What are some alternative website builders similar to Webflow that offer CMS functionality for a specialized news site? I have considered Joomla, Wordpress, and Drupal, but I have no experience with any of them. Can anyone provide insights or recommendations? Thank you.

For a specialized news site with CMS functionality, if you're looking beyond Webflow, there are several strong alternatives depending on your technical comfort, desired customization, and publishing workflow.

1. WordPress (Recommended for Most Users)

• User-friendly and widely used for blogs and news websites.
• Thousands of themes and plugins, including those tailored for news/editorial layouts (e.g., Astra + Elementor, NewsPaper, Divi).
• Built-in CMS features like categories, tags, authors, scheduled publishing.
• Gutenberg block editor provides a visual editor; or use element-based tools like Elementor for more design control.
• Large support community and extensive documentation.
• Requires self-hosting (via WordPress.org) or use WordPress.com plans.

2. Craft CMS (Flexible but Developer-Oriented)

• Known for its highly customizable content architecture.
• Better suited for custom news content types and editorial workflows.
• Offers a clean control panel and flexible templating system (Twig).
• Requires some development experience, especially for implementation and deployment.
• Great for agencies and organizations needing precise structure and design.

3. Ghost (Focused on Publishing)

• Designed specifically for publishing and membership-based news/media sites.
• Clean, modern interface with Markdown-based editing.
• Built-in newsletter and subscription functionality.
• Fast performance and SEO-optimized by default.
• Limited visual design tools—requires technical setup or custom theme work.

4. TYPO3 (Enterprise-Grade CMS)

• More appropriate for large-scale editorial teams or multi-site news platforms.
• Robust access control, versioning, and workflow tools.
• Steep learning curve; typically used in enterprise environments.
• Requires development resources to manage templates and updates.

5. Framer (For Design-Focused Teams)

• Similar to Webflow in UI—no-code visual design interface.
• Recently added CMS capabilities, though limited compared to WordPress or Craft.
• May suit simpler news initiatives or marketing-focused content, but not ideal for complex editorial workflows.

6. Squarespace (Good for Basic News Sites)

• Cleaner CMS interface and design-focused templates.
• Basic blogging/news features are solid, including tags, categories, scheduling.
• Less flexible for custom workflows or multiple authors.
• Best for solo creators or small teams who prioritize visual simplicity and ease of use.

Summary

If you're coming from no experience and want great balance between ease of use and functionality, WordPress (with a news-optimized theme and builder like Elementor) is your best starting point. For more control and scalability, Craft CMS or Ghost are excellent modern options—though they require developer skills or assistance. Avoid very technical platforms like TYPO3 unless enterprise features are a must.