Attractive features of ExpressionEngine
As I have noted elsewhere, WordPress basically handles posts, pages and links. For the rest, you have to look to third-party plugins or separate scripts, which I’m not keen on. Expression Engine, on the other hand, has some built-in features attracting me to the system (despite the $250 price tag):
- ExpressionEngine comes with an integrated double opt-in/opt-out mailing list module that supports multiple lists and a custom template for each list.
- The member profile system permits you to add your own fields. Build your own data model and collect the information you need from your users.
- ExpressionEngine’s Discussion Forum module is a complete community building solution that integrates seamlessly. Note: The Discussion Forum is sold separately ($100).
EE is at version 1.6.6 at present. V2 is on the way (it was expected late in 2008 but is delayed), and is built with CodeIgniter, the open source PHP framework that EllisLab released in 2006. There is likely to be a “modest price increase”.