Shopify (6.8%), PrestaShop (0.8%), and OpenCart (0.6%).

The Ecommerce Builder Advantage

Shopify's growth illustrates a broader pattern: businesses increasingly prefer integrated, managed commerce solutions over self-hosted alternatives requiring separate hosting, security, and maintenance arrangements.

The Elementor Factor

While not a standalone CMS, Elementor warrants attention as the most widely deployed WordPress page builder:

• Installed on 18.1% of websites with a known CMS
• Powers 12.9% of all surveyed sites
• Exceeds Wix and Squarespace combined by installation volume

Elementor's popularity signals strong demand for visual, drag-and-drop development experiences even within the WordPress ecosystem, suggesting users seek simpler development workflows regardless of underlying platform.

Strategic Implications for Organizations

Decision Framework

The evolving CMS landscape requires organizations to reassess platform selection through multiple lenses:

Technical Considerations:

• Performance requirements and Core Web Vitals compliance
• Integration capabilities with existing technology stacks
• Scalability for anticipated growth trajectories
• Development team skill sets and resource availability

Operational Factors:

• Total cost of ownership including hosting, security, and maintenance
• Internal technical expertise or requirement for managed solutions
• Update and security management burden
• Plugin/extension ecosystem maturity

Business Alignment:

• Time-to-market requirements
• Design flexibility needs
• Content management workflow complexity
• Future migration risks and platform lock-in

Market Segmentation Patterns

Clear patterns emerge when analyzing platform adoption by website scale and traffic:

• WordPress: Strong across all segments but particularly dominant among high-traffic, professionally managed sites
• Joomla/Drupal: Concentrated in enterprise environments despite shrinking overall footprint
• Wix/Squarespace: Predominantly small business and lower-traffic implementations
• Shopify: Distributed across commerce sites of varying scales with strong mid-market presence
• Elementor: Bridges the gap, bringing simplified development to WordPress's extensive user base

SEO and Technical Implications

Platform-Specific Optimization Opportunities

As market share fragments, specialization becomes increasingly valuable:

Shopify SEO Expertise: With nearly 5% of all websites now on Shopify, deep platform knowledge offers competitive advantage, particularly understanding its unique technical constraints and capabilities.

Website Builder Optimization: As Wix and Squarespace capture more market share, mastering their specific SEO limitations and best practices creates differentiation for agencies and consultants.

WordPress Depth: Despite declining market share, WordPress's 43.3% penetration still represents the largest opportunity pool, though competition remains intense.

Technical Architecture Considerations

Platform choice directly impacts:

• URL structure flexibility and migration capabilities
• Schema markup implementation options
• Page speed optimization approaches
• Mobile experience control and customization
• JavaScript rendering and crawlability

Future Outlook

Trajectory Indicators

Several trends suggest continued market evolution:

1. SaaS Acceleration: Managed platforms will likely continue gaining ground as businesses prioritize operational simplicity over technical control
2. WordPress Adaptation: The platform's ecosystem may evolve toward more managed offerings and simplified experiences to stem market share losses
3. Consolidation Pressure: Smaller open-source alternatives face existential challenges as user bases contract and development resources diminish
4. Specialization Value: As no single platform dominates overwhelmingly, multi-platform expertise becomes more valuable for agencies and developers

Strategic Positioning

For businesses evaluating CMS options, the data suggests several considerations:

• Stability vs. Innovation: Established platforms offer ecosystem maturity; newer entrants provide modern approaches
• Control vs. Convenience: Self-hosted solutions maximize flexibility; managed platforms minimize overhead
• Cost Structures: Initial pricing often masks long-term total ownership costs including development, hosting, and maintenance
• Exit Strategy: Platform switching carries significant costs; selection should account for long-term commitment

Conclusion

The CMS market stands at an inflection point. WordPress's decline from 65.2% to 43.3% over three years represents more than statistical fluctuationit signals fundamental shifts in how organizations approach web presence. Managed SaaS platforms offering streamlined experiences are capturing share from both legacy open-source alternatives and custom solutions.

For technical teams and business leaders, these trends demand strategic awareness. Platform selection increasingly determines operational burden, performance capabilities, and long-term flexibility. As the market fragments, no single platform serves all needs universally. Success requires matching platform characteristics to specific organizational requirements, technical capabilities, and business objectives.

The next several years will likely see continued diversification, with WordPress maintaining plurality but not dominance, SaaS builders claiming growing territory, and specialized platforms serving niche requirements. Organizations that stay informed about these dynamics and make deliberate, context-appropriate platform choices will be best positioned for sustainable digital success.