Updated: ExpressionEngine vs WordPress

One of the most common questions we receive, especially with new clients, is about why we choose ExpressionEngine (now free!!) as our preferred Content Management System (CMS) for websites, as opposed to something like WordPress.

"ExpressionEngine is something I had heard very little about before I started working at Monstrous Media Group, so I had similar questions at the time. Before long, the answer was clear to me." - John Cummings, Lead Developer at Monstrous Media Group

Security

The number one reason we choose to use ExpressionEngine CMS over any other CMS is simple: Security. ExpressionEngine's core system is rock-solid and hasn't had a security breach in over 10 years.

You read that right, 10 years! It's also PCI-compliant right out of the box. FYI, PCI-compliance is a set of requirements designed to ensure that all companies that process, store or transmit credit card information maintain a secure environment (I'll attach a link below for more information). 

On the other hand, WordPress has massive security vulnerabilities and requires frequent security updates. In our opinion, EE's security alone is worth the price of admission.

Flexibility

WordPress was initially designed as software for bloggers and it has grown from there. It's perfect for small businesses and individuals looking to make a splash on the web, especially those without any web design or development experience.

Anyone can go find a theme they like for their WordPress site, add their logo and some content, and suddenly have a site that looks good and that they can manage themselves. For businesses (both large and small) or individuals looking for something more unique, in design or in content, this can be woefully inadequate.

ExpressionEngine CMS was designed for web developers. It forgoes the theme system in favor of a simple, but powerful, template system.

We build every site from the ground up, starting with the design process. With ExpressionEngine, it's simple to import a coded design into its template system. Then, using the system itself and sometimes some excellent third-party plugins (and some we've developed ourselves), we then tailor the site's functionality to the client's requirements.

We've used ExpressionEngine 5 for many different types of projects from simple websites to e-commerce site, portfolios, web apps, banking apps, and even mobile apps, it has yet to disappoint us on any project we've chosen to use it on.

Easy to Manage

Now onto website content! As technical as we like to be, it's also important for us to use a system that's going to be easy to use for the client in order to manage their content. With ExpressionEngine, it's simple for us to customize the publish form for each channel/section of the site, including instructions for each field we add to it.

This allows us to make dynamic content and complicated layouts easy to manage for the client, as well as give them extra features and options they can choose to use on each page/entry. With WordPress, this can be a bit more difficult to accomplish and would usually require the use of third-party plugins just to achieve this same functionality.

In EE, we can also control how much of the Control Panel the client has access to which allows us to boil the (admittedly) complicated interface down to just the parts they will use. User Management, the Admin section, and the Design and Templates aren't something the client will usually ever use.

In Conclusion

We hope it's been fairly obvious that we're on the ExpressionEngine CMS bandwagon. At the same time, we don't want to completely discount WordPress and other CMS's. WordPress has made it possible and affordable for people to set up and manage their own websites for very little cost. That's something we definitely respect!

However, as security-minded web designers and developers, we find it restrictive and choose to use ExpressionEngine 5 for all the reasons above and many others (seriously, we could make this article MUCH longer). In the end, when choosing a CMS for your project, it boils down to your wants, needs, and capabilities.

Certainly, ExpressionEngine 5 and WordPress are not the only options available. If you're looking for one for your project, also research Drupal, Joomla, and Craft. They all have some nice features (we especially like Craft's Live Preview feature) and might be better suited for what you're looking to do. Some are free to use, other's have a licensing fee.

For example, ExpressionEngine 5 had a one-time $299 licensing fee for their full version, however, as of October 2018 Expression Engine became open source and is 100% free to download and use. 

Be sure to check the link below for more information. Also, use the comment section below if you have something to add to the conversation or have us address any questions we didn't cover in the article.