Is TYPO3 Outdated in 2021?

Is TYPO3 Outdated, Is TYPO3 feasible to use in 2021? Many times we come across the question from our clients with fear asking “Is TYPO3 Dying?”. And I thought this is something really worth answering. TYPO3, as an open-source content management system, the power of TYPO3 is made freely available to the entire global web and software development community.

Is TYPO3 Outdated in 2021?

Table of content

Is TYPO3 Still good to use? We’ve stated each and every concrete point to answer your question and to prove that TYPO3 holds a bright future, but how! Stay tuned till last to know a well-researched answer!

TYPO3’s Market Share: 2011 to 2021

Looking at the numbers, with a current market share of 0.6% in CMS World, there is a decrease in the number of TYPO3’s market share since 2011, i.e from 0.6% to 0.3% in 2021. It’s probably fairly safe to say that TYPO3’s current growth isn’t explosive. But it’s there, though, for sure.

Source: https://w3techs.com/ 

But according to my perspective Market Share is not the primary factor based on which a platform can be judged. I agree with Jochen Weiland’s (has been with TYPO3 since 19+ years) perspective when asked a question in TYPO3 interview

TYPO3 is a 20+ years old OpenSource CMS, Although we have very little CMS Market Share. eg., At present, TYPO3 0.6%, WordPress 63.6%. In your personal opinion, What do you think about what we majorly missed the TYPO3 journey?

The market share varies a lot by country. According to cmscrawler.com, there is a 14% market share in Austria, 11% in Germany, and even 43% in Rwanda. In terms of marketing, we should have more visibility for which projects TYPO3 has been chosen and why. 

Many of the larger companies that have decided to use TYPO3 made a thorough investigation into the CMS market and looked at different options. In those cases where they decided to use TYPO3, they had very good reasons. 

Other users might just follow the masses and use what everyone else is using. On the first look, most CMS appear similar, as a tool to create websites. But once you think deeply about your goals and requirements, you find big differences between them. 

Let’s just take one example: your company might need a new website, perhaps 100 pages of content, and one language. You have one editor for this. Any CMS could probably handle this. 

But think 3-5 years into the future: your company might be very successful and has grown significantly. You may have 1,000 pages of content in three languages and 5 editors. For TYPO3 this is very easy to handle. Multi-languages have been built in from the start and not added on later. The page tree can handle thousands of pages in a way that users are familiar with since they are organized similarly to Windows Explorer. Rights management for editors down to the individual form field lets you assign fine granular access rights for editors.  

If you have chosen a simple CMS in the beginning you might need to switch and do the website over again. But TYPO3 has all the features for growing projects built in. 

There are a number of huge TYPO3 installations with 50,000+ pages, hundreds of websites, and domains in one installation managed by 1,000 editors.

Very well explained by Jochen, Do I need to say anything? But well I want to share the perspective of Benni Mack, TYPO3 CMS Project Lead here on asking the same question, here is what he shared, 

“First: I don’t think TYPO3 has little market share. The market is just HUGE! If I see hundreds of thousands of installations, every change that I make will have an impact on millions of editors! And that’s not credit for me, but for the TYPO3 community, building so many cool web applications with it. I do believe however we’ve missed coming up with concrete solutions for the decision-makers. This might be because there are a lot of techies in our community, scratching their own itch (including me), which is also a great strength at the same time.”

Well Defined TYPO3 Future Roadmap

While you’re enjoying TYPO3 v10 LTS, released in April 2020, Team TYPO3 was already working on the next version—TYPO3 v11. If TYPO3 would have been outdated they simply won’t be working on making and release newer TYPO3 version releases. 

For decision-makers, know ROI, It’s always good to check out the future planning of an OpenSource CMS. Here is the TYPO3 Roadmap at https://typo3.org/cms/roadmap.  Check out the well-planned development roadmap of TYPO3v11.

Who says the future of TYPO3 is uncertain?

Do you know?

TYPO3 is the Only Open Source CMS that Provides Extended Long Term Support

Yes my friend that’s a fact. TYPO3 community provides three years of extended support, planning time, and peace of mind with the official TYPO3 Extended Long Term Support for the version of TYPO3 you use for your dream website.

The CMS itself is so committed to the future that it provides the guarantee of support, no other CMS does that. This clearly depicts that TYPO3 holds a great future with a pre-planned strategy.

TYPO3 version: Adaption with each version

Well well, my friend, here is the twist, although the market share of TYPO3 CMS has been decreased people has massively adapted with the launch of TYPO3 v8, 9, 10 and subsequently growing adoption, the CMS is certainly starting to bring new functionality to the table than TYPO3 has ever seen before and so with that number of people gradually adopted using TYPO3 than of previous versions, and that’s a pleasing note :) 

In fact, in many ways, TYPO3 versions 8, 9, and 10 can be seen as a complete rewrite of the core fundamentals of the CMS. It behaves in very much the same way as TYPO3 for site builders, even for complex infrastructure and in particular for developers, it’s like a CMS on steroids.

Given the changes and advancements that the upcoming TYPO3 v11 brings, there remains a huge (and now growing) market for the CMS, with over a major brand using websites powered by TYPO3 across the globe. And statistics for TYPO3’s current adoption show no signs of slowing down.

Status Of Current TYPO3 websites in 2021

So let’s talk about the shifts. Last year, 29% of TYPO3 sites migrated to another CMS but my friend, the good thing is, that 33% of TYPO3 website holders upgraded to the latest TYPO3 version and 38% of TYPO3 websites we newly built on TYPO3 v10, as a sign of victory we are also getting more new TYPO3 sites too ;)

This clearly depicts that if TYPO3 would have been outdated then the red scale, i.e the sites stopped using TYPO3 would be high, but that isn’t. This clears that people still choose TYPO3 and update to the latest TYPO3 version then go with new CMS this year.

Upcoming TYPO3 version 11

We can proudly claim that the 11th major version of the open-source content management system TYPO3 indicates its maturity and ongoing success. 

With a strong focus on accessibility for the TYPO3 backend, TYPO3 v11 aims to improve the experience for editors and administrators in TYPO3 v11 even further. 

From a technical point of view, streamlined authentication is an important goal; several changes and improvements have been made under the hood in version 11.0 already.

Check what revolutionary is upcoming in TYPO3 v11,

TYPO3 version 11 would be launched on 5th October 2021, two sprints with noticeable features would be launched soon! 

Upcoming TYPO3 version 11 says a lot about the future of TYPO3,

  • If the TYPO3 would not have been serious about the future they won’t have such planned releases.
  • If people are not adapting or using TYPO3 obviously such enhancements in CMS won’t have been made.
  • Frequent updates, enhancements, and releases clearly show that the TYPO3 community is serious about the future of TYPO3. 

TYPO3 Marketplace - Step Towards Better TYPO3 Future

Unlike every other CMS, there was a high need for a TYPO3 marketplace, for people to avail access to TYPO3 themes, extensions, and website builders either free or premium.

T3Terminal, a one-stop TYPO3 Marketplace for TYPO3 Templates, Extensions, and TYPO3 SaaS Solutions fulfilled the void. One can get everything you want for your store in one place – T3Terminal provides the widest range of TYPO3 templates and extensions on the store.

Visit TYPO3 Marketplace

Conceptualized for TYPO3 developers or agencies will have expanded access to premium TYPO3 resources as extensions and templates with TYPO3 automation services as TYPO3 SaaS. As such clients will have access to a range of high-quality TYPO3 themes and extensions, specifically built for the specific platform. 

Eventhough to extend the functionality of the TYPO3 core, 8100+ Free Extensions from the official TYPO3 Extension Repository have been downloaded millions of times.

It has just been 2 years since the launching of the TYPO3 marketplace and it has already started resulting in a fruitful TYPO3 ecosystem with access to great TYPO3 resources. Note it down, it’s just the beginning ;)

TYPO3 Partnership Program - Flourishing TYPO3!

TYPO3 Community has TYPO3 Professional Service Listing Program launched in 2012, the Professional Service Listing (PSL) at TYPO3 is the perfect gateway to marketing and flourishing both TYPO3 and TYPO3 holding a business known to a broader audience and helping it grow.

Do you know NITSAN is also listed at TYPO3’s PSL for providing Excellent TYPO3 development services? 

We appreciate the idea of having a dedicated platform that enables you to get what you need to promote your products and services. It represents the awareness and marketing efforts the CMS takes, it’s a plus.

Dedicated TYPO3 Teams

There are dedicated TYPO3 teams who work hard every day contributing to Open Source TYPO3 CMS to bring the best of CMS for you. Unlike previous years many new teams are formed for a specific cause, have a look at it, 

The TYPO3 Core Development Team is dedicated to develop and maintain the central parts of TYPO3 CMS.

The TYPO3 Academic Committee is made up of TYPO3 Association members from universities that use TYPO3-CMS for their homepages.

The Accessibility Team assists to improve and maintain accessibility in TYPO3. Therefore we share our accessibility expertise with TYPO3 developers.

The Committee coordinates the communication and marketing of the TYPO3 Company and the TYPO3 Association, through a unified workflow and production pipeline. The goal is to enable the creation of more and better content from more authors in more channels.

The TYPO3 Community Expansion Committee (T3CEC) goal is to foster the use of TYPO3 by developers, agencies, and clients all over the world.

Write, Translate, Proofread. No coding skills are required. You can support us on a regular basis or when you have time.

 Create. Communicate. Contribute. Support us by sharing your knowledge and help us to spread the word about TYPO3.

The documentation team provides exhaustive, quality documentation about TYPO3 products for all users, with the help of the community.

  • TYPO3 Events Team

Committee Support us with sharing your knowledge and help us to spread the word about TYPO3 and organize events around TYPO3

The committee is responsible for the TYPO3 education strategy, enabling easy access to learning materials, as well as official certifications.

Create. Communicate. Contribute. Support us by sharing your knowledge and help us to spread the word about TYPO3.

Security is taken very seriously by the developers of TYPO3. The visible part of that concern is the TYPO3 Security Team.

The typo3.org website team develops and maintains the typo3.org website, the Extension Repository, Events and Certification Listings, and much more.

Having such a power-packed community and teams behind your back, you don’t need to think again about the future.

Vast Highly Active TYPO3 Community

As one of the largest open-source projects in the world, TYPO3 has a large number of contributors. 

In 2021, the TYPO3 developer team had over 1037 developers who contributed to the TYPO3 core, which contains over 595,857 lines of code.

Whatever amazing platform TYPO3 has been today and has evolved into a well-oiled machine thanks to the robust community.

The TYPO3 community organizes TYPO3 Camps, TYPO3 Sprints, TYPO3 Meetups, and TYPO3 User groups for users of all skill levels. 

So far in 2020, there are 1000+ TYPO3 Events organized across the globe. During the COVID crisis, these events are handled online.

Check the official TYPO3 event schedule to find a meetup near you to participate.

The community is vibrant at TYPO3 and there is no going back!

TYPO3 Resources

TYPO3 Videos

One of the missing things in TYPO3 education was that there were very-less TYPO3 videos available. But now there are abundant TYPO3 videos are available on the official Youtube channel and thanks to Wolfgang Wagner for contributing more,

TYPO3 Blogs

There are abundant TYPO3 blogging channels available for amazing TYPO3 community updates, new learnings, TYPO3 tips and tricks, and whatnot! There are many TYPO3 blogs available but hereby I’m listing some of my favorites,

  1. Official TYPO3 Blogs
  2. TYPO3worx
  3. Use TYPO3
  4. TYPO3 Manual
  5. T3Planet
  6. NITSAN
  7. Reelworx
  8. Daniel Siepmann
  9. Doc Core Insight
  10. Scripting Base
  11. Blogs by Torben Hansen
  12. Blogs by Richard Haeser
  13. Blogs by Sebastian Klein

TYPO3 Social Media

Fortunately, the TYPO3 community is also very active on famous social media platforms as below.

Discussion at TYPO3 Forum

There are many TYPO3 forums available for both English and German language. Here is the list.

TYPO3 Slack

Do you want to directly chat with the TYPO3 core team and top TYPO3 experts? The whole TYPO3 community is connected in one place - TYPO3 Slack. You can join many TYPO3 slack channels as well as feel free to communicate with any TYPO3 person.

Join TYPO3 Slack

This proves that not just the community but individuals are also committed to TYPO3 and standing by behind the platform. Does this seem like TYPO3 is inactive by any means? :D

Rich TYPO3 Knowledge base

With continuous efforts and contributions by TYPO3 documentation and editorial teams, documentations are available for each and every topic now in multiple languages.

For years, the TYPO3 community has been working very hard to improve all-over Documentation for TYPO3 CMS and Extensions. You will find all the necessary documentation at https://docs.typo3.org/ 

TYPO3 Is Worldwide

Ref: https://www.similartech.com/technologies/typo3

It’s a myth that TYPO3 is only popular in German countries. TYPO3 has been loved, appreciated, and accepted worldwide! Check out the TYPO3 usage across the globe.

If TYPO3 is on the rise since 2018, why are so many developers concerned by a perceived decline?

Because the answer is in the details!

TYPO3 cannot please everyone, but TYPO3 continues to serve most of the best websites worldwide compared to other CMS platforms.

It provides excellent enterprise-level features, flexibility like no other platform does, multisite, Workspaces, reliable backups, is highly accessible and secure. TYPO3 is the most secure Open Source CMS that manages security for its users and provides patches immediately for any security issues that it encounters.

Every motive behind CMS is different, however, TYPO3 seems to be an all-rounder with the capability to build a small blogging website to very large complex enterprise solutions.

Explore popular websites using TYPO3, https://t3planet.com/blog/top-typo3-websites/ 

The web has itself made massive developments over the last five years, but platforms such as WordPress are seemingly “stuck” in the era of Web 2.0 (and that’s not a plus sign) with simple features but lacks the core important functionality that a complex business needs for its the solution. TYPO3 is now taking steps to adopt the latest technologies with the release of TYPO10 and with plans to further this with the upcoming arrival of TYPO3 version 11.

TYPO3 doesn’t actively look to compete with simple site-building tools, though it’s still entirely possible to use it as one. It’s a beast of a CMS. We’d go so far as to say that it has mastered the art of content management, what with the advancements made in the present version, and is now prepared to start taking on new, bigger things.

From here on, TYPO3 should be known less as a CMS, and more as an infrastructure development and delivery tool for websites and other web applications.

Case in point, many of our clients are large organizations, including Fortune 500 companies, who are using TYPO3 with headless and PWA to accelerate their utilization of the modern web. And that’s exciting. 

Wrapping Up!

Open source is not just about writing and using free code; it is about the right to share and change ​code. And change has a reputation for bringing about some amazing things, and that’s what TYPO3 has been doing for 20+ years without massive advertisements. 

In my honest opinion, TYPO3 is a very popular CMS but is somehow lacking attention to people beyond a certain demographic area.

Coming straight to the conclusion, if TYPO3 were to die, it wouldn't have accurate roadmaps and plan for amazing future versions with amazing features that probably many currently popular CMS with 30+ market share ratio missed as their basic feature since its inception.

Summing up points from the above-stated observations,

  • TYPO3 is constantly growing
  • TYPO3 is in safe hands
  • There is rapid progress
  • TYPO3’s community is highly active
  • There is abundant TYPO3 documentation, knowledgebase, and resources available
  • There is constant free support available from the community
  • TYPO3 is planning revolutionary features in upcoming versions.
  • There is no sign TYPO3 is outdated or lags behind

TYPO3 has a strong customer support and a community of experts and enthusiasts, so whatever wall or dead end you encounter, you can find help and guidance right away.

For these reasons and more, TYPO3 will continue to dominate the CMS sphere this 2021 and even beyond.

So, TYPO3 holds a bright future, rejoice, dear readers, go for TYPO3 without second thoughts!

Do you have questions regarding TYPO3 CMS? Let’s have them answered in the comment section below. Happy switching to TYPO3!

Posts by Nitin Chauhan

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