Joomla and WordPress are available source content management systems (CMS) that are popular for producing websites. WordPress tends to become user-friendly, convenient for smaller businesses and publications. Joomla is for experienced developers, suitable for much more intricate social sites with login portals.
When to Utilize Joomla
Joomla works great for community/social websites where users register accounts and login to socialize on your site. It comprises these community-level attributes by default, whereas WordPress and other web site platforms require plug-ins to set up this. Nevertheless, Joomla requires a great deal of technical experience to install, therefore it is not perfect for simpler websites.
When to Use WordPress
WordPress offers the”best of both worlds”—a simple visual site editor that may be used by novices and a more high-level platform for the programmer. It also has the most active community, offering over 50,000 paid and free plug-ins. This means you’re more likely to find a particular feature or integration with WordPress than any other website platform.
How To Setup Joomla or WordPress
The two Joomla and WordPress are known to be quite complex systems. So we’ve created a simple route for our subscribers to simplify the procedure. To begin with, install hosting via Bluehost, which permits you to install both WordPress and Joomla in a single click. Then, if you select WordPress, use one of our free business topics to rapidly design your site with no programming or graphic design experience required.
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Joomla vs. WordPress: Key Differences
| Joomla | WordPress | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting Cost | $2.95/month (through Bluehost) | $2.95/month (through Bluehost) |
| Editor Ease of Use | Difficult: Frequently requires professional expertise and/or custom coding | Moderate: Visible website designer May Be Used by non-experts |
| Plug-ins | 8,000+ free and paid extensions | 50,000+ free and paid plug-ins |
| E-commerce | Create an online store using VirtueMart expansion
Whilst technically free, VirtueMart requires a lot of paid features and Isn’t consistently updated |
Make an Internet store using WooCommerce expansion
Lots of free & free tools available; new shop features Are Often added |
| Support | 24/7 phone & live chat support (via Bluehost) | 24/7 phone & live chat service (via Bluehost) |
| Where to Acquire | Bluehost | |
Now we’ll explore all these topics in greater detail, beginning with price:
Joomla vs. WordPress: Price
Joomla and WordPress are equally free open source platforms. While they don’t technically require a purchase to use them, you need to cover hosting and a domain name so as to prepare a site. Additionally, there are optional costs for topics and plug-ins/extensions, which include more functionality to your website.
Here’s a Summary of all the various Joomla and WordPress prices:
Hosting Costs: $3 — $20/month
Hosting for WordPress and Joomla is inexpensive compared to other site builders. With Bluehost, you can get everything you want starting at $2.95/month. This includes a domain name with SSL encryption, unlimited bandwidth, and up to five company email accounts.
Upgraded hosting programs like VPS hosting ($20/month) or dedicated server hosting ($80/month) give you more speed, storage and dependability. However, these upgrades are only necessary when you start getting a lot of traffic—over 10,000 visitors per month roughly. Bluehost also makes it easy to update later without interrupting your website service.
Domain Costs: $0 — $16/year
Along with web hosting, you want a domain name for your website—that the www.YourSite.com. Bluehost provides a free domain for a single year when you sign up for one of their hosting packages, afterwards charging $15.99annually. It is possible to use the tool below to determine that. Com domain names can be found:
Theme and Extension/Plug-in Prices: $0 — $200+
Along with hosting, both Joomla and WordPress cost extra for specific topics and plug-ins. Themes are site templates that provide your site a specific style, while plug-ins are added tools and integrations you can add to your website.
A good deal of themes and plug-ins are available for free (especially for WordPress). WordPress has a far larger community of programmers, which will lead more free and free tools. 1 example is Fit Web Themes—a series of business WordPress themes made by people at Fit Small Business. It is a way for our readers to look for a super sharp business site without requiring any programming or graphic design experience. Plus it doesn’t cost anything extra.
Should you want to pay extra for certain attributes, pricing is quite similar between Joomla and WordPress. Premium topics and plug-ins range from $20 to $200+.
Joomla vs. WordPress: Designing a Site
As content management systems, Joomla and WordPress operate in rather similar manners. To design a website, you first install a theme to act as a foundation for your website. Then, add plug-ins (or extensions, as they are called in Joomla) to receive all the additional features you want. Last, you’re slice everything together and add your site content.
The main distinction is that WordPress has made strides to be more user-friendly, whilst Joomla remains rudimentary. WordPress uses a visual editor, so you may observe how different fonts, widgets and logos show up on your website in real time. Additionally, a great deal of features are offered by default, so that you typically won’t need to install new plug-ins unless you are adding something pretty unique.
Joomla, by contrast, uses text-based menus which aren’t as simple to navigate. Likewise, as we’ll explain next, a lot of basic features will need to be installed separately.
Joomla Website Editor
Joomla websites start out quite bare bones, and demand a bit of work behind the scenes to begin resembling a website.
Characteristics like internet search bars, navigation menus, and image sliders are called modules. Each of them need to be set up separately (except for a few that are included by default) and then set upon the Module Manager. To correct settings like colors, logo and fonts, you’ll use a separate menu called the Template Manager (pictured below).
Joomla’s fashion editor is a menu that is secondhand. To preview changes, you must click”Save” and refresh your site.
Source: Protostar Template
While the process is a bit more difficult compared to WordPress, it does have a few advantages. Modules can normally be put anywhere on the site, providing more flexibility to your site’s formatting. Additionally, Joomla includes a login module by default, which allows people to sign up an account, then login to access additional features. While WordPress may also encourage using plug-ins, Joomla makes it simpler to set up and allows it to be integrated more naturally into your website.
WordPress Website Editor
The WordPress dashboard is all around more user-friendly than Joomla. For one, most of the qualities that you’ll want are included by default. However, if not, it’s quite simple to browse for new plug-ins right from the dashboard.
Testing occurs mostly on the Customization menu, which means you aren’t constantly shifting through windows. Contrary to Joomla, the theme editor is visual, so letting you preview your site as you make modifications.
WordPress site editor: Change settings on the left, and see your website update in real time.
Featuring Fit Web Topics: Salon Edition.
But what’s perhaps best about WordPress is that it can be used both ways. Like Joomla, you can construct a complex, interactive website using plug-ins. Or, opt for a very simple business template, where all you have to do is input your business info and photos.
In Fit Small Business, we assembled three WordPress themes that fall into the latter category, including Fit Web Themes Business Edition, Restaurant Edition, and Salon Edition (pictured above). They’re available free to our readers, and you’re able to see samples and directions using the links above.
Joomla vs. WordPress: Plug-ins
Both Joomla and WordPress supply many community-developed plug-ins (or”extensions” on the Joomla platform)—add-on tools which provide more functionality for your site.
Some instances include contact types, social websites feeds, and SEO tools. Or, plug-ins can be used to incorporate other business systems. For example, a restaurant might want to integrate their ordering and reservation systems, a salon their appointment booking, or a retail store their stock program. In these cases, the plug-in lets people interact more substantially with your small business and reduces the manual data copy on your end.
Joomla and WordPress are pretty even in this class: They have thousands of plug-ins readily available, and generally encourage many distinct providers in a given category, such as email advertising. WordPress does take the cake, however, because of the sheer numbers: You will find over 50,000 plug-ins available in contrast to 8,000 for Joomla.
Joomla Plug-ins/Extensions
- Over 8,000 extensions covering a Massive Selection of industries/categories and specialized purposes
- Approximately half are available for free
WordPress Plug-ins
- Over 50,000 plug-ins covering practically every industry and business use case
- Most are offered free, with optional paid updates
Joomla vs. WordPress: E-commerce
Both Joomla and WordPress allow you to create online stores using their free e-commerce add-ons: VirtueMart for both Joomla and WooCommerce for WordPress.
The 2 tools are alike because they’re free to install, you can sell unlimited products without store fees (besides the typical transaction fees), and they’re highly customizable, permitting custom templates and add on features.
The vital difference is that WordPress/WooCommerce offers far more features and integrations, and many are offered for free. By way of example, you may put in a free USPS/Canada Post shipping calculator, use a completely free tool to make Facebook ads with a visitor’s previously-viewed goods, or establish a subscription charging platform for another fee. VirtueMart charges for their USPS calculator, and doesn’t supply any Facebook ad or subscription billing tools that I could find.
Joomla E-commerce (VirtueMart)
- Free to install, templates begin at $50
- Sell unlimited products with no store charges
- More than 200 extensions in their official database, with charging a commission
- Payment integrations comprise Stripe, Authorize.net, PayPal and 14 other people
WordPress E-commerce (WooCommerce)
- Free to install, both free and paid templates accessible
- Sell unlimited products with no shop charges
- Practically 300 extensions in their official database, ranging from free to $299
- Payment integrations comprise Stripe, Square, Authorize.net, PayPal, PayFast and about 100 others
Have a look at our full guide on the best way best to create a WooCommerce shop.
Joomla vs. WordPress: Customer Support
The two Joomla and WordPress are free open source programs, so there isn’t a single company that provides customer services. Alternatively, you will have separate support stations for your hosting, themes, and plug-ins/extensions.
Bluehostour recommended host provider, has phone and email support and is available 24/7. They will be able to answer queries related to hosting, linking your domainname, and setting up WordPress or Joomla–but generally nothing more special.
While this makes it somewhat more difficult to get on the telephone with someone compared to other website builders, there are a lot more free tools out there for WordPress and Joomla. In particular, WordPress has a massive community forum where you can find answers to any question. In addition, most topics and plug-ins will get free coaching resources that will help you get things up and running.
The Bottom Line
When it comes to deciding between WordPress and Joomla, WordPress is generally a better decision because it’s really much simpler to work with without lacking any advanced functionality. Even when you’re hiring somebody else to create your site, WordPress will be far less difficult to jump in and edit should you need to make a quick shift. With Joomla, you’ll be reliant on experts for much longer.
To begin with WordPress, make sure to check out the free topics developed by us at Fit Small Business, such as Business Edition, Restaurant Edition and Salon Edition. They feature slick, contemporary business designs, and are extremely easy to use in comparison to most WordPress themes.
