Building a website can be challenging, especially if you’re considering a CMS-based website. When it comes to Content Management System (CMS), WordPress and Joomla are often the first two names that cross the website developer’s mind. Choosing between WordPress and Joomla can be quite complicated.
You’ll need to analyze your needs thoroughly to make the right choice. So, if you’re confused about the differences between the two, this comparison article will help you pick the right one for your needs.
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WordPress vs. Joomla: History and Overview
Both Joomla and WordPress are self-hosted, open-source CMS web-hosting platforms that have been in business for more than a decade. WordPress started as a blogging platform in 2003 before evolving into a multi-purpose CMS that powers more than 37% of all websites worldwide.
Joomla started in 2005 and is the second-most-popular CMS. It powers about 3% of all websites globally and holds 5.4% of the CMS market.
While WordPress continues to grow in terms of market share, Joomla’s market share has been dwindling gradually since 2010.
WordPress vs. Joomla: Ease of Use
Both Joomla and WordPress are simple to understand, even for beginners—but which one is better?
WordPress
Many people love WordPress for its straightforward and quick installation process. It can take you as little as five minutes to get your site up and running on WordPress. Once you log in, it won’t take you long to grasp the basics of the platform.
While there’s a learning curve involved, the platform is user-friendly, and you can navigate the admin area without hassles.
Joomla
Joomla’s installation process is similar to that of WordPress. Many hosting providers offer one-click Joomla installation software. However, Joomla can be more complicated for beginners.
The control panel that allows you to manage all the website elements isn’t well-designed for beginners. It will take much more time to understand Joomla’s control panel than it would take to learn WordPress.
Joomla vs. WordPress: Scalability
Both WordPress and Joomla allow you to scale your website with their wide selection of themes and plugins. The major difference is the number of plugins (WordPress) or extensions (Joomla) they offer. WordPress has much more to offer than Joomla in this regard.
WordPress has more than 54,000 free plugins, in addition to thousands of premium plugins. It also boasts more than 5,000 free website themes and thousands of premium options from third-party developers.
Joomla, on the other hand, has a library of more than 8,000 extensions. While there’s no official Joomla template library, you can find thousands of premium templates online from which to choose.
WordPress vs. Joomla: SEO Support
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is one of the integral components of a website. It affects your website rankings, structure, and user experience.
Both WordPress and Joomla have an impressive setup to help you add SEO elements to your website. WordPress has the Yoast SEO, perhaps the best SEO plugin you can find. Joomla has the EFSEO (Easy Front-End SEO) extension.
There’s also a wide selection of SEO-ready Joomla templates and WordPress themes. If you don’t have SEO skills, you only need to choose a template or theme that best suits your SEO needs.
WordPress vs. Joomla: Website Security
Both Joomla and WordPress are vulnerable to hacking. These vulnerabilities often come from outdated platforms and entry points created by adding third-party extensions and plugins.
Joomla and WordPress offer somewhat similar security features and support to curtail these vulnerabilities. The security features include security-based plugins and extensions, as well as regular updates.
WordPress also has a larger team working behind the scenes to ensure security, as well as many options for automated updates. Joomla offers plenty of information for its customers to help them keep their websites secure.
WordPress has a premium service known as WordPress VIP, which comes with a dedicated team to analyze your website and identify any weak areas in the code. Joomla doesn’t have a team to offer this kind of support.
WordPress vs. Joomla: Website Speeds
Joomla and WordPress offer plugins and extensions designed for caching, allowing users to optimize their website speeds.
WordPress also has a larger team of technicians working behind the scenes, ensuring that all website elements are up-to-date and that the websites are as fast as possible. What’s more, WordPress usually requires less computer power from servers, making it faster than Joomla.
When it comes to larger and more sophisticated websites, Joomla performs better than WordPress. Joomla will require less server usage than a WordPress site of the same size.
Final Thoughts
WordPress and Joomla each provide a simple and affordable way to build a website, and choosing between the two isn’t easy. Joomla tends to offer more flexibility than WordPress, thanks to its highly customizable system.
However, WordPress beats Joomla in terms of SEO and web security. It is also more user-friendly, and its popularity gives it an added advantage of offering users a more reliable support structure.