MODX review
A flexible, developer-focused CMS with strong content control and narrow integrations.
Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
MODX is an open-source content management framework for developers, designers, agencies, and organizations building custom websites and digital experiences. Its resource-based model supports custom content types and fields, reusable templates, chunks, snippets, and plugins. The platform is available as self-hosted MODX Revolution, with MODX Cloud providing managed hosting, backups, staging, upgrades, and related operational services. It fits teams that need control over content structures, permissions, URLs, and site behavior rather than a narrowly defined publishing workflow.
Content operations are a clear strength. MODX provides granular access policies, roles, and permissions alongside staging, preview, publishing, and rollback workflows. Multilingual configuration uses contexts, lexicons, and extras, while media sources support file and image management. Friendly URLs and alias transliteration address common publishing and SEO needs. These capabilities make MODX a strong match for agencies and development teams managing tailored websites with varied editorial requirements. Teams seeking a simple, prescriptive site builder may find its resource-based approach less suitable.
Pricing separates the self-hosted software from managed hosting. The published Pro Site Core plan is $90 per month with annual billing and includes a site tune-up and email service provider, selective staging through Backstage, and Cloud Edge CDN and WAF. Pro Site Plus is $145 per month and adds 24/7 monitoring plus proactive outage resolution during US and EU business hours. Pro Site Max is $225 per month with annual billing and adds data center failover and 24/7 proactive outage resolution. MODX supports web, self-hosted, and API use, but its listed integrations are limited to Amazon S3 and Flickr. Choose it for customizable CMS control; consider another platform when broad integration coverage is central.
MODX pros and cons
- Where it wins
- Custom content types, fields, templates, snippets, and plugins
- Granular roles, permissions, staging, preview, publishing, and rollback
- Multilingual contexts, media management, and friendly URLs
- Where it doesn't
- Integration coverage is limited to Amazon S3 and Flickr
- Managed Pro Site pricing starts at $90 per month on annual billing
- Its developer-focused model may exceed the needs of simple websites
MODX fact sheet, pricing and score →
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