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Choosing a CMS commits you for three to five years. It determines who can edit the site, what upkeep costs, and above all how easy it will be to leave. Here is how to decide without being a technician.
The four families
Website builders (Wix, Squarespace, Jimdo) offer a visual editor and a monthly subscription. Hosting, updates and security are included. In exchange, you rent: customisation is bounded and exporting to another solution is partial when it exists at all.
Open-source CMSs (WordPress above all) dominate the market. The ecosystem is huge, providers are numerous, the entry cost is low. The downside is one word: upkeep. Core, theme and plugins update constantly, and every plugin added is one more dependency.
Specialised platforms (Shopify for selling, Webflow for design) do one thing very well. If your need matches their domain exactly, they save a lot of time. Otherwise you bend them, and bending is expensive.
Custom development relies on a modern framework. Maximum performance, no dependency on a vendor, but a higher initial cost and a provider to choose carefully.
Three Luxembourg questions
How many languages, and for how long?
This is the most decisive criterion in the Grand Duchy. Every solution handles multilingual content, but not at the same price nor with the same rigour. On an open-source CMS, language management often runs through a paid plugin that becomes a critical dependency. Check three things:
- does each language have its own URL?
- are the versions correctly declared to each other (hreflang)?
- what happens if the translation plugin stops being maintained?
Who will edit the site day to day?
If nobody internally will touch the site more than twice a year, a sophisticated visual editor is a luxury: better to invest in performance and content. If somebody publishes weekly, the ergonomics of the editing interface become the first criterion, ahead of the technology itself.
Where is the data hosted?
Hosting in the European Union simplifies GDPR compliance. On hosted platforms, the location depends on the vendor and is not always changeable. This point deserves a written check if you process sensitive personal data.
Side by side
| Criterion | Builder | Open-source CMS | Custom |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial cost | Low | Medium | High |
| Recurring cost | Monthly subscription | Hosting + maintenance | Hosting |
| Multilingual | Adequate | Depends on plugin | Native if planned |
| Performance | Average | Variable | High |
| Portability | Low | Medium | High |
| Vendor lock-in | Strong | Weak | None |
The question that actually decides
Ask your provider: "if we part ways, what can I take with me?"
- With a builder: your text and images, rarely the layout.
- With an open-source CMS: the whole site, provided you have server and database access.
- With custom development: the source code, if the contract says so, check it explicitly.
That question often eliminates one option in a single sentence, and it beats a long feature comparison.
Our recommendations by profile
- Shop, restaurant, tradesperson with one or two languages and few updates: a fast, simple site, custom-built or on a light CMS. The priority is mobile speed and clear contact details.
- Professional services firm with several languages and regular publishing: a structured CMS, with language handling planned from the design stage.
- Selling online: a specialised platform, unless a specific business need justifies development.
- Strong performance or integration constraints: custom.
None of these is absolute. What they assume above all is that the decision is made before the mockups, not after: changing technology mid-project costs the price of a second project.
Let us talk about your project
A 30-minute call is enough to define the scope, the budget and the schedule. You leave with a written estimate, no strings attached.
Based in Luxembourg, we work across the whole Grand Duchy.