WordPress vs. Joomla - Which CMS is better?
In today's article, I compare the CMS WordPress and Joomla in the most important areas. This includes their suitability for search engine optimisation and the possibilities for web design. If you are currently deciding which CMS is right for you, then the following comparison is just right for you.
There are now numerous CMS on the market. CMS means Content Management System and stands for the ease of use of a website without programming knowledge. Our own website, which you are currently visiting, is a Joomla website.
Statistics: current market shares of content management systems (CMS)
Status: 2023-11-15
Regions: Austria, Germany, USA
Data source: W3Techs
| CMS | Austria, Germany | Austria Germany | USA |
|---|---|---|---|
| WordPress | 39,44% | 45,74% | 68,81% |
| Joomla! | 10,43% | 9,84% | 2,23% |
| Typo3 | 19,42% | 12,32% | 0,08% |
| Drupal | 2,92% | 3,22% | 3,22% |
| Contao | 4,11% | 3,72% | 0,01% |
| Wix | 3,72% | 3,41% | 7,01% |
| Squarespace | 2,42% | 2,13% | 4,72% |
| Shopify | 2,22% | 1,93% | 1,82% |
| Webflow | 1,83% | 1,54% | 1,22% |
WordPress, Joomla or another system - the comparison
The less market share a CMS has, the less I would advise you to use the system. You should stick with one of the top 5-10 systems. These are the market leaders for a reason. They are mature, stable and easy to use.
Very often we have had to rebuild websites in WordPress or Joomla because a CMS was previously used for which we could not find a programmer who could maintain this system. This costs the customer a lot of money and us a lot of nerves.
Here are 5 reasons in favour of the most popular CMSs - and therefore WordPress and Joomla:
- more extensions (plugins)
- more design templates (templates/themes)
- more agencies or programmers who are familiar with it
- easy handling for the website operator (updates, putting content online, backup, etc.)
- better suitability for SEO (search engine optimisation)
WordPress and Joomla are open source programmes. This has the advantage that they are free of charge and are constantly being further developed in terms of functionality and security. You are therefore well advised to use WordPress or Joomla.
- You can download WordPress here
- You can download Joomla here
Development of the market shares of WordPress and Joomla worldwide
Data sources: w3techs.com, kinsta.com
As can be seen, WordPress has steadily increased its market share over the years, while Joomla's market share has fallen over the same period.
But that doesn't say anything about whether one or the other system is more suitable for you.
In this comparison of the two systems, I'll explain which one might be better for you.
WordPress vs Joomla in comparison:
|
WordPress |
Joomla |
|
|
Suitable for beginners* |
3 |
2 |
|
Number of plugins |
55.449 |
8.500 |
|
Number of designs |
11.635 |
1.103 |
|
Security* |
3 |
2 |
|
Support |
2 |
2 |
|
Suitable as a webshop |
2 |
3 |
|
Suitable as a blog |
2 |
3 |
*1= very good, 5 = not good enough
WordPress vs Joomla for beginners - which system is better for beginners?
This question is just as difficult to answer as the question of whether Apple or Windows is better.
The members of our team also discuss whether Joomla or WordPress is better. For beginners, WordPress seems easier at first and Joomla a little more complex. However, once you have spent about 30 minutes with both systems in the administration (backend), you will realise that Joomla is just as simple as WordPress - in some areas even simpler.
To change a menu entry, for example, you will find the "Menu" area twice in the Joomla backend. In WordPress, this is hidden behind the Design menu item. No problem if you know where it is. However, you will have to search for it the first time.
Example Joomla:
Example WordPress:
To run a blog, on the other hand, Joomla requires some preparation(Joomla as a blog). With WordPress, you can get started straight away.
The reason for this is that Joomla only has "pages" to display its content.
WordPress has "pages" and "posts". Posts are blog articles. Pages are the normal content (e.g.: homepage or other static pages).
My tip: If you (also) want to run your website as a blog , then choose WordPress to start with. In all other cases, use Joomla.
WordPress vs Joomla - the first steps
Getting started with your website is very easy with both content management systems. Here is the rough process:
- You need a reliable web host. (e.g.: all-inkl.com, world4you.com, etc. )
- You need to install WordPress or Joomla there (this is particularly easy with all-inkl.com and world4you)
- Choose a design (template / theme) and install it on your WordPress or Joomla
- Create your menu items and content in the backend of your website
- That's it!
Both systems consist of a frontend (display the content) and a backend (where you can maintain your content or make settings). The login to the backend is always the following:
- For Joomla: www.domain.com/administrator
- For WordPress: www.domain.com/wp-admin
Dein Ansprechpartner:
Florian Prohaska - Co-Founder
Möchtest du mehr Kunden über das Internet gewinnen? Wir können helfen!
- SEO: Sichtbarkeit und qualifizierten Traffic durch gezielte SEO-Strategien
- Google Ads: Effektive Werbekampagnen für maximalen ROI.
- Webdesign: Professionelles Design, das deine Besucher beeindruckt.
- Webshops: Individuelle Lösungen für erfolgreiche Online-Shops.
- Content-Erstellung: Wertvolle Inhalte, die Interessenten überzeugen.
How good are the extensions / plugins for WordPress or Joomla?
WordPress is the clear winner here. WordPress is more widely used worldwide than Joomla. Its share of the global market is around 58.8 per cent. This means that there are more software developers and programmers who create free and paid extensions. WordPress currently has 55,449 plugins and Joomla around 8,500 plugins to choose from.
Both systems are very similar when it comes to programming plugins or extensions yourself.
What about security? Joomla or WordPress?
Joomla clearly wins here!
The widespread use and enormous number of plugins is more of a curse than a blessing for WordPress when it comes to security. Due to its widespread use, WordPress is the most popular target for hacker attacks.
Most attacks are successful due to vulnerabilities in the plugins. Given the large selection, it is not always guaranteed that the extensions are always kept up to date.
Tip: Check whether your WordPress plugins are regularly updated by the manufacturer before you install them. If this is not the case, I would leave it alone.
The best way to do this is on the plugin page at wordpress.org. Here is an example of the Yoast SEO plugin:
You can increase the security of both systems with the following tools:
To keep both systems as secure as possible, they must be updated regularly (at least once a quarter). This means updating the CMS, the template or theme and the extensions.
We are happy to offer you WordPress or Joomla maintenance. We carry out all maintenance, updates and backups so that your website is always secure and up-to-date. Want to know the price? Send us an email to
Which system has the better designs?
If we look at the number of available templates, WordPress wins. There are the following number of templates on the https://themeforest.net/ platform alone:
- For WordPress, there are 11,635 different themes to choose from
- For Joomla! there are 1103 different themes to choose from
The number of free themes on wordpress.org is almost endless. You can filter according to your needs and find the right design for almost every requirement.
Joomla used to have a reputation for poor-looking websites. This is no longer the case today. Both systems have so-called PageBuilders. These make it very easy to create a visually appealing and functional website.
- For Joomla, we recommend JoomShaper Helix 3 templates
- The Ava theme is very popular with WordPress.
Here is a video of how such a page builder works (Helix3)
Which system has more advantages in terms of SEO (search engine optimisation)?
As we are an SEO agency ourselves, this aspect is very important to us. Both systems have advantages and disadvantages. Here are a few examples of the disadvantages:
- Joomla has unsightly URLs (index.php/123-name)
- WordPress has no option to define meta descriptions without a plugin
- Joomla generates multiple URLs to the same content
- WordPress generates many URLs for "authors", "tags" etc.
You therefore have to work with plugins for both CMSs. Here are our recommendations:
- For Joomla, we recommend the Easy Front End SEO plugin and JCH Optimise for speed
- For WordPress, we recommend the Yoast SEO tool
Conclusion: Both systems are equally good or equally bad for SEO.
Support & help for WordPress or Joomla
WordPress is a company that wants to make a profit. It makes profits with its own blogging platform WordPress.com. The basic version is free. However, if you want to publish a little more than just the occasional blog post, you'll have to pay. You have to pay for extra design or functionality (plugins).
Joomla is a community that is not profit-orientated.
WordPress.com itself does not offer German-language support.
For the self-hosted version of the CMS, however, there is the German-language support page of wordpress.org
Joomla offers support through the community. For example through the joomla.de support forum.
There are also Facebook groups for both platforms where you can get support.
WordPress Facebook groups:
Joomla Facebook groups:
Simply join the groups and wait for confirmation.
Joomla and WordPress as a webshop? Which has more advantages?
In my opinion, WordPress wins here with its solution.
WordPress has an extension called WordPress WooCommerce to create webshops . You install this plugin on your WordPress system.
Here is a short introduction video:
The Virtue Mart plugin is available for Joomla.
Click on the image to see a demo shop.
This plugin is not so widespread and sometimes requires a lot of customisation.
If you are considering creating a website that will primarily be a webshop, then take a look at Shopify as a solution. If you would like to talk to a Shopify agency about which solution is best for you, I recommend the e-commerce consultants at A-Commerce.
WordPress or Joomla as a blog system
WordPress was originally a system for blogs. Joomla for websites. You can still feel this origin today. WordPress is ideal if you want to start a blog quickly. This is not so easy with Joomla. In this case, WordPress convinces with its system.
Here you can find instructions on how to turn Joomla into a blog system.
What our experts say about WordPress and Joomla
The topic is also discussed in our team and not everyone always agrees. I took the time to talk to the experts in our agency, Magdalena (web design) and Joachim (web development). Here are their answers:
3 questions to the web designer
Question: From your point of view, which CMS offers more freedom and possibilities when it comes to the design and visual design of websites?
Answer: With WordPress, you can quickly create unique and appealing designs without having to delve deep into the code. With page builder plugins such as Elementor or Divi, it is possible to create complex layouts visually without having to write code. Joomla also offers templates and extensions that allow some flexibility in design, but I find that the learning curve is a bit steeper, especially if you want to make customisations. For a project where I need to create a highly customised website for a client, WordPress would be the clear choice as I can quickly adapt the design while maintaining a high level of creativity.
Question: How would you rate the ease of use of WordPress and Joomla from an end-user perspective, especially in terms of content management and day-to-day website maintenance?
Answer: From an end-user perspective, I think WordPress performs better. The intuitive user interface makes it easy for non-technical people to create and manage content. WordPress has a large community and a wealth of resources, tutorials and forums that make it easy for new users to find support. Joomla is also user-friendly, but I have found that beginners need a little more time to familiarise themselves with the backend and the various settings options. In a project where the end user team consists of people who have little or no experience with CMS, I recommend WordPress to minimise the learning curve and simplify the administration of the website.
Question: With which CMS have you found it easier to create responsive designs that work well on all devices and why?
Answer: Both CMS's offer the ability to create responsive websites, but I find that WordPress is slightly ahead with a wider range of responsive themes and plugins. By using WordPress, I can quickly implement responsive designs for multiple projects that look and work well on all devices without the need for additional customisation. Joomla also offers responsive templates, but in my experience these sometimes require more customisation to achieve the same level of mobile usability that WordPress themes often provide out of the box.
3 questions for the web developer
Question: In your experience, which CMS offers greater flexibility in customising and extending features for specific project requirements and why?
Answer: In my experience, WordPress offers greater flexibility when it comes to customising and extending functionalities. This is mainly due to the huge selection of plugins and themes available for WordPress. There is already a plugin for almost every conceivable need. In addition, the active developer community is constantly supporting the development of new extensions. Although Joomla also offers extensions and templates, the variety and quantity is not quite as great as with WordPress. However, this does not mean that Joomla is not customisable, it still offers many possibilities, especially for websites that require a stronger structure or special functions.
Question: How do you rate the security features and maintenance effort of WordPress compared to Joomla from a developer's perspective?
Answer: Both CMSs have their own challenges in terms of security and maintenance. WordPress is more often the target of attacks due to its popularity, but my personal experience has been that both systems can be operated securely as long as you follow security best practices, perform regular updates and use secure hosting services. In terms of maintenance, WordPress can be a little less of a hassle due to its ease of use and automatic update feature, especially for users without a technical background.
Question: What experiences have you had in developing scalable websites with WordPress and Joomla and how do you rate the performance and scalability of these two content management systems in comparison?
Answer: In the course of my career, I have developed websites with both WordPress and Joomla that were scaled for large numbers of users. The choice between the two depends on the specific requirements of the project. WordPress is very powerful and scales well, especially when combined with professional caching solutions and a robust hosting setup. Joomla also offers good possibilities for powerful and scalable websites and is particularly suitable for complex websites with lots of content and customised functions. Joomla's architecture can allow finer control of performance in some cases. Ultimately, the performance and scalability of both CMSs depends heavily on the quality of the code, the hosting environment and the implementation of performance enhancement measures.
WordPress or Joomla - Conclusion
If you run a business and have a website created for you, then it doesn't matter whether you have WordPress or Joomla developed. Both systems can be learnt quickly in terms of maintenance and operation.
If you want to build your website yourself, you have to make a decision. Why don't you watch a few YouTube videos? Then simply decide which system appeals to you more. Which do you feel is better?
As you have noticed, it is impossible to say which CMS is the better one. Both have advantages and disadvantages.
If you don't want to create your website yourself, we will be happy to create it for you. We will advise you personally on whether WordPress or Joomla is better for you. Send us an email to
Any questions?
If you have any further questions on the topic or would like professional support, feel free to get in touch with us. Send an email to office@ithelps-digital.com, call us at +43 1 353 2 353, or reach out for us on our contact page.
