What's the difference between a hosted-cms solution such as FinCMS and an open source solution such as Drupal or Joomla? And even more important, which one should you use?
By a ‘hosted’ solution, we mean a CMS owned and controlled by an online provider that allows you access to its CMS for a fee. They host it; they own the software; and they will arrange any work required. You pay an annual fee, usually by the month, for the facility - instead of buying the software and arranging all the ancillary services required.
It provides a one-stop solution for all supply issues, with a single contact instead of several; it removes the necessity for staff at your end (with the exception of content providers); and it means that you only need to worry about marketing issues instead of owning and running a web presence.
You don't own it and you can't take it with you. If you were ever to move, you lose the lot - but it's only a website of course, not the domain, which is the critical thing. However, most, including FinCMS provides methods to transfer out with all the assets, i.e. templates, css, images and content.
In contrary, a ‘self-hosted’ or "open source" solution indicated a CMS that you upload to your own web hosting account. Having your own account means that you can modify the CMS code at all levels. These CMSs vary in their sophistication and complexity, but the most powerful of them allow you to create your own templates and control content in very sophisticated ways—such as with blogs, repeated content, self-generating menus, RSS feeds, ecommerce facilities and more.
Open source isn’t synonymous with free. While there are no license fees, support fees and development and maintenance costs can be higher than with a hosted solution. However, web hosting options are now cheap and abundant enough that individuals can purchase a domain and web space for as little as a few hundred dollars a year; after which it is simply a matter of installing software packages that meet your needs. A word of caution, however: "simply" is relative, and although many of these software packages' system requirements are low, they take time and a certain level of expertise to set up and maintain. You will also want to ensure that your web hosting package properly meets all system requirements for any software you wish to run. The biggest advantage of self-hosting is that you control the software and so can make any modifications that are supported by the software and within your means.
So, which is the solution for you?
A content management system, regardless if it is a hosted or open source solution, allows a user (or users) to manage, edit and maintain the content on their site. The wild card there is the word "content." Content could include, but is not limited to, all of the following:
Static Articles
Blog Posts
Blog Comments
Forum Posts
News Updates
Downloadable PDF Files
Images, Galleries and Slideshows
Audio Podcasts
Embedded Videos
Twitter Updates
And more…
As the types of variety of content on the Web become more sophisticated the ability to easily manage that content becomes more complicated. Different clients and websites have different needs. A simple, five page Website may only need a very simple, straight-forward CMS, while a robust and sophisticated corporate site may need a full fledge commerce CMS.
Ready-to-use packages that are hosted on the CMS providers servers is a good option for clients who want to quickly and easily get a powerful site up and running without having to worry about or pay for related technical elements (such as installing, hosting and maintaining the content management system). A hosted solution is best for clients who want a lot of control over the content of their site, do not have the need for a lot of third party integration and do not need to host the site themselves. The upfront cost is lower, however the hosting will include use of the CMS and thus will be higher, in some cases, to a self-hosted solution.
An open source or self-hosted solution will be best when a client must host their own website, has a need for custom development and/or does want to fully integrate their CMS with third party systems. In these cases a solution such as Drupal or Joomla will be the best choice.