There are so many ways to build a website nowadays. If we tried to name and explain them all, this post would end up as long as the Lord of the Rings books and just as complex. There are content management systems, coding frameworks, runtime environments, website builders, and headless content management systems, and the list goes on and on, unceasing. We have written whole tutorials about some of the more popular ones! In this post, however, we will focus on a Content Management System (CMS) that has emerged as a leader among the rest: Craft CMS. We have a tutorial about it as well, so check it out!

Founded in 2013, Craft CMS quickly became one of the most flexible and manageable ways to create a website. It offers an intuitive interface and customizable structure. Users can create exactly what they envision without the restrictions other, more rigid platforms sometimes have. Craft has the tools to design genuinely unique websites through this flexibility and customizable structure. Read along, and we will tell you all you need to know!

What is Craft CMS?

Craft CMS is a robust, versatile, and highly customizable Content Management System that focuses on content creation. For the uninitiated, a Content Management System (CMS) is software that allows users to create and manage content – for example, blog posts – without the need for technical or coding knowledge. You can think of a CMS as a well-stocked and equipped kitchen with all the necessary tools and ingredients to create meals. The same goes for a CMS, but it creates online content instead of food!

In that same vein, Craft focuses on the content creation process itself. Creators are free to structure their content exactly the way they want. That is one of the biggest differences that separates Craft from other CMS. It is what makes it so appealing to designers and developers who want full control. It is a blank slate, perfect for creative freedom.

Aside from being a content-first CMS, Craft has numerous other standout features, and here are the most significant ones.

  • Yii Framework – Craft is built on this open-source PHP framework. The Yii framework is responsible for many of Craft’s features and capabilities. Tt is preferred by users who value absolute freedom;
  • Matrix Content – A flexible content-building tool that allows users to create reusable content blocks, giving editors to arrange pages creatively. This way, you have to create page layouts only once. The system allows you to reuse and integrate them elsewhere easily;
  • Customizable Fields – Craft lets you define custom fields for each type of content. You can tailor the backend exactly to your site’s needs. You can then arrange these custom fields in your layouts any way you prefer, defining the structure of your page to your needs;
  • Twig Templating Language – Craft uses Twig, a powerful templating engine that makes building dynamic and attractive pages easy. In combination with the previous two points, Twig makes Craft a popular choice among designers;
  • High Performance & Security – Known for its robust security features and performance, Craft CMS is ideal for any type of website;
  • Plugins – What kind of CMS would Craft be if it did not have plugins? Craft does offer a wide range of plugins that can quickly and easily add functionality to your website.

Because of these features, Craft CMS is well-suited for projects that need a solid creative touch and technical customization. That makes it a popular choice for agencies, designers, and developers.

What is Craft CMS Suitable For?

As you can see, Craft CMS has many significant advantages that make it stand apart from other Content Management Systems. However, another unique feature is the types of websites it is suitable for.

Compared to other CMS (and we will compare Craft with WordPress at the end of this post), Craft’s features make it exceptionally good for several specific types of websites. Because it is a content-first CMS, Craft is perfect for websites that prioritize creativity, performance, and security. Here are a few website types that Craft is perfect for.

  • Medium, Large, and Enterprise – Craft is actually perfectly fine for most website sizes. It is extremely easy to scale up a Craft website as its needs grow. With its ability to create a truly custom content structure and its multi-site support, the CMS can handle the complex needs of any larger website as well;
  • High-traffic Websites – Since Craft is a highly optimized piece of software, it is the perfect choice for any website with a lot of daily traffic. Craft incorporates both efficient database management and caching mechanisms on its own. It also perfectly integrates with caching systems like Redis or Memcached, ensuring a quick and snappy website even when under load;
  • E-commerce – Craft actually offers its own e-commerce platform called Craft Commerce. It is a plugin you can add to any Craft website. With it, users can build highly customizable online stores. It is great for businesses that need more flexibility than standard e-commerce platforms provide;
  • Multilingual and Multi-site – If you require a website that operates in multiple regions or languages, Craft’s innate support for multi-site setups and localization makes it the perfect choice. With it, you can manage different versions of your website from one dashboard;
  • Custom Web Applications – Because Craft offers such immense customizability and flexibility, it is excellent for any website that requires more than what other CMS on the market can offer. Craft is a blank slate, so if you have an idea about a website, try this CMS out!

You can see for yourself just how many websites fall into any of these categories. You can create some truly wonderful and complex websites with the CMS. Speaking of which, let us show you exactly what we mean. Below are a few of the countless websites that are built using Craft.

  • Apple.com
  • McDonalds.com
  • Netflix.com
  • Ikea.com
  • Dell.com
  • Intel.com

Those are some big names, right? Yes, Craft is responsible for their amazing websites! But what exactly makes it so different from other Content Management Systems?

Perks of Craft Over Other CMS

Earlier, we mentioned some of Craft’s features that make it such an appealing CMS. Now, let us dive a bit deeper into those features, unfold them, and discuss precisely what advantages Craft has over other CMS. Of course, there are numerous small, individual things that it does better than others, but we are talking about big, key features here. These are the most significant ones.

  • Flexibility and Customization – We have already mentioned these two multiple times, but they are worth mentioning again because they are that important;
    • Craft allows you to build a content model that fits your website, unlike many other CMS platforms that rely on predefined templates;
    • Because Craft uses Twig as its templating engine, website layouts are truly flexible and can be created in any fashion necessary;
  • User-friendly Interface – Craft’s dashboard is straightforward to use and navigate. Every option and setting has a link to its own dedicated documentation page, making understanding Craft even more easy;
  • No Bloat – Unlike other CMS platforms, Craft is lightweight and modular. You can add features you need, sparing you unnecessary bloat;
  • Performance and Security – Craft has robust caching capabilities and features, as we mentioned. Because of the lack of bloat, however – not just in said features but within its code structure, it is very well optimized for speed. Not only that, it offers solid security settings as well: user permissions, encrypted data storage, and secure authentication methods, to name a few;
  • Scalability – Websites can grow very easily and effortlessly with Craft. Because it is modular and highly customizable, new features can be easily integrated only where necessary. Additionally, Craft offers support for Content Delivery Networks to improve a website’s scalability and performance further.

These are some pretty serious advantages. But what about a more practical comparison? Check out the table below, which compares it to the most popular CMS online: WordPress.

Craft CMS WordPress
Flexibility and Customization Craft allows for complete freedom of creativity, allowing designers and developers to define their own custom fields, content types, structures, and layouts as necessary.
The Twig templating engine also helps with that, offering granular control over how content is displayed. Developers can build virtually any design.		 WordPress offers a wide array of themes and plugins but wholly relies on them for its customization features. While perfect for users without technical knowledge, those who want to customize their website’s appearance or functionality must heavily modify them.
Finally, WordPress’s PHP-based templating is not as intuitive as Twig’s.
Ease of Content Creation Craft’s control panel is clean, minimalistic, and designed with content editors in mind. The interface is customizable, so they only see what is necessary, avoiding clutter or confusion.
Additionally, Live Preview allows editors to see changes in real-time before publishing, providing a smooth experience.		 WordPress is user-friendly at first, but it becomes less so as more plugins are added. These plugins and their options can clog the admin panel.
The Gutenberg Block Editor is perfectly sufficient for most users, but it is still not flexible enough for truly custom builds.
Performance Craft forgoes bloat and does not come with unnecessary features or plugins. It is lightweight with built-in caching, negating the necessity of a third-party caching plugin. That makes it perfect for large-scale or high-traffic websites. WordPress websites rely heavily on plugins for additional functionalities. Those plugins can often slow down performance.
Good performance is possible but requires more effort.
Security Craft is definitely more secure out of the box. It does not have to rely on third-party plugins to achieve its innate security. This lack of reliance makes it incredibly secure since your Craft installation is the only thing you need to keep up to date. WordPress’ popularity makes it a frequent target for attackers. The platform’s reliance on plugins and themes also makes it more prone to vulnerabilities stemming from a lack of updates or poor code structure.
Scalability Craft CMS scales well for large, complex sites with high traffic and unique needs. It is designed to handle custom content models, making it ideal for large corporations, universities, and creative agencies.
Developers often prefer it for complex projects that require flexibility and scalability.		 WordPress can also be scaled, but it may require extensive optimization and management for extensive sites or those with heavy custom needs.
High-traffic or enterprise-level WordPress sites often require advanced hosting and additional performance tools (e.g., CDNs, caching plugins) to scale effectively.

Both systems are powerful in their own right. However, the decision often comes down to the level of customization, flexibility, and scalability your project requires. Choose Craft CMS if you are working on a project requiring a high degree of flexibility, custom content models, and performance without relying on tons of plugins. On the other hand, choose WordPress if you are looking for a quick, easy setup with many out-of-the-box themes and plugins, especially for small to medium websites.

Craft Your Perfect Website

Craft CMS stands out as a powerful and flexible content management system, offering unmatched customization options and scalability. Whether you are building a simple website or a complex web application, Craft CMS provides the tools to bring your vision to life. Its intuitive user interface, powerful templating engine, and robust performance capabilities make it an ideal choice for projects of all sizes—from personal portfolios to enterprise-level websites.

Ready to experience the power of Craft CMS? Visit our dedicated Craft CMS hosting page to learn more and get in touch with us to find out how to elevate your online presence. FastComet is here to provide the right hosting solution for it. We are thrilled to offer tools and support for our Craft users.

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