My wife and I love visiting spas, and I've thought about creating a website to post reviews, allow visitors to search through listings, and enable users to register and share their own reviews and spa recommendations according to their roles. I have some coding experience and have previously built sites with WordPress and Joomla. I'm looking for the best open source CMS option for this project, specifically one that supports review functionalities. Any suggestions?
2 Answers
Honestly, I'd recommend exploring something beyond standard CMS solutions. Why not build your site using Next.js? You can host it for free on Vercel and use a Bitbucket repository. MongoDB Atlas has a free tier for databases, and if you grab GitHub Copilot for $10 a month, it'll assist you with coding. That way, you can tailor everything specifically to your needs without being restricted by the limitations of CMS.
I think WordPress is a great choice for your project! It has lots of plugins specifically designed for review sites, which will make your life easier. You can easily manage user registrations, set different permission levels, and implement star ratings along with review forms. I use WordPress for my clients, and it works seamlessly. Plus, you can enhance it with plugins like WP Review Pro or Multi Rating Pro. They’ll handle most of the setup for you. Since you're familiar with WordPress already, you'll get things up and running in no time!
I appreciate your input! I'm just concerned about going the custom route since I don't want to get lost in the coding. But thanks for suggesting those resources!