Nowadays we can find WordPress and Joomla like the best CMS options, both free, and both have the largest market. This article does not pretend to decide in favor of one or the other, I want to talk about the advantages and disadvantages of each content management system so that you can choose the one that best suits the web project you need to do. The final choice is in your hands, so it is very important that you talk with your client and tell you in detail what website he wants in terms of design and features. Perhaps, if you want to create only an online store, the best option is neither WordPress nor Joomla, but Prestashop.
WordPress features
WordPress advantages
WordPress is undoubtedly the most widely accepted for its simplicity, both in its management and when developing extensions to provide the web with more features. It has a large support community that will help us find solutions to the problems we need to solve.
Since version 3.0 WordPress went from being a blogging system to a very interesting option for any type of webs, but with some limitations and here is where we enter the disadvantages of this content management system.
WordPress disadvantages
If we need a more robust and complex website, WordPress has several limitations. By default the system has several shortcomings that we must make up for with external plugins, such as the installation of a translation system, a system to optimize the web for search engines, etc … These plugins, being external, must have a continuous support to ensure its functionality in each update of WordPress, which can not always be guaranteed.
Joomla features
Joomla advantages
Joomla is a more robust system, which allows much more complex web projects. In its default installation presents a translation system and user management with many possibilities. In addition, many of its extensions can be called applications by themselves, being able to coexist between them and be integrated in the same web under Joomla.
Joomla disadvantages
As it is a more robust system, its management can become complex as we find more advanced options, its learning curve is steeper, depending on the knowledge we have in web development.
In the past Joomla presented security problems, which affected its reputation, especially in version 1.5. The new versions have improved this aspect, but it is still a CMS that is not updated as often as it needs to be.