WordPress has dominated the content material administration system (CMS) area since launching in 2003, and whereas it’s nonetheless the chief, the market is shifting in methods price listening to.
As of Might 2025, WordPress powers 43.5% of internet sites surveyed and holds a 61.2% share amongst websites that use a CMS, in accordance with W3Techs. That’s nonetheless a commanding lead, however down practically 4 proportion factors from its 2022 peak.
For the primary time in its 20-year reign, WordPress’s market share has proven a sustained decline, and rivals like Wix, Squarespace, and Shopify are quietly chipping away at its dominance.
On the identical time, the share of internet sites not utilizing any CMS has dropped from 32.3% in 2023 to twenty-eight.9% in 2025, exhibiting continued adoption of managed platforms and hosted builders.
On this report, we’ll break down the present CMS panorama, evaluate main platforms, and discover what these shifts imply for search engine marketing professionals and digital entrepreneurs.
How Massive Is The CMS Market?
In line with W3Techs, 71.1% of internet sites have a CMS, and Netcraft studies just below 200 million stay web sites.
From this, we are able to assume that the present market measurement for content material administration techniques is roughly 143.5 million web sites.
Prime 10 CMS By Market Share (Globally), Might 2025
| CMS (as of Might 2025) | Launched | Kind | Market Share | Utilization | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No CMS | 28.9% | ||||
| 1 | WordPress | 2003 | Open supply | 61.2% | 43.5% |
| 2 | Shopify | 2006 | SaaS | 6.7% | 4.7% |
| 3 | Wix | 2006 | SaaS | 5.3% | 3.87% |
| 4 | Squarespace | 2004 | SaaS | 3.3% | 2.3% |
| 5 | Joomla | 2005 | Open supply | 2.1% | 1.5% |
| 6 | Drupal | 2001 | Open supply | 1.2% | 0.8% |
| 7 | Webflow | 2013 | SaaS | 1.2% | 0.8% |
| 8 | Adobe Programs | 2013 | Open supply | 1.1% | 0.8% |
| 9 | Tilda | 2014 | SaaS | 0.9% | 0.7% |
| 10 | Duda | 2008 | SaaS | 0.9% | 0.7% |
Information from W3Techs, Might 2025. (WooCommerce and Elementor should not listed within the desk above since they’re WordPress plugins and never standalone CMS platforms.)
*Graphs are separated as a result of dominance of the WordPress market share.
WordPress
WordPress has held the dominant market share nearly since its launch in 2003.
Between 2014 and 2022, its utilization throughout all web sites grew by 105.7% – a surge that helped cement its place because the default alternative for a lot of the online.
Nonetheless, we’re seeing a market share decline by practically 5 proportion factors within the final three years.
This marks the primary sustained dip in its progress trajectory. It’s a development that might proceed as easier-to-use platforms acquire floor and a few customers report frustrations with plugin compatibility, core updates, and safety administration.
Learn extra: Ought to You Nonetheless Use WordPress?
Shopify
Because the second-most in style CMS in the present day, and a good distance behind WordPress, Shopify market share presently stands at 6.7%
It’s utilized by 4.7% of all web sites surveyed.
Wix
Wix continues its gradual and regular climb, powering 3.8% of all web sites.
Its progress might be attributed to the work they do on branding.
Squarespace
Squarespace has proven regular progress over the previous decade, with its CMS market share rising from 0.3% in 2014 to three.3% in 2025, and utilization throughout all web sites rising to 2.3%.
Its progress might be attributed to the rising demand for low-maintenance, design-forward platforms.
Learn extra: WordPress Vs. Squarespace – Which One Is Higher?
Joomla And Drupal
Joomla and Drupal have seen a gentle decline in market share, dropping from the highest 3 to positions 5 and 6.
This shift doubtless displays a broader development the place extra user-friendly, SaaS-based platforms are capturing the eye of small companies and non-technical customers.
No CMS
Between 2024 and Might 2025, web sites working and not using a CMS dropped by 8%, persevering with a development away from custom-coded options.
Throughout the identical interval, web sites utilizing WordPress grew by simply lower than 1%.
The decline in “no CMS” web sites indicators an ongoing development towards extra structured, manageable platforms for web site creation.
WordPress Vs. Joomla Vs. Drupal Market Share
Screenshot from W3Techs, Might 2025Since 2024, Joomla has decreased its market share by 16%, whereas Drupal has declined by 25%.
Collectively, they as soon as held 14.8% of the CMS market share in 2014 – now that determine sits at simply 3.3%.
They’ve slipped from the No. 2 and No. 3 spots to No. 5 and No. 6, overtaken by faster-growing platforms like Wix and Squarespace in 2022.
Joomla, specifically, had sturdy momentum early on – briefly surpassed WordPress in search curiosity till round 2008, in accordance with Google Tendencies – nevertheless it hasn’t saved tempo with fashionable platform calls for.
Screenshot from Google Tendencies, Might 2025Why did these in style content material administration techniques decline a lot?
It’s most certainly as a result of power of third-party assist for WordPress with plugins and themes, making it far more accessible.
The expansion of web site builders, equivalent to Wix and Squarespace, signifies that small companies desire a extra easy managed answer, they usually have began to nibble on market share from the underside.
Web site Builders Market Share: Wix Vs. Squarespace
Screenshot from W3Techs, Might 2025From January to Might this 12 months, Wix’s market share grew by 13%, whereas Squarespace rose by 3.1%.
If we have a look at the web site builders, their progress is a powerful indication of the place the market would possibly go sooner or later.
Zooming out, between Might 2024 and Might 2025, the market share of:
- Shopify grew by 6.3%.
- Wix grew by 35.9%.
- Squarespace grew by 10%.
Once we evaluate the two.7% market share contraction of WordPress during the last 12 months to the opposite gamers, we have now to ask, “What’s driving the shift?”
SaaS internet builders equivalent to Wix and Squarespace don’t require coding information and supply a hosted web site that makes it extra accessible for a small enterprise to get an online presence rapidly.
No want to rearrange a internet hosting answer, set up an internet site, and arrange your individual e mail. An internet builder neatly does all this for you.
WordPress will not be generally known as a sophisticated platform to make use of, nevertheless it does require some coding information and an understanding of how web sites are constructed.
Then again, an internet site builder is a a lot simpler path to market, with out the necessity to perceive what is going on within the again finish.
Learn extra: Wix Modified How Web sites Are Constructed And Why You Ought to Pay Consideration
Elementor
Elementor is essentially the most broadly used WordPress web page builder, put in on 17.3% of all web sites with a recognized CMS and 12.3% of alls websites surveyed (not proven under) – greater than Wix and Squarespace mixed – although it features as a plugin inside WordPress, not a standalone CMS.
Screenshot from W3Techs, Might 2025Whereas not a CMS by itself, it’s a significant participant in shaping how WordPress is used.
Nonetheless, as a result of it’s a third-party plugin and never a CMS, it isn’t listed within the prime 10 CMS above.
If we evaluate the amount of site visitors to the variety of CMS, we are able to see that WordPress is within the golden part, up and to the proper, clearly favored by websites with extra site visitors.
Primarily based on utilization amongst higher-ranked domains, Joomla suits into a distinct segment of fewer installs however extra high-traffic websites, indicating that extra skilled websites are utilizing it.
Squarespace and Wix are to the left and down, highlighting that they’re put in on fewer websites with much less site visitors. It strongly signifies that they’re used extra by small web sites and small companies.
Elementor bridges the hole between the 2 and has the load of the WordPress market share, however is utilized by websites with much less site visitors.
The urge for food is rising for drag-and-drop, plug-and-play options that make having an online presence accessible for anybody. That is the area to observe.
Ecommerce CMS Market Share: WooCommerce Vs. Shopify
Screenshot from W3Techs, Might 2025WooCommerce has a market share of 12.7%, whereas Shopify has 6.7%.
The ecommerce CMS area echoes a sample just like that of web site builders.
WooCommerce powers 9% of all current web sites, making it essentially the most broadly adopted ecommerce plugin by far.
It doesn’t seem in W3Techs’ prime CMS record as a result of it’s a WordPress plugin, nevertheless it’s a key consider WordPress’s enduring recognition.
Wanting on the distribution, we are able to see a transparent sample emerge. Compared to different ecommerce CMS platforms, WooCommerce is dominant.
It has extra market share than its rivals mixed: Shopify (6.7%) + PrestaShop (0.9%) + OpenCart (0.6%) + Magento (0.5%) = 8.7% market share.
Screenshot from W3Techs, Might 2025Smaller websites would possibly favor WooCommerce, nevertheless it has the WordPress platform’s weight for market entry and, due to this fact, extra installs, very similar to Elementor.
Shopify surged throughout the pandemic, with market share rising by 52.9% from 2020 to 2021 after which 26.9% from 2021 to 2022 – way over some other platform.
It dipped in 2023 and recovered in 2024. By 2025, it held regular at 6.7%.
Why Does CMS Market Share Matter To Somebody Working In search engine marketing?
For search engine marketing professionals, holding an in depth eye on CMS market share traits is important as a result of they affect web site structure, plugin availability, and technical search engine marketing flexibility.
Because the market fragments, one-size-fits-all optimization methods not reduce it.
WordPress continues to guide, however web site builders equivalent to Wix, Squarespace, and Shopify acquire traction, indicating the place market progress lies, particularly for small companies.
If extra SMBs are switching to web site builders, understanding the restrictions and intricacies of those platforms for search engine marketing might be a aggressive benefit.
Shopify now runs on 4.7% of all web sites surveyed (not simply websites with a CMS) – that’s a possible market of 61 million websites.
With their rising market share, specializing in Shopify search engine marketing might be a strategic transfer for an search engine marketing skilled.
Wix and Squarespace are rising, too. As extra small companies undertake these platforms, getting fluent of their ecosystems may set you aside in a crowded market.
WordPress could be dominant now, nevertheless it’s additionally the place essentially the most competitors is. Generally, aligning with a extra area of interest CMS could be a strategic transfer for brand new consumer alternatives.
Extra sources:
All information collected from W3Techs, Might 2025, except in any other case indicated.
See the W3techs methodology web page for the place the info is gathered from.
Featured Picture: Paulo Bobita/Search Engine Journal
