The Top 20: Open Source Content Management Systems

Before we could begin the research for the 2009 Open Source CMS Market Share Report, we first had to define the list of systems we considered to be contenders for the crown. Last year's report featured nineteen systems. (This year we plan to do things a bit differently, though you'll have to wait for the report itself to find out what exactly!) We started our internal discussions with the list of nineteen systems from last year, to which we added the significant number of suggestions from readers of the report.

Without giving away too much too soon, I wanted to share our final list of the Top 20 Open Source Web Content Management Systems. We list them here for you in alphabetical order, along with links to the project sites.

The Methodology

What was the criteria for inclusion on The List of Twenty? First, we are only concerned with web content management systems, aka WCM. Second, the system has to be available under an open source license, though dual-licensed products are eligible for consideration. Finally, to be eligible, the project must have released a new version of the software since the last report (July 2008).

The final List of Twenty is based on a simple criteria, that is, a direct comparison of the following three metrics, gleaned from five different sources:

1. Search volume, according to Google and Wordtracker
2. Traffic for the primary project site, according to Alexa and Compete
3. Social bookmarking prominence, as gauged by Delicious saves

While this methodology may be open to debate, for purposes of creating a "short list" of the most popular and prominent systems, I think it serves pretty well.

The List of Twenty (in alphabetical order)

The list raises a number of interesting questions, among them, how did these projects come about and how are they sustained? For a project to rise to this level of prominence, it has to have achieved a high level of stability, innovation and reliability. In the open source world, how did that occur? Perhaps not surprisingly, there is no one dominant answer; these systems are the product of multiple approaches to the challenge of open source project governance.

The organizational structure of the List of Twenty breaks down as follows:

Community-Driven Projects (total = 6)

The community-driven projects represent what we can call "pure" open source, in the sense that these projects are not backed by corporate or commercial interests. These systems are the result of the collaborative efforts of a group of loosely-associated individuals. These projects offer only one version of the software, under a straight open source license.

Foundation-Backed Projects (total = 5)

The Foundation-backed open source projects represent the next step in the evolution of "pure" open source. These projects tend to be larger and more established than the traditional community projects and as such benefit from having the backing of a properly organized corporate entity, albeit a non-profit (or in the case of some of the groups, a not-for-profit) corporation. The foundation structure means that the IP and other assets are held by the corporation rather than by any individuals. Like community-driven projects, these projects offer only one version of the system, under a straight open source license.

Corporate-Backed Projects (total = 9)

Corporate-backed projects are open source, but with the backing of a single corporate entity with commercial interests. Most (but not all) of these projects offer more than one version of the system; typically one version free of charge under a straight open source license, and another version sold for a fee under more restricted licensing terms. Of the systems on this list that do not offer a dual licensing business model, the corporate partner looks to support, add-ons, training, or custom development for revenue.

• Learn more when we examine things in more depth in this year's Open Source CMS Market Share Report. Due to be released in late July.
• Download the 2008 Open Source CMS Market Share for free at water&stone.