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Here are 24 of the best open source website builder platforms today.
Before we get into why WordPress is the best open source website builder on the internet today, you might want to check out these top open source website builders:
- Drupal.
- Joomla.
- Magento.
- Solo.
- Wagtail.
- Anchor CMS.
- Canvas.
- Plume.
- Bludit.
- Known.
- Postleaf.
- PluXml.
- Source Code.
- Dante Stories.
- Chyrp.
- Chyrp Lite.
- Formtools.
- Hotglue.
- Blog.
- Blogotext.
- Noddity.
- Antville.
- Cadmus.
- Dotclear.
Why WordPress is the best open source website builder.
Now that we’ve got all that out of the way, let’s get to the nitty gritty. Here below are just a few reasons why WordPress is THE BEST open source website builder on the internet today.
- More than 42% of all websites on the web are powered by WordPress.
- Built in SEO, widely supported with more free resources available than any other CMS.
- Fully code compliant standards for developers.
- Extend functionality with over 55,000 plugins, most are free.
- Fastest low cost way to take your business online.
- Powerful platform to build oout your online portfolio, blog, corporate or ecommerce site.
Here are a few posts which will give you many more reasons why WordPress is the best open source CMS website builder out there today.
- How powerful is WordPress? 33 powerful reasons to get it.
- The difference between WordPress and website builders. FAQs.
- The benefits of learning WordPress. No coding necessary!
- 36 reasons why you should use WordPress for blogging.
- How flexible is WordPress? It can be anything.
- Why is WordPress so popular? Here are 34 reasons.
In this post, I will go into more detail on why WordPress is the best open source website builder on the internet as well as answer a few questions related to WordPress and open source, a match made in heaven as you will see below.
What exactly is “open source”?
Open source is a term used to describe something which is freely accessible, available for use and able to be modified by anyone.
Open source software is also available free of charge, which makes it ever so popular. Web technologies such as HTML5, CSS3 and JavaScript are other modern day examples of open source technology.
WordPress itself runs on an open source platform built on PHP and MySQL. There are also many other open source content management systems (CMS) available, like Joomla and Drupal.
What is the difference between WordPress and other open source content management systems?
WordPress has many more features available than other open source content management systems.
This has given it a reputation for being the most user friendly platform, especially for beginners. It is also more likely that you will find helpful support online if you have an issue or question about something when using WordPress.
You will find this not to be as likely if you are using a different CMS.
What does WordPress have that other open source content management systems don’t?
In addition to what was mentioned above, WordPress also has more themes available than any other open source platform. It also benefits from the large number of plugins available, which can make it do almost anything you want it too.
In fact, WordPress is so simple to use that the average blogger can have their blog up and running in under 10 minutes. Depending on your needs, you can find a free theme which will do everything you need it to do too.
Checkout the official WordPress.org website for more information about themes, or get a premium theme like from GeneratePress.
The best WordPress open source theme.
If you are looking for a new WordPress theme then GeneratePress is the best choice for your next website. It’s lightweight, fast, and SEO-friendly.
They offer free support and high-quality documentation to help you get started quickly. And it’s fully responsive so your content looks great on any device – mobile or desktop.
You can build anything with their powerful customization tools that let you create a unique design without writing any code yourself!
With over 40 options to choose from, there are endless possibilities of what you can do with this theme. And if that isn’t enough, they also have an active community of users who love helping each other out in their support forums. I’m one of them!
So if something doesn’t work as expected just ask away and someone will be happy to help fix it for you right away!
In addition, they have over 100 pre-built page templates included in your purchase of GeneratePress so you can create any kind of site imaginable without ever touching a line of code.
They also have tons of free resources available on their blog including tutorials about how to use the theme as well as tips for growing your business online!
Why is open source so popular?
If I were to use one word to describe why open source is so popular today, it’s freedom.
Unlike closed source platforms which are also proprietary, what you build with WordPress is yours to keep and host it anywhere you want.
Whether you host it on your own personal servers, WordPress.com or you have your website self-hosted from any independent Web Hosting Provider.
In fact, you can even have your WordPress open source CMS built website hosted offshore if you want. How cool is that?
How do I create a WordPress website using open source?
I started with WordPress a few years ago and ever since then I have been asked the same question again and again: How do I create a WordPress website using open source? The answer is simple.
For any website you need three main things: A domain name, hosting, and software.
A domain name is an online address that you buy for your website.
Hosting is the space where the files (html, css, images etc) of your website are stored on a server which allows them to be accessed by anyone with an internet connection.
The software part includes all the coding needed to make your website look pretty and work correctly.
Coding is where WordPress comes in. WordPress is an open source tool that allows you to create a website with ease.
Hosting almost always includes the software needed to run your website (like open source WordPress) which makes it easier for beginners who are not familiar with coding but still want to make their own website.
Is Wix, Webflow or Shopify open source?
Maybe it’s just me, but I find this type of question to be a little confusing. People may have different opinions on what open source means, leading them to give different answers to the same questions.
That also applies when asking “Is Wix, Webflow or Shopify are open source?” because for some people this could mean that you can download their code and modify it.
For others, it means that you can obtain their software for free if you are willing to comply with the license that comes with it.
Some would say that open source only applies to software licenses, giving Wix, Webflow and Shopify a definitive “no” answer because they are website builders and proprietary hosting platforms, not software.
Does WordPress open source website builder use drag and drop?
Yes, WordPress has a built-in drag and drop page builder tool that allows you to arrange items on your site by simply dragging them into place.
This is called the ‘Gutenberg Editor’.
What is Gutenberg in WordPress?
Gutenberg in WordPress is their new block based editor, which replaced the previous visual and text editors. In fact, it now is the default editor in WordPress.
Gutenberg is available in WordPress version 5.0 and above.
Can I still use the ‘Classic Editor’?
Yes, even though Gutenberg is now the default editor in WordPress and the alternative to the older TinyMCE editor (otherwise known as the ‘Classic’ editor), users can still choose the ‘Classic Editor’ instead of Gutenberg if they like via the ‘Classic Editor’ plugin.
WordPress, the best open source website builder. Conclusions.
As you can see, the answers to these questions are not as obvious as some people may think.
Actually, some were pretty difficult to answer because they have multiple points of view on what open source means.
For some, it refers to a software license and for others it refers to being able to download their code and use it for free.
As for the comparison between Wix, Webflow and Shopify, I will leave it up to you. They are all good website builders (and not software) with different features so it is important that you compare them before deciding which one suits your needs best.
However, WordPress is not only a website builder but also an open source platform that you can download for free to create your own website.
As many developers say, “It’s both an app and a framework.” That is what makes it better than the other website builders I compared above because there are no limits on what you can do with it, nor where you can host it.
You can download and use WordPress to create your own website, pure and simple. As a matter of fact, WordPress is the most popular CMS and open source software among developers.
This means that there are a lot of resources available to you if you ever need help with your project. In this case, I can recommend https://wordpress.org/support/. You would be surprised by the amount of information they have on their website,
Lastly, I hope this has cleared things up when asking if Wix, Webflow or Shopify are open source. Have you used any of these website builders before?
