ExpressionEngine Reviews & Product Details

ExpressionEngine is a and secure open-source content management system (CMS) designed to empower developers and content creators to build and manage dynamic websites with ease. Its flexible architecture allows users to organize content into customizable channels, facilitating the creation of diverse content types such as blogs, news articles, product descriptions, and more. With a user-friendly interface, ExpressionEngine enables seamless content editing directly from the front end, eliminating the need to navigate complex control panels. The platform's robust templating system supports the integration of HTML, JavaScript, PHP, and ExpressionEngine tags, providing developers with the tools to craft unique and engaging web experiences. Key Features and Functionality: - Flexible Content Channels: Organize and manage various content types through customizable channels, allowing for tailored content structures. - Front-End Editing: Edit content directly on the live site, streamlining the content management process without accessing the backend. - Comprehensive Templating System: Utilize a powerful templating engine that supports multiple programming languages and ExpressionEngine tags for dynamic content rendering. - Custom Fieldtypes: Choose from over 20 different field types to capture and display content in ways that best suit your website's needs. - Entry Cloning: Duplicate existing entries with a single click to expedite content creation and maintain consistency. - User Management: Efficiently manage different types of members and user roles to control access and permissions. - Multi-Site Management: Administer multiple websites from a single control panel, with the option to share design elements, content, and user data across sites. - Live Preview: Preview content changes in real-time within the site's design before publishing, ensuring accuracy and visual appeal. - Add-On Prolets: Extend site functionality by integrating add-ons that can be accessed directly from the front end. - Robust Security: Benefit from a proven track record of rock-solid security, with no serious security issues reported in its 15-year history. Primary Value and Solutions Provided: ExpressionEngine offers a comprehensive solution for building and managing websites that require flexibility, security, and ease of use. Its customizable content channels and templating system allow developers to create unique web experiences without being constrained by rigid structures. The front-end editing capabilities and live preview features enhance the efficiency of content management, enabling users to make real-time updates with confidence. Additionally, the platform's strong security measures and active community support provide peace of mind for users, ensuring that their websites remain secure and up-to-date. Whether for small personal blogs or large-scale enterprise sites, ExpressionEngine delivers the tools and flexibility needed to bring any web project to life.

Seller

EllisLab

Discussions

ExpressionEngine Community

Overview by

Tom Jaeger

Value at a Glance

Averages based on real user reviews.

Time to Implement

2 months

Return on Investment

10 months

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ExpressionEngine

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Christian P.

Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)

3/31/2020

"Brilliant CMS, love using it for all my clients."

4.5/5

What do you like best about ExpressionEngine?

Expression Engine is good for member management, create channels and gives you plenty of parameters and variables to use in the templates to create a dynamic, easy to use php website. My clients really enjoy using the fluid field type to have the ability to build their own pages, this is good for the current trends to be fully customisable. I like how easy it is to set up a new website and attach the CRM to it, I have now got a vanilla site set up so that when I go to build something new all my preferences are already there for me to use. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about ExpressionEngine?

I would like to be able to connect category fields via relationship field inside a fluid field. The grid field UI isn't great either. I'd like to the ability to assign member groups to entries. I would be nice to have structure included in the product, however I have created my own version. It would be good to have more form functions on the standard email plugin, I know solutions and add-ons are out there but I like have the least amount of plugins so that when it comes to upgrading the system it is a smooth process. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Recommendations to others considering ExpressionEngine:

I would use this product if you're looking at creating different channels that include blogs, careers, pages for a website and if you have little to no knowledge of DB set up. You want clear and understandable member management system and everything you need to maintain and manage a website all in one place. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

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

Being able to create secure websites, less hackers, good member management system in place, I enjoy using the fluid field type with the live preview, its a great way to help out the clients when editing the website. Rememberable parameters and variables to make it easy to code in an HTML file. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Naga P.

Software Engineer

Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)

3/24/2020

"Used to be great, not the case anymore"

3.5/5

What do you like best about ExpressionEngine?

It has a great combination of power and flexibility. Y

Anything that ExpressionEngine can't do out-of-the-box, can be done with add-ons, of which there are many (both free and paid) Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about ExpressionEngine?

I don't think it is evolved well and not to mention some bugs not getting resolved in time. Each project tends to have a license overhead now that have to spend lots of money depending on the complexity Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Recommendations to others considering ExpressionEngine:

Users who have voiced opinions because of the direction and progress that EE has taken, that doesn't make it a bad CMS and it continues to be a leading commercial offering. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

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

Obviously it saved lots of my time when developing tasks related to user management, custom pages, and user subscription

My role is to build the backend custom modules for registering the members using CRM data and my account module to manage their payments, notifications, news etc.

• Developed Custom Signup Expression engine module with the data from, nested comments for each item in an entry.

• Developed Custom Field types for postcode finder, bank card details look up and also custom vector map.

• Developer custom plugins for events, calendars, to also communicate with Dynamics CRM.

• Using phpodata SDK to read the data from CRM to read the club users.

• Updating the Dynamics CRM using SOAP API.

• Developing EE module for Nested commenting system with voting and reporting. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Martijn B.

Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)

5/11/2020

"Flexible for designers"

5/5

What do you like best about ExpressionEngine?

Designing your website as you like it. Expressionengine will fill the gaps, not the way around. I am not a programmer, but EE makes it so easy with creating your own short codes... Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about ExpressionEngine?

To many major releases to fast... upgrading the bought modules can be a problem Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Recommendations to others considering ExpressionEngine:

If you are looking for an way so you can keep full control of your design! Use EE Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

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

Complete freedom for member side. Interactive graphs and so on without any problems. You can really do everything with it Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Verified User in Insurance

Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.)

3/29/2020

""Flexible, Extendable, Easy to Learn, in short - Terrific!" What do you like best?"

5/5

What do you like best about ExpressionEngine?

It was easy to use and things were done very fast.The code was easy to learn and use and it delivered great results.

Built on a simple CodeIgniter Framework.

- Any changes needed to upgrade the system or the Core expression engine can be easily made without any issue.

- Be it simple website development or complex application, Expression engine is a breeze to use.

- It is fast and has caching features to be used

- Templates and their scalability

-You can create and run multiple sites, this is huge benefit in my opinion when you have international sites or any distributor based model

- The live preview model was a latest addition which is awesome to update the site and check if you want to see any issues

- Ability to install multiple plugins which can help you take you from zero to hundred in no time!

- Currently the software is open source, which is HUGE! I started using expression engine when it was 299 and cannot believe it is free now with the amount of features it gives! Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about ExpressionEngine?

It is not very mainstream so not lots of help out there and one had to learn the code.

Sometimes complex to build a simple plugin.

- If you just need to write a simple plugin to extract some API data, it will still take time write it

- kind of becomes slow when your database is huge (in majority of the cases caching solves this issue but please make sure to use it in a correct way) Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Recommendations to others considering ExpressionEngine:

Learn the code Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

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

We were able to do an upgrade pretty quickly

- If you just need to write a simple plugin to extract some API data, it will still take time write it

- kind of becomes slow when your database is huge (in majority of the cases caching solves this issue but please make sure to use it in a correct way) Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Dobri B.

AI Architect

Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)

4/20/2020

"A very professional development system"

5/5

What do you like best about ExpressionEngine?

Flexibility. EE has enormous possibilities, along with great connections between them. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about ExpressionEngine?

Hard to find literature and lessons on it. Most of video courses are from enthusiasts. And there is no single textbook on EE, for free download. I found only 1 very expensive, and in addition - not shipped worldwide. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Recommendations to others considering ExpressionEngine:

A great solution for next level developers.

You can start with WordPress or Joomla, but one day you will discover EE.

Powerful, flexible, secure.

Just start using... Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

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

Making sites from a scratch is very easy and effective. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Verified User in Marketing and Advertising

Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)

5/25/2020

"Wouldn't use another"

5/5

What do you like best about ExpressionEngine?

It is incredibly easy for people with little skills and very easy for people with more advanced skills. You can make anything you want quick and easily Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about ExpressionEngine?

With my new job I don't get to use EE enough anymore. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Pazbi Z.

Director

Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)

3/25/2020

"A useful CMS for PHP developers but expensive addons"

3.5/5

What do you like best about ExpressionEngine?

I found the use of templates with dynamic content allowed for the creation of tens to hundreds of pages to be created very easily. For complex websites with multiple content types, I haven't found an alternative that quite compares to the functionality featured in EE. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about ExpressionEngine?

Addons are very expensive compared to alternatives. The most E-commerce solutions for EE are over $900. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Recommendations to others considering ExpressionEngine:

I would recommend it for confident HTML and PHP developers who want a customizable experience and not worried about costs. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

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

Live Preview is one that saves so much time compared to WordPress or straight HMTL development. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Jainil N.

Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)

3/24/2020

Business partner of the seller or seller's competitor, not included in G2 scores.

"Fast, Secure and Flexible"

5/5

What do you like best about ExpressionEngine?

EE is fast, more secure and provides flexibility to build the complex web applications.

Easy to setup and manage the content for the users. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about ExpressionEngine?

Import/export and migration.

EE needs more effecient solution for migration. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Jatin S.

Team Lead & Project Manager

Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)

4/18/2020

"ExpressionEngine can be proud of Customization, Security, Powerful CMS, Multiple websites."

5/5

What do you like best about ExpressionEngine?

Customization

Security

Powerful CMS

Multiple websites Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about ExpressionEngine?

Expressions engine is a robust CMS, but it is completely lacking in levels, support, add-ons, and templates. If you don't have deep knowledge of coding, then you would surely need an expert to do the tasks. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Shubham Kumar S.

Web Developer

Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)

4/19/2020

Business partner of the seller or seller's competitor, not included in G2 scores.

"One of the best CMS I have seen and it will surely grow more in future."

4/5

What do you like best about ExpressionEngine?

Multiple website, security and customization. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about ExpressionEngine?

Unavailability of themes, not that great seo and since the forum is not that big so it is not easy to find out the solution for any issue or doubt. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Recommendations to others considering ExpressionEngine:

There is need of improvement in help and support. And as well as for managing SEO. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

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

I am handling my own forum and blog too. There I have found it is more user-friendly, customizable and security is too good. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.