If you are familiar with web development, you must have heard of WordPress and Joomla, the two most popular content management systems (CMS) in the world. Deciding between Joomla vs WordPress for your project can be quite a challenge as there are many factors to consider.
In this article, we will show you the strengths and weaknesses of WordPress vs Joomla!, to help you make an informed decision.
What are CMS (and why are they so useful)?
A CMS is any platform that provides you with the tools you need to create, manage, and publish specific types of content. If you run an online blog, for example, you want to use a CMS that provides you with formatting and proofreading tools, as well as the option to publish your posts.
As you can imagine, no two CMS are the same. The main difference often comes down to what type of content you want to focus on. Of course, these days most services provide you with the tools you need to share just about any type of content. That means you can largely base your decision on the solution you feel most comfortable with.
With this in mind, let’s summarize how using a CMS can benefit you:
- Gives you the tools you need to create better content. The main purpose behind most CMS is to allow you to publish high-quality content.
- Helps you keep your content organized. Most modern CMSes automatically classify your content for you, using features like tags and categories.
- You can extend the functionality of your CMS. A quality CMS will allow you to customize your facilities by adding additional features.
Perhaps most importantly, CMSs allow regular people with little or no web development experience to create fantastic websites. There is still a learning curve for most of these platforms, but it is much easier than learning to code a site from scratch.
Generally speaking, there are two groups of people who can benefit the most from using a CMS for their web projects. If you don’t have any development experience, CMSs can give you an edge. On the other hand, even if you are an experienced developer, it often doesn’t make sense to create a website by hand if there is a platform that can help speed the process along.
Introduction to Joomla!
It is the second most popular CMS only surpassed by WordPress, although that does not mean that it is an inferior option. In fact, we can say right away that Joomla allows you to do basically everything that WordPress does.
Installing the platform is very easy, and most hosting providers will allow you to do so using a one-click install option. Once Joomla! is configured is ready, you will be greeted by a dashboard with a lot of options. If you have never used Joomla! Before, the sheer number of options can be intimidating. However, in our experience, it’s never hard to find what you’re looking for, even if you’re new to the system.
As far as features go, Joomla! provides you with built-in content and user management systems. You also have access to a module feature, which you can use to extend the functionality of your website if needed (more on this later). Thanks to the powerful built-in editor, creating content with Joomla! It’s relatively simple, as is keeping everything organized. When it comes to visual customization, Joomla! allows you to design your site manually or use templates to speed up the process. There’s no official template directory, unfortunately, so you’ll have to rely on your Google skills to find the right one for you.
There are two specific areas where Joomla shines, both vs. WordPress and vs. other CMSs: when it comes to social networking platforms. Out of the box, this CMS packs a ton of options that can help you set up any type of site easily.
Main features:
- Create and organize any type of content you want, using visual and code editors.
- Manage your content and users with ease from your control panel.
- Increase the functionality of your website with extensions.
- Customize the style of your site using templates.
- Use the built-in search engine optimization (SEO) features to improve your pages.
An introduction to WordPress
When it comes to large number of users, it is the king of CMS. This platform currently powers almost 30% of existing websites, which is an impressive figure. In addition, installing the platform manually is very easy and, like Joomla! – Most web hosts currently offer dedicated, one-click setup options to save you time.
Once you’ve set up your , you’ll spend most of your time running it from the control panel. The platform offers a simple interface with clearly defined options to help you. At first glance, you’ll notice that you have fewer configurations to deal with than for Joomla!. This is good news if you are looking to create a simple website, but less attractive if you like being able to customize every aspect of your experience.
WordPress comes with powerful content and media management features. You can set tags and categories for your posts and editing posts and pages is a breeze thanks to its visual editor. As with Joomla!, you also have access to a code editor. Both platforms’ editors are great out of the box, and you can extend their functionality if you feel they’re limited.
WordPress in particular excels when it comes to creating simple websites. For example, this CMS can make short work of landing pages or small business sites. This is due in part to the sheer number of themes that are available for the platform – both free and premium. Many of them even include their own drag and drop page builders, making the process even easier.
If you want to create a more complex website, WordPress features can be extended using plugins. The popularity of the platform means that you have thousands of options available to you. However, if you have experience with web development, chances are you’ll find Joomla! easier to customize.
Main features:
- Create and manage multiple types of content using built-in visual and visual code editors.
- Access thousands of plugins and themes to extend and customize your site.
- Take advantage of the excellent blogging capabilities of the platform.
- Manage your website with an intuitive panel.
- Set up simple websites with ease.
The costs of using Joomla vs WordPress
It is important to note that both Joomla and WordPress are open source platforms. That means they are free to use, but you will still have to pay for hosting to get your website online.
Fortunately, there are plenty of and robust.
That means you don’t need a huge budget to get started with your website. However, you will probably want to upgrade your hosting plan at some point, which means you will have to pay more monthly. Those costs will vary depending on your hosting provider.
It is also important to understand that building and running Joomla and WordPress sites is not always a cheap undertaking. The real costs start to become clear once you get into the world of extensions and add-ons. Depending on the features you want to add to your website, you may be able to find free extensions to get the job done, but you might also find yourself in need of paid options. In our experience, a lot of premium extensions and plugins for both platforms start at around $20. However, prices can vary widely, and if you need multiple premium plugins, you can quickly add on.
In general, one CMS is not inherently more expensive than the other – your investment will largely depend on what hosting and plugins you opt for.
How to extend the functionality of both platforms
So far, we have talked a bit about how to increase the functionality of your CMS. You can do it with Joomla! using extensions, while WordPress uses plugins. Despite the different names, both types of tools basically work the same way. You will find a plugin that will include the functionality you want for your site, install it and configure it.
The installation process of these tools is quite simple for both platforms. However, WordPress has an advantage thanks to the large number of plugins available. They can be counted in the tens of thousands, while Joomla! it only offers a fraction of that number.
As for what types of functionality you can add to your site, your imagination is the limit for both platforms. In WordPress, for example, to add a robust e-commerce system on top of the core CMS in a matter of minutes. Joomla! offers its own comprehensive e-commerce solutions in the form of extensions. is a great option, offering almost as many features as WooCommerce.
Naturally, there are plenty of other kinds of functionality you can add to either platform. However, eCommerce is a great example due to the complexity of the features it requires.
Which CMS is best for you?
We’ve covered a lot of information so far, so let’s take a minute to do a quick recap. In the ease of use category, WordPress has the edge over Joomla!. The latter offers more innovative customization options, but this advantage also makes it a bit more complicated to get started.
When it comes to price, Joomla and WordPress are on equal footing. Your main expenses will probably be hosting and plugins. The latter can put a dent in your wallet, but in many cases, you may find that they add all the features you want. As for scalability, WordPress offers a large number of plugins and themes, thanks to its popularity. In other words, it is easier to extend the functionality of WordPress than Joomla!. That said, Joomla! it is customizable if you have any experience with web development and coding.
With all this in mind, we are sure to recommend WordPress to users with little or no web development experience. It’s also a great option if you want to create small sites that don’t require too much additional functionality, thanks to its ease of use. Joomla! on the other hand, it is a better fit for users with some level of web development experience. It offers a lot more features than WordPress out of the box, but that means…
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