WordPress is synonymous with blogging and content management in most people’s minds. To its credit, the platform lives up to its reputation in many ways. However, WordPress isn’t the only fish in the pond. Platforms like Joomla are close at WordPress’ heels, eyeing the top spot with competent features in their toolkits. In this article, we’ll cover both content management systems from a 360-degree perspective and come to a conclusion on the best choice for your brand. Without further ado, let’s get right into the specifics!

The Fundamental Appeal

WordPress, as most in the business would know, is the Swiss army knife of content management systems. With the right know-how, a WordPress user can curate a site that focuses on their requirements with pinpoint accuracy. The ample third-party app, plugin support, and user-friendly interfaces round out the WordPress suite, making it accessible even to people who can’t write a single line of code. What about the other contender?

Joomla occupies the same one-stop solution CMS niche as WordPress, albeit from a different avenue. The platform was envisioned with the idea of being a comprehensive CMS solution right from the get-go. Joomla banks on a more traditional coding operation model (HTML & PHP) to make the most of its toolkit. Don’t let the extra coding learning curve dissuade you from Joomla, for what this platform does, it does with aplomb, giving you full flexibility in website creation!

User-friendliness & Versatility

– WordPress has placed considerable emphasis on becoming more user-friendly and accessible to a wider audience in recent years. The only core knowledge you need is the core mechanics of blogging. Everything else is facilitated by the streamlined interface and plugin access. The “posts-and-pages” model lends itself well to any kind of site you seek to build, promoting unique versatility among CMS platforms.

– Joomla takes the higher road and positions all its services around a functional knowledge of coding. If you have prior experience with code, setting up a Joomla site should be relatively easy. In other cases, though, the UI/UX of the platform is not optimally seamless and requires a fair bit of navigation to figure out. Once you’ve got the hang of Joomla’s technical intricacies, you unlock its true versatility as a website builder.

Personalization & Creation

– WordPress is chock-full of customization options, thanks to the vast array of themes and plugin support. You can set up a professional site in a few easy steps, with no technical knowledge required. The Gutenberg editor makes for an intuitive content interface, and you can build upon your site with CSS acumen as required. Experimentation is encouraged through the seamless UI.

– Joomla packs a powerful selection of themes under the hood across various aspects of web design. It places complete freedom of selection in your hands. The implementation side of things leaves much to be desired, however. It’s not all plain sailing, because placing elements on the site is far more technical with position numbers. Joomla requires you to learn the ropes of its site-building mechanics before letting you take the wheel in earnest. The platform shines in its publishing infrastructure, keeping a minimal yet efficient UI/UX reminiscent of older WordPress versions. Sorting categories and posts all happens from one interface, for easy access.

The Verdict

To sum up, both WordPress and Joomla offer powerful CMS facilities for a multitude of site setups. The difference lies in their operations and accessibility. If you’re looking for a more beginner-friendly interface, you can’t go wrong with WordPress. Au contraire, if you’re a seasoned coding whiz looking for a more hands-on creation process, Joomla will go hand in glove with your skills. Which one would you choose for your site? Tell us in the comments!!