Roundup of the Best Reputed Flash CMS and Flash Builder Providers

In spite of Flash contestants’ regular attacks, Flash websites are very popular and have lots of fans. It always amazes us with unusual, sometimes shocking designs, interactivity and unbelievable effects. That is the reason why many people start learning Flash today. But it is not so easy to create a good Flash website without solid Flash skills. And also, it is not easy then to manage the newly-made Flash website without a good CMS solution.
At the present time we have a wide choice of Flash content management systems offered on the internet market. It is difficult to make out, which of the presented CMS and builders deserve our attention, and which of the Flash CMS providers are reliable.
A good Flash CMS should answer to the needs of both the developer and the end-user. It should allow the developer to quickly manage and maintain their Flash websites, and the end-user to edit their Flash websites with little or even no Flash skills. A good Flash CMS provider should ensure a good pre-sale and post-sale support and provide the purchasers with all necessary documentation.
This roundup is devoted to some of the best reputed Flash CMS and builder providers for today. We have tried to sum up the distinctive features of the Flash content management systems and Flash Builders, their good and sometimes not good peculiarities.

1. FlashMoto CMS

FlashMoto is possibly the biggest name among Flash CMS developers. Having the widest range of functions, this Flash content management system is the most beloved control panel among Flash developers. With FlashMoto CMS you can manage almost any Flash website without any restrictions in design, graphic effects and animation. The CMS is compatible with all major browsers and doesn’t require Flash skills to manage it. However, sometimes it seems complicated for end users.
The most attractive features of FlashMoto CMS are as follows:

• The ability to add unlimited number of pages;
• Advanced WYSIWYG page and pop-up editor. You can visualize what you are producing;
• Infomodule, video and image gallery component;
• Video, MP3 Player component;
• Custom modules and widget integration.
• SEO optimized Flash website. Deep linking. Google analytics integration.
• Multiple language support. Custom fonts uploading. The Multilingual Control Panel supports 12 languages.
• Secure Control Panel. You can be sure that all your information is stored as securely as possible.
• InfoModule component (News, Articles). You just add your news or article and it will be automatically presented on your website.
• Powerful ActionScript 3.0 API. A powerful ActionScript 3.0 application programming interface (API) that can speed the development process and save your time.
• The collection of interactive Flash CMS templates. Each Flash template is packed with the admin panel, which will allow you to edit the template in detail, etc…

2. SpryFlash CMS

SpryFlashCMS is a good choice for those, who prefer editing content and design separately. It runs on any server with php/mysql.
There are some of the most attractive features of SpryFlashCMS:

• First WYSIWYG Flash Backend;
• Clear separation of content and design;
• Maximum time saving thanks to SpryFlashCMS Framework;
• SEO capability;
• Open interfaces for new components;
• Perfect freedom of font and design, etc…
• The flash website of SpryFlashCMS is a good place for those, who don’t like reading manuals. SpryFlashCMS provides a number of screencast-tutorials that will help their visitors to create their own web-project step by step.

3. Royale CMS

Royale CMS is a perfectly structured platform. It can be hosted as well as installed on an external server, and users can reportedly rebrand and resell it to their clients as their own application. It is basically a system to manage your website XML data. Unfortunately, Royale CMS doesn’t offer ready-made templates.
There are some key features:

• Created to fit into your design;
• No templates or themes – all data delivered in XML format;
• Can be hosted or installed on an external server;
• White-label and rebrandable;
• Has a simple interface;
• Multiple users, various edit and update permissions;
• Media management and automatic image cropping;
• Convert any standard video format to FLV.

4. Aurora Flash CMS

Aurora Flash is a free WYSIWYG Flash editor. In contrast to other CMS applications, it is much simpler. The abilities of AuroraFlash’s admin panel are limited, and it runs on Windows only. But the builder has a simple intuitive interface, can work offline, supports most of languages, and finally, it is absolutely free. It comes with a set of free Flash templates.

5. Wix

Wix is a Flash website builder for creating free websites. The Wix’s Drag & Drop system is also search engine friendly and doesn’t require any programming. Wix also offers the catalog of website templates. Wix is good for creating some personal simple websites. The negative point is that, according to the users’ responses, Wix has some problems with Firefox and Opera browsers.
There are such user’s functions as:

• WYSIWYG editor,
• Block decoration customization (it includes even particle effects in block decoration),
• Animation effects customization,
• A large set of preinstalled fonts,
• Base set of components (it includes over 100 components, i.e. shapes, galleries, clipart, video effects, etc.),
• File manager,
• Design animation,
• Catalog of website templates, etc…

The interactive guide on Wix’s website, which imitates the Wix editor, allows its visitors to explore any component of the application by one click.

6. Yooba

Yooba is a rich-media CMS using Adobe’s Flash player. The platform is developed on technology from Adobe (Flex and Flash) and Microsoft (.Net).
With Yooba CMS you have the advantage of controlling your Flash productions and management in a new way. Combining Yooba CMS with HTML CMS, you can have full control over your online communications. In spite of Yooba doesn’t provide its own templates and demands obligatory specialized hosting purchase, it’s worth attention.
Yooba is available in two account types: Professional on monthly subscription and Enterprise on annual subscription.

7. Rainbow Live

Rainbow Live is an enhanced XML editor that works as a CMS for Flash files. If you need to manage online XML data then Rainbow Live is for you. The editor makes it easy to design data in whatever structure you want, and then edit it online without having to re-upload new XML files.

The Key features are:

• Live Visual XML Editor. Node based editing on live XML files;
• Empower Clients. You can provide your clients with an easy way to edit content;
• You can upload images and files, create thumbnails;
• It works like a CMS. You can use Rainbow Live to replace bulky CMS systems.

We hope this post will give you a little more info as for Flash content management systems and Flash builders, and will help you make the right choice. Don’t forget to leave your comments!