dotCMS vs Magnolia

WordPress

Joomla

Drupal

PhotoShelter for Brands

Liferay DXP

SmartTouch ECM

Compare dotCMS and Magnolia based on features, pricing, verified reviews, integrations & more on GetApp. Find out which software is best for your business in 2026.

Joomla is an open-source content management system (CMS) which allows users to build websites & online applications, with site templates, multi-language support & more

PhotoShelter is a DAM leader that makes it easy to collaborate with your team on digital content.

WordPress is a website and blog creation and publishing platform with tools for aesthetic designing, visitor tracking, content storage and upload, and more

dotCMS is a visual, headless CMS built for compliance-led enterprises that need to manage and scale digital content across brands, regions, and channels. 

Access Controls/Permissions

Activity Dashboard

Activity Tracking

Alerts/Notifications

Analytics

Approval Process Control

Asset Lifecycle Management

Campaign Management

Collaboration Tools

Configurable Workflow

Content Delivery

Content Library

Content Management

Content Publishing Options

Customizable Branding

Customizable Forms

Customizable Templates

Data Import/Export

Document Classification

Document Management

Document Storage

Drag & Drop

Electronic Forms

File Management

Filtering

Forms Management

Full Text Search

Image Editing

Indexing

Interactive Content

Metadata Management

Multi-Channel Distribution

Multi-Language

Preview Functionality

Real-Time Notifications

Reporting & Statistics

Rich Text Editor

Role-Based Permissions

Rule Based Publishing

Search/Filter

SEO Management

Single Sign On

Tagging

Template Management

Text Editing

Third-Party Integrations

User Management

Version Control

Video Support

Website Analytics

Website Management

Workflow Management

WYSIWYG Editor

dotCMS

Linux

Web-based

Windows

Manager of IT Applications

We needed a system that was fully responsive and this was an excellent presentation for our needs.

Director of Web Initiatives

As a result, we missed years of updates and then had a very painful period where everything seemed to break while, version by version, we got our system up to date.

Solution Architect

We've been using the software with out clients since almost the inception of the software. Their support is great, and more affordable than most that are comparable amongst enterprise CMS providers.

Web Engineering Team Lead

We also have the freedom to push to production without having to involve the System Administrators which gives us AMAZING turn around time.

Full Stack Developer

We possess the ability to force deployment without involving Sys Admins, giving us an AMAZING delivery time.

Manager, User Experience

When you need a solid framework that lets you build a web infrastructure, dotCMS is a great choice.

Senior Analyst

This tool was much more approachable than previous CMS and the APIs that they provide allow you to extend the product with ease.

Website Content and Design Specialist

The interface and learning curve can be intimidating for first-time or casual users.

The interface for content editors was generally easy enough for them to use effectively.

Solution Developer

Expensive Enterprise license. Site documentation is poor.

If we have problems, it may be quite hard to figure out what to do and how to solve them. It is frequently discovered to be outdated or wrong.

Customer service was always responsive and we were able to get the corporate site up and running on this platform in a few short months.

Web Programmer

This is an intuitive CMS that gets better with each iteration. Technical support is top-notch.

Front End Web Developer

Ability to establish workflows for publishing content. Reasonably priced for a product of this size.

Generally works pretty well and is reasonably easy to use once you get the hang of it.

senior software developer

Ease of use for users, time machine feature and the integration with elastic search.

Executive Director of Digital Marketing and Communications

Rather than prioritize it as a hotfix, it is idle until the next release. In the meantime, I have to defer to a third-party sitemap tool.

If there is a problem in production, we can fix it in minuted, which makes our client very happy and lowers their impact to revenue.

dotCMS screenshot: Dashboard

dotCMS screenshot: Edit Mode

dotCMS screenshot: File Browser

dotCMS screenshot: Layout Designer

dotCMS screenshot: Workflow Builder

dotCMS screenshot: Content Type Builder

Large Enterprises

Mid Size Business

Non Profit

Public Administrations

A complete platform that empowers you to tailor the digital solutions you need without sacrificing speed, flexibility, or budget.

SmartTouch ECM is a document management software designed to help businesses store, retrieve, and manage documents via a unified portal. The platform enables organizations to control access to information and implement document-related policies across departments to ensure compliance with statutory data regulations.

Drupal is an open source content management platform powering millions of websites and applications. It’s built, used, and supported by an active and diverse community of people around the world.

Magnolia gives you composable digital experiences made for your real-world needs with hybrid headless CMS, easy integrations, and unified authoring.

A/B Testing

Archiving & Retention

Audio File Management

Audit Trail

Brand Management

Categorization/Grouping

De-Coupled Front & Back Ends

Digital Asset Management

Document Review

Engagement Tracking

For Developers

For Marketers

Generative AI

Information Governance

Java Supported

Mobile Access

Multi-Channel Management

Multi-Channel Marketing

Reporting/Analytics

Scheduling

Secure Data Storage

Task Management

Two-Factor Authentication

Visual Editor

Web Forms

Magnolia

Client Director

Built in workflows are very impressive. Perfect enterprise DXP that both marketing and IT will love to use.

Front End Developer 

Wonderful CMS to develop on. Ease of development lets me focus on empowering content managers to deliver amazing end results.

Director of Technology Solutions

Enterprise integration capabilities are also superb with available pre-built integration modules to  popular applications like Salesforce and Google Analytics as well as Ecommerce.

Senior Content Manager

Magnolia CRM was a great complement on our current content management infrstructure. Thanks to its highly modular structure we could implement it with ease.

dayana

There is a lack of an administrative control panel in Magnolia, displaying all the workflow, most probably in graphical representation.

The uninstall of the modules is quite unsystematic. There are no chances to go back if an error occurs during the publication of new versions of a self-made module.

At this point I have no negative issues with Magnolia. Very happy with platform.

Magnolia screenshot: Screenshot of the Magnolia App Launcher, used to switch between workspaces and manage pages

Magnolia screenshot: Screenshot of global search that brings relevant content, no matter where it resides.

Magnolia screenshot: Screenshot of the WYSIWYG page editor

Magnolia screenshot: Bring together content and audiovisual digital assets from your favorite DAM solution to form more compelling digital experiences.


dotCMS vs Magnolia Comparison (2026)

dotCMS

Magnolia

Overview

Video & Screenshots

Pricing

User reviews

Key features

Integrations

Alternatives