I am writing a comparison between 3 technology options for building our new website:
- WordPress
- Drupal
- An MVC framework
The boss is sure we should use WordPress, but the site will be big, with many sections, subsections, pages, and complicated templates.
I’m finding it easy to compare WP + Drupal, but not so easy to state the additional advantages (over Drupal) of using an MVC framework.
So far I have:
- Custom data storage, content types, semantics
- APIs / REST
- Separation of logic / UI
- Convention, code structure
(Obviously some of the benefits will be different depending on the type of project. In this case it will be a large portal for a museum, with potential for some social stuff for visitors)
It’s difficult to compare a CMS (e.g., Drupal, WordPress) with an MVC framework because they are in different categories.
To specifically answer your question about the advantage of an MVC framework over a CMS, the advantage of an MVC framework is simply that it allows you to design the exact web app you need from the ground up.
As for your particular situation:
Using an existing CMS such as WordPress or Drupal would be an excellent idea if they fit your needs. It avoids reinventing the wheel, saves you time, and CMSs can be quite user-friendly (to varying degrees). If you plan to delegate the task of content updates to a non-technical user, then it might be prudent to choose a novice-friendly CMS rather than spinning your own with an MVC framework, possibly resulting in an app that requires more technical expertise to maintain.
If, however, you envision that the website will require a lot of custom business logic that would be difficult to implement within the constraints of a CMS, then you might need to use an MVC framework.