CMS: Joomla vs Wordpress
What is a CMS?
Another terrifying piece of web-jargon! Not really. CMS, literally means Content Management System. Nowadays in the [consumer] web world, CMS websites are virtually the only type that exists. They are much more user-friendly and enable anyone (including technological Neanderthals) to access, create, remove and edit content on their website without having to sift through hundreds of lines of HTML. There are countless types of consumer-grade CMSs out there and you could even write your own, but in this article we’ll be looking at two of the most popular – Joomla and Wordpress.
Joomla and Wordpress are both open-source systems, which means they’re both totally free and are being built and upgraded by dedicated technicians and coders, as well as the general public.
This gives developers the chance to create plugins and components that will suit their needs – whereas closed source systems are only available to those who purchase them and core coding and support is not available for the public.
Being open source allows developers to seek advice and support from a large number of people – so when there is a problem or bug with a website, it is much easier to find a fix or answer compared to these closed-source alternatives.
Joomla
Advantages:
Capable of high functionality websites,
Powerful extensions, plugins and components,
Secure,
Perfect for complex and business websites.
Disadvantages:
Some functionality is hard to customise (may need a developer to set up or make changes),
Templates usually need to be created or customised by a developer.
Wordpress
Advantages:
Easy to use,
Countless free templates that are easy to install,
Countless plugins,
Perfect for blog websites,
Easy to navigate in administrator backend,
Easier [than Joomla] to customise templates.
Disadvantages:
Wordpress has issues with security,
Limited functionality.
Conclusion
In short, if you’re looking to create a website that you can update with news or blog articles – Wordpress is your guy. It doesn’t have a depth like Joomla but it gets the job done.
Joomla is a lot more powerful than Wordpress and includes a high level of functionality that Wordpress doesn’t see. Wordpress cannot match Joomla’s level of depth for menus, posts and categories.
If you’re looking to create a website by yourself and you don’t have much web development experience, Wordpress is what you want. Whereas if you want your website professionally built – look to Joomla for the extra functionality and power.
If you’re interested in previewing some websites for yourself, take a look at these – all made by Pixel To Paper:
Wordpress:
http://www.silenceisdeadly.com.au/
Joomla:
http://www.podpropertygroup.com.au/
Infographics on this topic:
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