About a decade ago, I worked with an interactive agency and one of the add-ons to our offerings was what we called an admin tool. We sold these left and right because there was a need for business users to update content, such as adding copy/images or introducing a new product, and they didn’t want to rely on an actual developer for these minor edits.
Since that time, Content Management Systems (CMS) have replaced those types of admin tools. In fact, CMS has allowed many business owners to self-serve so even the least tech savvy users can get by with little to no help. I’m not saying that we can cut professionals out completely but the point is, almost anyone can have something — how good it is is another story. (A perfect example is that anyone can use a pencil but the actual picture drawn with it can vary drastically depending on the skill of the user.)
There are so many CMS choices today: from free (Posterous) to low monthly fees (Typepad – under $10/mo.) to crazy expensive (Vignette – over $200,000!!!). What I’d like to do with this article is compare some of the more popular free CMS offerings: WordPress, Joomla, and Drupal. Keep in mind that when I say ‘free’, although you’re not paying for the CMS platform, there may still be costs such as domain name registration, hosting provider fees, and maybe even some design and development investment.
I know, here comes the peanut gallery about WordPress being a CMS. It’s like saying Excel is a database which is always open for interpretation and interesting arguments (I’m on the side that Excel is a database, even though it’s not a relational databse). Sure, WP started as a blogging platform but it has evolved into a pretty robust CMS over the years. So much so that when small businesses look for a CMS for their websites, WP is often on the list of potential candidates!
WordPress
Why it’s awesome
It doesn’t get any easier than this! If you’re looking for something that’s realtively simple to use, read no further. That said, you still have to know your way around admin interfaces a little bit. And if you want to make your site look different from the plethora of cookie cutter ones, get ready to do some fine-tuning. The best part is the incredible number of plugins that are at your disposal and the vast support community that can help.
Why it fails
WP isn’t a great tool if you’re looking to have total control like you would with a blank sheet of paper. It starts you with a framework to build off of, which is a great thing for some, a not-so-great thing for more techie folks. It’s also not as mature when it comes to ecommerce as Joomla and Drupal.
Joomla
Why it’s awesome
Joomla gives you a lot more customization options than WP with just a slightly greater learning curve.
Why it fails
The development community is lacking compared with WP and Drupal. The good news is that you don’t have to be as technical as someone who uses Drupal. The bad news is that if you’re stuck, it’s possible you’re on your own.
Drupal
Why it’s awesome
This platform can do just about anything and has an amazing support community.
Why it fails
You better be willing to pay for a tool that can do anything. Not in money but in time! Drupal requires a bit more technical knowhow than Joomla and it’s a mountainous technical gap from WP.
CMS Wrap-Up
It’s impossible to pick a winner here since it really depends on your needs.
In short, how savvy are you? In order of simplicity, WordPress is probably best for the “every-man”. Joomla is for those who are a bit braver, looking to do a bit more, and have graduated beyond minor code edits. Leave Drupal for the advanced folks who are looking for a challenge who also happen to be control freaks.
I am a business professional
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very excellent comparison, i like to select the joomla for some big projects but wordpress is also good for the small business website.
i use joomla for my site and i found it is very easy in use and understand. i can manage my website very easy with help of joomla.
I have used only the wordpress and having little knowledge on Joomla. I will say WordPress wins because it reached to every small bloggers.
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Excellent article. I am very glad that got to your site. Now I’ll go regularly.
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I support WordPress. i am using it and i like it most i found wordpress very easy in use and all the plug ins are very easily
i dont know much about all this but my site is developed in drupal and i am happy with my developer who ask me to develop my site in drupal it is working good
I had this debate and i was very stressed but after reading your article I am more confident over WordPress. Thank you Gabe, take care.
Mr.P
Only 5?
Egad. I’m not exactly sure how many I have. Between 20 and 30 I think.
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If Excel is a database, an argument could well be made that any, structured, parseable text file could be considered a database. Just not relational of course.
So, is WordPress a CMS? I used to say “No way.” It has almost no real management capabilities, like versioning, auditing, role and group definition and control, etc. Stuff I would consider critical.
However, it’s nothing I care to argue about, so, I just agree these days.
In the end, what CMS means is what everyone thinks it means, so it’s not really even worth arguing about.
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Pretty astute post. Never thought that it was this easy after all. I have spent a good deal of my time looking for someone to clarify this subject clearly and you’re the only person that ever did that. I really appreciate it! I look forward to reading more from you!
Here is an interesting question about the comparison. I know Joomla is very powerful and has great potential, especially in the construction of multi-functional site. With WordPress it more realistic if you use just put up a blog. I think wordpress win simply because it is free and it is just as funtional as joomela and drupal. WordPress also has plugins and themes and heaps of them and they are free. Thank you for sharing this useful information with our readers. I will go back to your site.
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There is no one best anything, especially CMS. It comes down to your needs, resources, business requirements, etc.
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Pretty astute post. Never thought that it was this easy after all. I have spent a good deal of my time looking for someone to clarify this subject clearly and you’re the only person that ever did that. I really appreciate it! I look forward to reading more from you! d
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I think that Word Press will win? because it is the platform is easy to operate and learn
yes, me too, only used wordpress to build a blog about my avitodvd software, I think I will try Joomla and Drupal, because wordpress have some weakness. I will go back once I used them.
This is very interesting question …i like joomla because Joomla is a free and open source CMS or content management system for publishing content on the World Wide Web and intranets.
definitely wordpress !!!
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When I found WP (or did it find me) I thought my whole blogging world had turned around. I started off with Blogger and was terrified that when I exported it to WP that I would end up wrestling with some techie type of glitch … it was such a smooth transition!
This summer (during my summer sabbatical) I learned of both Joomla and Drupal
… what I gather about Joomla is that it is easier to set up big picture, dramatic effect type of sites, almost like posters. Interestingly the person who introduced me to Joomla is now familiarizing himself with WP. It seems that each has different strengths which do not rely on hard coding.
Now drupal is another story … as a JV partner in a new online venture I have been introduced to drupal, and will be doing some work in the admin office, but not before a programmer put the whole thing together. Due to the complexity of the venture I understand the choice but am also super glad that the programmer is on a retainer and there to make sure the wheels keep churning.
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Thanks for all the depth! Now you need to write an article about your experiences on all three!
As far as I know, in the West are very fond of WP. (;
It really indeed depend on one’s needs, but I liked how you rated all three of them by expertise, wordpress – joomla – drupal.
I’m personally using wordpress for blogs and drupal for bigger projects.
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I love WP and drupal is Ok but joomla I never like. WP rocks !!!
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Not had the chance to use Drupal yet, but once I got my head around it, Joomla is an incredible bit of work that rarely leads to the frustrations of, say, building for Zen Cart.
And it has that rare thing for a CMS system – a nicely designed back end.
As a rule, if someone wants a blog, I use WordPress. For any more complex sites, I use Joomla. I know both can be used for a CMS, but WordPress still does focus on the blogging side, and conversely, blog components for Joomla are pretty awful compared to WordPress.
I have done quite a bit in Joomla, and although the support isnt quite as good as WP it still is a good product!
I ever use wordpress and drupal, but Joomla,
WordPress is best, there are many free plugins and easy to use
I am voted for WordPress, It’s the best
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I gave up of Joomla because there is just so much to learn and I don’t have the time. WordPress on the other hand is simply, if I (a techno-phobe) can use it so can anyone else.
Never thought that it was this easy after all. I have spent a good deal of my time looking for someone to clarify this subject clearly and you’re the only person that ever did that. I really appreciate it! I look forward to reading more from you!
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perfect! I have added it to my blog:
WordPress is best, it loads fast and has many plugins
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WordPress’s architecture is optimized for search engines. Google simply loves WordPress sites. Numerous SEO plugins also enhance the visibility of WordPress sites with search engines.
*:~ I am very thankful to this topic because it really gives up to date information ‘*.
This has always been a touchy subject with some of my friends. Everybody I know tends to be loyal to their specific CMS and won’t hear anything bad about it. It can turn into quite a heated debate sometimes.
Personally, I choose WordPress over the others for its simplicity and ease to work with.
I’ve never heard about this $200k CMS, will need to check it out and see if I can remortgage the house to pay for it :S
nice blog and really nice information:-)
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Thanks fowr sharingdw nice blog and good list Gabe
This is a great resource that you are providing. I have got lots of information from here. Continue posting more informative and interesting posts. Thanks!
[...] comparison of the three platforms will help you determine which one best meets your business needs depending [...]
So nice blogpost. Interesting to read a different opinion. And I’ll be happily sticking with Joomla.
wordpress man obviously..love joomla as well. haven’t tried drupal. but as you can see many websites are made of wordpress. i love wordpress.
Very informative and useful article indeed. I hope to see more great articles in future as well.
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Just after read some of the blog posts on your website these couple of days, and I absolutely like your personal style of blogging. I book-marked it to my favorites web site list and will be checking again in the near future.
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Frankly I have not used drupal as my blog platform but from the experience of using wordpress and joomla.
I prefer wordpress as cms is best because it has many plugins wp that we can choose to optimize your blog to be more friendly to search engines and people.
Nice share Mr. Gabe…
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I don’t use joomla or wordpress ever anymore only drupal, but then again i am a computer engineer. Drupal allows me to have a solution that is to my satisfaction every inch. If want full control Drupal is the way to go. If you want running software that works that you don’t want to tinker with then joomla and wordpress are your bet. Drupal is alot like CakePHP, SimpleMVC or other frameworks, but it comes with a pre-built cms aswell…while joomla and wordpress are just cms, drupal is framework+cms.