Last Updated on April 20, 2020

Since one month ago, I’ve developed a new passion which is growing bigger everyday: I like Joomla!, the free CMS system that seems to be driving a lot of high-traffic authority websites such as Linux.com. I still have most of my websites running on WordPress, but the next web properties I’m going to develop are going to be Joomla-based.

Actually, there’s no difference between WordPress and Joomla from the visitor’s point of view. It’s just the administrative stuff is different. Otherwise, I’m pretty sure that both CMS solutions are exposed to attacks, just like every other free script that any hacker can download, reverse-engineer, then use that knowledge to insert malicious code in nice people’s websites. Likewise, both systems can allow the building of a highly successful web property, because both of them are flexible and backed-up by teams of good developers. This is the reasoning behind my choice of switching to Joomla:

  • Joomla has built-in components that make handling communities much easier than WordPress. It’s true that bbPress can be a good solution for developing a community of members on a website, but bbPress needs special attention in order to have it integrated in the overall look of an already established website. Joomla just takes new modules and dress them in the same layout, without the need of too much coding.
  • Joomla templates have a very stylish look and there are many of them which look fabulous even in their free version. WordPress themes, on the other hand, are also beautiful, but it’s hard to find really good looking ones if you’re not willing to pay.
  • The freelancer developers community seems to be much bigger around Joomla than around WordPress. For instance, the newest component for Joomla, K2, is supported by a dedicated and motivated team, so there’s an extra reason to use it on long-term web properties. I’ve never seen such a community around a WordPress plugin.
  • Last, but also important, is that Joomla has the possibility to clone a site with all its functional features in as little as 10 minutes, so if you intend to build multiple sites, Joomla can help you be more efficient. Just setup your general frame with all add-ons, then have it cloned in almost no time.

Yet, the real challenge is keeping quality up, if you’re handling too many sites at once, be it you make them with WordPress, Joomla or the good old html tables.