dotCMS Reviews & Product Details

dotCMS is a visual headless content management system (CMS) designed to assist compliance-led organizations in the creation, management, and publication of digital content across various sites, brands, and channels from a unified platform. This innovative solution combines the flexibility of a headless CMS with a user-friendly visual editing interface, making it suitable for both developers and content teams. The platform is particularly relevant for organizations that prioritize governance and compliance, such as those in financial services, healthcare, government, telecom, and manufacturing. It is ideal for use cases that involve managing multi-site brand and regional websites, intranets, customer portals, product and marketing sites, and localized content. By providing a centralized system, dotCMS allows users to maintain control over their content while ensuring that it meets regulatory requirements. Key features of dotCMS include its API-first design, which supports GraphQL, REST, and Page API, enabling developers to integrate with various front-end technologies like React, Next.js, and Angular. This flexibility allows for seamless integration with other systems, such as commerce, digital asset management (DAM), and product information management (PIM). Content editors benefit from a visual interface that includes drag-and-drop functionality and live preview capabilities, streamlining the content creation process. Governance and compliance are at the forefront of dotCMS's offerings, with built-in workflows, approval processes, audit trails, granular permissions, and version history. This ensures that organizations can maintain oversight of their content operations, with configurable roles and multi-step approval processes that enhance accountability. Furthermore, dotCMS is aligned with enterprise security and compliance standards, such as SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001, providing peace of mind for organizations handling sensitive information. Organizations like BNP Paribas, Telus, and various regional health systems utilize dotCMS to consolidate their content platforms, standardize governance practices, and reduce operational overhead. The platform is tailored for teams that require both content flexibility and stringent control over publishing processes, making it a robust solution for managing digital content in a compliant manner.

Product Website

Seller

dotCMS

Discussions

dotCMS Community

Languages Supported

Danish, German, English, French, Italian, Japanese, Dutch, Norwegian, Polish, Slovenian, Spanish, Swedish

Overview by

Victoria Burt

Pricing

Pricing provided by dotCMS.

Community (Business Source License)

Free

View More Pricing Information

dotCMS Media

Collect, organize, and act on data and analytics to deliver a relevant customer experience

Hybrid features and an SPA editor (Edit Mode Anywhere) for managing an omnichannel experience

Arrange and manage content in-context across for all channels.

Drag-and-drop to design custom layouts and templates that can be used across channels and devices.

Build rich content structures that can be used across sites and channels.

Fully customizable workflows and permissions allow simple yet secure governance of content and digital assets.

Simplify content creation and delivery to save costs and grow revenue. dotCMS goes beyond headless, allowing developers and content teams to consolidate digital experiences across channels.

Your content management needs are complicated, but your CMS doesn't have to be.

Hear from Nollymar Longa, dotCMS Team Lead in R&D, on how the dotCMS product has evolved over the last seven years.

Whether your site and content need to be optimized for performance or you’re going through a redesign, dotCMS's Experiments Feature can help you take the guesswork out of your business-critical content using real-life user data.

dotCMS Vice President of Product Preston So explores the future of CMS and discusses an industry-wide shift to the Universal CMS.

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Verified User in Higher Education

Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.)

1/26/2026

"Responsive Support and Easy Content Editing for Non-Technical Teams"

4.5/5

What do you like best about dotCMS?

Their support is very responsive and helpful. The system is easy for non-technical folks to edit content. Fairly easy to create custom content types. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about dotCMS?

Support documentation would be better with some step-by-step tutorials. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Response from Marc Boutillette of dotCMS

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Thank you very much for the positive feedback about our support and system! We understand the importance of tutorials and documentation and are working to expand our Getting Started guides, tutorials, and feature walk through videos. We will continue to post tutorials and step-by-step guides on our YouTube channel as well as our Website.

https://www.youtube.com/@dotCMS

https://dev.dotcms.com/learning/listing

Thank you again for taking the time to review dotCMS!

Verified User in Higher Education

Enterprise (> 1000 emp.)

8/4/2022

"All in one package for online content management from a customer-focused team"

4.5/5

What do you like best about dotCMS?

dotCMS offers a complete and easy-to-use content management platform with great support, an intuitive permissioning system, and impressive scalability - allowing everyone from novices to seasoned developers to contribute to an online presence. Their dedicated upgrade project manager ensures minimal service disruptions and their Long Term Supported releases provide seamless maintenance and peace of mind ahead of larger product upgrades. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about dotCMS?

Earlier versions of their product had a steeper learning curve for new content editors, but the more mature platform is easier to use and more flexible - and continues to improve with additional development. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Verified User in Automotive

Enterprise (> 1000 emp.)

5/13/2025

"Hi-powered hydra"

4.5/5

What do you like best about dotCMS?

There are always at least 3 ways to accomplish what you want. There's just so much tooling and options. If one solution doesn't work for you, you can try something different. It's built-in tools, the API, $import and $json tools give you every web possibilty.

It's also been rock solid and backwards compatible. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about dotCMS?

It's very large and powerful. I could see some analysis paralysis when confronted with the possibilities. It's idiosyncratic. The documentation is sparse. If you are not going to read the javadocs, you may have some difficulties. You can use it purely as a wysiwyg but you'd be overpaying. You need at least one developer. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Jennifer W.

Digital SEO Marketing Specialist

Enterprise (> 1000 emp.)

5/10/2024

"Great for knowledgeable developers"

4.5/5

What do you like best about dotCMS?

dotCMS is super powerful with the ability to create dynamic content easily. For those inputting content, it is super easy. It really allows you to access various pieces of information in an easy way.

Their support is exceptional as well. Whenever there is a problem, they get back to you very quickly.

After reviewing some other platforms, dotCMS is also priced very well too, especially for all the features it offers. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about dotCMS?

You need a certain level of coding knowledge to be able to be a good administrator. I need more help than I would like. This platform is great for a whole team, web developer and SEO and strategic marketer. You really need ALL those skills for this, and I only have two out of three. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Response from Melissa Petrie of dotCMS

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Thank you for your feedback on dotCMS. We're delighted that you find it powerful and user-friendly for managing your content.

We understand that the need for coding knowledge can be challenging. Your input is valuable as we strive to make dotCMS more accessible.

If you need further assistance with resources, please feel free to reach out to your CSM.

Thanks again for your insights!

Verified User in Gambling & Casinos

Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)

5/13/2025

"Team is delighted with the potential of the CMS"

4/5

What do you like best about dotCMS?

Te fact it's fully open source allows us to tailor every but to our needs. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about dotCMS?

We are currently working on improving the support as we have a very Dynamic business with a growing client base. Site stability is key and is being improved. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Verified User in Retail

Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.)

5/8/2024

"corporate primary user review"

3/5

What do you like best about dotCMS?

The page editor is easy to use. Also quite esy to create new components, manage content, and schedule publishing. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about dotCMS?

Issues with the publishing filters. The options are confusing and lead to pushing more than intended. Overall the high amount of customization available to us made initial setup complicated. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Response from Melissa Petrie of dotCMS

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Thank you for your feedback on dotCMS. We're pleased to hear that you find the page editor user-friendly and effective for creating components, managing content, and scheduling publishing.

We appreciate your honesty about the challenges with publishing filters and the complexity of the initial setup. This is something our Product team is evaluating and your insights are valuable as we work to simplify these areas and improve our platform. We would love to offer some additional support and training for your team, please feel free to reach out to your CSM to schedule some convenient time.

Thank you again for your input, It's great to know dotCMS is enabling non-developers to create and schedule content efficiently.

Verified User in Computer Software

Enterprise (> 1000 emp.)

10/8/2024

"Powerful Tool for Modern Content Management Needs"

4/5

What do you like best about dotCMS?

I love dotCMS for its flexibility and user-friendly interface, allowing easy content management across multiple channels without needing extensive coding knowledge. Its powerful APIs enhance integration capabilities . Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about dotCMS?

I find dotCMS can have a steep learning curve for new users, and some advanced features may feel overwhelming. Additionally, pricing can be a bit high for smaller businesses or startups. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What problems is dotCMS solving and how is that benefiting you?

solves the challenge of creating seamless, omnichannel digital experiences by integrating content management, marketing, and commerce in one platform. It benefits us by enabling easy content customization, reducing dependency on developers, and allowing integration with various tools to enhance digital strateg Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Response from Melissa Petrie of dotCMS

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Thank you for taking the time to leave a thoughtful review, It is great to hear that you are loving the flexibility, UI and integration capabilities of dotCMS. We understand it can certainly take time to to adopt some of the deeper capabilities of the platform. If we can ever help you or your team with product enablement, please reach out to your CSM for info.

Thanks again for your great feedback!

Verified User in Consumer Services

Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)

5/8/2024

"Easier CMS"

4/5

What do you like best about dotCMS?

The platform is easier and more scalabale than CMS tools we've used previously. Being on the LTS version and having our maintenance done for us is great. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about dotCMS?

We are currently going through the upgrade cycle, and we did not know about that during the presales process. We did not have to do this on our legacy CMS tool, so this has been a large learning curve and has taken a lot of time from the team. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Response from Melissa Petrie of dotCMS

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Thank you for sharing your feedback on dotCMS. We're glad to hear that you find our platform easier and more scalable compared to your previous CMS tools, and that being on the LTS version has been a positive experience.

We apologize for any inconvenience caused by the upgrade cycle. We understand that this has been a significant adjustment for your team. We are investing resources into making the upgrade process a lower effort looking further into 2024 and 2025. Your feedback is important, and we will work to ensure more clarity around these processes. If there is anything our team can do to provide additional support, please reach out to your CSM for a conversation.

Thank you again for your input. It's great to know that the ability to schedule content publishing has been a significant benefit for your team.

Verified User in Financial Services

Enterprise (> 1000 emp.)

10/26/2021

"dotCMS is good product, still evolving. There are many opportunities to improve."

4/5

What do you like best about dotCMS?

dotCMS is a lightweight application, and it's an open source-based application. Suitable for express front-end development and backend cms API as well. dotCLI initiative. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about dotCMS?

The upgrade is complex. Permissions are challenging to understand. The content push publish is not reliable. dotCLI is still not stable. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Response from Jenn Ezell of dotCMS

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Prashant,

Thank you for your review. We appreciate your feedback, and I'm glad to hear you are moving to a Long Term Supported (LTS) version. Being on an LTS version should improve the overall user experience and make it easier to stay up to date.

We value our customer's feedback and would welcome any opportunity to discuss how to improve dotCMS for our users.

Best,

Jenn Ezell

Customer Success

Verified User in Higher Education

Enterprise (> 1000 emp.)

5/14/2024

"Not a user-friendly platform"

1.5/5

What do you like best about dotCMS?

We're a very large institution with a wide base of content creators and upwards of 400,000 pieces of content. The pricepoint is affordable and we mostly can get done what we need to. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about dotCMS?

Using dotCMS well is not at all easy for our internal clients and content creators. We have to employ a full-time trainer to ensure that people have an adequate skill level to use the platform. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Response from Melissa Petrie of dotCMS

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Thank you for your feedback. We're sorry to hear about your experience and appreciate your honesty.

We would love to offer some training for your team to ensure your users have updated information on best practices. I would encourage you to reach out to your CSM so we can address your concerns and improve your experience.