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CMS (content management system) software · head to head

WordPress vs Joomla

Sebastiaan Smits Editor Sebastiaan Smits · Published September 30, 2026 · Updated October 20, 2026

Both are free, open-source, self-hosted CMSs under the GPL, with paid hosting and add-ons around them. WordPress has the far larger plugin ecosystem and hiring pool; Joomla builds multilingual content, access control lists and custom fields into its core. Most small businesses and blogs land on WordPress. Associations, membership sites and multilingual organizations have a real reason to pick Joomla.

Side by side

WordPressJoomla
What it isOpen-source CMS powering a large share of the entire webOpen-source, community-governed CMS between WordPress and Drupal
Best forSmall businesses, blogs, agencies and anyone wanting the largest plugin ecosystemMultilingual sites and organizations wanting built-in access control
HeadquartersUnited StatesUnited States
Pricing modelOpen source + paid tiersOpen source + paid extensions
PricingThe core software is free and open source to self-host; hosting, premium themes and plugins are paid separately, and WordPress.com offers a separate managed hosting product with its own free and paid tiers.The core software is free and open source under GPL to self-host; hosting, extensions and templates are paid separately through a marketplace of third-party developers.
Free optionOpen sourceOpen source
List price
as listed on September 30, 2026		Free and open source (GPL) to self-host; hosting is paid separatelyFree and open source (GPL) to self-host; hosting is paid separately
Place in our CMS (content management system) software ranking#4 of 14#9 of 14
Websitewordpress.orgjoomla.org

Both are reviewed in full in Best CMS (Content Management System) Software in 2026. Position in that ranking can be paid for; the wording of a review or of this comparison cannot. Placement disclosure.

Which one to choose

Choose WordPress if

you want the widest choice of plugins, themes, hosts and freelancers, and your site does not depend on multilingual content or fine-grained user permissions in the core.

WordPress, #4 in the ranking · Visit WordPress →

Choose Joomla if

your site is multilingual or membership-driven and you want language handling and user access levels native to the core rather than supplied by whichever add-on you happened to choose.

Joomla, #9 in the ranking · Visit Joomla →

Where they differ

Languages and permissions without add-ons

Joomla handles multilingual content in its core, with over 70 translation packs, and adds an access control list for fine-grained group permissions. WordPress is itself translated into more than 70 languages, but its own documentation says it does not support a multilingual site out of the box; plugins or a multisite network fill that gap. If languages and access rules are central, Joomla starts closer to finished.

Edge: Joomla

Extensions and people who know the system

WordPress.org calls its plugin directory the largest collection of free, open-source WordPress plugins, alongside thousands of themes, and in the site's view no rival matches its hosting market and pool of developers and agencies. The Joomla Extensions Directory lists about 4,900 extensions, most free under the GPL. For finding help or a ready-made add-on, WordPress is ahead.

Edge: WordPress

Learning the admin

In the site's view, WordPress's block editor covers most marketing-site and blogging needs without plugins, and it sits at the simpler end of this pair. Joomla's admin is more structured, with 15 custom field types and frontend editing, but has a steeper initial learning curve. A small team without a dedicated web person will be productive sooner in WordPress; Joomla's structure pays back on sites with many user groups.

Edge: WordPress

Governance and upkeep

Joomla is run by the nonprofit Open Source Matters, and its Security Strike Team publishes fixed vulnerabilities in a public feed. WordPress has a security team of more than 50 experts, supports only the latest version, and pushes security fixes through automatic background updates; plugin flaws go to each plugin's developer. Joomla's risk is a thinner ecosystem; WordPress's is plugin quality. Pick your problem.

Edge: even

Tally: WordPress 2, Joomla 1, even 1.

When neither fits

If the content model is large and security-sensitive, as in government or higher education, Drupal is the open-source CMS built for that weight. If content must feed an app and other channels from one structured source, open-source Strapi is the headless alternative, with a developer required.

See Drupal and Strapi among the 14 products in Best CMS (Content Management System) Software in 2026.

Questions and answers

Is Joomla better than WordPress for multilingual sites?

Out of the box, yes. Joomla manages multilingual content in its core, with more than 70 translation packs. WordPress's documentation states it does not support a multilingual site without additions, and describes plugin approaches or one site per language in a multisite network. Both can get there; Joomla needs fewer extra parts.

Are WordPress and Joomla both free?

The core software of each is free and open source under the GPL to self-host. Hosting is paid separately, as are premium themes and plugins for WordPress and paid extensions for Joomla. WordPress.com also sells managed hosting, with a free plan and paid plans that allow plugins.

Which is easier to hire for, WordPress or Joomla?

WordPress. In the site's view it has a far larger pool of developers and agencies who already know it, and its plugin directory dwarfs the roughly 4,900 extensions in the Joomla Extensions Directory. A Joomla project should budget more time to find experienced help.

Which user roles do WordPress and Joomla offer?

WordPress ships six predefined roles: Super Admin, Administrator, Editor, Author, Contributor and Subscriber. Joomla uses an access control list, so permissions can be set per user group and adjusted in detail, which is why membership sites and associations with many user types often prefer it.

Sources

Prices, plan limits and product facts on this page were checked against the vendors' own pages on September 30, 2026. Vendors change both without notice, so treat the figures as of that date.