Top 7 Ruby On Rails CMS Platforms for 2024

Table of Contents

What is a CMS? Why do you Need it?

With the help of a Content Management System (CMS), you can easily handle and manage your website’s content. The CMS gets the format of your content right. It controls the indexing, as well as aids effortless publishing options.

These essential features and functions of a Content Management System can be explained as under:

The CMS enables any of your old or existing content formats into the new electronic format of HTML or PDF before you upload it on your website. It helps to index your content so that you can quickly and speedily search for any keyword or attribute (e.g., date, etc.).

CMS enables prefix templates for your content publishing or modification. Some specific Content Management Systems also some other tools like template customization, multiple-language support, file management, and one-to-one marketing.

You might not be sure about what this kind of marketing means. But as I tell you that when you search for something and moments later, you find ads suggesting products or services relevant to your search. This phenomenon is one-to-one marketing, which is customized per user. It yields different results for different users.

What are the Characteristics of the Right CMS?

Today, there is n number of CMS platforms available in the market, so it is tough for you to select the ideal one for you. Well, it primarily depends on your project needs. It will be of no use if you select a CMS that contains many features, whereas your project does not require them. You shall unnecessarily lay load on your system. So, you must first figure out what functions does your project needs in a CMS and then go for options of choosing it.

Which Things to Consider Before Choosing your CMS?

Here are some aspects that we think you should look over:

Ease

Anyone who interacts with your website panel or dashboard should be able to work with it efficiently. It’s not only the developer that interacts with your Content Management System, but also the members of your Digital Marketing team, Marketing team, Admin Panel, and more. So, choose a CMS that is easy to use for all.

Purposeful

As we mentioned earlier that you should choose a CMS with features that you need; otherwise, you will unnecessarily overload your system. Generally, if you need a CMS just for your blog, then there is no use in selecting a CMS with full features. This way, what ideally should have asked just a few minutes for publishing your content might take up a few hours of a tedious and unnecessary detour of your content and website.

Usability

Check on the flexibility of the CMS you choose for your project. Presently you may require minimum features, but in the future, you should keep a probability of expanding. Thus, select a CMS that is customizable in the future by adding new additional tools and functionality.

User-friendly

You might be thinking that this point is quite similar to the first point of consideration. But here, we are talking about your CMS should be such that your developers should be able to modify it when needed. Depending on your website and timely requirements, developers need to keep modifying some plugins to be updated. So, consult with your developers before you invest in any CMS.

Performant

The ultimate reason for hosting your website is to attract loads of traffic. Having a CMS should not cause a barrier in the primary purpose. See to it that your CMS can handle traffic well.

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Top 7 Ruby on Rails CMS Platforms

When you want to build a custom website that inherits out-of-the-box themes and a unique UI, try and give Ruby on railS CMS platforms a chance to prove their excellence. You might not be satisfied with the tools and functions that other Content Management Platforms offer.

Bring a change for your users and your developers. This change is what the market needs at this point. We’ve compiled the best 7 Ruby on Rails CMS platforms that you should consider for your websites in 2024.

1. Alchemy CMS

Your developers should be happy as you choose Alchemy Content Management System because they can customize any mere edits in the CMS with their excellent coding skills. Alchemy takes the base of Ruby on Rails 4.0 and offers multi-level caching along with internationalization and localization.

It supports working with the most common database, such as MySQL, SQLite, or PostgreSQL. The most significant advantage of using Alchemy CMS is that it is highly scalable, so as you want to prosper your business, the CMS will never be a barrier. Alchemy has excellent documentation and has a great approach.

Your website remains secure and robust with Alchemy CMS because it stands upright against attacks like XSS and CSRF. You may check out the excellence of this CMS here.

• License: BSD-3 Clause
• Downloads: 396,782
• Github Stars: 732

Features of Alchemy

• Provides flexibility with templates that keep content separate from markup
• Very rich RESTful API
• Intuitive and supportive admin interface
• Fulltext search engine
• Supports user access and authorization

Advantages of Alchemy

• Provides detailed documentation
• Developing scalable websites is a hustle-free process
• Excellent for complex projects

Disadvantages of Alchemy

• Complex set-up and customization
• Needs prior technical knowledge

2. Refinery CMS

Refinery Content Management System is an open-source and free RoR project. It comprises a list of extensive features like built-in editor galleries, calendars, search support, and much more.

You can combine this CMS with any other RoR application, and it has a hassle-free single field for content per page. Refinery CMS supports more than 30 language support.

It has a vibrant community of contributors and watchers on GitHub.

• License: MIT
• Downloads: 653,235
• Github Stars: 3.7K

Features of Refinery

• Integrated text editor
• Synchronized calendar
• Modular, flexible, and extensible
• Supports approximately 30 languages

Advantages of Refinery

• Simple and flexible
• Provides updates regularly
• Non-technical managers can also use it easily
• User-friendly and straightforward interface

Disadvantages of Refinery

• Difficult to manage complex projects
• Unsuitable for unique projects

3. Fae

Unlike other Rails CMS, Fae goes beyond the bare necessities to provide authentication/authorization, a well-responsive user interface, and support for workflow. What sets Fae apart is its unique approach of generating models, controllers, and views within your application that inherit from its core classes. Its innovative design simplifies integration, requiring minimal coding effort. However, when the need arises to customize specific views or entire sections, it offers an easy way out in a developer-friendly way to make those adjustments instantly, making it a versatile choice for Rails developers.

• License: MIT
• Downloads: 50,915
• Github Stars: 830

Features of Fae

• Leverages Rail’s core components – Models, Views, and Controllers
• Offers a modern and visually appealing user interface for ease of use
• Provides user authentication and authorization for access control
• Implement form validation features and helper functions for efficient form management
• Empowers robust page templating
• Manages multiple sites from a single installation
• Supports content localization

Advantages of Fae

• Simple to learn and operate for both newcomers and experienced users
• It receives ongoing updates, ensuring it remains current and improved with active development
• Integrates smoothly with Rails application, minimizing the requirement for extensive custom code development
• Facilitates easy customization of views and sections, aligning with Rails developer’s familiarity
• Provides a user-friendly CMS experience for content management and administration

Disadvantages of Fae

• It may have limited adoption and community support
• It may not match the level of customization found in fully custom-built CMS solutions
• Some advanced or niche features may require additional development effort
• Updates and maintenance depend on community and developer support, which can vary

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4. Spina CMS

If you are keen to host a well-versed and interactive website without having the trouble of learning HTML or CSS, Spina CMS is the right choice for you. The easiest way to manage and publish your content is by using the Spina Content Management System.

Spina CMS supports Ruby on Rails 5+ versions. It is extendable and supports multiple languages.

• License: MIT
• Downloads: 63,393
• Github Stars: 1.8K

Features of Spina

• Highly extensible and flexible
• SEO friendly
• Good roles and permissions management
• Provide support to Rails 6+ version
• Can drag and drop interface smoothly

Advantages of Spina

• Supports Rails latest version
• Provides access to various SEO optimization tools
• Doesn’t require HTML/CSS

Disadvantages of Spina

• Doesn’t have proper official documentation
• Difficult to manage multiple sites

5. Browser CMS

Browser Content Management System has a highly intuitive interface, is mobile responsive, is customizable, and has multi-level access. This Content Management System comes in with three user categories who can use it: editors, designers, and developers. With these separate modules, you get the ease of handling your website by assigning distributed work to your team.

Features like the CRUD interface, section-focused security, and advanced caching make it truly justifiable to hold the position in the top 7 best Ruby on Rails CMS platforms.

• Github Stars: 1.2k

Features of Browser CMS

• Stand-alone and independent CMS
• Consists of robust CMS capabilities and functionalities
• Provides mobile-friendly interface
• Extensible and accessible
• Provides content API
• Provides standard content library

Advantages of Browser CMS

• Highly extensible
• User-friendly and straightforward interface
• Easy site mapping
• Proper documentation

Disadvantages of Browser

• Advisable for simple Rails applications

6. Radiant CMS

The very first CMS developed for Rails was Radiant CMS. It was built in 2006 and now provides 200+ extensions to date. The main reason behind its popularity is Radiant CMS is highly extensible and accessible. Also, it’s very lightweight. The major drawback of Radiant CMS is that it hasn’t provided the latest version update for 5 years. Thus making it a bit outdated.

• License: MIT
• Downloads: 156,141
• Github Stars: 1.6K

Features of Radiant CMS

• Highly accessible and extensible
• Lightweight and minimal
• Provides its own template language – Radius
• Different page caching system
• Supports different contents- images, pdf, documents, videos
• Simple interface

Advantages of Radiant CMS

• Supports various kinds of formats
• Straightforward and easily manageable interface
• Very minimalistic

Disadvantages of Radiant CMS

• Not updated with the latest version
• Demands JS, HTML, and CSS knowledge
• Provides outdated UI components and functionality

7. Locomotive CMS

Locomotive CMS – a commercial software available in both free and paid versions. Compare to the paid version of Locomotive CMS, the free version is more compatible with the Rails website providing better functionality. No doubt, you should go for Locomotive CMS when you want to design an easy and pragmatic site with a sharp interface.

• License: MIT
• Downloads: 167,338
• Github Stars: 2.3K

Features of Locomotive CMS

• Supports more than 70 languages
• Uses simple templating language – Liquid
• Manages multiple sites
• Supports Wagon CLI to build sites

Advantages of Locomotive CMS

• Both the versions – free and paid are available
• Supports real-time editing
• Active and supportive community
• Well-maintained documentation

Disadvantages of Locomotive CMS

• Only for non-relational DB
• Need to use Wagon CLI

Take Away

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Why use Ruby on Rails?

Here are the reasons to consider for using Ruby on Rails:

• Provides best development speed
• Offers an easier and better way of writing complex business logic
• Exceptional ability to withstand high loads
• Provides scalability and great application performance
• Provides data protection and security
• Huge and supportive community

Is RoR still in demand?

YES! Absolutely! Ruby on Rails is alive and competing at its best. You might want to think about your application at an architectural level before choosing RoR, as it advisable for heavy, scalable, and complex applications. But, claiming that Rails is dead, not at all! You have still got competition with RoR.

Is Ruby on Rails a CMS?

No. Ruby on Rails or Rails is not a CMS; rather it is a web app framework that works at the server-side and is based on MVC (model-view-controller) architecture. Do not confuse Ruby on Rails with Ruby. RoR/Rails is a web framework written in Ruby, that applies Ruby is language.