Content management systems (CMS) have become very popular.
Firstly, they have given users the ability to create and manage high quality websites without having the knowledge of web programming. As a result, they have created countless new businesses, careers, projects and information centers.
Today we are going to compare two of the most popular WordPress and Joomla CMS: you will be wondering what CMS stands for. The answer comes from English and stands for Content Management Systems, a system that allows you to make changes to the site without touching the code. Before we compare these two software packages, we’ll look at each of them separately.
Introduction to WordPress CMS
WordPress is one of the most famous CMS. Today, it serves over 60 million websites worldwide and is used on over 40% of websites using a CMS. WordPress is free open source software supported by programming languages like PHP, HTML, CSS, etc. It has several plugins, widgets, and designs that make it fully customizable and extensible.
WordPress software is perfect for small (blog) and medium-sized websites and does not require any technical knowledge. For this reason, WordPress is recommended for beginners. You’ll be happy to hear that WordPress supports Walt Disney Co, the LinkedIn blog, and the BBC America multisite. Despite the benefits of WordPress, there are still a few flaws we should talk about: Because WordPress is easy to use, it restricts the ability to make meaningful visual adjustments. You need to hire a designer or developer to help you update the structure of the website.
Introduction to Joomla CMS
Joomla is the second largest CMS after WordPress. It does not require a high level of technical experience like Drupal software (the most popular 3d content management system which is good for people with well developed technical skills). Joomla has a variety of themes and plugins (nearly 6000) and supports applications of all kinds, from blogging to intranet. It is based on PHP and MySQL. You have no effort to update the site according to your needs. Joomla is perfect for e-commerce sites and has the most flexible user access management. If you need to make your website more functional, several developers support the development of extensions that extend the functionality of your website.
Security
Both software have a reliable security system and respond quickly to security vulnerabilities. They both have extensions for backups and also to increase their security. WordPress and Joomla are great when it comes to securing a website.
Support
WordPress has its own support foundation and a large user community. Customers can get help in support forums, guides, documents, on the website which offers manuals, video tutorials, articles and countless information all over the web. WordPress support can be free or paid. If you need to fix the problem quickly, go for a “Freelance” platform like Upwork, where you can hire an experienced specialist (luckily there are a lot of them). Like WordPress, Joomla has an extensive support base. The difference is that it is difficult to find developers for Joomla, and it can take a while to get a good one.
Add-ons
Using multiple themes and plugins (38,000) WordPress allows users to make changes to the look of their website in record time. You can always install themes or plugins for free from the official WordPress site. For those who prefer “Premium” extensions with great support options, there are plenty of paid themes and extensions.
Joomla offers templates and plugins just like WordPress, but their number is not as impressive, and this makes it difficult to find plugins that perfectly match your needs. Joomla does not allow you to install templates and plugins from the admin area which allowed WordPress to win this ‘battle’.
Which CMS to choose?
Joomla may seem more flexible than WordPress. WordPress beats Joomla when it comes to use, community support, and plugin variety. Nevertheless, the content management system should be chosen according to the objectives of the client. If you have a website with basic interactivity like contact form and social media sharing and you don’t want to improve it, WordPress is for you.
In conclusion
For those who will be constantly customizing, modifying and adding tools to their website, Joomla is a better choice. Either way, before choosing any software, take a closer look at your business plan. Ask yourself the right questions! What kind of site do you want? A standard site with standard tools or do you have in mind a site requiring to restrict certain parts of your content to certain user groups offering for example a client access system or an intranet! This will help you make the right choice.
