Joomla vs WordPress: Which Is Better for You?

For most personal blogs and small online shops, WordPress is the easier and more common choice. Joomla suits sites that need more built-in structure, such as member areas, multiple content types or complex permissions. Both are free, open-source content management systems (CMS: software that lets you build and run a website without writing code). The better choice depends on what your site needs to do, who will manage it and how much technical work you are willing to do.

This guide compares Joomla and WordPress on the points that matter most to website owners: ease of use, design, security, SEO, support and running costs. It also covers an important change to Joomla’s support dates that affects anyone already running an older version.

Joomla vs WordPress at a glance

The table below gives a quick summary. Details follow in the sections after it.

What is Joomla and what is WordPress?

WordPress began as blogging software. It now runs many kinds of websites, including blogs, company sites, portfolios and online shops. Its core is simple, and most features come from add-ons called plugins. Designs come from themes.

Joomla is also a general-purpose CMS. It has more built-in structure for things like user accounts, access levels and organising content into categories. Add-ons are called extensions, and designs are called templates.

Neither platform is a specialist tool. Both can build a blog, a shop or a directory. The difference lies in how much you need to set up yourself.

Ease of use for beginners

For most beginners, WordPress is the easier starting point. Its dashboard is organised around pages, posts, media and plugins. Many guides, videos and paid and free add-ons are written for it, so you are rarely stuck for long.

Joomla is still manageable for beginners, but it asks you to understand more concepts early on. You will meet menus, modules, module positions and access levels. These give you control, but they take time to learn.

A simple test: if you mainly want to publish articles and a few product pages, WordPress will usually feel quicker. If you already know you need user logins, member-only areas or several content types, Joomla’s structure may save you work later.

Design, themes and templates

Both systems let you change how your site looks without editing code. The main difference is the size of the ecosystem around each one.

WordPress has a very large range of themes, and many of them are designed for specific uses such as blogs, shops or restaurants. You can preview and change themes from the admin area. Page builders (plugins that let you arrange layouts by dragging blocks) add further design control.

Joomla templates are built around module positions. A module position is a named area of the page, such as a sidebar or header, where you place modules like menus or login boxes. This gives experienced users precise control over layout. It also means you need to learn how the positions work before a template looks right.

Whichever you choose, check that the theme or template is still maintained, works on phones and loads quickly. A design that looks good in a demo can still be slow on a cheap hosting plan.

Security: what you need to do either way

Neither platform is secure on its own. Most break-ins happen because of out-of-date software, weak passwords or add-ons that are no longer maintained. Your choice of CMS matters less than how you maintain it.

Joomla includes built-in security features. These include user authentication and two-factor authentication (a second check, such as a code from your phone, when logging in). Joomla 6.1 added a Proof-of-Work CAPTCHA, which is a challenge that helps block automated form spam.

WordPress also receives regular core updates and has a large set of security plugins. Security plugins can scan for malware and limit login attempts. Use only one security plugin at a time, and choose one that is actively maintained.

For either system, the basic steps are the same:

1. Install updates for the CMS, your theme or template, and all add-ons.
2. Use strong, unique passwords and turn on two-factor authentication where it is offered.
3. Remove add-ons you no longer use.
4. Keep regular backups stored away from your website.

For more detail, read how to secure a WordPress website from hackers.

SEO: which one helps you rank?

Search engine optimisation (SEO) means making your pages easy for search engines to understand and find. Both platforms can produce SEO-friendly sites. Both offer control over page titles, descriptions, web addresses (URLs) and sitemaps (lists of your pages for search engines).

WordPress has a large number of SEO plugins, such as Yoast SEO, which add guidance while you write. This is a practical advantage for beginners. Joomla has built-in SEO settings for meta tags and URLs, and extensions can add more.

Good SEO depends more on the content, page speed and structure of your site than on the CMS. Focus on clear page titles, useful text, fast-loading images and a sensible menu structure.

Community, documentation and support

WordPress has a very large global community. You can find help in official documentation, support forums, local meetups and countless tutorials. This makes it easier to find an answer to a common problem.

Joomla also has an active community. It offers documentation, forums, events and training resources. Its community is smaller than WordPress’s, so you may need to search more carefully for solutions to niche problems.

When you choose a platform, check whether the add-ons you need are still updated, and whether the developer responds to problems.

Joomla’s support dates have changed

This is the most important recent change for anyone already using Joomla. Support for each Joomla version ends on a fixed date, after which it stops receiving fixes.

If your site runs Joomla 5, you should plan an upgrade to Joomla 6 before October 2027. If your site runs Joomla 4 or 3, it no longer receives security fixes and needs urgent attention. Dates are taken from Joomla’s official roadmap and may be adjusted by the project.

How to upgrade Joomla safely

1. Make a full backup of your files and database.
2. Test the upgrade on a copy of your site first, if you can. A staging site (a private copy used for testing) is ideal.
3. Check that your extensions and template support the new version.
4. If you are on a version below 5.4, update to 5.4 first. Joomla’s release notes advise against updating directly from older versions. Sites on Joomla 4 need to move to 5.x before 6.x.
5. Update to Joomla 6, then read the upgrade notes for the version you have reached.

WordPress requirements to check

WordPress 7.0 raised the minimum PHP version (the programming language engine that runs WordPress on your server) to 7.4. Sites on PHP 7.2 or 7.3 are no longer supported and will not be offered the update. The current official minimums are PHP 7.4 and MySQL 5.5.5 or MariaDB 5.5.5 (the database). Official recommendations are PHP 8.3 or later and MySQL 8.

To check your PHP version, look in your hosting control panel or ask your host. Updating to a current PHP version is one of the most useful things you can do for speed and security.

Running costs: what you will actually pay

Both Joomla and WordPress are free to download and use. The costs come from elsewhere:

• Domain name: your web address, renewed each year or so.
• Hosting: the server space that keeps your site online. Prices vary widely by provider and plan.
• Themes, templates and add-ons: some are free, and some are paid. Check the current price on the seller’s page, as prices change.
• SSL certificate: the encryption that puts the padlock in the browser address bar. Many hosts include one.
• Your time: updates, backups and troubleshooting.

Costs are similar for both platforms. Paid add-ons are common on both, so compare the total cost of the features you need.

How to choose: a practical checklist

Work through these questions before you decide:

1. What is the main purpose of the site: a blog, a shop, a portfolio or a members area?
2. How comfortable are you with settings and technical concepts?
3. Do you need user accounts, access levels or several content types?
4. Which add-ons do you need, and are they still maintained?
5. Who will update and maintain the site, and how often?
6. Are you starting a new site or already running an older Joomla version?

If you are unsure, test both. Most providers and many tools let you set up a trial site. Spend an hour creating a sample page with the features you need.

FAQ

Is Joomla or WordPress better for a small business website?

For most small businesses with a brochure site, a blog or a simple shop, WordPress is usually the easier option. Joomla is worth considering if you need detailed user access levels or a structured membership area.

Is WordPress more secure than Joomla?

Neither is automatically more secure. Security depends on keeping the CMS, themes and add-ons updated, using strong passwords and taking regular backups.

Can I switch from Joomla to WordPress later?

Yes, but moving content between systems takes planning. You will usually need to rebuild the design and check that your web addresses and redirects still work. Plan for this carefully, and keep a full backup first.

Do I need to upgrade my Joomla site now?

If you use Joomla 5, plan the upgrade to Joomla 6 before October 2027. If you use Joomla 4 or earlier, your site no longer receives security fixes, so upgrade as soon as you can.

Next steps

1. Write down what your site must do, such as selling products, taking bookings or publishing articles.
2. Check which CMS version you are using now, and if it is Joomla 5 or older, note the upgrade deadline.
3. Read Joomla vs WordPress for a small business blog if you are choosing for a business site.
4. If you choose WordPress, read how to choose a WordPress theme for your website before you pick a design.
5. Set up a backup routine and test that you can restore it before you make any major change.

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