Both platforms are free, both are open source, and both can run a good website. The difference shows up later, when you need a feature, a fix or a person who knows the system. This Joomla vs WordPress guide uses figures we checked on the official sites in September 2026, so you can pick once and stay put.
Last updated 14 September 2026. Figures checked on w3techs.com, wordpress.org and joomla.org.
Quick answer
Choose WordPress for most business sites, blogs and stores: it is easier to run, has far more add-ons, and powers 40.3% of all websites.
Is Joomla better than WordPress for you? Only if you need many languages and detailed access levels built in, and a developer already runs the site.
Still deciding between Joomla or WordPress? Book a free call with a team that builds only on WordPress.
Joomla vs WordPress: the numbers that decide it
40.3%
WordPress: share of all websites
1.1%
Joomla: share of all websites
68,000+
WordPress: free plugins in the official WordPress.org directory
4,912
Joomla: extensions in the official Joomla Extensions Directory
13 Oct 2026
Joomla 5: the date regular bugfix support ends
WordPress vs Joomla: the basic difference
Two free CMS platforms, built for different owners
WordPress is free, open-source software for building websites. It started as a blogging tool and now runs shops, company sites and news sites. According to W3Techs, WordPress powers 40.3% of all websites. In this guide, WordPress means the self-installed version from WordPress.org.
Joomla is also a free, open-source content management system, released under the GPL. It ships with more settings in its core: access levels, translation packs and a template you can assign to each page. W3Techs puts Joomla at 1.1% of all websites.
So the Joomla or WordPress choice is less about price and more about who runs the site day to day. WordPress suits owners who want to make changes themselves. Joomla suits sites where a developer sets up a structure and others work inside it.
Ease of use: Joomla vs WordPress
The site you can update yourself, without calling a developer
You want to fix a price or add a photo on a Tuesday night without opening a support ticket. WordPress makes that simple: write in the block editor, or drag sections into place with a page builder such as Elementor. Joomla asks you to learn how menus, modules and template styles connect first. We build only on WordPress, and we say so up front.
Joomla
- Multilingual content works out of the box, with over 70 translation packs.
- Access levels and two-factor login come in the core.
- The official directory lists 4,912 extensions.
- Menus, modules and template styles take a new owner longer to learn.
- Joomla 5 sites lose regular bugfix support on 13 October 2026.
WordPress
- Edit pages in the block editor, or by dragging blocks with Elementor.
- Over 68,000 free plugins sit in the official directory.
- Minor and security updates can install themselves in the background.
- Six predefined user roles, from Super Admin to Subscriber.
- WooCommerce turns the same site into a store.
- Several languages or two-factor login need a plugin.
If ease decides Joomla vs WordPress for you, plan who looks after the site once it is live. Our WordPress website maintenance checklist lists the monthly jobs, so you know the work before you commit.
WordPress vs Joomla add-ons
More ready-made features, so you pay for less custom code
In Joomla vs WordPress, add-ons decide how much of your site someone builds from scratch. Every feature you can install is one you don’t pay a developer to build. The official WordPress.org directory holds over 68,000 free plugins, from contact forms to bookings.
Joomla’s official Extensions Directory lists 4,912 extensions. Good ones exist for forms, galleries and shops, and you still get far fewer choices for each job.
Fewer choices means that when an extension stops getting updates, you have fewer places to turn. Our list of free and premium WordPress plugins shows where we start on a new build.
Managing content: Joomla vs WordPress
Pages, posts and saved versions for a site that keeps growing
Your site grows one page and one post at a time, so the writing tools matter every week. WordPress splits content into pages and posts, sorts posts with categories and tags, and keeps a revision history you can restore from.
Joomla organises everything as articles inside categories. Its custom fields add 15 field types to articles, users and contacts, which suits structured content such as a staff list or a directory.
For a blog you plan to grow, the Joomla vs WordPress answer leans WordPress. Publishing a post takes fewer steps, and plugins add newsletters, related posts and SEO checks as you need them.
Joomla vs WordPress cost
Free software either way, so count the bill around it
Money worries come first for most owners, and the good news in Joomla vs WordPress is that neither platform charges for the software. Both are open source and free to download.
Your real costs are hosting, a domain, any paid add-ons and the hours someone spends on the site. On WordPress, a free plugin covers many jobs, so fewer hours go into custom work.
Weighing WordPress vs Joomla on price? Add up a full year of each, including the help you will need after launch.
Want a WordPress site without the tech work?
Stuck on Joomla or WordPress? Talk it through with a team that builds only on WordPress.
Joomla vs WordPress for SEO
Joomla vs WordPress SEO: more control over how Google reads each page
You want customers to find you on Google without paying for every click. Joomla gives you a fair start: its own site says its SEO tools are built in and ready out of the box.
WordPress goes further through SEO plugins such as Rank Math. You set titles, descriptions, sitemaps and redirects from one screen, and add schema: extra code that tells search engines what a page is about.
If search traffic is how you win customers, WordPress gives you more ways to be found. Our WordPress SEO team can set it up with you.
Pro tip
Before you compare Joomla vs WordPress SEO tools, list the five pages you most want to rank. Each one needs its own title, description and clean address, and on WordPress you can add schema to each one too.
Security: WordPress vs Joomla
Is Joomla better than WordPress on security?
A hacked site costs you calls, sales and sleep. Joomla deserves credit here: two-factor login and access control levels come in its core, with nothing extra to install.
WordPress needs a plugin for two-factor login. In return, most WordPress sites apply minor and security updates by themselves in the background, and you can pick from many tested security plugins.
So, is Joomla better than WordPress for security? Out of the box, Joomla has more locks on the door. Over time, the safer site is the one that gets updated, backed up and watched, and WordPress makes that routine easier to hand off.
Our WordPress security best practices guide covers what you can do yourself. To hand off the updates and backups, our WordPress care plans start at $49 a month.
Joomla hands you a stronger lock on day one. WordPress hands you a bigger team of people who can keep the house in order.
When Joomla or WordPress both fit
Where Joomla earns its place
So is Joomla better than WordPress anywhere? Yes, in two areas. Joomla’s multilingual tools work without a plugin, with over 70 translation packs for the core. A school, a club or a membership site with many user groups can set detailed access rights without adding anything.
Joomla also lets you assign a different template to different pages, and add custom fields to articles, users and contacts. If a developer already runs your Joomla site and it does its job, staying is a reasonable call.
Selling online: WordPress vs Joomla
A store that grows without a share of each sale
For online stores, Joomla vs WordPress starts with one gap: Joomla’s core has no shop, so Joomla stores run on third-party extensions from its directory’s e-commerce section. That works, and it leaves you with fewer store tools and themes to pick from.
WordPress sells through WooCommerce, a free plugin with no platform fee and no revenue share on your sales. Bookings, subscriptions and digital products can join the same site later. See how we build WooCommerce stores.
Joomla vs WordPress features side by side
Joomla vs WordPress at a glance: everything in one table
Joomla vs WordPress compared, checked 14 September 2026
Joomla
WordPress
Price of the software
Free, open source (GPL)
Free, open source (GPLv2)
Share of all websites
1.1%
40.3%
Official add-on directory
4,912 extensions
Over 68,000 free plugins
Editing
Article editor, menus and modules
Block editor, or drag and drop with Elementor
Several languages
Built in, over 70 translation packs
Through a plugin
Login security
Two-factor login built in
Two-factor through a plugin; background security updates
SEO control
Built-in SEO tools
Titles, sitemaps, redirects and schema through a plugin such as Rank Math
Online store
Third-party extensions
WooCommerce, no platform fee
Latest release
Joomla 6.1.3, 18 August 2026
WordPress 7.1, 19 August 2026
Best for
Multilingual portals run by a developer
Most business sites, blogs and stores
Joomla 5 and Joomla 6 support dates
On Joomla 5? Mark October 2026 in your calendar
You don’t want to discover a forced upgrade the week something breaks. Joomla’s own roadmap says regular bugfix support for Joomla 5 ends on 13 October 2026.
Security fixes for Joomla 5 continue a year longer, until 12 October 2027, and then stop.
That makes this year a natural moment to settle Joomla or WordPress: upgrade to Joomla 6, or move to WordPress while you rebuild anyway.
WordPress updates in smaller steps, and its minor releases can install themselves. Version 7.1 arrived on 19 August 2026.
Moving from Joomla to WordPress
Switch to WordPress without losing your content
If your Joomla vs WordPress answer is WordPress, a careful move runs in six steps. WordPress’s own import screen has no Joomla option, so a plugin does the heavy lifting.
1
Back up the Joomla site
Save a full copy of the files and the database before you touch anything.
2
Set up WordPress on a test address
Build the new site where visitors can’t see it yet.
3
Import the content
The free FG Joomla to WordPress plugin moves categories, articles, images and media. Users, menus and meta descriptions need its paid version.
4
Rebuild what doesn't import
Menus, forms and any Joomla extension features come back as WordPress pages and plugins.
5
Set 301 redirects
Point each old page address to its new one. Google advises keeping these redirects for at least a year.
6
Test, then switch the domain
Check every page, form and link before you point your domain at WordPress.
Moving a whole site? Our website redesign team rebuilds it on WordPress and moves your old content across.
WordPress vs Joomla: our verdict
Joomla or WordPress: which one should run your site?
Pick the platform that fits the business you plan to run in two years. So, is Joomla better than WordPress for that business? After this Joomla vs WordPress check, we pick WordPress for most small business sites. You can run it yourself, and a plugin exists for most jobs. Joomla fits a smaller group: multilingual portals with a developer already on hand.
Three example sites (made up, to show the thinking)
A tourism board publishing in six languages, with a developer on staff. Joomla. The translation tools and access levels are there from day one.
A dental practice that wants to edit its own pages and be found on Google. WordPress. Its team edits pages by dragging blocks, and an SEO plugin sets up every page.
A gift shop on Joomla 5 planning to sell online next year. WordPress with WooCommerce. The support date forces a rebuild anyway, and the store takes no platform fee.
Go with Joomla if…
- Your site runs in several languages and needs detailed access levels.
- A developer already runs it and will handle the Joomla 6 upgrade.
Our pick for most small business sites
Go with WordPress if…
- You want to update pages yourself, without a developer.
- You want the widest choice of plugins, themes and people who can help.
- Google traffic and a growing blog matter to your business.
- You plan to sell online with no platform fee on your sales.
Also weighing Drupal? Our Drupal and WordPress comparison covers the third option.
Picked WordPress?
What happens after you say yes
If WordPress wins your Joomla vs WordPress check, our team can handle the build and the upkeep. WP BigBang is a WordPress-only team with 500+ websites built.
1
We look at your current site, your pages and anything you want to add.
2
The right plan
Our Business website plan starts at $587, one-off, with a blog and the first year of hosting included.
3
Design and build
We design the site around your brand and build it on WordPress.
4
Your old content, moved
Leaving Joomla? Our redesign plans move your old content across.
5
Hand over
The files, the database and the domain are yours the day the site is finished. A care plan stays your choice.
Need a smaller site first? Our affordable WordPress website design plans start at $245 for 3 pages.
Curious why we chose WordPress for every build? Read why WordPress is our pick for a CMS.
Frequently asked questions
WordPress vs Joomla questions, answered
Is Joomla better than WordPress?
For most business sites, no. Joomla has stronger built-in tools for many languages and access levels. WordPress is easier to run, has over 68,000 free plugins, and powers far more of the web.
Joomla or WordPress: which is easier for beginners?
WordPress. You can edit pages in the block editor or drag blocks with a page builder such as Elementor. Joomla asks you to learn how menus, modules and templates connect before you change much.
WordPress vs Joomla: how many websites use each?
W3Techs reported on 14 September 2026 that WordPress runs 40.3% of all websites and Joomla runs 1.1%. Among sites that use a known CMS, the shares are 58.8% and 1.6%.
Is Joomla more secure than WordPress?
Out of the box, yes: this is the one round where Joomla is better than WordPress, with two-factor login and access levels in the core, which WordPress adds through plugins. Over time, security depends on updates and backups, and most WordPress sites install minor security updates by themselves.
Is Joomla still supported in 2026?
Yes. Joomla 6.1.3 came out on 18 August 2026. Joomla 5 gets regular bugfixes until 13 October 2026 and security fixes until 12 October 2027.
Joomla vs WordPress: which is better for SEO?
In Joomla vs WordPress SEO, WordPress gives you more control. Joomla has built-in SEO tools, while WordPress plugins such as Rank Math add schema, sitemaps and redirects you manage page by page.
Are Joomla and WordPress free?
Yes. Both are free, open-source software. You still pay for hosting, a domain, any paid add-ons and the help you need to run the site.
Can I move my site from Joomla to WordPress?
Yes. Back up the Joomla site, then import the content into WordPress with a plugin such as FG Joomla to WordPress. Rebuild menus and forms, and set 301 redirects: permanent forwards from each old address to its new page.
