You don’t have to be a master coder to build a powerful website. WordPress, Joomla, and Drupal have established themselves as the highest functioning, easiest-to-use content management systems (CMS). Use the following comparisons to determine which of these three systems is the best choice for your website.
Majority Rules: Which is the Most Popular?
Of the three systems, WordPress is the most popular with more than 140 million downloads. Joomla is second, but not a close second, with only 30 million downloads. And, Drupal remains the least popular despite its earliest release, with more than 15 million downloads.
WordPress’ popularity stems from its ease of use. It’s easily the best CMS for beginners, but it’s not the best for high-powered users or e-commerce sales. Drupal’s relative unpopularity stems from its difficulties. It’s not an easy CMS for new users, but it’s the most powerful of the three. In the middle is Joomla, which requires some coding, and is the best overall for e-commerce sites.
Which has the Best Themes?
WordPress has more than 2,000 free themes, and plenty more user-created free themes. Drupal has the second-most themes, with more than 1,800 free themes. Joomla trails both significantly, with 900+ free themes.
Despite offering so many free themes, it can’t be wholly determined that WordPress wins the themes battle… Not when Joomla’s themes are so versatile, and all of WordPress’ themes seem geared toward content. “…templates for Joomla will contain all the bells and whistles, which will help you tailor your site to a specific purpose,” according to a comparison article published on Sitepoint.com. “WordPress themes, on the other hand, mostly seem to be limited to a single purpose. If you aren’t a web designer, this makes it a little difficult to customize the theme to suit something that isn’t quite what you are aiming for.”
Drupal’s themes often require more customization. Drupal is downloaded by people who have a greater understanding of technical coding, and sometimes pre-made themes can limit these capabilities. There are themes available, but users are warned to make sure that the themes can be customized to your preferences after installation.
Which has the Most Free Plugins?
Drupal and WordPress have the most themes, more than doubling what Joomla offers. WordPress wins by offering more than 27,000 free plugins, but Drupal is a close second. Drupal offers more than 24,000 free plugins. Joomla trails significantly; offering more than 7,000 free plugins.
WordPress plugins are among the easiest to use and offer solutions to common issues, such as SEO solutions and content editors. Unlike WordPress, Drupal doesn’t require users to download and install a caching plugin. It has a really great caching system that is fully integrated right away.
When considering plugins, it’s a close tie between WordPress and Drupal. They both have amazing free plugins and features to offer.
Which Offers the Easiest Site Integration?
Site integration is a three-way tie. Each site has one-click installation availability, and each can be installed manually in ten minutes or less.
Site integration shouldn’t be the only consideration. It’s important to know exactly which skill level is right for you. If you don’t know technical coding, don’t bother with Drupal. You’ll find yourself lost in jargon, and unable to complete simple tasks. If you can handle a small amount of coding, and you need a fully functional site (not just in terms of content), then Joomla is the best option.
Joomla is the easiest CMS to use, and there are plenty of hosts that offer Joomla integration. Joomla is the most popular website software, especially among web hosts who praise its ease of use and ability to create beautiful e-commerce websites. According to Arvixe, “Joomla is one of the more popular content management software on the web. It allows you to quickly and easily start a website with very little technical knowledge by providing an administration panel to manage the website.”
When asked, “Joomla vs. WordPress, which is better?” Arvixe answered: “That is really up to individual preference.” The truth is, what you choose is based on your skill level and preference. So, use the information found here to inform you, but ultimately you’ll need to choose for yourself.
Featured image credit: ShutterStock
