Articles - Page 58

The Top 10 AI Tools for Small Business: From Automation to a Coordinated Team of AI Agents

matt-garrepy

<p></p>
<p>Photoshop is the first word in graphic design software and like most leading software products, it demands a fee from anyone who wants to use it. In fact, to access Photoshop, you'll need to fork out about $19.99 every month. Personally, I don't have an issue with this given how powerful Photoshop is but there are those who do.</p>
<p>Thankfully, there is a solution to this price problem.</p>
<p>Free alternatives to Photoshop do exist, and they hold their own in terms of quality, too. Here they all are. You can check here for non-free <a href="/paid-photoshop-alternatives/">Photoshop alternatives</a>).</p>
<p></p>
<h1>1. GIMP</h1>
<p>Announced to the public in 1995, GIMP is one of the most popular free Photoshop alternatives on the market. It's also likely to be the most powerful graphic design tool on this list. It's free and open source, but packs a professional punch nonetheless.</p>
<p></p>
<figure class="kg-card kg-image-card kg-card-hascaption"><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/free-photoshop-alternatives---gimp.jpg" alt="Free Photoshop Alternative - GIMP" /><figcaption>GIMP Screenshot</figcaption></figure>
<p>There are big similarities between Photoshop and GIMP in terms of  functionality and user interface, so many find migration from one to the  other to be easy. GIMP is also capable of opening and working with PSD files, which are Photoshop specific.</p>
<p>GIMP has a number of high quality features which definitely hold their own against those of Photoshop. The  professional features available in GIMP such as color adjustment tools, customizable brushes, gradients, and auto image enhancement tools, make it easy for users to create artwork from scratch and edit  photos/images.</p>
<p>The in-depth tutorials cater for all users from beginners to advanced level. This makes it super accessible to everyone, including users who aren’t familiar with the open-source application</p>
<p>Learn more at the <a href="http://www.gimp.org/">GIMP website</a></p>
<h2>2. Inkscape</h2>
<p>Inkscape is a free and open source  vector graphics editor. It’s perfect for creating icons for apps and  websites, cartoon illustrations, and logos. Despite being free, Inkscape  looks and feels incredibly advanced. Some of its many features include  intelligent drawing tools, the ability to import and export multiple  file types, add-ons, and multilingual support. These powerful tools and  its intuitive UI make it an excellent option for beginners.</p>
<p>Although it’s probably a little more  comparable to Illustrator, Inkscape is a great free Photoshop  alternative, especially if you want to save some $$$ (since it’s free).</p>
<figure class="kg-card kg-image-card kg-card-hascaption"><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/free-photoshop-alternative-inkscape.png" alt="Free Photoshop Alternative - Inkscape" /><figcaption>Inkscape Screenshot</figcaption></figure>
<p>It's also one of the few options on the list compatible with Linux (along with GIMP that is).</p>
<p>Learn more at the <a href="https://inkscape.org/en/">Inkscape website.</a></p>
<h2>3. Pixia</h2>
<p>Pixia is a raster painting program and graphics editor specifically well–suited for many forms of digital painting.</p>
<p>It offers a lightweight painting environment for digital painting and artwork of all types! Unlike other digital painting and editing tools, Pixia strips the bloatware features away, leaving a fast, focused environment that ensures you can paint without any distraction.</p>
<figure class="kg-card kg-image-card kg-card-hascaption"><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/free-photoshop-alternatives---pixia.jpg" alt="Free Photoshop Alternative - Pixia" /><figcaption>Pixia Screenshot</figcaption></figure>
<p>It is also freeware making it a great free Photoshop alternative.</p>
<p>Learn more at the <a href="http://www.ne.jp/asahi/mighty/knight/index.html">Pixia website</a>.</p>
<h2>4. exPhoto</h2>
<p>exPhoto is another application by the same developer that created Pixia and is more geared towards photo editing and print graphics. The advantage is that you can choose which application best suits your needs at the time. </p>
<p>Doing some digital painting? Load up Pixia. Looking to touch up a photo? Time for exPhoto. Sure you have to install two apps but it keeps the features geared towards the task at hand, which is smart.</p>
<figure class="kg-card kg-image-card kg-card-hascaption"><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/free-photoshop-alternative---exphoto.jpg" alt="Free Photoshop Alternative - exPhoto" /><figcaption>exPhoto Screenshot</figcaption></figure>
<p>exPhoto is also capable of handling and saving as PSD, just like GIMP.</p>
<p>Learn more at the <a href="http://www.ne.jp/asahi/mighty/knight/exphoto.html">exPhoto website.</a></p>
<h2>5. Pixlr</h2>
<p>Pixlr comes in two distinct flavours.  Pixlr Express is ideal for quick fixes and simple edits, while Pixlr  Editor is for power users. Both are both free, and both are  browser-based web apps, so there's never any need to download the  software. This makes it ideal for Chromebook users, too.</p>
<p>Pixlr is feature-packed but has a clean UI that makes it easy to navigate these features without seeming  “cluttered” or overwhelming the users with the number of options  available.</p>
<figure class="kg-card kg-image-card kg-card-hascaption"><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/free-photoshop-alternative---pixlr.png" alt="Free Photoshop Alternative - Pixlr" /><figcaption>Pixlr Screenshot</figcaption></figure>
<p>One super useful benefit to Pixlr is that it runs free Android and iOS apps that allow you to edit right from your smartphone.</p>
<p>Learn more at the <a href="https://pixlr.com/">Pixlr website.</a></p>
<h2>6. Krita</h2>
<p>Krita was created by artists with the  aim of making art tools affordable to everyone. This is an open source digital sketching and painting studio that is geared towards concept artists. illustrators, and designers who want to sketch from scratch. So, if you want to edit existing imagery, this one isn't for you. Krita  also offers training material to kickstart your illustration career (or  hobby), and can open PSD files, too.</p>
<figure class="kg-card kg-image-card kg-card-hascaption"><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/krita_animation2_pssib7.gif" alt="Free Photoshop Alternative - Krita" /><figcaption>Krita Screenshot</figcaption></figure>
<p>There is a bit of a learning curve to software and the UI isn’t too user-friendly, so its best suited to users with some experience. But once you get the hang of it this is an excellent Photoshop alternative that’s full of great features for  painting and design.</p>
<p>Learn more at the <a href="https://krita.org/en/">Krita website.</a></p>
<h2>7. Canva</h2>
<p>Canva is a browser-based web app that provides everything a graphic designer needs. For those who like to work on their phones or tablets, there are apps for iOS and Android as well.</p>
<p>Used by over 10 million people, Canva  serves up millions of stock images, hundreds of fonts, and a wide range  of filters, icons, and shapes. With their resources to hand, you can  drag and drop images into place before editing them. The simplicity of Canva makes sophisticated design accessible to everyone with a diverse range of templates available, and even the most amateur of users will get decent design outcomes with the help of this app.</p>
<figure class="kg-card kg-image-card kg-card-hascaption"><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/canva_hepqwn.png" alt="Free Photoshop Alternative - Canva" /><figcaption>Canva Screenshot</figcaption></figure>
<p>Seasoned graphic designers may find Canva to be a little lightweight, but it’s a useful app to have on hand when you need to take a few shortcuts and don’t want to sacrifice quality in the process. This is a freemium app and more experienced designers will definitely want the paid version, but pricing is nowhere near Photoshop territory. Check out our <a href="/canva-review/">Canva Review</a> to learn more.</p>
<p>Learn more at the <a href="https://canva.7eqqol.net/c/12549/647168/10068?adcampaigngroup=Pro_LP">Canva website.</a></p>
<h2>8. Paint.NET</h2>
<p>Thanks to its image based tabs system  which makes it easy to work on multiple projects at once, Paint.Net is a great free alternative to Photoshop. Also, the inclusion of layers – a feature normally reserved for expensive professional software – makes Paint.Net tough to beat. The UI will feel familiar to Photoshop users but it’s also very easy to pick up for newbies.</p>
<p>I see it as a halfway house between Microsoft Paint and Photoshop, making it easy for graphic design newbies  to grasp. And it's for that reason – among others – that I've personally been using Paint.NET for all my image editing needs over the  last few years. It’s simplicity combined with the advanced features  available makes it a tough one to beat and also a great option for users  that have difficulty with software that’s geared more towards  experienced users. Features include a number of special effects that can  sharpen, blur, emboss, distort, and eliminate red-eye from photos in a  few clicks.</p>
<figure class="kg-card kg-image-card kg-card-hascaption"><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/pdn40_kirkland_y8gqzp.jpg" alt="Free Photoshop Alternative - Paint.NET" /><figcaption>Paint.NET Screenshot</figcaption></figure>
<p>It's bad news for Mac users though, as Paint.NET is available only for Windows.</p>
<p>Learn more at the <a href="http://www.getpaint.net/">Paint.NET website.</a></p>
<h2>9. Seashore</h2>
<p>If you're a dedicated Mac user, Seashore may be for you. Available only for Mac OS X's Cocoa framework, Seashore takes inspiration from GIMP (number one on this list) by serving up similar functionality and using the same native file format.</p>
<p>However, unlike the GIMP, Seashore is  aimed at a broader audience who just want to do some basic image editing. It’s ideal for new users who with little experience in this area, although the UI is pretty basic and definitely leaves room for improvement.</p>
<figure class="kg-card kg-image-card kg-card-hascaption"><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/1_tdzwny.jpg" alt="Free Photoshop Alternative - Seashore" /><figcaption>Seashore Screenshot</figcaption></figure>
<p>If you’re an amateur photographer or just need to perform some basic image editing, Seashore will do the trick.</p>
<p>Learn more at the <a href="http://seashore.sourceforge.net/The_Seashore_Project/About.html">Seashore website.</a></p>
<h2>10. SumoPaint</h2>
<p>SumoPaint's slogan is, ‘Photoshopping  in your browser' – which is pretty self-explanatory. It's an incredibly powerful web app with an answer to most if not all of Photoshop's best features.</p>
<p>It’s also super fast to navigate and  the interface is definitely pleasing to the eye. All of the standard  features are accessible for free, such as gradient fill, blur, smudge, line tools, and other features you’d expect to find in Photoshop.</p>
<figure class="kg-card kg-image-card kg-card-hascaption"><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sumopaint.jpg" alt="Free Photoshop Alternative - SumoPaint" /><figcaption>SumoPaint Screenshot</figcaption></figure>
<p>You can use it through your browser and tolerate the ads, or upgrade to SumoPaint Pro to use it without ads and utilize more features.users to access all the basic image manipulation features for free. SumoPaint Pro also allows you to download the software so you can use it offline.</p>
<p>Learn more at the <a href="https://www.sumopaint.com/">SumoPaint website.</a></p>
<h2>Free Graphic Design Software That Doesn't Suck</h2>
<p>Photoshop is a powerhouse, but if you're struggling to justify its  rather heavy price-tag, then the eight Photoshop alternatives listed  above should tide you over.</p>
<p>If you are curious as to what options exist with a price tag, check out our list of <a href="/paid-photoshop-alternatives/">Paid Photoshop Alternatives</a>.</p>
<p>Do you know of any other free Photoshop alternatives? Share them with us in the comments section below!</p>


10 Free Photoshop Alternatives

mike-johnston

<p></p>
<p><a href="https://www.weebly.com/">Weebly</a> is a user-friendly website builder that first launched in 2006 and hit 1 million users by 2008. The platform now hosts over 30 million sites and it's touted as one of the most popular drag-and-drop website builders around.</p>
<p>Weebly has undergone many revamps since its initial launch, and its latest facelift for 2016 offers more features than ever before. The popular site allows individuals to create a website in less than an hour, regardless of their level of expertise, and it’s become popular with both hobbyists and professionals alike.</p>
<p>Seems too good to be true, right? I decided to check it out and see for myself.</p>
<h2>Getting Set-Up</h2>
<p>Getting started with Weebly is simple. Users can log in with Google Plus, Facebook, or by inserting their email address – all you need for this is your name, email, and password.</p>
<p>One thing I’d add here is a ‘sign up with Twitter’ function, as it just seemed a bit odd to have left it out. Maybe that’s just me, though, being the Twitter addict that I am.</p>
<p><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/screen_shot_2016-02-12_at_01_48_57494x0-is.png" /></p>
<p>There’s a little box you can tick if you want to sign up for updates and offers which is pretty standard, but what I really liked about this was that it was unticked by default. Many sites leave it ticked automatically, so you have to go and untick it if you’re not actually interested in receiving these emails. It’s one of my pet peeves because you just <em>know</em> they’re trying to catch you out. Sneaky rascals.</p>
<p>Once you’ve registered, the below screen will pop up and you’ll be asked what the focus of your site is, i.e. standard website, blog, or store.</p>
<p><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/screen_shot_2016-02-12_at_01_50_06574x0-is.png" /></p>
<p>After this, you can categorize it as business, personal, group/organizational, wedding, education, or portfolio. If you don’t want to or none of these apply, you simply can tell them to stop asking you (they’re cool like that – there’s even a tick box for it).</p>
<p><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/screen_shot_2016-02-13_at_17_35_17430x0-is.png" /></p>
<p>Then comes the fun part, choosing a design theme.</p>
<h2>Themes and Design</h2>
<p>Weebly offers over 100 attractive, professional, and well laid-out themes, so it’ll be difficult <em>not </em>to find one you like. Most come with customizable color sets too, so you’re spoilt for choice.</p>
<p>Every single theme is mobile responsive and just one click at the top of the screen allows you see your site as a mobile viewer would. You can’t add elements to the mobile version but you can get a like for like preview that should allow you to see them.</p>
<p><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/screen_shot_2016-02-12_at_01_50_19871x0-is.png" /></p>
<h2></h2>
<h2>Choosing Your URL</h2>
<p>If you have a free account, you’ll receive a ‘weebly.com’ domain name. If you want your own custom domain then you’ll have to sign up to a $39.95 registration fee. Is it a little high? Maybe, but I think it’s worth it if you want to create a professional site. Weebly make this whole process really easy, but you can also run it through an independent domain registrar such as <a href="http://www.godaddy.com">Godaddy</a>.</p>
<h2>Website Editing</h2>
<p>The website building interface is very easy to use, with a double row of elements/apps on the left hand site and a menu bar at the top. In a lot of sites like Weebly, adding pages can be a bit of a treasure hunt. But Weebly has its Pages section clearly labelled and easily editable, so you can just add pages and rearrange them with your mouse as you see fit.</p>
<p>Designing each page is simple. Want to edit that title? Just click on it and type. Want to make it bold? There’s a familiar toolset to let you edit it on the screen. There are no gimmicks and no multiple click paths – you just edit what you see and it’s done, instantly.</p>
<p>Everything is very clearly labeled and users can design a site by dragging elements onto the various pages. There are a variety of elements available such as a contact form, map, social buttons, slideshows, and more.</p>
<p><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/screen_shot_2016-02-12_at_01_56_05798x0-is.png" /></p>
<p>The contact form offers tons of options, such a custom confirmation URL, file uploads, drop-down selects, a phone number field. It definitely gets a thumbs up from me.</p>
<p><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/screen_shot_2016-02-13_at_17_38_19920x0-is.png" /></p>
<p>However, the real player here is the App Center which launched in August 2015. The new and improved App Center is a real bonus to the site, and you can now add any number of site boosting elements to your Weebly site with a minimum of fuss.</p>
<p>Everything is drag and drop. They have a number of apps for free and, as you’d expect, a number of premium ones too. All of these add value and are handily categorized into their retrospective uses – Marketing, Site Tools, eCommerce, Communication.</p>
<p><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/picture_14608x0-is.png" /></p>
<p>Everything is cleanly laid out and all of the apps are compatible with Weebly, so you won’t encounter any of the plug-in mishaps that can happen with sites like <a href="https://wordpress.com/">WordPress</a>.</p>
<h2></h2>
<h2>Pricing</h2>
<p>There are 4 pricing options available on Weebly, ranging from Free, Starter ($4 p/m), Pro ($8 p/m), and Business ($25 p/m). The free account is decent enough and provides unlimited pages, but you’ll also have to deal with Weebly branding and promotions. With the Starter Plan, you can add your own URL and the Weebly branding is removed. You also get to avail of premium support.</p>
<p>If you opt for the Pro account you’ll get additional multimedia features and added password protection. And the next step after this is a Business account, which offers SSL support and fully integrated ecommerce. For more on the specifics of each package, click <a href="https://www.weebly.com/pricing">here</a>. The choice is yours.</p>
<h2>Pros:</h2>
<ul>
<li>Extremely user friendly with a drag-and-drop system</li>
<li>Variety of professional, sleek, and mobile responsive designs available that can be further modified with HTML/CSS</li>
<li>Pre-designed layouts</li>
<li>New and improved app centre</li>
<li>Good eCommerce functionality</li>
</ul>
<h2>Cons:</h2>
<ul>
<li>You need to fork out for the Business package for fully integrated eCommerce</li>
<li>Customization options are limited if you are a coding whiz-kid</li>
</ul>
<h2>Should You Use Weebly For Your Website?</h2>
<p>For me, it’s a no-brainer. Weebly is a superb site with an excellent and intuitive design system that makes everything as easy as possible, for even the most novice user.</p>
<p>Weebly’s biggest strength is the intuitiveness of its layout. Everything just ‘makes sense’, and everything that is clickable – is editable.</p>
<p>It really seems to have something for everyone. Want a simple drag and drop? It’s there. Want more sophistication? You can add media, embed code, add Google Analytics – all from the one page and taskbar.</p>
<p>The learning curve is very graduated and it can be scaled to adapt to the skill levels of all users. Personally, I’d rate this as the best site builder out there right now.</p>
<p>The prices are pretty reasonable too, with Weebly’s premium package coming in at a quite reasonable $25 a month. The basic package is maybe a little thin on features like HD video and audio, but they are the little extras worth paying extra for.</p>
<p>The guys behind Weebly seem to really care about their users and continuously strive to meet the needs to those users by improving their service offering. If you’d like to know more about what they provide, check them out over <a href="https://www.weebly.com/">here</a> (their blog is worth a look too).</p>
<p>Have you used Weebly yet? Why not share a link to your Weebly site with us in the comments section below.</p>
<p></p>


Weebly Review 2016

grainne-logue

<p></p>
<p>SilverStripe has introduced a new preview release of the upcoming 3.0 version. Some of the main changes are in the separation of the Sapphire framework from the CMS module.</p>
<p>There is also quite a bit of work underway to redesign the user interface as well. Here is an example of some of the work being done so far:</p>
<p><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/ss3-ui_content-add-image-from-web-580x564.jpg" alt="ss3-ui_content-add-image-from-web" /></p>
<p>Check out the latest version by grabbing a copy from here: <a href="http://silverstripe.org/pre-releases" target="_blank">http://silverstripe.org/pre-releases</a></p>
<p></p>


SilverStripe 3.0 preview 1 is here

<p></p>
<p>Moxi9, recently re-branded from PHPfox, has unveiled its <a href="http://unity.moxi9.com/store" target="_blank">official store front</a>.</p>
<p>The community CMS has a long history under the name of PHPfox, but are now looking to evolve under the banner of Moxi9.</p>
<p>Although the <a href="http://moxi9.com/announcement/introducing-the-moxi9-store-front" target="_blank">Moxi9 Store is still technically in beta</a>, users can begin to use it freely. Currently, the store offers a range of modules and themes, along with a couple of language packs.</p>
<h2>3rd Party Products &amp; Instant Downloads</h2>
<p>Developers rejoice. If you want to submit your 3rd party Moxi9 product to be listed for sale, you can.</p>
<p>Plus, the Moxi9 store offers a fully integrated checkout for 3rd party products. Once customers have made a purchase, they get access to a download link, allowing them to download products immediately.</p>
<p><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/screenshot_2014-09-09_at_11_45_07700x0.png" alt="Moxu9 store" /></p>
<p>Additionally, each product comes ready with its own public forum, where customers can discuss and ask questions about the product in question. In addition to user-user based support you can also contact the developer via email.</p>
<p>Moxi9 has told of plans to,”fill up the Store” over the next few weeks.</p>
<p>The first store products were being approved as of last week, and although Moxi9 have admitted their testing policies are currently slowing the process down somewhat, they fully expect products to begin flowing freely before too long.</p>
<p>In any case, as of right now, you can check out the new <a href="http://unity.moxi9.com/store" target="_blank">Moxi9 Store</a>.</p>
<p>Also, be sure to explore more of Moxi9 via our CMS Directory.</p>
<p></p>


Moxi9 Store Front Goes Live

<p>I've been getting a ton of emails asking for another update on the People's Choice CMS awards since the last time I shared it so I thought now would be a good time to do so again.</p><p>Without further hesitation, here are the results as they stand so far. Keep in mind we still have about a month and a bit to go so the results can change at any time. There are definitely a few upsets since the last time I posted this.</p><p>For major changes, I'll put a note below the result and tell you what changed.</p><h3><strong>Best Cloud CMS for SMB</strong></h3><ol><li>LightCMS   – 49%</li><li><a target="_blank" href="http://www.surrealcms.com/">Surreal CMS   </a> – 28%</li><li><a target="_blank" href="http://www.acquia.com/products-services/acquia-cloud">Acquia Cloud   </a> – 22%</li></ol><h3>Best Cloud CMS for Enterprise</h3><ol><li><a target="_blank" href="http://www.acquia.com/products-services/acquia-cloud">Acquia Cloud   </a> – 50%</li><li><a target="_blank" href="http://www.clickability.com/">Clickability   </a>  – 28%</li><li><a target="_blank" href="http://www.crownpeak.com/">CrownPeak   </a> – 22%</li></ol><h3>Best CMS for Corporate Intranets</h3><ol><li><a target="_blank" href="http://www.liferay.com/">Liferay   </a> – 46%</li><li><a target="_blank" href="http://www.entando.com/portal/">Entando   </a> –  33%</li><li><a target="_blank" href="http://www.ocportal.com/">ocPortal   </a> –  21%</li></ol><h3>Best eCommerce Solution for SMB</h3><ol><li><a target="_blank" href="http://www.prestashop.com/en/">Prestashop   </a> – 44%</li><li><a href="/products/shopify">Shopify   </a> – 42%</li><li><a target="_blank" href="http://aspxcommerce.com/">ASPx Commerce   </a> – 14%</li></ol><p>Prestashop is really starting to pull ahead from a previous second place with 35% to a 44% jump to #1 they are obviously rallying their forces and pushing for a win.</p><h3>Best eCommerce Solution for Enterprise</h3><ol><li><a target="_blank" href="http://www.prestashop.com/en">Prestashop   </a> – 45%</li><li><a href="/products/shopify">Shopify   </a> – 35%</li><li><a href="/products/bigcommerce">BigCommerce   </a> – 20%</li></ol><p>Again, Prestashop is really starting to take over in the eCommerce space, can Shopify &amp; <a href="/products/bigcommerce">BigCommerce</a> rally enough to pull off a win? We'll have to see.</p><h3>Best Free Forum Solution</h3><ol><li><a target="_blank" href="http://vanillaforums.org/">Vanilla Forums   </a> – 35%</li><li><a target="_blank" href="http://www.mybb.com/">MyBB   </a> – 33%</li><li><a target="_blank" href="https://nodebb.org/">NodeBB   </a> – 31%</li></ol><p>We have a very tight race here for the three forum solutions. It's anyones game at this point.</p><h3>Best Commercial Forum Solution</h3><ol><li><a target="_blank" href="http://vanillaforums.com/">Vanilla Forums   </a> – 41%</li><li><a target="_blank" href="http://www.ninjapost.com/">Ninja Post   </a> – 36%</li><li><a target="_blank" href="http://www.invisionpower.com/apps/board/">IP.Board   </a> – 22%</li></ol><h3>Best Enterprise PHP CMS</h3><ol><li><a target="_blank" href="http://drupal.org/">Drupal   </a> – 58%</li><li><a target="_blank" href="http://typo3.org/">Typo 3   </a> – 23%</li><li><a target="_blank" href="http://ez.no/Products/The-eZ-Publish-Platform">eZ Publish   </a> – 19%</li></ol><h3>Best Enterprise Java CMS</h3><ol><li><a target="_blank" href="http://www.onehippo.com/en">Hippo   </a> – 50%</li><li><a target="_blank" href="http://www.adobe.com/solutions/web-experience-management.html">Adobe AEM   </a> – 31%</li><li><a target="_blank" href="http://www.jahia.com/products">Jahia   </a> – 19%</li></ol><h3>Best Enterprise .NET CMS</h3><ol><li><a target="_blank" href="http://www.sitecore.net/">Sitecore   </a> – 43%</li><li><a target="_blank" href="http://www.kentico.com/">Kentico   </a> – 28%</li><li><a target="_blank" href="http://www.sitefinity.com/">Sitefinity   </a> – 28%</li></ol><p>Interestingly, Sitecore is in the lead but Kentico and Sitefinity are battling it out for second place and are completely tied. Can someone rally to take out last year's winner, Sitecore? We'll have to wait and see.</p><h3>Best Enterprise CMS (Other Langs)</h3><ol><li><a target="_blank" href="http://plone.org/">Plone   </a> – 43%</li><li><a target="_blank" href="http://www.getmura.com/">Mura CMS   </a> – 40%</li><li><a target="_blank" href="http://www.paperthin.com/">Paperthin Commonspot   </a> – 17%</li></ol><h3>Best Free PHP CMS</h3><ol><li><a target="_blank" href="http://www.joomla.org/">Joomla   </a> – 62%</li><li><a target="_blank" href="http://www.concrete5.org/">Concrete5   </a> – 24%</li><li><a target="_blank" href="http://www.processwire.com/">ProcessWire   </a> – 14%</li></ol><h3>Best Free Java CMS</h3><ol><li><a target="_blank" href="http://www.magnolia-cms.com/">Magnolia   </a> – 45%</li><li><a target="_blank" href="http://www.dotcms.com/">dotCMS   </a> – 28%</li><li><a target="_blank" href="http://www.liferay.com/">Liferay   </a> – 27%</li></ol><h3>Best Free .NET CMS</h3><ol><li><a target="_blank" href="http://umbraco.com/">Umbraco   </a> – 44%</li><li><a target="_blank" href="http://sageframe.com/">Sageframe   </a> – 29%</li><li><a target="_blank" href="http://www.dnnsoftware.com/">DNN Platform   </a> – 27%</li></ol><h3>Best Free CMS (Other Langs)</h3><ol><li><a target="_blank" href="http://www.getmura.com/">Mura CMS   </a> – 52%</li><li><a target="_blank" href="http://plone.org/">Plone   </a> – 48%</li></ol><p>Mura CMS overtakes Plone but only by a margin, can they hold on to the lead?</p><h3>Best Open Source PHP CMS</h3><ol><li><a target="_blank" href="http://www.joomla.org/">Joomla!   </a> – 65%</li><li><a target="_blank" href="http://modx.com/">MODx   </a> – 18%</li><li><a target="_blank" href="http://ez.no/Products/The-eZ-Publish-Platform">eZ Publish   </a> – 18%</li></ol><p>MODx and eZ Publish are tied for second, can they rally enough to take out Joomla? You never know.</p><h3>Best Open Source Java CMS</h3><ol><li><a target="_blank" href="http://www.magnolia-cms.com/">Magnolia   </a> – 40%</li><li><a target="_blank" href="http://www.liferay.com/">Liferay   </a> – 37%</li><li><a target="_blank" href="http://dotcms.com/">dotCMS   </a> – 23%</li></ol><h3>Best Open Source .NET CMS</h3><ol><li><a target="_blank" href="http://umbraco.com/">Umbraco   </a> – 44%</li><li><a target="_blank" href="http://sageframe.com/">Sageframe   </a> – 29%</li><li><a target="_blank" href="http://www.dnnsoftware.com/">DNN Platform   </a> – 23%</li></ol><h3>Best Open Source CMS (Other Langs)</h3><ol><li><a target="_blank" href="http://www.getmura.com/">Mura CMS    </a> – 53%</li><li><a target="_blank" href="http://plone.org/">Plone    </a> – 47%</li></ol><h3>Best Small to Midsize Business PHP CMS</h3><ol><li><a target="_blank" href="http://www.cmsmadesimple.org/">CMS Made Simple   </a> – 41%</li><li><a target="_blank" href="http://buildwithcraft.com/">Craft CMS   </a> – 30%</li><li><a target="_blank" href="http://www.impresspages.org/">ImpressPages   </a> – 29%</li></ol><h3>Best Small to Midsize Business Java CMS</h3><ol><li><a target="_blank" href="http://www.liferay.com/">Liferay   </a> – 64%</li><li><a target="_blank" href="http://www.percussion.com/">Percussion CM1   </a> – 36%</li></ol><h3>Best Small to Midsize Business .NET CMS</h3><ol><li><a target="_blank" href="http://www.orchardproject.net/">Orchard   </a> – 44%</li><li><a target="_blank" href="http://www.envisagecms.co.uk/">Envisage CMS   </a> – 30%</li><li><a target="_blank" href="http://www.dnnsoftware.com/">DNN Evoq Content   </a> – 26%</li></ol><h3>Best Small to Midsize Business CMS (Other Langs)</h3><ul><li><a target="_blank" href="https://www.django-cms.org/en/">Django CMS   </a> – 49%</li><li><a target="_blank" href="http://www.surrealcms.com/">Surreal CMS   </a> – 31%</li><li><a target="_blank" href="http://www.movabletype.com/">Movable Type   </a> – 20%</li></ul><h3>Best Website Builder</h3><ol><li><a target="_blank" href="http://www.wix.com/">Wix   </a> – 43%</li><li><a target="_blank" href="http://www.squarespace.com">Squarespace   </a> – 35%</li><li><a target="_blank" href="https://www.weebly.com/">Weebly   </a> – 22%</li></ol><p>There you have it. The results so far.</p><p><a href="/cms-critic-awards"><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/votenow-1.png" /></a></p>

People's Choice CMS Awards - Result Update #2

<p></p>
<p>As some of you may have seen if you’ve been watching our <a href="http://www.twitter.com/cmscritic">Twitter feed</a>, CMS Critic is on site here in beautiful Las Vegas (thank god because Edmonton has snow at the moment) for Sitecore’s North American Symposium (<a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23SYMNA&amp;src=typd">#SYMNA</a> if you want to follow on Twitter).</p>
<p>This morning's keynote kicked off with Sitecore CEO, Michael Seifert taking the stage to discuss the importance of customer experience and to help introduce the new Sitecore 8.</p>
<p><img style="display:block;margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/sitecore2.jpg" /></p>
<p>If you missed our live tweets this morning, I've embedded the best of them below so you can catch up.</p>
<p>[[storify-symna]]</p>
<p>In addition to the keynote, tons of great stories are coming out from this conference. I've provided some links below for those interested, including a great whitepaper highlighting some of the new features in the upcoming release.</p>
<p><strong>Sitecore 8 overview</strong><br /><a href="http://www.sitecore.net/Platform/Sitecore-8.aspx" target="_blank">http://www.sitecore.net/Platform/Sitecore-8.aspx</a></p>
<p><strong>Darren Guarnaccia: Sitecore 8: The art, craft, and humanity of marketing</strong><br /><a href="http://www.sitecore.net/Learn/Blogs/Business-Blogs/Industry-Insight/Posts/2014/09/Sitecore-8.aspx" target="_blank">http://www.sitecore.net/Learn/Blogs/Business-Blogs/Industry-Insight/Posts/2014/09/Sitecore-8.aspx</a></p>
<p><strong>Mark Floisand: Sitecore 8: Simplifying the extraordinary</strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.sitecore.net/Learn/Blogs/Business-Blogs/Mark-Floisand/Posts/2014/09/Sitecore-8.aspx" target="_blank">http://www.sitecore.net/Learn/Blogs/Business-Blogs/Mark-Floisand/Posts/2014/09/Sitecore-8.aspx</a></p>
<p><strong>White paper: Sitecore 8: Simplifying the extraordinary</strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.sitecore.net/Learn/Resources-Library/White-Papers/Introducing-Sitecore-8.aspx" target="_blank">http://www.sitecore.net/Learn/Resources-Library/White-Papers/Introducing-Sitecore-8.aspx</a></p>
<p>For more, stay tuned on <a href="http://twitter.com/cmscriti">Twitter</a> and our blog as we take you through the conference this week.</p>
<p></p>


The Keynote - Sitecore North American Symposium #SYMNA

Shopify - The global commerce platform

Build your business with Shopify to sell online, offline, and everywhere in between.

The global commerce platform

#ffffff

<p>SquareSpace has announced that they are going to be accepting applicants for beta testing of the new, upcoming version of SquareSpace CMS. According to the blog post:</p>
<blockquote><p>Squarespace V6 is a reinvention of many core Squarespace concepts that will become the foundation for our company over the years to come.  It allows the extremely talented folks who work on Squarespace to create the sorts of sites they've always dreamed of creating on Squarespace.  It incorporates a totally redesigned consumer editing experience, backend site manager, and template system.</p></blockquote>
<p>Some sneak peak screenshots of the upcoming templates and the new interface:</p>
<p><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/imcreator22_kvfaza.jpg" /></p>
<p><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/imcreator23_rumxy8.jpg" /></p>
<p><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/imcreator24_t0uveh.jpg" /></p>
<p>To get in on the beta testing, visit the <a href="http://blog.squarespace.com/blog/2011/5/9/an-introduction-to-squarespace-v6.html" target="_blank">SquareSpace blog</a> and read their latest blog entry.  To try out SquareSpace for free for 14 days without a credit card, visit here: <a href="http://www.squarespace.com" target="_blank">SquareSpace</a></p>


SquareSpace shows off sneak peak at upcoming version and accepts beta test signups

<p></p>
<p>For those of you who don't know, Sitecore are currently hosting their biggest event of the year, <a href="/event-preview-sitecore-symposium-2014-las-vegas/" target="_blank">Sitecore Symposium 2014 Las Vegas</a>.</p>
<p>CMS Critic are on the ground right now to cover the event, in the form of Founder and Editor-in-Chief Mike Johnston.</p>
<p>Mike has already <a href="/the-keynote-sitecore-north-american-symposium-symna/" target="_blank"> covered Sitecore's day one keynote by CEO Michael Seifert</a>, and you can follow his live tweets from the <a href="https://twitter.com/cmscritic" target="_blank"> CMS Critic Twitter page</a>, or by using the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SYMNA?src=hash" target="_blank"> #SYNMA hashtag</a>.</p>
<p>The big news from day one though, is that Sitecore 8 is here – and it's looking impressive.</p>
<h2>Sitecore 8: Simplifying the Extraordinary</h2>
<p>According to Sitecore's official <a href="http://www.sitecore.net/Platform/Sitecore-8.aspx" target="_blank">Sitecore 8 overview</a>:</p>
<blockquote><p>“Your organization is unique, your team is unique, your customers are unique. With Sitecore 8 you decide how to customize your Sitecore Experience platform, based on how your business operates and how your customers choose to interact with you. Nothing is limited to out of the box, it’s your platform. You choose.”</p></blockquote>
<p>Those are bold words for what look to be a bold product. Here are some of Sitecore 8's highlights.</p>
<p><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/s8_experience_editor700x0.png" alt="Sitecore 8" /></p>
<p>Sitecore 8 promises to bring strong and tangible operational benefits for marketers. Such benefits include:</p>
<ul>
<li><strong> Automated Testing &amp; Optimization: </strong> Marketers can feel confident that the customer experience is being optimized constantly, in real time, through every interaction, over any platform. This confidence travels up through the marketing organization, all the way to the Chief Marketing Officer.</li>
<li><strong> Resulting Focus: </strong> Because customer experience testing and optimization occurs effortlessly, marketers can now focus on other critical tasks.</li>
<li><strong> Customized for Each Business: </strong> The customer experience can be managed based on how the business runs, not how the software dictates.</li>
<li><strong> Consistent Customer Experiences: </strong> Sitecore 8 breaks down the silos among functions, enabling them to work together to create a consistent customer experience.</li>
<li><strong> The Whole Picture: </strong> Marketers gain a complete view of how customers are interacting with the company, even in other systems, websites, or with other permission-based, customer- facing functions.</li>
<li><strong> Insight Sharing: </strong> Marketers can provide insight about customer interactions to other organizations/functions within the company.</li>
</ul>
<h2>Automated Testing &amp; Integrated Commerce Server</h2>
<p>Sitecore 8's ability to automatically test and optimize customer experiences is perhaps the largest weapon in its renewed arsenal.</p>
<p>With this automated testing and optimization going on, marketers don’t need to set up, run, or monitor testing ever again.</p>
<p><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/s8_analytics_dashboard700x0.png" alt="Sitecore 8" /><br />
Sitecore will recommend the best content, best segments to target, and the best paths to conversion. Sitecore 8 then automatically writes rules to optimize the new information, leaving marketers to simply review and choose. So, marketing teams can now be absolutely certain that they are providing the optimal experience to every customer, every time.</p>
<p>Furthermore, Sitecore 8 integrates <a href="http://www.commerceserver.net/" target="_blank">Commerce Server</a> with the <a href="http://www.sitecore.net/en-gb/Products/Sitecore-Experience-Platform.aspx" target="_blank">Sitecore Experience Platform</a>.</p>
<p>These combined products provide enterprise-grade commerce capabilities that enable organizations to offer exceptional commerce and customer experiences throughout the customer life cycle, driving both short and long-term revenues. Commerce Server also provides catalog, inventory, and order capture functionality to the Sitecore Experience Platform.</p>
<p>To learn more about Sitecore 8, check out <a href="http://www.sitecore.net/Platform/Sitecore-8.aspx" target="_blank">Sitecore's overview of their latest release</a>, as well as their informative <a href="http://www.sitecore.net/Learn/Resources-Library/White-Papers/Introducing-Sitecore-8.aspx" target="_blank">Sitecore 8 white paper</a>.</p>
<p>Also, make sure you explore more of <a href="/products/sitecore/" target="_blank">Sitecore via our CMS Directory</a>, and stay tuned for more news and insights from Sitecore Symposium 2014.</p>
<p></p>


Day One of Sitecore Symposium 2014: Exploring Sitecore 8 #SYMNA

<p></p>
<p>Following an <a href="/exploring-solodev-cms-8/" target="_blank">overview of Solodev CMS 8’s core features</a>, as well as a look at <a href="/solodev-cms-powering-next-generation-local-government-websites-to-improve-constituent-services/" target="_blank">its role in powering local government websites</a>, I’m now delving into the platform’s role in the Healthcare industry.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.solodev.com" target="_blank"><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/soldodev-logo-1_400x0.png" /></a></p>
<p><a href="https://www.solodev.com" target="_blank">Solodev CMS 8</a> is an enterprise-grade platform that has been in business since 2006. It supports hundreds of organizations and brands including; OneBlood, MobileHelp, CNL Financial Group, Springstone Hospitals, Dr. Phillips Center and the State of Florida Department of Education.</p>
<p>Like government, the healthcare industry is a sensitive one, and thus healthcare companies need to pay special attention to the content management systems they use to power their online presence. Let’s take a look at why Solodev CMS is such a popular choice.</p>
<h2>Multi-site Management for Multi-faceted Companies</h2>
<p>Today’s healthcare organizations are diverse businesses made up of multiple locations and entities. CMS platforms that can support multi-site management capabilities and allow management of all required sites from a single location offer more efficiency and streamline content management.</p>
<p>Solodev CMS brings a number of benefits to the table which suit Healthcare companies right down to the ground.</p>
<p>For example, a healthcare company with multiple branches will likely require multiple websites. Solodev allows such a company to manage all of those websites on a single platform, all from the very same installation. Thus, the company’s development and marketing teams can work from a single interface to develop and manage content.</p>
<p>To help manage those different teams and all their members, Solodev provides user permissions to selectively restrict access to sites, sections within sites, or even particular content.</p>
<p>Also, a centralized approval dashboard shows staged content across sites awaiting approval, so Editors can work through submitted content before anything goes live.</p>
<p>Another extremely useful dimension of Solodev CMS 8 is its website cloning ability. Perhaps the biggest benefits of website cloning within the same brand, is the enforcement of a consistent design across sites, ensuring a familiar and therefore professional presence across all websites.</p>
<p>In practice though, Solodev’s website cloning feature has far more benefits, as Springstone, Inc. has come to know.</p>
<h2>Solodev &amp; Springstone</h2>
<p>Springstone is rapidly growing, private healthcare organization with multiple hospitals across the United States.</p>
<p>Springstone facilities treat patients with mental illness and substance abuse issues in underserved communities throughout North America. Springstone has plans to expand over the next few years by opening twenty new facilities – doubling its hospital count.</p>
<p>Each of Springstone hospitals has its own dedicated website, managed entirely from a single instance of Solodev CMS.</p>
<p>On top of all the benefits listed above, Solodev’s ability to clone existing websites will make Springstone’s expansion far easier, at least as far as their online presence goes. At the very least, it will grant their development team with a solid starting point to build each new site upon.</p>
<p>Furthermore, Solodev allows for the same piece of content or other asset to be shared across all sites – so company-wide announcements and alerts can be made far more quickly.</p>
<p>To explore more of Solodev CMS, <a href="https://www.solodev.com/" target="_blank">check out their website</a></p>
<p></p>


Solodev CMS: Bringing Multi-site Management to Healthcare Organizations

<p></p>
<p>A streamlined implementation process is essential for marketing automation success.</p>
<p>When utilized to its full potential, marketing automation will be a highly valuable asset to your organization; but if you haven’t implemented it properly, you’ll end up seriously disappointed with the outcome.</p>
<p style="text-align:center"><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/bigstock-business-people-in-a-meeting-r-12523484539x0-is.jpg" /></p>
<p>Getting things right from Day 1 is the best way to start, so I’ve put together 5 steps to help you to successfully implement your marketing automation and get the results you’re looking for.</p>
<h2>1. Spring Clean your CRM</h2>
<p>Before you even get started with your marketing automation implementation, you need to start cleaning up your CRM. You’ll need to import your contacts from your CRM and the last thing you want is to sync a whole bunch of duplicate accounts.</p>
<p>If you haven’t used marketing automation before – it’s likely that you already have number of duplicate entries on your system. Take the time to sift through these and make your list as clean as possible before you start the implementation process. It may be a tad tedious, but it will take a massive mess off your hands further down the line.</p>
<h2>2. Verify Email Addresses</h2>
<p>You’re going to be sending out more emails than ever before, so it’s important to make sure that someone is actually going to be at the receiving end when you do. After you’ve cleaned up your contacts, you can use an email verification service to weed out any incorrect emails before you start uploading them.</p>
<p>Check out email verification service providers such as <a href="http://www.datavalidation.com/">Data Validation</a>, which integrates with numerous email marketing tools such as <a href="http://mailchimp.com/">Mailchimp</a> and <a href="http://www.aweber.com/">AWeber.</a></p>
<h2>3. Define What Constitutes A Qualified Lead</h2>
<p>Marketing automation will <a href="http://www.emailmonday.com/marketing-automation-statistics-overview" target="_blank">significantly increase</a> the number of inbound leads you receive, however – it’s also important to identify and segment these leads properly. In order to do this, you need to sit down with your sales and marketing team to define what constitutes a qualified lead and which leads fall into the ‘need a little more nurturing’ category.</p>
<p>This will ensure that your sales team only receive leads that have progressed further along the buying cycle, whilst your marketing team can focus on warming up the leads that aren’t quite as there yet.</p>
<h2>4. Communicate With Your Sales Team</h2>
<p>It’s important to sit down and talk to your sales team about the new marketing automation processes and what they can expect. Remember, these leads fuel their paycheques, so they’re going to have a lot of questions and it’s important to be prepared.</p>
<p>If you ask for their input from the outset, you’ll flag any issues in advance and avoid any unexpected setbacks down the line.</p>
<p>Your reps will probably be concerned about how the new leads will be distributed and assigned, so you’ll need to be able to address that. You’ll also need to ensure that communication processes between your sales and marketing teams are set up properly so that none of your leads get lost in translation.</p>
<h2>5. Start With The Basics</h2>
<p>There might be a ton of exciting new features available to you, but that doesn’t mean you have to use all of them at once. It’s important to ease into the implementation process and take it one step at a time.</p>
<p>Focus on the marketing automation processes that you need in place right now, and take it from there. You can look at adding more features once you’ve become more familiar with the platform. Start with what you’re doing at the moment, automate it, assess it, tweak it, and then move on to the next thing.</p>
<p>If you don’t have the resources available to dedicate to even basic implementation, then it might be a good idea to look at hiring a third party partner to assist with the process.</p>
<p>This is pretty common territory for CRM implementation but there are also many companies offering the same service for marketing automation. Most marketing automation providers, such as <a href="http://www.pardot.com/about-pardot/partners/">Pardot</a>, will provide a list of recommended partners on their site.</p>
<h2>Ready To Go? Great. Keep Going.</h2>
<p>Once you’ve set up your marketing automation processes, it’s essential to stay ahead of the pack by keeping an eye on your analytics data and trends. Keep your marketing automation skills fresh by staying abreast of what’s working, what’s not working, and what’s left to learn. That’s really the most important thing here.</p>
<p>Once you continue to stay on top of things, you’ll continue to see results.</p>
<p>If you have any key tips you’ve learned for successful marketing automation implementation, we’d love to hear them. Why not scroll down to the comments section below and fill us in.</p>
<p></p>


Deploy Your Marketing Automation System In 5 Easy Steps

<p></p>
<p><a href="https://www.edicy.com/" target="_blank">Edicy</a>, a popular website builder, is in the <a href="http://www.edicy.com/new" target="_blank">process of re-branding</a>. Soon, Edicy will be known as “Voog”.</p>
<p>Founded in 2008, Edicy powers over 500,000 websites across 150 different websites. Edicy offers both free and pro options that can fit the needs of most users.</p>
<p>Voog means “Flow” in Estonian, and is pronounced like “Vouge”  in English. The Edicy team are touting Voog as, “a modern publishing tool for creatives.”</p>
<h2>Introducing Voog</h2>
<p>According to the Edicy team, Voog is more feature-rich than Edicy.</p>
<p>Voog is being designed to give users more control over text formatting, more types of content blocks and more options to adjust the overall look and feel of their websites.</p>
<p>Plus, thanks to a full API, developers now have more room to play.</p>
<p><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/shot-retina700x0.jpg" alt="Voog" /><br />
The pricing for Voog will remain the same as the current Edicy prices, while the user experience is similar to that of Edicy. In other words, existing users merely have to adapt to Voog, not completely re-learn it.</p>
<p>Voog's interface is rolling out as of right now, so Edicy users can expect to see their sites updated over the coming weeks.</p>
<p>For more information on Edicy and Voog, <a href="http://www.edicy.com/" target="_blank">check out their website.</a></p>
<p></p>


Introducing Voog: the Heir of Edicy

<p></p>
<p>Has there ever been a period in history where we have been as obsessed with optimal productivity and output as we are now? I sincerely doubt it. This growing need to increase efficiency and “better ways of working” is reflective of our constant struggle to maintain the elusive work/life balance. And the currently over-saturated market of productivity apps is a clear demonstration of that.</p>
<p>So how do you separate the wheat from the chaff?</p>
<p>Today, we’re going to compare two of the most popular productivity apps on the market: <a href="https://www.trello.com/" target="_blank">Trello</a> vs Asana. These project and task management based apps entered the tech space pretty much around the same time. Trello was introduced by Stack Exchange CEO Joel Spolskey and current Trello CEO Michael Pryor in 2011, until it was then acquired by Atalassian in 2017. <a href="https://asana.com/" target="_blank">Asana</a> came along about 2 months later after a launch by Facebook exec Dustin Moskovitza.</p>
<p>Although the market is bursting at the seams with productivity apps right now, these two tend to dominate when it comes to all things project management. They nailed down deals with some of the top Fortune 500 companies from day one which pretty much brought them right up the ranks and they’re just as popular with smaller companies and startup organisations. If you’re running an Agile team, it’s a no brainer to on-board one of these apps, but then again – there is so much more to these productivity apps that simply managing work related projects. These apps have been developed to help you to manage your entire life as efficiently as possible.</p>
<p>With a range of easy to use features, great design, and continual improvement and progression, it’s a difficult task to choose a winner between the two. But we’re going to give it a go. Let’s start with an initial beginner’s guide to each.</p>
<h2>Trello Vs Asana – The Contenders</h2>
<p>First let's take a look at contender #1, Trello.</p>
<h2>Trello: A Quick Overview</h2>
<p>Trello was actually one of the first project management apps on the market that took things in a very different direction. Trello is based on the Kanban approach which is a visual way of managing tasks on a project board. Think “white board with sticky notes” but on your computer screen. This very visual approach makes it easy to get an instant progress overview and it can be invaluable to busy project managers. Want to know how Trello works? Here’s a basic overview of how to get started:</p>
<h3>The first thing to do when you sign up to Trello is create a board.</h3>
<p>Boards are the brains behind Trello. This is your homebase. Once you’ve set up a board (for a work project, home project, whatever you like) you can assign tasks within that board that have to be completed and can also be checked off once they’re done. Boards can be public or private, so you might want to keep your work items lowkey but leave your party planning board public so everyone can get involved.</p>
<h3>When you’ve set up a board, you can create lists and cards.</h3>
<p>Lists are columns that hold your tasks and you can drag and drop cards/tasks from one column to the next as you project progresses. For example. It’s quite common or users to name lists “to do”, “doing” , and “done”, so it’s pretty obvious that the workflow works! Also don’t underestimate the satisfaction of looking at your “done” list at the end of the day.</p>
<p><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/image2_pqq2ot.png" alt="Trello vs Asana - Image 1" /></p>
<p>Once you’ve set up your first Trello board and a series of lists (or columns), you can start filling them up with cards. In this example, these can be any to-do list items that you have lined up for that week and at what stage you’re at in the process, i.e. do you need to start tomorrow? Are you halfway through? Or is the task completed?</p>
<p>If you're working with colleagues or friends on a task, you can assign these cards you’ve created to anyone else who is working with you on it. As you assign the task, you can add an array of useful information such as the due date, further details on the task, any relevant comments, checklists that need to be completed, and attachments you want to add, etc.</p>
<p><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/image5_f6vcre.png" alt="Trello vs Asana - Image 2" /></p>
<p>Now for contender #2.</p>
<h2>Starting Off With Asana</h2>
<p>In Asana, teams are organised around projects and it’s completely project based. Teams collaborate in Asana via organised lists of tasks and in comparison to Trello it’s definitely more “linear” rather than “visual” in its approach.</p>
<p>In Asana, projects involve lists of tasks that teams collaborate on, e.g. you can create different Sections for each project and create a list of tasks related to that specific section of the project. Each of those tasks can then have its own sub-task so that you can create a “nesting” of tasks. You can tag people in the tasks, add comments and files, create even more subtasks, and add descriptions. Almost whatever you need to complete the task can be added here. This is really useful if you have a very comprehensive and detailed list of tasks involved in a project. In comparison to Trello, which can get pretty messy as a project develops (there’s a LOT of scrolling involved to navigate through tasks), Asana is a lot easier to manage at this level.</p>
<p>Users can use a pre-existing Asana template (which are all absolutely fine to use) or create custom template to meet their exact requirements.</p>
<p><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/image6_g8jkof.png" alt="Trello vs Asana - Image 3" /></p>
<h3>Adding information.</h3>
<p>Once you’ve created a task, you can add lots of details similarly to Trello, such as comments, attachments, and checklists.</p>
<h3>Creating Your First Project</h3>
<p>You can create your first Project before or after you’ve added tasks. When creating a project in Asana, you have a choice between a list or board view layout and you can also set the privacy setting for the project at this stage too.</p>
<p><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/image3_ehogd5.png" alt="Trello vs Asana image 3" /></p>
<p><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/image7_naih0v.png" alt="Trello vs Asana image 4" /></p>
<h3>Adding Columns</h3>
<p>If you opt for a “board view” layout in Asana, your columns will automatically set up and default to “To Do”, “Doing”, and “Done”.</p>
<p><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/image1_fpyc4t.png" alt="Trello vs Asana image 5" /></p>
<p>You can stick with these if you wish or you can rename them and add other columns according to your project requirements.</p>
<h2>OK, But What’s The Main Difference?</h2>
<p>In my opinion, the main difference between Trello Vs Asana lies in the UI and usability. The caveat here is that this ease of use is going to be heavily dependent on your own style of work and what type of UI you’re used to, in addition to your natural preference. But for now, let’s take a black and white look at it.</p>
<p>Trello runs on a Kanban system, so at its core it’s a to-do list made easy. It is extremely adaptable and has expanded into an incredible project management resource, but ultimately it is a to-do list app with a lot of features that make it work in more advanced ways. So, is this a good or a bad thing? I believe it’s a good thing. Because of its origins, Trello is extremely intuitive, whereas Asana has been built as a project management tool for teams from day one and the little intricacies that make it a better option for very robust teams and organisations can alienate smaller teams and single users.</p>
<p>It might be argued that Asana is a “level-up” from Trello if your Trello boards start to become too messy and convoluted. But I’d argue that if you have the correct internal processes in place, that simply won't happen in Trello. Trello is all about having a process, and once you have one, it does its job to support that process.</p>
<p>Trello is designed to help you navigate your whole life, not just your workload. And the level of simplicity at which it does this means it appeals to both technical and non-technical users, which is what gives it an edge over Asana. If i was looking to roll out a new project management system to a mixed team of tech and non-tech employees. I wouldn't think twice about opting for Trello over Asana. Because it’s “better” overall? Debatable. But because it can be grasped very quickly, it would win every time.</p>
<h2>Still Unsure? Let’s Weight Up the Pros and Cons of Trello Vs Asana:</h2>
<h3>Trello: Pros</h3>
<ul>
<li>Free to sign up, no credit card details required.</li>
<li>Very flexible, you can design the exact project management system that works for you and it’s not limited to project management either.</li>
<li>Super useful features like color coding, comments, and mentions, which allow for instant collaboration.</li>
<li>No limit to the amount of team members in the free version.</li>
<li>Doesn’t go overboard with features. You get what you need.</li>
<li>Simplicity: easy to use and visualise project progression with access to help when needed.</li>
<li>Available on iPhone and Android.</li>
<li>Unlimited usage, i.e. create as many Trello cards and invite as many users as you like.</li>
<li>Integrates with apps such as Google Drive, Slack, Dropbox.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Trello: Cons</h3>
<ul>
<li>Can get messy with larger projects if you don’t already have your own system in place. If you don’t put a process in place when you start using Trello and get everyone on the same page, things will get complicated fast.</li>
<li>You can only export when using a paid plan.</li>
<li>The visual style won’t suit everyone’s way of working.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Asana: Pros</h3>
<ul>
<li>Asana has a more sophisticated style. The UI is more refined and you’ll only see options and menus appear when relevant.</li>
<li>It’s free to use for up to 15 people per team.</li>
<li>Easy to quickly add new tasks.</li>
<li>Email integration.</li>
<li>The app is available on iOS and Android.</li>
<li>The condensed task view makes it easier to get a quick bird’s eye look at a project and instantly access the section you need to work on compared to Trello.</li>
<li>Asana has built-in help available that makes sure you never get stuck for too long.</li>
<li>Like Trello, Asana offers a number of integrations such as Slack, Dropbox, and Google Drive.</li>
<li>The Portfolios feature allows larger teams to manage multiple projects at scale as each can be seen in a grid-style view.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Asana: Cons</h3>
<ul>
<li>Team members limited to 15 in the free version.</li>
<li>Only one member of a team can be delegated to each task.</li>
<li>The interface can seem busy at times.</li>
<li>Depending on how tech-savvy the user/users are, it may take some training to get everyone using Asana optimally.</li>
</ul>
<h2>Trello Vs Asana – Let's Talk Pricing</h2>
<p>Both Trello and Asana offer a free basic option for a limited number of users and features. None of which are exactly extortionate, but if you want to use this in a business capacity the free version will simply be a “try before you buy” option for you.</p>
<p>Most Trello teams will start with basic and update to business or Enterprise a while later in order to access things like 3rd party integrations. For more on Trello pricing, <a href="https://trello.com/en/pricing" target="_blank">click here</a>.</p>
<p><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/image4_priwiw.png" alt="Trello vs Asana - Pricing" /></p>
<p>Asana is a little pricier but there really isn’t much in it. For Enterprise rates, you’ll need to contact their sales team directly. For more on Asana pricing, <a href="https://asana.com/pricing" target="_blank">click here</a>.</p>
<p><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/screenshot-2019-09-30-at-120337-pm_zzcvvk.png" alt="Trello vs Asana - Pricing 2" /></p>
<p>Trello vs Asana – Which is Best for You?</p>
<p>The differences are so minor that it’s really a question of personal preference. Trello is undoubtedly the more visually appealing option with more ease of use, but it tends to lose out to Asana once the projects start to pile up. In comparison, Asana can seem a little more daunting to set up but it is that little bit more powerful when it comes to managing large-scale projects, especially when you’re managing multiple teams and projects at once.</p>
<p>The best thing about both of these platforms is that they’re free to try, so why not give both a try and see which works best for you and how you like to work? We’d love to hear whether Asana or Trello wins out for you in the comments section below!</p>
<p>Looking for more great comparisons? Check out the following articles:</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="/static-site-generators-vs-flat-file-cms-is-there-a-difference/">Static Site Generators vs Flat File CMS; Is there a Difference?</a></li>
<li><a href="/magento-vs-shopify-which-is-right-for-you/">Magento vs Shopify: Which Is Right for You</a></li>
</ul>
<p></p>


Trello Vs Asana - The Battle of the Productivity Apps

<p>Despite evident backing from the likes of Apple and Samsung, Smartwatch technology is still viewed by many to be a passing fad.</p><p>However, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.kentico.com/">Kentico</a>, the enterprise-grade CMS, CXM and eCommerce solution, has thrown its weight behind the Smartwatch industry by setting out some research-backed marketing guidelines.</p><p><a target="_blank" href="http://www.kentico.com/"><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2023/08/kentico_rgb_bigger_400x0.png" /></a></p><p>Brands as large as Starbucks, Mazda and Twinings all trust Kentico with their online presences.</p><p>Kentico carried out their research in aid of their newly released White Paper, entitled, “Smartwatches: The Opportunities &amp; Challenges for Marketers“</p><h2>The Marketing Era of Respectfulness</h2><p>The White Paper highlights a number of key points surrounding Smartchwatch marketing, although one of those points in particular stood out for me.</p><blockquote><p>“More than anything, advertisers and marketers will need to learn how to be even more respectful of their audiences.”</p></blockquote><p>This statement from Kentico is in reference to the hyper-personal (and perhaps one might argue, hyper-public) nature of Smartwatches.</p><p>Push notifications sent to a smartphone are typically viewed when the user is alone, or at least in an environment where viewing messages and marketing material are appropriate. In other words, the user gets to choose when and where to start reading notifications.</p><p>When it comes to Smartwatches though, marketers must realize that those same push notifications will be seen almost immediately, and perhaps by more than just the Smartwatch owner.</p><p>Unlike with other smart technology, the owner has far less choice over their environment when receiving such messages, thanks to instant wrist vibrations and the ability to quickly glance down at whatever just popped up on their Smartwatch screen.</p><p>Marketers will have to further consider the timing of their content, its wording and the importance of each push notification. Because without a doubt, even semi-regular messages that disturb a user's day or environment will be enough to warrant them tapping the unsubscribe button.</p><h2>Too Expensive &amp; Not Enough Functionality</h2><p>Kentico's research also included a survey, conducted around the question, “Which of the Following Reasons Are Keeping You from Buying a Smartwatch?”</p><p>Respondents mostly opted for the answer, “Too expensive” (69%). The second most selected answer though, was “Not enough reasons to use one” (38%).</p><p>To be fair to the Smartwatch industry, those same two obstacles are traditionally faced by new tech. The iPod was, once upon a time, a fairly expensive and one-dimensional piece of equipment. Many thought it was too expensive, while others couldn't find enough functionality to warrant any cash at all.</p><p>With this research, and with the resulting marketing guidelines, Kentico is a company that sees a future for the Smartwatch. And I for one, totally agree with them.</p><p>Download Kentico's White Paper here.</p><p>And as always, be sure to explore more of <a href="/products/kentico">Kentico via our CMS Directory</a>.</p><p> </p>

More Than a Fad: Kentico Research Implies That Smartwatches Are Here to Stay

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