Open source content management systems have been a force of change on the web. They have enabled scores of people to build and maintain their own web presences. Over time, WordPress, Joomla and Drupal have emerged as the most popular.
As PHP-based open source projects, these three systems have a lot in common of how they approach building websites. At the same time, there are a lot of differences, making them ideal for different target groups.
To help you make that decision, let’s quickly summarize the above:
WordPress — Beginner friendly and allows you to get started quickly. Even without any coding experience you can still build a highly functional website suitable for large amounts of traffic. The WordPress platform is customizable, secure, SEO and mobile friendly, easy to localize and collaborate on as well as easy to pass on to clients. It also has by far the largest community and ecosystem but can be a challenge to scale.
Joomla — If you are looking for a middle ground between out-of-the-box power and user friendliness or a good option for social networking and e-commerce, Joomla might be the one for you. It has a steeper learning curve, smaller ecosystem and is less SEO friendly, however, it’s still a very solid option used by big brands.
Drupal — Finally, if you are aiming to build huge sites with extensive features and unlimited customizations, Drupal may be the way to go. It offers a lot out of the box and is built for performance, however, at the same time it is absolutely not suitable for beginners. For that reason, you either need the budget to hire a developer or the time to learn the ropes, including coding.
As PHP-based open source projects, these three systems have a lot in common of how they approach building websites. At the same time, there are a lot of differences, making them ideal for different target groups.
To help you make that decision, let’s quickly summarize the above:
WordPress — Beginner friendly and allows you to get started quickly. Even without any coding experience you can still build a highly functional website suitable for large amounts of traffic. The WordPress platform is customizable, secure, SEO and mobile friendly, easy to localize and collaborate on as well as easy to pass on to clients. It also has by far the largest community and ecosystem but can be a challenge to scale.
Joomla — If you are looking for a middle ground between out-of-the-box power and user friendliness or a good option for social networking and e-commerce, Joomla might be the one for you. It has a steeper learning curve, smaller ecosystem and is less SEO friendly, however, it’s still a very solid option used by big brands.
Drupal — Finally, if you are aiming to build huge sites with extensive features and unlimited customizations, Drupal may be the way to go. It offers a lot out of the box and is built for performance, however, at the same time it is absolutely not suitable for beginners. For that reason, you either need the budget to hire a developer or the time to learn the ropes, including coding.
