Techssocial | If you want to understand tools like WordPress, Joomla, and Drupal, you will first have to understand what is CMS or Content Management System. The main aim and purpose of a CMS is hassle-free and fun management of the contents of your website. This even includes new and creative additions that are made to the website to make it more interesting and attractive.
If you are planning to use a content management system and wondering which to choose, the list is big, but the three big daddy of CMS are WordPress, Joomla, and Drupal. Let us look into the features and the pros and cons that will assist you to decide on the right content management system for your website.
Table of Contents
WordPress
Technically speaking, WordPress is an online tool that is helpful in creating websites. In layman’s terms, it is the easiest and the most powerful CMS for blogging and creating websites as of now. It made an appearance in 2003 by Matt Mullenweg. There are around 3000 themes and 36000 plugins which are free to choose from.
Pros
- It is a common belief that WordPress is only for blogging. WordPress has the capacity to handle multiple authors, a content type which can be specialized, and nearly everything that a good content management system is expected.
- WordPress is known to be an extremely easy-to-use tool for creating a website which also has an attractive and creative interface.
- If you do not have very complicated and high-tech needs then WordPress is your best choice.
Cons
- If you have an idea in your mind to create a website with lots of heavy customization, then WordPress is not exactly advisable.
- The core program for WordPress needs a recurrent and periodic update. These core programs are known to break down the existing plugins of your website resulting in the breakdown of your site.
Joomla
Joomla came into existence in 2003. Just for your knowledge, there are 2.8 million websites that are being controlled by Joomla. On the popularity scale, it comes second after WordPress. On the base of user experience, Joomla is considered easier than Drupal and a bit more advanced than WordPress.
Pros
- Has a powerful but user-friendly interface if compared with WordPress and Drupal
- If you are sure that your site is going to have a basic look and feel and you will not need to add any features then Joomla will work the best for you.
- Even if later you decide you want to add more features you can go with the K2 component.
Cons
- Joomla has the disadvantage of being in the middle of two content management systems i.e. while WordPress pretty looking, user friendly, and has a reputation of easy handling, Drupal is known for its out-of-the-box customization, loved by most of the developers and give an opportunity to learn something new.
- Joomla is not for you if you know you will have to make changes to your website or add new features in the future.
- It does offer modules but they are generally not easy to find and harder to maintain.
Drupal
Drupal was created in 2001 by Dries Buytaert. It comes in the third position on the popularity scale. If you are planning a website that will see a huge demand and high traffic then Drupal should be your choice. It is mainly used by online stores or websites with complex data management.
Pros
- Has the reputation to be able to do almost anything.
- Offers 2000 different themes and 26000 plugins for free.
- Adding new features possible using many different modules for free.
Cons
- You can face difficulty using Drupal if you are not a developer as it is not as easy to use as WordPress.
- After trying Drupal you may wonder why this toll is creating a fuss, but the fun starts after the addition of modules.
The above are the positive and negative factors that should be considered while deciding on the best CMS for your website. But don’t sweat too much as these tools keep upgrading and whatever tool you decide on will surely provide you with more positive aspects than negative.
Hemant is Digital Marketer and he has 6 + years of experience in SEO, Content marketing, Infographic etc.