Why Joomla for websites in 2025?

When people think of websites or content management systems (CMS), WordPress usually comes to mind first because it’s the most popular. But, as the saying goes, popularity doesn’t always mean quality.

Although McDonald's is popular, that does not automatically mean it is a good restaurant. For my and my customers' websites, I prefer Joomla, which is the second most popular open-source CMS in the CMS market. Here’s why Joomla works better for me.

Joomla has more functionality built-in in the core

One of the biggest reasons I choose Joomla is because so many useful features are already included in the core. With WordPress, you usually need to install a bunch of third-party plugins to get the same functionality.

For example:

• Multilingual Websites: Joomla has built-in support for creating multilingual websites, so you don’t need any extra tools. With WordPress, you’d need a plugin like WPML.
• Custom Fields: Joomla includes custom fields as a standard feature. In WordPress, you’d have to use a plugin like "Advanced Custom Fields" to get similar functionality.
• User Permissions: Joomla’s Access Control List (ACL) is super flexible. You can set up detailed user permissions to match your exact needs. WordPress only gives you six fixed user roles, which is much more limited.
• Menus: Joomla has a really flexible menu system that doesn’t require additional plugins to create advanced menu structures.

Joomla has a stronger technical foundation

Joomla’s core code is more organized and uses modern programming practices, which makes it easier to maintain and faster to run.

• Modern Codebase: Joomla 5 uses the Model-View-Controller (MVC) design and modern, namespaced coding, which makes it easier for developers to work with.
• Optimized Plugins: Joomla has plugin groups, so plugins only run when needed. This means your site runs faster and doesn’t waste resources.
• Well-designed Database: In a Joomla database, each content type has its own table. WordPress, on the other hand, stores multiple content types in the same tables: for instance, wp_posts contains posts, pages and previous versions. And wp_menu contains menu items and categories. And then you have the database table ‘wp_options’ which is a repository of all kinds of information such as all updates, notifications, etc. In other words, WordPress' database structure is not optimised.

Better file and image management

Managing images and files is also easier with Joomla. You can organize uploaded files into folders, which helps a lot when managing large websites. WordPress, however, sorts images into folders by date (year/month), which can make it really difficult to find older files.

That said, if you’re not organized with Joomla, you might end up dumping all your images into the root /images/ folder, which can get messy. So it’s important to stay organized.

SEO is built into Joomla

Joomla makes SEO easy. All the necessary functions for optimising your website are already built in by default, such as tools for managing meta descriptions, keywords and URLs. With WordPress, this usually requires additional plug-ins. However, both systems offer the possibility of making SEO management even easier with plug-ins, such as PWT SEO or 4SEO for Joomla and YOAST for WordPress.

Performance and maintenance advantages

Another thing I like is that Joomla keeps all its settings in one configuration.php file. This makes it easier to manage and transfer your settings. Joomla also uses relative URLs for images, so links don’t break if you move your site to a different domain. WordPress, unfortunately, hardcodes URLs, which can cause problems during migrations.

Community and support

The Joomla community is smaller but very friendly and helpful compared to WordPress. While WordPress has a much larger and more famous community, it sometimes feels a bit crowded and less personal. Joomla people often know each other and work closely together to improve the platform, making it feel more like a tight-knit group. In Joomla forums and events (local Joomla User Groups, Joomladays) you can easily ask questions and get answers from experienced users, not just from beginners. WordPress also has forums and WordCamp days where users and developers can connect and share knowledge.

Both Joomla and WordPress are open-source software, which means anyone can contribute and help to improve the software. However, Joomla’s community tends to focus more on building high-quality features directly into the core system, while WordPress relies more on plugins and has more businesses offering paid solutions. Both open-source communities have passionate users who are dedicated to their platforms in different ways. Joomla feels more like a close group working together for everyone.

Downsides of Joomla

No CMS is perfect, and Joomla too has some challenges.

• E-commerce Support: WordPress has WooCommerce, which is one of the most popular e-commerce plugins. Joomla also has web shop extensions, but they aren’t as well-known or widely supported. If you need a lot of third-party integrations, this could be a limitation.
• Learning Curve: Joomla's content is more organized and it can feel more complicated at first, especially for beginners. WordPress has a simpler interface, which is easier to learn. But once you understand the Joomla structure with categories, articles and menu items, you see that it is more powerful and well-organised than WordPress.

Tried Joomla before? Find out how it's better now!

You may have used joomla in the past, for example the first version 1.0 from 2005 or Joomla 2.5 from 2012. Since then, the platform has evolved impressively. The current Joomla 5.x features a modern codebase and a user-friendly, contemporary back-end interface.

Furthermore, Joomla offers a highly flexible Access Control List (ACL) system combined with advanced User Management. You can easily create and configure new User Groups yourself. Moreover, the back-end dashboard is fully customisable, allowing you to tailor the working environment to your needs. The admin menus are also fully configurable and can be tailored specifically to each User Group. This gives you maximum control and customisation options within your website management.

And what really sets Joomla apart today is the ability to build a fully optimised, mobile-friendly and accessible (a11y) website in combination with an external template such as YOOtheme Pro without additional plug-ins. With powerful tools and flexibility, Joomla 5.x is ready to meet the modern demands of web development. Try it again and find out what has changed!

Why Joomla works for me and my clients

Ultimately, Joomla is my favourite CMS because of its stability and because it offers so much by default. I don’t need to rely on lots of plugins, and I feel more in control of my website. It’s secure, modern, and well-organized. While WordPress can be great for beginners and has strong e-commerce options, Joomla’s flexibility, content organization and built-in features make it the better choice for me and my clients. If you’re looking for a robust and reliable CMS, give Joomla a try! And if you are looking for support with that, get in touch!