Customized or built-in CMS: Which is better?

Custom-made or built-in CMS? This is a question that often plagues people as they are caught between two different benefits. So, what really differentiates the two? Though both Custom and Pre-Built Content Management Systems (CMS) offer similar benefits, for most businesses, budget is the key factor that decides the choice. We explore the two approaches to see which of them most likely get the job done with a smaller budget fulfilling your needs.

Application or No Application

The first question is whether you’re going to have a custom application on your Website. If you do need packaged CMS would mean your developer will have to follow existing protocols and architecture to build your custom application. This takes more time than something in-built.

But custom CMS won’t be limited by the rules of packaged CM Systems, allowing the developer to build around the content of your Website. Pre-built CMS solutions have several plug-ins that can extend functionality, but if it’s something new that you’re looking for, a custom solution may be a better in the long term.

Users

The two main factors here are the number of users and their skill levels. For a multi-tiered organization with a descriptive work flow process, a custom CMS would fit. A built-in CMS has roles in place ready for its users, and a few vary on the degree of customization they allow. A custom CMS would allow users and roles to be built the existing workflow, which will provide clarity and to those users already in the workflow.

The benefit of a custom CMS, would be a customization of labels that would help users identify data and actions using the language they are already familiar with. Say you’ve been publishing “press releases”, you would want the button to say ‘press release’ inside the CMS, instead of Posts. This would not be available in a pre-built CMS.

Updates

Updating of the code base is another significant difference between the two systems. Having a custom CMS means that the CMS is built and built for the specific solution you want. Rarely does the code base need to be updated. If you do, you’ll have to pay your developer for new functions or modules.

Pre-built CMS are updated continually through community development, providing new features, plug-ins, options, and themes. This means the CMS becomes a more refined piece of work.

Though there are many other options you should consider for each project, you need to keep these in mind before you make a decision.