How to Choose Your CMS? (WordPress, Joomla or Drupal?)

Setting up a website has become quite a simple and easy process these days. 

The main difficulty today is choosing the right content management system (CMS) for your needs. In this article, we will answer this simple question: “Which CMS (Content Management System) to choose for your project?”

We will take a look at the three main CMSs: WordPress, Drupal and Joomla. For each of them, we will discuss their specific strengths, weaknesses and added functionality when using them.

What is a Content Management System (CMS)

CMS is the acronym for Content Management System. A content management system is an application that facilitates the publication and management of content on the web in an intuitive and organized way (something like a platform that you own).

Thanks to this system, you can easily create, edit and organize a website without the need for deep technical knowledge. The CMS offers you a user-friendly interface that simplifies the publishing process and allows you to create and update your website quickly and efficiently.

The Advantages of a CMS

Content management systems have several advantages such as:

• The Cost: Several CMS are free, so go for the Open Source CMS.
• Accessibility: CMS are accessible from any internet browser. Whatever your preferred browser, you will access it without any worries.
• Simplicity: Managing a website with a CMS does not require programming knowledge.
• Time saving : CMS work with templates, or themes. You can build your site and change its look with free or paid templates. These templates allow a quick integration of your site and your content.
• SEO: Content management systems have several extensions (plugins) that can help you optimize your website for SEO without much hustle. Even without prior knowledge, these extensions will help you know and understand the elements required for your SEO optimization.
• Features: As said before, CMS have a whole universe of additional plugins (free or paid). These will allow you to add all the features you want for your site.
• Security: The CMS are regularly updated, so they are continually improved and also protected from the hazards present on the web (hacking). Although they are open-source, they are very secure.

The Disadvantages of a CMS

Like everything else, content management systems also have drawbacks. Here are a few :

• Implementation: Even if the use of a CMS can be simple, its implementation requires the intervention of a professional who has some skills and can help you setup things in no time. The CMS installation solutions integrated with some hosts are not always relevant (old version, localized language missing, etc.).
• Customization: Thanks to templates, your site will be quickly created because the design is already done. However, your site will not be unique and will look like many other sites using the same theme. To customize your site you will need CSS.

5 Reasons Why You Should Build Your Website With a CMS

• Ease of access and collaboration: Unlike other website building options, CMSs have a wide variety of simple interfaces that are easy for everyone to understand and use. They also have multiple access features that allow different users to access and run different projects on your website. Multiple people can add, edit, or even update content on your website with their individual accounts. You can also assign different levels of permissions to each user (e.g. some users can only edit blog posts, others can edit everything, etc.) All content is stored in one place in the CMS, which makes it easier for multiple users to access all data anytime and anywhere.
• Little or no programming experience is not a problem: The main objective of the content management system is to allow everyone to create and have a website with little or no programming knowledge. With simple Microsoft Word-like content editors for writing content and an easier way to upload images, you’re at ease with your website. Just fill out a form and the system will create pages for you.

• Lower overall cost and maintenance: Imagine hiring a developer every time you want to make a change to your website and paying them for every little change they make for you. Sometimes these changes even take several days to appear. CMSs cost less because you’re not starting from scratch and updates are available almost immediately, saving you time and money.
• SEO tools and plugins: CMS comes with SEO-friendly components and also helps generate a sitemap for your site, which improves your search engine rankings. This doesn’t remove the need for a marketing team but helps to put in place basic SEO strategies for the benefit of your site. Web page titles, meta descriptions, alt tags, and everything else needed to best optimize your website for Google and other major search engines are made available and presented to you. In addition, these functions in the form of plugins are updated regularly to adapt to any changes that could affect your ranking on the major search engines.
• Security: This is one of the most dreaded issues by website owners, especially e-commerce site owners, but also by users. However, content management systems are constantly tested by a host of developers and IT professionals in an effort to protect users against all potential security threats . In addition, various plugins and tools are available and are also individually designed for the security of your website.

Which CMS to Choose?

To answer this question, we will study the strengths and weaknesses of the three main CMS, namely: WordPress, Drupal and Joomla.

WordPress

WordPress is a great tool for anyone who wants to create a website, blog, or other web application without any web development experience.

It is a free and open-source content management system (CMS) that has become the preferred choice of millions of website owners worldwide. Founded in 2003, WordPress has become one of the most popular website building platforms, powering over 40% of all websites online.

You can choose from a wide range of customizable themes and plugins to tailor your site to your tastes. From a simple blog to a complex e-commerce site, WordPress provides the flexibility to design and build a website that meets your needs.

Thanks to its intuitive interface, anyone can easily create and manage a website.

Key Features of WordPress

• Intuitive layout and dashboard
• Site management and simplified page creation
• Management of several sites possible from the same dashboard
• More than 70 languages ​​available
• Proposal of hosts adapted to the platform

Advantages of WordPress

Here are some benefits of WordPress:

• Easy to use
• Requires no technical or coding skills
• Offers great customization
• Stronger community support
• SEO friendly

Disadvantages of WordPress

Here are some disadvantages of WordPress:

• It can be slow or resource intensive at times depending on hosting and configuration
• Additional costs related to hosting, themes and plugins
• Some compatibility issues with plugins and updates sometimes

Who can Benefit from WordPress?

WordPress is an excellent choice for users who do not want to have headaches when working on a website project. It is very easy to use, suitable for all types of websites, including online stores.

It is not as secure as its powerful competitor Drupal, nor as functional and modular as Joomla. However, WordPress is certainly the CMS that will give you a finished website very quickly.

Drupal

Drupal is an open-source content management system (CMS) created in 2001 by Dries Buytaert. Drupal is written in PHP and is based on databases such as MySQL or PostgreSQL.

It is very flexible and customizable, with an extensive library of modules and themes to enhance functionality and change appearance. It is the preferred CMS platform for creating complex websites such as e-commerce sites, social networks and government sites.

Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced developer, Drupal’s intuitive interface and advanced features allow you to create professional-looking websites without the need for advanced coding skills. 

Drupal provides the tools and resources needed to create an outstanding website for your small business or large corporation.

Key Features of Drupal

• Uses less system resources than competitors
• Highly secure system
• Easy customization, with its collection of themes and modules
• A wide selection of application programming compatible with the interface (API)
• Optimized for SEO

Advantages of Drupal

Here are some advantages of Drupal:

• Highly customizable
• Offers solid security
• Advanced features

Disadvantages of Drupal

Here are some disadvantages of Drupal:

• Hard to learn
• Limited user support
• Can be slow and resource intensive at times
• Requires more technical expertise

Who can benefit from Drupal?

This platform offers a powerful set of features for users with web development knowledge. If you are working on a site for your business that requires a high degree of security, Drupal is for you. The only question to ask is whether you have the time to devote to this CMS so that you can get the most out of it.

Joomla

Joomla is a powerful, free, and open-source content management system (CMS) that allows users to easily create and manage websites, blogs, and other online applications. 

Just like WordPress, you can still use Joomla, thanks to its user-friendly and intuitive interface, even if you don’t have coding or web development skills. 

It is also designed to be accessible to anyone wishing to create a website. Whether you are a blogger, a small business or a large corporation, Joomla is a reliable and flexible platform that can meet your needs.

Launched in 2005, Joomla has established itself as one of the leading CMS platforms ever since, with millions of websites using it worldwide.

Built in PHP and MySQL, Joomla offers an extensive collection of customizable templates, modules and plugins, providing endless options for designing and customizing your website. 

Main features of Joomla

• Faster loading of the site
• Easy interaction with social networks
• Presence of native support for multilingual sites
• Makes SEO easy without relying on third-party extensions
• Menu builder available

Advantages of Joomla

Here are some advantages of Joomla:

• Very flexible and customizable.
• Multilingual
• Robust Security
• Stronger community support

Disadvantages of Joomla

Here are some disadvantages of Joomla:

• Requires technical expertise
• Slow or resource intensive for large sites or high traffic sites
• Additional costs related to hosting, themes, plugins and templates

Who can benefit from Joomla?

If you are not attracted by WordPress nor by Drupal, you should be interested in Joomla. It offers more basic functionality and adaptability than WordPress, and it doesn’t require a mastery of site development like Drupal.

Comparison between WordPress, Drupal and Joomla

Ease of Use

WordPress is often considered the most user-friendly CMS platform due to its intuitive interface, simple content creation tools, and extensive customization options.

In contrast, Drupal and Joomla may require more technical expertise, especially for users who want to create custom content types or customize the platform extensively.

Personalization

The three CMS platforms offer many customization options to meet the specific needs of users, which made it possible to decide between them.

WordPress offers many themes, plugins and customization options that can be used without requiring advanced technical knowledge. On the other side, Drupal and Joomla offer more advanced customization options that may require more advanced technical skills to use effectively.

Security

Drupal is generally considered the most secure CMS platform of the three. It has been designed with a focus on security and has a robust security module that minimizes the risks from third-party modules and plugins.

Nevertheless, both WordPress and Joomla have a large community of users and developers who actively contribute to security measures and offer user support.

Support

It’s a draw as these three CMS platforms offer an exceptional user experience thanks to extensive official documentation and the support of active user communities.

Cost

In general, expenses related to the use of WordPress, Drupal and Joomla are comparable. The main variation is in theme and plugin spend, which can fluctuate based on platform and user needs.

Additionally, the cost of hosting and maintenance can fluctuate significantly, depending on the user’s needs and the level of service required.

Popularity

WordPress is the most popular CMS platform, with the largest market share, largest user community, and a number of third-party resources available.

Conclusion

In our comparisons, WordPress wins more points and can therefore be considered the winner.

However, do not choose it quickly. We advise you to do thorough research and assess your needs before choosing the right CMS for you. This will help you make sure you choose the CMS that will best help you achieve your website’s goals.

If you need any help with building your website don’t hesitate to contact us today. We run the best web agency in Montreal and we have over 10 years of experience in website development.