MODX review

MODX is an open-source content management system for building websites and other digital experiences. Its main distinction is flexibility: the template system lets teams use their own markup, CSS framework, and JavaScript, while keeping presentation, content, and functionality separate. The homepage says templates include caching to support fast websites.

MODX also offers managed hosting through MODX Cloud, with updates, automatic backups, and support. Content staging lets teams preview changes before publishing and roll back if needed. Customizable permissions can limit what each person can access. MODX describes its core as purpose-built with security in mind; that is the company’s positioning, not an independent security assessment.

The hosted plans start at $90 per month when billed annually, according to the pricing page. That makes MODX a better fit to evaluate as a managed CMS package than as a free, self-hosted option.

MODX’s appeal is control without locking a site into a preset template system. The company says teams can bring their own markup, styling, and functionality, with content separated from presentation. That suits custom builds where the design or front end does not fit a standard theme.

Staging is another practical feature: teams can preview and publish changes without disrupting the live site, then roll back if needed. The pricing page lists Backstage selective staging in Pro Site Core, alongside Cloud Edge CDN and WAF, a site tune-up during migration, and email service for up to 2,000 emails per month.

Managed hosting may also reduce the operational work a team has to arrange separately: MODX Cloud includes hosting, updates, automatic backups, and support. Higher plans add uptime coverage. Pro Site Plus is listed at $145 per month billed annually and includes 24/7 monitoring and proactive outage resolution during US and EU business hours. Pro Site Max is $225 per month billed annually and adds data center failover and 24/7 proactive outage resolution. These are concrete service differences, not just different labels.

The price is the main barrier. Pro Site Core starts at $90 per month, shown as a monthly equivalent billed annually with one month free. The standalone monthly rate is not published, and the pricing page lists no free plan. A trial is not specified on the vendor's site. That narrows MODX’s appeal for small sites or teams that want to start cheaply before committing.

The published Core plan also caps email service at 2,000 emails per month. Higher sending tiers are available, but their prices are not published. Optional failover or a high-availability cluster costs extra, with pricing not published; multi-site hosting discounts are also not priced on the page. So the entry price does not tell a buyer what a larger or more resilient setup will cost.

The higher plans make the trade-off clearer, but the $145 and $225 monthly-equivalent prices are also billed annually. If a business needs their added monitoring, outage response, or failover, its bill rises quickly. MODX offers flexibility, but buyers should get a full quote for their site count, email volume, and availability needs before comparing it with a lower-cost CMS or hosting stack.

MODX has no free plan. The pricing page lists Pro Site Core at $90 per month, Pro Site Plus at $145, and Pro Site Max at $225, with all three prices shown as monthly equivalents billed annually. Standalone monthly rates are not published, so the listed price requires an annual commitment; the page says that billing includes one month free.

Core is aimed at marketing sites and includes selective staging, Cloud Edge CDN and WAF, 2,000 emails per month, and a site tune-up during migration. Plus adds 24/7 monitoring and proactive outage resolution during US and EU business hours. That’s a $55 monthly-equivalent jump from Core. Max adds data center failover and 24/7 proactive outage resolution, another $80 per month over Plus.

Higher email tiers, optional failover or high-availability clusters, and multi-site hosting are available, but their prices aren’t published. Budget-conscious teams should confirm add-on costs before comparing the total with other hosts.

MODX supports custom markup, styling, and functionality, so migration effort will depend on how much of a site’s presentation and behavior needs to be recreated. The pricing page includes a site tune-up during migration on Pro Site Core, but the available materials don’t specify a migration timeline, labor scope, or a standard import process.

MODX is open source, but that alone doesn’t confirm how easily a particular site’s content, assets, templates, or database can be exported. Before switching in or out, ask MODX or your developer for an export plan and a test migration scope. The product information describes staging and rollback, but doesn’t document a full exit process.

We can’t substantiate what tends to make customers leave based on Reddit: no Reddit posts or comments were included in the published material. Treat claims about common complaints as unverified, and get migration and data-portability details in writing before committing to annual hosting.