Which PHP CMS do you recommend for a website?

I'm surprised no one mentioned [ExpressionEngine][1]. It is not free (that's probably why) but it's PHP, has a thriving community, a lot of plugins (good ones not free, but a php programmer could consider this a possible revenue source). It's built on a PHP framework - Code Ignitor.

I'm playing with Concrete5 right now - I really love the in page editing. It's MVC based, extensible. Simpler (so far) than EE, EE is easy to use and template, simpler than Drupal. Drupal is amazingly powerful, but as others have noted there is a steep learning curve. Even if you're a php whiz you have to learn "the Drupal way" to template, to code, everything, it's really quite involved. That said, Drupal can really do anything and powers some very robust and high profile sites and has a huge community.


[1]:

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I haven't been impressed by CMSses out so far, but Concrete5 and MODx are definitely two to check out.

I'd like to see the documentation and community of Concrete5 grow into something as big as Joomla or Drupal. That will only happen with more users, but it's good enough to get started with right now.

**UDPATE:** MODX Revolution (v2) is no longer "brand spankin' new. Use v2 instead of v1.

If integrating custom design is a big factor I highly recommend using MODx (v1 since v2 is still brand spankin' new). It's loved a lot by designers and developers alike. I have heard good things about EE, concrete5 and SilverStripe though. I really only know MODx though. The design integration rules (no themes to mess with like many other CMSs). Very extendable for PHP ninjas as well and the community is SUPER helpful and friendly. Hope this helps someone as I know I'm replying a year and a half later from the last post!