When we first realized we needed to compare PIM and CMS systems, we felt a little uneasy. Sure, we knew people were searching for this comparison and our users kept asking about it, but honestly, our initial reaction was: "Why?"
Let’s clear things up. We’re so familiar with these management systems because, well, we’ve built a few ourselves. And we don’t really see CMS and PIM as alternatives—they’re not. We love CMS systems and use them daily, and we’ve also created our own PIM system, Toriut. This isn’t our first rodeo with management systems.
But we get it. If people are asking, we need to answer. Not everyone lives and breathes digital management systems like we do. So, let’s drop the tech jargon, dive in, and explore the differences. But before we compare PIM and CMS, let’s start with the basics and get everyone on the same page.
What Is a CMS?
A Content Management System (CMS) is basically the engine that powers a website. It lets you create, manage, and update content without having to mess around with code. Whether it’s text, images, or videos—CMS platforms make it easy to handle all kinds of digital content. At its core, a CMS provides an interface where you can control everything about your site, from writing blog posts to adjusting the design.
Who Uses CMS Platforms?
- Businesses of all sizes: Whether you’re running a small startup or a large corporation, CMS platforms help keep your website running smoothly.
- Marketers and content creators: These folks use CMS platforms to quickly create and publish blog posts, landing pages, and multimedia content—no developer needed. In fact, when we publish this blog post, we’ll be using a CMS too.
- E-commerce companies: Many CMS platforms come with built-in e-commerce features, making them perfect for online stores that need to manage product pages, inventories, and customer data.
- Non-technical users: Even if you don’t know the first thing about coding, a CMS makes website management feel like a breeze. Educators, bloggers, authors—anyone who needs to share content online can use a CMS.
Why Use a CMS?
The beauty of a CMS is that it allows people with zero coding skills to easily create, edit, and manage their website’s content. It speeds up the process of getting new pages live or making updates to existing ones. Plus, it’s perfect for teams—multiple people can collaborate on content with different roles like editor, writer, or admin. And the best part? Many CMS platforms come with built-in features or plugins for SEO, social media, e-commerce, and more. We publish this blog post without involving our development team—thanks to the CMS we use.
One of the most popular CMS platforms is WordPress—it powers over 40% of all websites. It’s open-source, customizable, and offers thousands of themes and plugins. Other popular options include Drupal, Joomla!, Wix, and Shopify.
Speaking of Shopify, that’s where our story comes in. We’ve been working with digital asset management (DAM) systems for over a decade, building products from the ground up. By 2022, we realized our users needed something special for Shopify, so we launched a plugin for it. It quickly took off, solving real problems for our users, and we knew we were on the right track.
After that success, we didn’t stop there. We developed our own PIM system for Shopify, called Toriut. With our team’s expertise in management systems, we knew a PIM solution could make a real difference. And after Toriut’s successful launch, users started asking us, “CMS or PIM? Which one do we need?”
Wrapping It Up
Hopefully, we’ve made it clear what a CMS is and why it’s useful. In short, a CMS helps businesses and individuals manage websites more easily, without needing a ton of developer support. It saves time, boosts collaboration, and provides tools to improve website performance and security.
To put it simply, a CMS is a broad tool designed to manage content, while a PIM is more specific, tailored to managing product information. Since PIM systems are our bread and butter, let’s dive deeper into them next.
What is PIM software?
Let us break it down simply—PIM (Product Information Management) is like the command center for all your product data. If you're managing tons of products, whether physical or digital, a PIM system becomes your go-to tool. It helps you keep everything organized—product descriptions, images, pricing, technical specs, translations—you name it. PIM also makes sure all that data is accurate and up to date across every platform you’re selling on.
Who Uses PIM Systems?
E-commerce companies, manufacturers, and retailers are big fans of PIM systems. If you’re running an online store with thousands of products—each with different details like size, color, material, and pricing—manually updating all that information across multiple platforms (your website, Amazon, Google Shopping, etc.) can quickly become overwhelming. That’s where PIM comes in to save the day—it keeps all your product data consistent and up to date across every platform.
But PIM isn’t just for large corporations. Small and medium businesses managing a variety of products can benefit just as much. PIM systems save time, reduce errors, and make product management far more efficient.
Why use a PIM system?
Centralizing all your product data in a PIM system can seriously lighten your workload. Here’s what that looks like:
- Consistent product data: No more outdated or conflicting info across different sales channels.
- Time-saving: PIM automates much of the heavy lifting, freeing your team to focus on more important tasks.
- Faster time-to-market: You can launch products quicker on your website, marketplaces, or other sales platforms.
- Improved customer experience: With consistent, accurate product info, customers know exactly what they’re getting, which means fewer returns and better reviews.
PIM vs. CMS: Not Competitors, but Complements
It’s important to know that PIM isn’t a competitor to a CMS (Content Management System); they actually serve different purposes.
- CMS is great for managing and displaying content on your website, like blog posts, landing pages, images, and videos.
- PIM, on the other hand, is designed specifically for managing product information—descriptions, pricing, specs, images, etc.—especially if you're handling large catalogs across multiple sales channels.
But here’s the cool part: PIM and CMS can work together. You can use your CMS to manage website content, while a PIM system ensures the product info displayed on your site is accurate and always up to date. So, they’re separate systems with different roles, but they complement each other to streamline both content and product management.
That’s why we created our Toriut PIM system. We realized many Shopify users needed something more powerful for managing product data. Toriut integrates seamlessly with Shopify, making it easy for users to handle large inventories and complex product details without the hassle of doing everything manually in Shopify’s interface.
If you’re using Shopify (or any other e-commerce platform) and managing a lot of products, a PIM system like Toriut will make your life so much easier.
PIM vs. CMS: Why This Comparison Doesn’t Quite Fit
When it comes to PIM and CMS, we’re talking about two systems that manage content but serve very different purposes.
Purpose: What Do They Manage?
- PIM focuses on managing product data—descriptions, prices, images, specs, and more. It ensures all your product info is accurate, consistent, and ready to distribute across platforms like your website, marketplaces, or print catalogs.
- CMS is all about managing website content—blogs, landing pages, images, and videos. It helps you create and update a website without needing any coding skills.
Who Uses Them?
- PIM: Typically used by e-commerce businesses, retailers, and manufacturers to manage large volumes of product data. If you're selling on multiple platforms, a PIM keeps everything consistent.
- CMS: Used by content creators, businesses, and marketers of all sizes to manage websites and publish content regularly. If your focus is keeping a website fresh with content, a CMS is your go-to.
What Do They Focus On?
- PIM: It’s product-centric—organizing and distributing product data across channels. Think SKUs, specs, descriptions, and prices.
- CMS: It’s content-centric—managing and displaying web pages, blogs, and media in an organized, user-friendly way.
How Do They Handle Data?
- PIM: Manages structured product data, such as attributes (color, size), prices, and availability. It ensures everything is consistent across multiple sales platforms.
- CMS: Handles unstructured data like text, images, and videos, focusing on content layout and website presentation.
PIM or CMS: Which Should You Choose?
We’d love to just say, “Go with PIM and choose Toriut!” But we’re not going to sugarcoat it—the right choice depends on your needs. If your main focus is managing website content like blog posts, landing pages, or media, a CMS is your best bet. It’s perfect for businesses, bloggers, and marketers who need an easy way to keep their sites updated.
On the other hand, if you’re dealing with a ton of products across multiple platforms, a PIM system is what you need. It keeps all your product info centralized, consistent, and ready to go, saving you time and reducing errors.
So, in a nutshell: CMS for content management, PIM for product management. They each have their own roles but can work together smoothly. And if you’ve got any questions, feel free to ask in the comments—we’re here to help!
Did you enjoy this article? Give Toriut a try — or book a demo with us, and we'll be happy to answer any of your questions.
