Top 5 Open Source Content management systems using ( Asp.net core MVC )

(Updated Version)CMS in ASP.NET is considered to be complex and not as popular as PHP-based CMS. But time has changed drastically and so does the CMS built upon ASP.NET CORE. Now the CMS is more reliable, fast, secure, user user-friendly than before. Because these CMS are now open source CMS and developers can bring major developments and changes to make these CMS platforms more user-friendly with a lot of other essential features.

.NET CORE is one of the powerful and versatile frameworks that can run on Windows, MAC, and Linux. That is already widely used to develop open-source CMS applications. If you are looking to create an e-commerce website, business website, or personal website and do not wish to code much then you can consider these 5 open source content management systems.

With the help of these CMS, you do not have to worry about making your website SEO friendly or need to do any complex coding as well because the CMS framework itself is designed to boost your website presence organically in terms of SEO. These all CMS platforms are free and open source so you can just install and customize your website as per your preferences. So here the list of the top 5 best open source CMS developed on ASP.NET Core as of 2024.

5 Best Open Source CMS Developed on ASP.NET

Creating a website can be hectic but most importantly before that choosing, the right CMS for hosting your website is a very crucial aspect. You can select anyone from the list mentioned below for your website.

1. Umbraco:

When it comes to some of the best CMS in ASP.NET then the first name that comes to mind is Umbraco. It is a free CMS that also provides cross-platform integration that allows you to just download and enjoy the benefits. More than 200 thousand developers, programmers, content editors & designers opt for Umbraco to create flawless websites.

This CMS tool has consistently improved for more than 20 years and more than 200,000 developers backed different services and products of Umbraco. Some of the excellent features which make this CMS tool stand out are:

  1. Ease of Use: The API of Umbraco CMS allows you to have programmatic control over everything on your website. It also has a drag-and-drop feature so you do not have to worry or need to hire a dedicated ASP.NET developer or IT professionals to set up your website.
  2. Cloud Facilities: Umbraco also provides cloud-based services so that the websites load much faster than the hard disk-backed storage. Hence server uptime does not deteriorate and users have a smooth experience.
  3. SEO Optimized: Using Umbraco as your CMS for your websites also ensures that the websites are well SEO optimized. An SEO-friendly website helps to generate more organic traffic.
  4. Wide range of Plugins: Plugins play a crucial role in running the website perfectly. You can use different useful plugins from Umbraco’s plugin store.
  5. Multilingual Support: Whether you want to take your business globally or locally Umbraco provides multi-language support. So that you can scale your business as per your requirements.
  6. Brilliant Performance: All the content and images that are available on your website are intelligently optimized by the powerful algorithm of Umbraco. That means your website gets blazing-fast speed.

Facts:

Years in Business: This CMS platform was released in 2000 and is still active to date and

  • It is written in C#. It has enhanced MVC and WebAPI controllers to work with Umbraco-generated content.
  • With Umbraco editors to create and manage content in multiple languages and for multiple channels
  • The number of active installs is 731,438
  • The number of active members in the community is 221,745

User base: 730,000+ websites worldwide use Umbraco and have a community of over 200,000 talented users

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Apart from the above-mentioned points, Umbraco is considered a user-friendly CMS with other features like easy to install, stable & secure website, flexibility, etc. So Umbraco can be a great choice if you are looking forward to creating your website.

2. Orchard Core CMS:

Orchard Core CMS is another Open source, free content management system based upon the ASP.NET Core MVC platform. You can manage multiple websites with just a single click installation. And you do not require any training to set up your website.

Orchard core also allows you to write reusable templates for websites. You can also use those themes on multiple websites as well. You can use various widgets available already in the CMS platform. If you wish you can also build custom widgets too. Developers find very handy CMS platform built upon ASP Core. Let’s have a look at some of the best features:

Orchard CMS - Top 5 Popular Open Source Content Management Systems (CMS) Using ASP.NET MVC(2019)

Top Features of Orchard CMS:

  1. Faster Speed: Experience the fastest CMS solutions in any platform like Linux, macOS & Windows. Thanks to the robust architecture of the Orchard CMS.
  2. Security: You can track the background of your content on the website and also set roles and permissions for users.
  3. Multilingual Support: Users can translate the contents available on your website into their preferred language. So you can reach millions of users easily.
  4. Fully Supported Headless Decoupled CMS: Get advantage of both the architecture seamlessly be it Headless or Decoupled.
  5. Multi-Tenant: You will be able to use reusable website templates. So that you do not have to worry about creating various websites using the same templates multiple times.
  6. Media Management: You can add your custom metadata and also you can define custom media types as well.

Notable: Open Source, Open API, Growing and Mature, Ease of Install, Highly Flexible and Scalable, Strong Community, Options for plugins.

Facts:

Years in Business: Came into existence in January 2011. For more than 11 years, Orchard Core CMS has been in business. This CMS platform is written in the C# language. It has BSD 3-clause “New” or “Revised” License

Popularity:

  • Over 1.5m plus people joined our team
  • And over 100k plus communities use this CMS platform

User base: Orchard Core CMS is a very popular free, open API, open-source CMS which is growing steadily with major developments. Scalability, ease of use, and flexibility make Orchard a perfect companion for your website.

Orchard-Core-CMS

Apart from the above-mentioned points, Umbraco is considered a user-friendly CMS with other features like easy to install, stable & secure website, flexibility, etc. So Umbraco can be a great choice if you are looking forward to creating your website.

3. DotNetNuke (DNN):

DotNetNuke or DNN is a free and open-source .NET Core CMS. For building custom applications like SaaS, IaaS, etc. DNN empowers and enables developers to do as they wish. DNN provides fully secured, safe & reliable performance with a wide range of extensions.

More than hundreds of commercial and free extensions are available in the DNN store. So if you are looking to create a heavy website, moderate or out-of-the-box website DNN will not let you down. Developers and programmers find DNN super user-friendly to use and it is suitable for normal users as well. Some of the top features of the DNN are:

DotNetNuke DNN CMS-Top 5 Popular Open Source Content Management Systems (CMS) Using ASP.NET MVC(2019)

  1. Various Programming Language Support: DNN supports various programming languages like VB.NET, C#, CSS, HTML, etc. Sometimes to show something unique different approaches are taken using the same code (i.e. ES6 vs. Vanilla JavaScript).
  2. SEO Friendly: DNN provides all types of SEO solutions so that you can only focus on the content and nothing else.
  3. Smart Search: This feature allows you to search anything in the CMS platform. Also, it has type-ahead functionality as well.
  4. Multilingual Support: Allow your users to interact with your website in their native languages. Hence it will increase your organic traffic on your website.
  5. Credit to Contributors:As it is an open source-based project so DNN gives credits to the individuals who put effort into making DNN a better platform.
  6. Embed Pictures/Videos: Convey your message in your content by embedding any picture or video that will help users to have a pleasing interaction while visiting your website.

Facts:

Years in Business: Though in its initial stage, DNN existed as a VB.NET project. DNN came into existence in 2003 and is active to date.

User base:Over 750,000 organizations worldwide have built websites by using the DNN Platform.

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DNN is no doubt one of the favorite ASP. NET CORE-based platform for developers and enterprises to build their websites. DNN is mature, stable, and easy to use for users. Users can take advantage of lots of templates & plugins and also they will have strong community support. So you can also Consider DNN to host your next website on DNN CMS.

4. Mixcore CMS:

It is a fully open-source content management system that is widely used to create multi-functional Web Applications, SaaS tools, and IaaS tools. Mixcore is built upon ASP.NET CORE. Developers in recent times have made some great developments in the CMS project.

Piranha CMS-Top 5 Popular Open Source Content Management Systems (CMS) Using ASP.NET MVC(2019)

Some of the best features of this CMS tool are:

  1. High Performance: As this CMS is based upon .NET CORE, Users will experience lightning-fast response time on the website.
  2. Cross-Platform: You can take advantage of .NET CORE which can run everywhere and makes cross-platform integration seamless.
  3. SEO Optimized: No need for extra plugins to install in your CMS. Mixcore is well SEO optimized.
  4. Backup: It is very important to save your precious data. That is why Mixcore CMS allows users to back up their data easily.
  5. Multilingual Support: As NET.The CORE framework is the backbone of Mixcore, you get multilingual support as well. So you can drive more traffic from your local area as well.
  6. Top-notch Security: Be rest assured of the hacking of websites or data loss. Mixcore enables Strong Data Encryption with proper security compliances.

Facts:

  • The popularity of this CMS has been rising in recent times.
  • This open-source CMS platform is written in C#.
  • It has an MIT License as well.

welcome-to-mixcore-world

Mixcore is an open-source CMS platform where developers are working hard to bring some best features so that your CMS journey becomes buttery smooth. Mixcore offers both headless and decoupled CMS architecture as well.

Conclusion:

In this modern time to run a business efficiently & smoothly, one needs to have a featured pack website to drive more consumers and sales. But without a robust CMS or Content Management System, it is next to impossible for any business, or organization to survive in the current scenario where there is much competition already existing. The available CMS that runs on .NET Core open source provides a lot of flexibility like better extensions, a variety of standard themes, plugins, etc. which helps the developers to do major developments.

The best part of open-source technology is that it reduces the development costs of the projects so that the developers can provide enhanced security, better features, Scalability, etc. So you can give a try to any of the open-source CMS which are based on the ASP.NET Core framework from the list mentioned above to have a wonderful experience in your digital world journey.

 

Article by

Jignasha Rathod

Jignasha Rathod is a Technical Analyst with over a decade of experience in the IT industry. She excels in .NET, CI/CD, GitHub, Azure. and has a proven track record in project management, leadership, API integrations, and Azure AI and ML.net . Jignasha is focused on performance enhancement and possesses deep domain expertise in open source CMS ( umbraco, orchard cms ) accounting, CRM, ERP (SAP, NetSuite, Business Central) and e-commerce. Her extensive experience spans across both B2B and B2C e-commerce platforms, and she is leveraging AI and ML technologies to drive innovation and efficiency in client projects.