ExpressionEngine vs WordPress
ExpressionEngine
expressionengine.com
WordPress
wordpress.orgSide by side
| Figure | ExpressionEngine | WordPress |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $3.25/mo | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | Yes |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| iOS | — | Yes |
| Android | — | Yes |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 10 | 2 |
| Spec score · Web Content Management Software | 9.0 (#1) | 8.2 (#10) |
| Spec score · Website Development tools | 9.1 (#2) | 8.2 (#18) |
| Extensibility | A community add-on ecosystem extends ExpressionEngine's capabilities. | Developers can extend or modify WordPress using themes and plugins, and the project says the software can be used for commercial work without licensing fees. |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Support | Support plans provide guaranteed first responses ranging from one business day to two business hours, depending on plan. | WordPress.org provides documentation and community support forums where users can ask questions. |
Plans
ExpressionEngine
- CoreFree
- Pro$249, paid once
- Pro Renewal Subscription$49 a year
- Pro Renewal$59, paid once
- Additional MSM Site$49, paid once
- MSM Pro Renewal Subscription$39 a year
- MSM Pro Renewal$49, paid once
- MSM Pro Renewal$49 a year
- Pro Renewal$59 a year
- MSM Pro License Renewal$49 a year
In their own words
ExpressionEngine
ExpressionEngine is an open source CMS from Packet Tide for storing, managing and publishing website content. Its flexible channels and fields support custom content types, editorial workflows, multilingual content, SEO tools and a media library. Templates can include HTML, JavaScript, PHP and ExpressionEngine tags, and the CMS provides more than 20 field types. Editors can update content on a site's front end, while administrators can also bring the control panel there. One installation can manage multiple sites and share design, content and members; each additional MSM site requires an additional MSM Pro License. The free Core plan allows one control panel user. Pro costs $249, paid once, includes unlimited control panel users and one year of updates. Continued updates are available through renewal options, including a Pro Renewal Subscription at $49 a year. ExpressionEngine runs on web, self-hosted and API platforms. Learning resources include documentation, forums and ExpressionEngine University.
WordPress
WordPress is a free, open-source publishing platform and content management system for websites, blogs, portals, and applications. You can build pages with blocks and themes, then customize them without code. Plugins add capabilities including stores, analytics, newsletters, social integrations, forms, and spam protection. Publishing controls cover drafts, scheduled posts, revisions, public or private material, and password-protected posts and pages. WordPress also provides media uploading and editing, with roles for administrators, editors, authors, contributors, and subscribers. Developers can create plugins, themes, custom content types, and integrations through the REST API. The software is available in more than 70 languages and licensed under GPLv2-or-later, permitting use, modification, and redistribution, including commercial projects, without licensing fees. You can install it on your own hosting and domain or use a hosting provider. Recommended requirements include PHP 8.3 or later, MariaDB 10.11 or later or MySQL 8.0 or later, and HTTPS.