I have tried my hands on the Joomla CMS a few times but yesterday the shit hit the fan! Seriously, there is only one thing I can say about this Joomla software – It plain and simple sucks A$$! There is no redemption for this shitty software. Even god is not going to forgive the makers of this software. I hate it so much :(. By the way, who on earth came up with this lame name for a software – JOOMLA (come on!)
Reason for this anger filled post :-
I got a client yesterday who wanted his Joomla 1.0 installation migrated to the latest version. And man… I have tried it more than 10 times and all it does is spew errors, errors and guess what else ? MORE ERRORS!! I have tried all ways – this way, that way, the layman way, the manual way, the migrator way, the google way, the technical way, the super technical way, but nothing seems to fuckin’ work (and trust me, I am pretty technical when it comes to script installations, upgrades and other web stuff).
So, I finally gave up and told the client that he would better switch to WordPress so that I don’t lose my sanity. I am done with Joomla. I am going to promote WordPress all the way….!!
A funny quote from the Internet about Joomla by someone named Linford:-
An analogy is you want to travel from San Francisco to New York–Dreamweaver gets you from SF to NY by way of Chicago competently–Joomla gets you from SF to NY by way of China–actually Joomla never reaches NY–it strands you in China–you’re left standing scratching your head asking how the hell did I get to here to China? Joomla is the worst software I’ve ever encountered.
A Comparison chart for awareness :-
 WordPress |  Joomla |
| Simple and easy to learn for a new user | Complicated and has a steep learning curve |
| Small Installation Size (around 10MB) | Bloated Installation Size (around 30MB) |
| Very quick installation and configuration | Takes time to install and configure |
| Better and Efficient Code | Lousy and Inefficient code |
| It can be used as an excellent Blogging system as well as a CMS | Joomla can be used as a CMS but cannot be used as an efficient blogging system |
| Developer-friendly | A Developer’s Nightmare! |
| Upgrading WordPress is a breeze | Upgrading Joomla is a hassle – almost broken! |
| Better community support & plugins | Confusing modules and components |
| Uses the KISS principle 🙂 | Uses the RAPE principle 🙁 |
Conclusion
So, anyone who is thinking to switch from WordPress to Joomla or even thinking to begin with Joomla in the first place, I will say – Hold your thoughts!! Think again :)…. So, tell me what did you think ?
200 replies on “Why Joomla Sucks and WordPress Doesn’t!”
Hi! Thanks for the great information you have provided! You have touched on crucial points!
As a developer I don’t use joomla, I write the code myself, much easier.
I’ve been visiting your blog for a while now and I always find a gem in your new posts.
I’ve desired to write something similar to this on my webpage and this has given me an idea.
It’s 2018 and Joomla still sucks big sweaty donkey balls. All these comments are from a bunch of whiny Joomla fan boys that sound like a stuck record, always spewing out the same old story “WordPress is just for blogging and Joomla is more scalable… blah blah blah” what a bunch of horseshit. I worked with Joomla for 5 long horrible years. Every tiny little thing you want to do takes 10 times longer than it should and updates are the worst, always breaking your site or failing half way through. On top of that the themes and plugins available also SUCK so your site ends up looking like shit anyway. Seriously, me and my clients prefer WordPress and you know what? Yes I’m just a graphic designer hack and not a developer BUT I’m still making money and everyone is happy. Fuck Joomla with bells on!
Joomla, is unnecessary complicated…why the fxxx it has to be so convoluted, I cannot see why people bother with this piece of Sxxxt system..I’s not if it delivers really pleasing websites…The bloke who invited it is a pillock…
Moreover, The so called help forums are useless…
I never suffered of feeling restricted on potential developping for WordPress.
You should blame your lack of knowledge of the platform instead of blaming the platform itself.
On the other hand, I keep feeling frustrated by how simple things have to be done in very complicated ways when working with Joomla which is poorly developped, which is a commonly admitted fact and not only my personnal opinion.
That’s why Joomla is slowly disappearing from the web which is great news 🙂
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Haha, I stumpled upon this post randomly whily I was seraching for “PHP sucks”
As a Joomla dev I can’t really comprehend it!
Let me explain you something: WordPress is nothing more than a simple blog system. Without plugins you can do nothing!
Some simple examples needed?
How to copy a post in WP!? How to order posts e.g. from a-z? Or how do you implement some meta data? Ah sure…, you need a plugin – called Yoast – for that! LOL! So, you see, there is no f****** way without plugins!
Let me tell you… WordPress was made for blogging nothing more. The fact that a lot of people use it now has nothing to do with function! It’s more the fact that nowadays every hillibilly can buy a cheap theme @ theme forrest! This and nothing else is the reason why WP is so prevalent!
And for all those stupid WP Devs who can’t update a Joomla: Go and use your silly blogsystem… but don’t forget to use tons of plugin… so that you might have a simple CMS like e.g. GetSimple!
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I use both including Drupal and have been for roughly 10 years. Joomla is far superior to WordPress in every way. WordPress is for people who think they are web designers and developers!
I landed on this blog post after searching for ‘Joomla sucks’ on Google lol. I am too using it for a customer because another developer built his site using Joomla and it’s pure crap. It’s far from being user and even tech-savy friendly.
WordPress rocks all the way!!!
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Hi, there are so many item types, because it is a CMS, not blogging system. You have the choice between different menu item types. Of course, if you need menu links to articles only, maybe blogging system is better for you. If you build a website, mostly you need different menu links – to contact page, to maps page, to gallery page, to e-shop, to extension you have select for your needs.
So if you need to have menu links to articles only, just select the menu link to article only. If you need more, use another menu link. It is about choice you have. You have more options.
Even upgrading any system is really hard, I chose Joomla! because I need to build complex websites. Joomla! allows me to do. Secondly, I need to make modifications and Joomla! includes modern code techniques. I can extend it easily with help of extensions (modules, plugins, templates), I can use fully modern code techniques like
OOP, Model View Control, Database Abstraction Layer (ORM), Event Driven, Event Dispatcher, and Observer, Singleton, Factory, etc.
So there are many reasons why use WordPress and there are many reasons why Joomla!
I am an open person and never I have been told a good reason to use Joomla instead of another CMS.
It is a mess to be used for simple websites and it is a poorly developped an unintuitive mess to be used for more complex web apps.
RIP Joomla, please continue to blur away from the interwebs 🙂
I can’t believe some of the Joomla supporters on here.
Either you guys just love writing convoluted spaghetti code like it’s 2003 or you’re just a bunch of extension monkeys who have never written their own code and clap their little cymbals every time you waste money on a poorly designed, ugly as sin, downright terrible extension, module, or plugin.
And FYI people, if someone can’t understand your mess of code, it doesn’t mean you’re a ‘grown up’ coder. It means you are a 3 year old trying to pass off their illegible scribbles as a genius work of art.
Wow, WordPress is lame compared to Joomla. WordPress totally sucks
Impressive article, thanks for sharing
I used to use Joomla back when it was Mambo. It sucked. I have faith that when they developed Joomla out of Mambo, that they kept in as much shittiness as they could. I’m not fool enough to find prove myself right by trying it out. (Drupal, sure. Joomla, never.)
Yours,
WP developer who manages aLinux VPS, thank you very much michael stevens
The truth of the matter is that Joomla is far too complicated and unfriendly for your average user to use. It may have an MVC architecture, but that means squat to the poor customer who has to try and use it.
WordPress is a blogging platform, not a CMS – please don’t pretend it’s anything else. In addition, installing a plugin more often than not opens you up to attack since the quality is highly variable.
For my money, Concrete5 is the pick of the crop. Dead easy for the end user and developer alike with a well thought out MVC architecture and an intelligent override capability.
WordPress is great and easy to use – i use wordpress already many several years for artikel marketing and its always amazing how wordpress is a great succes
Then you are not much of a developer. I’ve developed in several CMS platforms over the past 12 years but I’m a Joomla shop. I have gotten sites up and running with all content (if provided) within 2 days and it’s viewable on all devices. I’ve converted Joomla 1.0 / 1.5 sites to 2.5 / 3.0 within one day with no issues.
So if you’re having problems, it’s not Joomla, it’s you.
I bet you host your wordpress site on godaddy, you used the one click install button didnt ya? God forbid if you ever had to manage a linux VPS or a large database, I think you would start crying. Leave the development to real developers.
Totally correct :P.
I don’t hate wordpress but I like to use Joomla, why? I find its idea of extension over integrated better, if I do not need something, I do not need to have it. Also it allows me to extend it with something that might cost money but with payment comes support.
Then once mostly all I need to do is done, those few things I need I can just develop myself super easy. Joomla is not without issues but there is always a way around them if you are willing to look.
Installing / managing large WP websites on a VPS is a breeze. If you started crying over something like that, maybe you’re the one who should consider whether you should call yourself a dev or not.
Thanks for sharing this article.
Why do you explain your lack of knowledge and skills with the so-called “sucking” of Joomla? WP is simplistic, like simplistic for idiots and no one cries about that. Stick with WP if you are not willing to learn something new. Stay in the box, man. However, stop whining and calling a CMS “sucking”.
Example: Lets create a new “Page” without adding it as a Menu item, so for example an internal link in some bodycopy.
Joomla:
Create a hidden menu then add the page! Then publish the page.
(i.e. in Joomla if it’s not in a menu then it’s not viewable).
WordPress:
Publish the page.
I had used Joomla for many years and then started using WordPress, but would never go back. Simple things like the above should be exactly that…. simple.
Everytime I read your comments, you seems to be like these guys who created websites in the 90’s and who still create their websites in HTML tables.
Well, I was struggling with Joomla too. Plus building websites is not as easy as some people try to describe. WP is easy as you can do a limited stuff with it. Joomla gives more opportunities. Have you tried Drupal? This is what Joomla is in your views but to me. But I won’t call Drupal “sucking” because I have no time, nerve and skill to code the CMS. And I mean in Drupal you need to code totally basic things.
Guys,
I’ve spend thousands of hours in both systems. Statistically I pull my hair out MUCH LESS in WordPress.
The reality of it is best explained by comparing the two systems to computers.
WordPress has the code elegance and simplicity of a Mac computer and Joomla resembles the complexity of a PC.
Today is 9/22/14 and I can confidently say that all the programming talent has migrated to the WordPress environment.
The writing is on the wall.
FYI: HA! If you have cookies turned off this WordPress page returns and error even if the captcha is correct. Sigh…… I’m grabbin a beer.
Whoever said a bad workman quarrels with his tools was spot on. I handle Joomla 1.X to Joomla 3 migrations everyday and i can’t complain. Those errors are the exact pointers to what you need to move to the next step. I guess the problem with web development is that anybody who can pick a WP theme from ThemeForest, change the logo and populate it with text considers himself to be a web developer and will therefore find real web development to be an undertaking that sucks. The claim that Joomla is a developer’s nightmare can only come from a “developer” but not a developer. Keep ranting.
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I think the evidence backing up his claim is all of the people who agree that Joomla is hard to use. I also agree that it takes a shitload of time to do anything with it. It could be made a lot less confusing but instead it is not. Your comment makes you look like one of two things: 1. One of the developers of Joomla who is extremely butthurt that somebody insulted your work. 2. An extremely controlling person who likes to yell at someone for their opinions and calling them “Annoyingly stupid” while actually making yourself look annoyingly stupid by the ridiculously angry and unnecessary comment.
Probably both!
Agree 🙂
I used to like Joomla and WordPress about the same, but have gravitated away from Joomla because the upgrade path is very difficult. Going from 1.5 to 2.5 was costly and time consuming. There was no one step process. Every article and component had to be re-formatted and re-installed into a compatible template. My clients hated this and I did too.
Now that WordPress is at 3.9 it can be used as a very effective CMS. This was not true 3 years ago but many things have changed. The upgrade path is extremely easy and a one step process. Many of the Joomla template developers now provide WordPress templates that are just as good as their Joomla versions if not better.
There is no way I will be upgrading my Joomla sites to 3.0 or whatever comes next. It is a pretty vile disservice that Joomla discontinue support for their product after only a couple of years. Rather than upgrade my Joomla sites they being redone in WordPress, and everyone loves the idea.
I’ve been 2 days looking to where the heck I can change the content on the footer, say the copyright date! Still no clue!
Google’s love for WordPress destroys the web. Any search nowadays results in dumbass blogs, wikipedia and youtube. F**k that s**t, give me webshops, lists and real data, depending on my search.
I think people should develop with whatever software they wish and are comfortable with. At the same time I’m baffled by the amount of people who say Joomla is for real developers and professionals. Just take a look at Joomla community forums versus WordPress and that can tell you that WP community is more technical with PHP code (writing plugins) and giving yourself the freedom to do whatever you want with the CMS. In all cases I’ve had with searching for info on Joomla the information boils down to what component or module to use and hardly any info on building them from scratch. Just find a good one (if you’re lucky) and upload it. Wtf kind of coder is that?
I don’t consider myself a hardcore programmer or anything but I like PHP and learning about it to push the limits of my code. Also, use ftp and don’t like the idea of transferring code of modules to the GUI. One of the many things I like about WP is the freedom and flexibility. However, I may be ignorant to some of the nicer features of Joomla and at this point after building a couple sites in Joomla I can say I don’t care to learn them because developing with Joomla is like pulling teeth.. not because I’m not a professional or real developer, but because the logic of how the CMS is built is just fucked. I work with in house CMS software all the time and a few of them blow Joomla away.
To me WP is for real developers who like code more so than Joomla. Not saying Joomla coders are not PHP people or anthing just that… well, Joomla is shitty/clunky and I don’t know any real programmers who would ever choose a CMS other than WordPress, Drupal or just building one from scratch. I do agree with this article though.. others may disagree but to each their own I guess.
I also remember nightmares of joomla 1.0 to 1.5 maintenance in upgrades from 1.5 to 1.6… to 1.5 to 1.7 to 2.5 (finaly quit then) lots of crashes, lots of “hacks” within the software to get things to work, lots of lots of complete start overs. I did about 8 joomla sites for clients requesting it, and won’t touch them anymore. Poor in terms of SEO, i don’t mean just seo friendly, but SEO for lots of content problems. I use either wordpress or python/django for something very custom like web apps. I actively turn down clients who want to use joomla and try to get them to switch cms or refer them elsewhere.
Absolutely agree with this, I though I was being stupid because it was taking me so long to get the hang of it… turns out that it is just a piece of sh*t!
Switched to WordPress instead as it is excellent!
I tried Joomla today I’m not unintelligible when it comes to web dev. Joomla sure made me feel ignorant. There is no excuse for their software at all other than attempting to craft their own language by way of point and click. Why WordPress? It gives me more freedom to edit files directly. Raised on .NET, surprisingly I don’t like GUI’s. WordPress is just enough GUI and does not go overboard. I did like the level of permission control Joomla provided, but it was nothing that can not be handled by a simple line of code. I’m not sure why anyone would not choose WordPress. It may require a little more code if you want to get fancy, but your site will still be launched faster than you can make a menu in Joomla.
I think it depends on what you are doing with the site and who the end user is going to be. There are advantages and disadvantages with both. I’ve been using wordpress for most my real estate sites and find them very easy to use which is why I choose to use wordpress or joomla because it’s very user friendly.
For all Joomla fans i have a simple question. 🙂
Is it possible with latest Joomla to resize Intro and detailed images at upload ?
Or is it more like when Elton John was young, resize it at you PC to right pixels then upload ? Resize it with CSS and HTML resize ?
Yes, yes i know “Joomla argument”, there is extension for that. Now let me tell you, there are really extensions for that. Delete Joomla and use WordPress, Drupal or Typo3.
wordpress and joomla both sucks.
wordpress: unsafe, too heavy, bloated, super long to load, over complicated. and NO SUPPORT.
They don’t even send confirmation email after registration. Therefore you can’t create a blog!
Joomla is certainly not better but wordpress ahs the same deficiencies.
Both are not the right solution for blogging
After all these comments, probably there’s nothing more to say:-) But I can’t keep silent! I have to websites on WordPress and Joomla respectfully. And I have to say that Joomla site looks more professional and I like its functionality. I’m going to migrate all sites to Joomla definitely. Perhaps I will use CMS2CMS automated converter. I tried free Demo and this tool fits me totally. I think professionals choose Joomla as their website tool. – IMHO
WOW!!!! You should really not be building sites for people because you are truly incompetent when it comes to web development (and blogging btw)
You’re all lame for using somebody else’s PHP scripts instead of writing real code.
Right.
Upgrading from one joomla to another is a mistake because they are all different software and their modules from one version will not work in others.
They are in the 3.1 now.
Seriously, I could not agree more with this post’s heading. I am trying HARD to help a friend of mine with a site. I need some simple on-site SEO stuff done. In WP, install Yoast’s plugin and “BAM!” you’re good to go. I have NO idea where to turn for a FREE SEF URL plugin that doesn’t break the Joomla installation.
Thing is, some years ago I built a few Joomla templates, and after figuring out how it works, I got the hang of it. Now it seems the Lego blocks are all over the house, nevermind the floor.
Let me sum this up for you bub.
WP – like an XBox 360, just plug in and play
Joomla – like a custom PC gaming system. Complex, but the rewards are worth it.
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this place, I am truly enjoying by these.
I was thinking about using WP but after updating to Joomla 3.0 there is no way I am leaving Joomla!!!
I am using a addon called EasyBlog for my blogging needs now with Joomla and WP just cannot compete!!!
i think J3 has the steepest learning curve, but it just means that you have to spend some time looking at it.
i don’t really like WP becoz its too simple, its limited in just so many ways. maybe i should take a look at wp again just for research sake…
Joomla is a Content Management System. WordPress is a blog builder that is being “used” a s a Content Management System.
If you have ever had to build a website that needs real CMS Features, you would not choose WP.
Your review is like saying a hammer is better than a wrench. (for driving nails…yes).
The only thing this blog article shows is that you are uninformed and an incompetent web developer (Thats who Joomla was designed for)
You should try Weebly drag and drop web builder, you would really love that ( a 4 year old could do it).
Wow, could not agree more.
Some research before type in nonsense, please.
Well said… WordPress is great for creating a BLOG. And because it has the capabilities to create supporting pages, many folks are trying to make a super site with it. I have read that Joomla does has NO blogging extension to compare with WordPress. WordPress is clearly the winner. I was recently contacted by a client who is pulling his hair out trying to install the Nemesis theme and edit the theme to make it look the way he wants. For some reason WP duplicated a lot of files when he was trying to fix some problems and thought importing his theme again would fix the problem. It made a nightmare. He then tried deleting the duplicate files and ended up deleting files that are being used by the template. Now it is all screwed up. So WP is not the shining answer to web development frustrations. I have been developing websites for over 14 years and I can tell you that it looks easy but once you get in and start trying to make it look impressive and user friendly the wheels can come off. If you do not have an understanding of scripting and html and css and the systems or libraries you are using, the situation quickly becomes a quagmire. If you need to develop a community then Joomla is a good option. You cannot do that with WordPress. But Joomla has many idiosyncrasies, you will find that WordPress has it share of frustrations also.
Totally Agree!!!!
Joomla is DEAD. No volunteers and extension developers are against each other for the next Joomla 4 or whatever.
Joomla brag for having thousands of extensions but all of them are CRAP. Only a few are good atleast extensions and commercial.
Joomla is supposed to be open to everyone but core developers are so stubborn.. too much believe in themselves…
And lastly they are backup by Microsoft under the table. We might see Joomla being bought by Microsift anytime soon…..
Having used Joomla since the Mambo days, it’s just fine for me. I have built close to around 50 sites between versions, and regularly update and maintain 19 sites as a full time position (USA govt work). I have tried to switch to WP, and even convinced myself that I might like it. Well, that’s still 4 years in the making now. I suppose my dedication to Joomla makes WP seem illogical and backwards. I would never ever want to manage a large site with WP. Small sites, sure. I will give that. WP is good for blogs and small sites. I have a few small WP sites I use for employee portals.
I guess it might just come down to what you are used to. Since I don’t have to deal with clients I can’t really comment on the ease of the WP front or backed. However, in my line of work, the “complexity” of Joomla keeps other staff out of my business and secures my position which I have had for 11 years now. There’s a lot to be said for our trade being just difficult enough for the novice to stay away from. WP is dipping too much into the hobbyist realm and one day you might all be out of work if becomes too simple. Nobody thinks of that anymore – Yeah, that’s why I make my own templates for Joomla too.
As for the 1.0 Joomla sites; LOL, that’s like complaining that you had to back up and migrate programs and data from a windows 95 machine to Windows 8. Uh, that is a problem. Like someone else said, if you are good, you can build and reassemble a small 1.0 site to 2.5 in about 3 or 4 hours. Call it a migration fee and charge the client. No big deal.
Anyhow, I wouldnt rip on Joomla so bad. Its just a tool, and only as good as the craftsman that wields it. Maybe WP is your tool.
Ending comment – Joomla just gets better for me every version. We all should know them both. I will keep giving WP a shot until I like it, but so far I don’t care for it. Looking forward to Bootstrap, yeehaw…
Joomla 1.0 is like over 6-7 years old… after that was j1.5 then 1.6 then 1.7 then 2.5 now 3.1 , you expect to upgrade from a 1.0 version site easily? lol, that’s funny dude!
I have been using joomla since the very beginning of 1.5 (5-6 years now) and I love it. The learning curve is a little steeper than wordpress because of the way more advanced features Joomla has to offer such as organization – Blows wordpress away as far as organization.
So just because you are a noob at Joomla and don’t know how to ask for help doesn’t mean Joomla is “trash” Once you get the handle on joomla (didn’t take me long at all) you find it is far more powerful of a CMS than wordpress will ever be.
Joomla can’t be a good blogging system???? are you kidding me? There is an extension for joomla called “K2” its free! and it’s powerful! and can be used as a killer blogging system with incredible blog organization… K2 has been out for years now for Joomla
you couldn’t be more wrong pal
I don’t see from which year is this blog. But it is false and full of crap. You just didn’t know how to use Joomla. And Joomla means “all together” in Svahili which is great word represent the community.
I use both Joomla and WordPress and I would have to disagree with you. Only thing WordPress excels at is blogs, everything else, I’d say stick with Joomla. Granted it takes a lot longer to learn Joomla than WordPress, but as with everything in life, you get what you put in – and boy do you get a lot.
I can tell that you don’t use Joomla because if I was told to update a site from Joomla 1.0 I wouldn’t even dare upgrade it directly. The versions are so different you are guaranteed to have errors. The best way of doing it is to just start on a blank template and build an exact copy of the old site. If you know enough about Joomla, you could do a 5 page site in under 3 hours.
WordPress is too rigid, changing the template to do something it wasn’t originally designed for is like trying to broker peace between North and South Korea – a nightmare. You seem like a smart guy, invest a couple of weeks learning Joomla and you’ll never go back to wordpress.
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WordPress and Joomla both have bad points.. that is what you get with Opensource… my money is on other CMS’s.. I use SeeROC CMS from Si..it’s good
Obviously, you have limited experience, and didn’t know what you were doing, and instead of reaching out to find out how to upgrade the site, which has specific instructions, you went out on your own, and couldn’t figure out why – it — didn’t – work..
The many responses here on behalf of Joomla demonstrates the extensive popularity of Joomla.. guess it takes more than a cursing … to get it done right.. RESEARCH BEFORE making changes – especially HUGE changes like updating a site.. and especially from 1.0 to Goodness Gracious 2.5+ Joomla..
To all the people ranting about WordPress and defending Joomla (doing exactly the same thing the author did while calling him childish at the same time… *facepalm*) – Joomla has very bad backend usability. I mean – it’s almost unusable for people, who didn’t use it. How is that an advantage?
You know what is intuitive? The hierarchical page tree in TYPO3 for example. That shit makes at least sense and the user knows how to edit his website!
HaHa, Absolutely right.
And upgrading from Joomla 1.x. Thats ancient.
I been using Joomla for 1 year now. Joomla is a fantastic Content Management System! It does require you to study and learn how to use it, just like anything in life. There are plenty of tutorials how to upgrade from past versions to the most recent. Word Press is good for blogging but if you want something a little more expandable but easier than Drupal. Joomla is the way to go. I use all 3, depending on what the client is looking for and the time restraints. You have an opinion on Joomla, but I don’t believe you meant to hate on the CMS, maybe you just needed someone to help you with it. Visit Joomla.org, where you can find a wealth of information and plenty of people there who can guide you in the right direction. Good Luck!
Why not use both at once? We have just recently released WP4J which actually allows you to run Joomla and WordPress together so you can really have the best of both worlds. The implementation does not involve hacking either platform in any way and is very light on server resources. You can check it out at WP4J.com (it is free to download).
The obvious lack of frustration along with the profanity clearly indicates that post author know not of what he speaks. The feedback overall proves that there is not a “one size” fits all solution. Having a firm that develops a few hundred sites a year it is always interesting to have to defend to clients what we do when some hyped up uninformed “web developer” provides them with bad information. Just as there are requirements for a doctor or lawyer to practice there should be some level of professional skill level in our industry. Anyone joker with a computer and a class can claim to be a “web guru”. In truth, the rant is just an obvious indication of someone who has big opinions and little knowledge.
Thanks a lot for the warning. Have been working a lot with WP recently and love it, but now I was curious about Joomla and intended to try it for my own personal website. Was chocked that it’s not free of charge as WP is but requires a payment plan. Anyway I tried to install it by using my web hotel’s 3-click toolbox and after 10 mins waiting it failed with a long error message. I’ll stick to WP from now on!
Joomla is a free download. You do have to have a hosting plan, though. WP you can have a free site through wordpress.org, but if I remember correctly to get your own domain name, you also have to have a hosting plan…
I’ve just installed Joomla for the first time in four years. It has NOT gotten any more intuitive.
The problem with Joomla (and Drupal) is that it is based upon a faulty premise… the idea that “HTML and CSS are too confusing or prone to being broken to expose them to the site administrators.” HTML and CSS are the easiest things in web, AND, if you break them you can tell right away with a quick refresh of the browser.
The reason WordPress is BY FAR the most popular plug-n-play CMS out there is because all you need to customize your site are those basic junior-level web skills. If you don’t trust a client with the HTML and CSS, set them up with special permissions so they can’t access the templates.
Hi man. yes well said about WordPress but may you are not well acquainted with joomla. I think joomla is one of the best CMS in this world.If you can accustomed with joomla then you will like it. And i believe that one day joomla will dominate the CMS world.
Joomla is for people who know what they’re doing
WordPress is for kids.
Converting WordPress into a SMS is a pain and WordPress can’t just do it.
Joomla is the most powerful Open Source Content Management Systems in the world. WordPress is a simple CMS for people that don’t take the time necessary to learn about it, it’s better and more intuitive, wordpress it’s just a big mess for new users. But sure for a small thing and for something quick, mostly a blog, wordpress it’s great.
joomla is for developers and people who know how to code but wordpress is for lames and it is so confusing…….
Whatever the reason behind to avoid Joomla but I must say that Joomla has become one of the most powerful Open Source Content Management Systems, used by millions of people worldwide.
Whenever someone writes something so definitive when comparing Joomla, WordPress, and Drupal you instantly know they have no clue and probably are not that good at understanding programming. They all have their good and bad. Once you get used to one then thats the one that you use the most. It’s like bashing someone because they like going a different route to a location but they get there in the same amount of time as you. Of course the person whos doing the criticizing sells WordPress templates, LOL.
Whenever someone writes something so definitive when comparing Joomla, WordPress, and Drupal you instantly know they have no clue and probably are not that good at understanding programming. They all have their good and bad. Once you get used to one then thats the one that you use the most. It’s like bashing someone because they like going a different route to a location but they get there in the same amount of time as you.
I think the root issue is not about which CMS system sucks more. They all do, in a different way.
It is about having all this simplified web development methods giving a very very low barrier of entry so we end up having roles like “WP/Joomla/Drupal/ developer”. Too much abstraction makes it easy to start but it renders you unable to have a full understanding of what you are doing, plus gives an illusion of a comfort zone that people are unwilling to move away from (hence all this bashing of one system or another, because they are only comfortable doing exactly the same thing over and over again, whatever else seems inferior). Please don’t get some minor issues like installation and upgrading bother you, the nightmare hasn’t even started :). Wait until you dive below the surface, open up that God class, that monstrous 5-10 thousand lines of a PHP file, or look at all the access and error logs, that’s when things truly begin.
Bit of disclaimer here, I’ve had my fair share of CMS and e-commerce freelance jobs, got my hands dirty (think, theme and plugin modification, core file overriding etc) and I work full time as a backend programmer on LAMP stack. I have seen messy code and horrible bugs (some done by myself, actually) in truly ‘enterprise-y’ system.
I’ve used Joomla, Drupal, WordPress and have even created my own CMS — so the experience is there. But I must say, anyone who says that Joomla or Drupal is superior to WordPress is sadly mistaken. I’ve made enterprise-level web apps on top of WordPress, along with hundreds of simple content sites. The user community is so expansive compared to the other CMSs, you just can’t compare them.
When I used to code Joomla or Drupal, my clients would struggle to use the interfaces. With WordPress, I often do not need to explain anything to them.
I think WordPress has a bad rep simply because it’s easy to use. But my team has proven time and time again that ease-of-use does not equate to less power.
I see a lot of angry people being butthurt because some guy on the internet doesn’t like their CMS. Joomla and WordPress are good at different things and bad for different things and any developer worth their salt knows this fundamental principle and doesn’t need to waste their time raging about it. This article was clearly written to be more comedic than informative anyway. Get a sense of humor. Sheesh.
I have a tendency to agree with every thing that was composed throughout “Why Joomla Sucks
and WordPress Doesn’t!”. Thank you for all the facts.Many thanks,Darla
I honestly have to say that you have no idea what you are talking about, and reasons you stated why joomla sucks and wp “rules” are either lies, or you simply fail at programming and any logic whatsoever.
I use both CMS, Joomla and WP, and both have its uses, and both are quite good tools.
For extremly complex sites Joomla simply have more options and granular settings while WP does not, but WP does have other advantages also.
Please don’t embarass yourself more with these kinds of blogs. Don’t blame Joomla for your failure, blame yourself, and try to learn.
P.S. some typos in my text, but cba to fix em.
I found Joomla easy to use and it really cant be compared to WordPress which is far too limited for serious users
Just because one migration failed, you can’t say entire Joomla sux. In fact, Joomla has its negative shades and so does WordPress.
Each platform has its own darker side and brighter side. Can’t agree with what you say.
Learn Programming kid then talk shit.
This guy don’t have any idea what he is talking about.
Just check his Services section (404 Error) and that also in hire me section.
what ever, this author need to join with other forums, try to find the problems, and after that write again your article about joomla and wordpress solutions, then let other people take the decision who is the best platform.
hmm, i used joomla since several years ago and already made over 600 websites with joomla. i dealed with several problems and always got the solutions.
in this case, the author didn’t mentioned the technical ways and he just mentioned that he got the error.
well, i have only one word to say.
the author of this post is damned stupid and he couldn’t get the proper solution because of his stupidity.
In my hacking days, when I bypass over many sever with symlink.
I just found a lot of wordpress and a few joomla , I was awesome that people are only using wordpress lozz . may be WP is very friendly for new users.
for me I definitely vote WordPress ,
it;s light, and i recommend for everyone just try “gravity forms” wordpress plugin. it works like charm. u can customize as u want 😀
1) “Takes time to install and configure”
– for simple blog yes, for CMS powered website it is very opposite, WP sucks, face it.
2)”Bloated Installation Size (around 30MB)”,
– who cares it really doesn’t matter.
3) “Lousy and Inefficient code”
– MVC architecture, how did you measure code efficiency. Fact – front and back end a bit of duplication. WP has loosely coped files which somehow work ( LOL ).
4)”Joomla can be used as a CMS but cannot be used as an efficient blogging system”
– CMS is a “tool” for the job, if you want blog go for WP, medium size CMS go for Joomla, big website with lots of customization go for Drupal. If you think WP is excellent CMS…please think again.
5) “Confusing modules and components”
– don’t forget about plugins to enhance your confusion and try to google it to learn about joomla. When you are expert in both systems ( really few people are ) rewrite your comparison and try to be objective. Why did you skip security? Is it because you couldn’t place big green “tick” on WP side?
I agree with you
I love joomla 😀
for a Blog go for WP
for real Websites go with Joomla
my Favorite Software for template : Aertisteer
I LOVE JOOLMA were any Problem Have Solution this is teh joomla world.
for a Blog go for WP
for real Websites go with Joomla
my Favorite Software for template : Aertisteer
I LOVE JOOmlA were any Problem Have Solution this is teh joomla world.
turn your PHP Error messages on your server on.
php.ini
display_errors ON
and so on. Than you will see what’s going on.
And start learning webdevelopment basics, and as soon as you know what you are talking about, complain again. But there will be nothing to complain anymore.
EAT A BAG OF DICKS YOU MORON.
There, now that makes it all better, huh?
LOL DUmbass!
what a tard, can’t use joomla waaAAAAaaaaAAAAAAAA
I have never succeeded with any cms, it appears to me that the functionality of wordpress, drupal and joomla all really limit the abilities of core php code.
As far as user friendliness, yes wordpress can be used by a 5 year old, joomla has a hell of a learning curve as far as development, but it has a major base of developers, and people willing to help, unfortunately they want money for a bit of advice.
WordPress also has a sh***ton of developers, and is probably the most famous cms on the market due to it’s ability to use mod rewrite and attract search engine bots.
I dont know s*** about drupal, I hear its a hybrid of both.
So, if you want web traffic, use wordpress. If you want to bash your brains out, and troubleshoot error after error, go with joomla. But understand, joomla is more of a network creator, wordpress is not for anything beyond blogging.
You can do both with either, but in the end joomla has a slight edge, simply because it has a user interface in the core code.
If you truly want something that is “you”, dont use a cms. Simply start from ground zero, make a database, and work from there.
Drupal, wordpress, joomla, all of these are php in the end.
I think you miss the point Adam.
Joomla is not friendly use web developer software. For little tiny problem you have to spend hrs sometimes days to figure out.
I use to use Presta Shop but never ever had a problem like I had with Joomla.
I am trying to switch my Joomla web site to Word Press as well.
Only reason, I had enough learning curve for the Joomla.
It is a great time consuming to figure out or learn.
When? I have never experienced that. I’m working with joomla since years and not even in the first day’s when i started to use it, i have experienced taking hour’s and day’s to figure something out.
Yes, WordPress is easy, and wp-admin is nice and fance. But it really can do shit compared to Joomla. And when i have to look in the Code of WordPress, i could throw up! It does not even have propper OOP and it does not even use any of the state of the art architecture programming structures like MVC or HMVC
Honestly, you can use WordPress for blogs, blogs you run in your home network. Once you put it in www it’s hacked after a few days.
Thank you, but FUCK wordpress
During recent years I have fairly often compared Joomla to WordPress – roughly from J1.5 thru J3.0. During the last comparison (with J3.0) I noticed that WordPress still remains a blogging site whilst the J3.0 version looks more and more like a copy of WordPress without have to circumvent blogging if you want a normal homepage. J3.0 is also very much more user friendly for the new user than it used to be. All in all I would say J3.0 equals WordPress for ease of use but is considerably better in terms of flexibility. So if you need to make a choice, my vote would be for Joomla…..
Dear sheep and other ignorant readers,
If you read this the writer of the above probably convinced you with some “interesting” comparison that that joomla sucks and wordpress is the holy grail. Is it true or just another blogpost by someone that lacks analytic thinking and uses someone else his template but shouts he is an expert.
For fun, Just take the first quote: The writer compaires Dreamweaver with Joomla. Thats like compairing a notepad to a dissertation. Great if that works for you but if your IQ is mildly above 70 that does not convince really or at least it should not.
Lets debunk all his points while we are at it (order same as above):
1) Simple and easy to learn for a new user versus Complicated and has a steep learning curve
Wordpress is simple indeed and limited, Joomla is different software for multiple purposes and yes if you are new it is (depending on your capacities) a steep learning curve.
2) Small Installation Size (around 10MB) versus Bloated Installation Size (around 30MB).
Does that really say something, in terms of pagespeed or does it only tells something about the installation size… Why use the term bloated if you dont explain this.
3)Very quick installation and configuration versus Takes time to install and configure
they both take time to install and to configure depending on the wishes. If you wish nothing, like most wordpress blogguys do, the installation takes 6 steps (1min) for both joomla and wordpress
4)Better and Efficient Code versus Lousy and Inefficient code
Proof it! expert!
5) It can be used as an excellent Blogging system as well as a CMS vs Joomla can be used as a CMS but cannot be used as an efficient blogging system
Wordpress is aimed at blogging! (RTFM) Joomla is not in its core aimed at blogging so you need a component for that. (now look back at the word bloated and look back again. hmm contradiction)
6) Developer-friendly versus A Developer’s Nightmare!
Why is that? having difficulties understanding things. Explain it.
7) Upgrading WordPress is a breeze versus Upgrading Joomla is a hassle – almost broken!
False! upgrading the core is simple, upgrading thirdparty software for both systems can be hard! causality…. indeed third parties.
8)Better community support & plugins versus Confusing modules and components
Compairing 2 different things ? again RTFM, and see what modules and components are
9) Uses the KISS principle 🙂 Versus Uses the RAPE principle
you are right on this one. WordPress is simple (and limited) Joomla is meant for people with an IQ above 70.
Hi! This article DOES grab attention thanks to the headline, but for me, it’s too subjective. Why not just face it – these CMSs are different. You can’t say this one rocks, the other sucks, it depends on what you need to find inside. Still, I’ve started with WP, and so far not planning to change it, but I don’t think Joomla is a bad choice either.
Totally agree with you. I’ve been in Joomla since 2007. I would say that I am an expert on Joomla but it is really sucks now compare to other CMS. I’ve given up my Joomla career and switched to WordPress / MOD CMS world for about a year and it is a relief. Joomla is just so unfriendly, heavily bundled, No ajax admin …. etc. Simply pain in the ass
Hi,
I have had several well-ranking Jommla-sites for the last 4-5 years. As they started to get somewaht dated, loosing rank in G, I switched one of them to Wordpess last week. The results was instant and very positive. I am now moving the rest of my sites to WordPress, and will never look back.
Comming across your post today confirmed my choice. Thank you for a well written article 🙂
Seems most people will have a CMS preference and ditch the other CMS’s. If I go through the comments, this seems to be the picture I get.
I focus on one and specialize in it. I have a good friend who is a whizz at Word Press and tells me how wonderful it is. He is good at Word Press because he has specialises in it.
I fiddled in Word Press, but because I am not Familiar with it, I battled to get to grips with how it worked and gave up. I realised then that Word Press was not for me. That doesn’t mean it is a great platform, it just means it was not right for me.
If a client comes along and wants work done in a Word Press environment, then I would refer them to my friend. If he comes across a client wanting changes to a Joomla website, then he sends them to me.
This way I do not get frustrated just because I do not know how Word Press works. I just rather spend time getting to know Joomla better.
BTW. Upgrading from Joomla 1 to latest version is not that hard IF you know what you are doing! Don’t slate a CMS just because it does work the way you are used working. Drupel, WP and Joomla ALL WORK DIFFERENTLY.
Drupal is the best general CMS. WordPress is good for blogs. Joomla isn’t terrible but Drupal makes it look bad by comparison.
Totally agree. I will soon be migrating the Joomla website of my workplace to WordPress. Have grown to hate it…
I have just recently started using Joomla and really see no problems with it yet. Anything I have run into I just mess around with it and typically figure out in a few minutes. I seriously know close to no code. before using Joomla I was using a drag and drop editor that I got for 50 bucks. I learned basics of Joomla in about 2 hours and the rest pretty quickly. I can not speak for wordpress as I have never used it. To the author, you did a hell of a job ob this blog. Over a year and still getting a steady stream of responses. haha
Developers love Joomla because it forces clients to pay HUGE bucks to the developer to constantly tinker with it.
Yes, it is “powerful” (which translates into “every small change requires hours of developer time”)
I got sucked into the Joomla whirlpool of money down the drain for several years. My site ALWAYS had problem and looked like crap. The developer ALWAYS blamed me and the other users for “not being smart enough”.
Finally we told the developer to go f*(*&^ himself and we got a simpler system.
I’ve been a software guy for 25 years. I’ve never seen anything as purely non-functional as Joomla. Unbelievable level of badness.
I spent a couple of thousands pounds to get my site developed in Joomla and it still has problems. I have been thinking to switch to other cms. I don’t think Joomla is suitable for start-up or someone with limited budget. Joomla is changing very fast, it is very difficult to keep up with its changes. I had my site developed in Joomla 1.5, early this year Joomla released version 2.5, and next year they are going to release version 3.5. It is costly to get a developer migrated it from one version to another.
Joomla uses MVC structure and wordpress procedural….that’s why its easy. WordPress is best for stuffs like blogging,etc. But JOOMLA IS BEST as per my views for rest of all sites type. Especially the MVC provides much security to a site then simple procedural programming. Ofcourse MVC programming is tough and I am sure the people commenting here are not at all good in MVC programming (including author of this post), that’s why joomla sucks for them. FIRST LEARN MVC MY DEAR, THEN DARE TO GO FOR JOOMLA!
Yes, I agree with you. Joomla is bit complicated than WordPress. Further, since last year or so, there are enough dazzling WordPress themes coming on a regular basis to give a final blow to Joomla.
I have personally noted SEO is much better using WordPress than Joomla. So thumbs up to WordPress! 🙂
Totally Agree!
What a FANTASTIC read for a quiet Saturday afternoon.
My web company does risk assessments on all clients that come through the door. All websites are based upon either Joomla or WordPress. (Or a custom build should the case in hand require.)
If the client has no idea what they are talking about, doesn’t understand basic abbreviations such as URL and HTTP I set them up on a WordPress. These are usually the same clients that don’t understand ongoing requirements such as SEO and get angry when they don’t reach page one of the SERP’s under the search term “Facebook” even though they refused any SEO packages.
If, on the other hand a client comes to us and knows exactly what they want, ie, a full plan covering back-end functionality, extendability, advanced form handling, user management – you know, a real development project, I will probably start with Joomla.
(My 3 year old boy can’t use a smartphone so I give him a toy phone with big red pushy buttons and it makes him happy – but – every now and again he will throw it at the wall in a tantrum – SOUND FAMILIAR OP???)
As a blog WordPress is number 1 hands down with no exceptions.
As far as proper development goes, sorry but WordPress isn’t the way to go. But then, all you guys complaining about how “complicated” Joomla is wouldn’t know anything about proper development.
Seriously stick to what works for you but don’t go slagging off the worlds best CMS because you don’t understand it.
It just highlights how little you know.
I’m with you! I’m an experienced web developer, building custom applications, templates, plugins, etc… I’ve used most of the CMSes out there and say with confidence “JOOMLA IS THE WORST”.
I’m currently stuck in a hell trying to upgrade from 1.5.10 to the latest branch. The attempt failed when I tried to get jUpgrade running on 1.5.26. It failed without warning or meaningful error, so I’m starting over. Joomla’s bloated directory structure and database design make it take 10 times too long!
Not to mention, the contributors’ like to require your email to look at the docs, or download free contributions. Can’t wait to see how many spam lists I end up on.
On the other hand, my clients LOVE WordPress, and developing new functionality is a breeze because everything related to the core works exactly as it should, and stays out of the way.
If you are using Joomla, You Are Wrong!
lol, I have done many upgrades lately and all went fast and easy. A few minutes up to a few our’s depending on how much to upgrade.
It’s easy as hell! And if it’s not easy to you, you better start learning the basic’s in webdevelopment.
lol, I have done many upgrades lately and all went fast and easy. A few minutes up to a few hours depending on how much to upgrade.
It’s easy as hell! And if it’s not easy to you, you better start learning the basic’s in webdevelopment.
WordPress is great for a blog, or a small portfolio site where the final user is not computer savy at all.
Joomla allows for building much larger sites and eCommerce stores. I’ve found that most people who speak of WordPress and Joomla like the author of this article are the types of people that
a. don’t learn things easily
and
b. put tons of faith in bar-stool conversations with other people who simply relay what they’ve heard, ie. “I’ve heard WordPress is great, plus it’s already designed with themes.”
That statement shows how little that person knows of what they’re endorsing.
I have worked both on wordpress and Joomla. As a programmer’s point of view Joomla uses MVC framework and WordPress follows procedural programming. So if you want to make changes in Joomla, you have to be skilled in MVC and php programming. In addition, it is true that wordpress is easier than Joomla to learn. However, Joomla is thousand times powerful than wordpress. So, you can’t blame Joomla for its complexity. You need a lot of practice to work in Joomla.
I think. Joomla actually has a more user friendly GUI than WordPress. In wordpress, there is more tasks to struggle with codes in order to install extensions. Joomla has more ready to use extensions than WordPress.
The Control Panel feature in Joomla is, especially in Joomla Version 1.5 and later versions, very user friendly.
WordPress is great!!! Just because you don’t know basic web programming is no reason to bash WordPress. Same goes for the author of this post. Joomla is also a great CMS framework which I use quite frequently. I will have to admit I prefer WordPress by far, but Joomla does have some nice features for developers.
Before I settled on WordPress, I tried pretty much every other platform out there. Most of the others suffer from the tech geek’s error. By that I mean they are created by geeks, for geeks. It’s ‘easy’ for them because in some cases they created it!
For every day users and people that just want to get on with publishing and building their business, WordPress is simple and powerful enough to get people up and running pretty quickly.
Thanks for the great article!
Dude, it takes you 5 minutes because your doing simple shit. Try to do some real web development and then tell me WordPress is better… Not going to happen.
The fact that YOU didn’t manage to migrate does not make JOOMLA useless, it actually shows you are incapable of this task. This is obviously a hater post and I explain:
-Bloated Installation Size (around 30MB) – in which year are you living? 30MB in 2012 is NOTHING.
-Lousy and Inefficient code – if you wrote lousy and inefficient code in JOOMLA, again it is your fault only.
-Better community support & plugins vs Confusing modules and components – Apart from comparing completely different things, JOOMLA has a large and helpful community and very useful modules and components. Perhaps its size frightens you?
-A Developer’s Nightmare! – This is not even an argument…
-Uses the RAPE principle – do I even need to comment on this?
If you don’t like a platform, by all means do not use it. But this hate-delirium shows you are ignorant and useless at your work. I am sorry I have to use harsh words but your “style” of writing does not bring out politeness.
lol, after 10 years and its taking you three weeks to write a module?! I’m a complete noob and have written three modules in one week… Use CRoute::_(”) to get consistent urls. You probably just don’t understand the separation of logic and after 10 years of trying I may just look for another profession.
HI! I agree 100% with you, I am actually creating my own CMS because I couldn’t work with joomla. Its called ValeteCMS, its in Portuguese (Europe) and I’m still developing it, when Im finished I will make it open source and maybe I will come back to this page and post the link to it. I will create a version in English.
Joomla sucks and many things on admin totally unnecessary here is the quote for Joomla Devloper “Any fool can make something complicated. It takes a genius to make it simple.”
wordpress again has major security issues too.
i finally made my own admin for my clients it took time but each second was worth it at the end.
if you want to start webdesign as business make your own script best way forward:)
I use both WP and Joomla, so I have no bias to one or the other. Simply put WP is for beginers Joomla is for vetrans. Yes, way more results for joomla sucks. Because it is complicated, and will frustrate anyone who thinks they can use it to build a website over night. But think about the source…..prob someone who shouldn’t be building a website anyway.
You pretty much hit the nail on the head and drove this point home. WordPress makes simple things even simpler but for a professional web developer, this is not a priority. Joomla is better for programmers and developers because it is extensible, separates logic and provides good security layers.
Hi
I am surprised by all the green ticks for WordPress. I have been trying to get into blogging – I gave up on WP two years ago because for a beginner blogger it a ……. nightmare. It has to be the most unintuitive application I have ever come across. Period.
Forgetting this I recently self hosted a site using their s/ware … I am ABSOLUTELY gob smacked at the amount of time I have to waste just trying to figure out something as basic as trying to change a font style and size – googled it downloaded tyepkit activated – Can i USE IT? NO. CAN IT BE SEEN ANYWHERE IN TH DASH? NO..
Why don’t they just give it even a basic text edit I mean it is a blog after all where your supposed to write WORDS!! WHAT A JOKE…..
I’m not hopping in to the “Which is the best?” argument. I have used Joomla for many years (since 1.0 days). I admit it has a much steeper learning curve than WordPress. However, WP has come a long way, especially with built-in custom menu support.
I’m starting to dev more of my sites in WP for one main reason: complete lack of native upgrade support. Each time there’s a rewrite (1.0 > 1.5 > 1.7, etc) there’s no easy way natively to upgrade. With small updates you FTP the patched files. Core rewrites not so simple.
Granted, there are 3rd party plugins and components to help in migrating but it’s always 3rd party. It’s as if the Joomla team never thinks that there’s people that use a previous version (such as 1.5… not outdated such as 1.0).
This is what I love about WP. Login, WP tells me plugin or WP itself needs an update, click a button, update downloaded and installed. Why Joomla has never done this is beyond me.
I’m very technical. I’m not one that is disliking Joomla because of any learning curve as I’m very familiar on using it. I have a site using Joomla that I have invested a lot of time in over the years. Now I have to convert from 1.5 it seems easier to just install fresh Joomla and build from scratch. Migration tool migrates content but not blocks, all modules I’ve created, nor other settings. Seriously thinking of rebuilding in WP.
this is the worse CMS that I’ve use. when I tried to develop website with wordpress or drupal it’s take one or two weeks, but with this sucks csm i need more than one month.
At this very moment i just tried joomla 2.5, the admin section is too complex, i would not use this for a client website, otherwise i would need a few months to give them training on how to use it!. WordPress is much easier to use but if i was creating my own project i may give joomla a try and see if it really does suck?
I’ve been using Joomla (version 1.5 and 1.7) now for almost a year because the company I work for use it and hate it. It took me months to get my head around its stupid section/catergory/article/menu system.
Version 1.7 is a lot better than 1.5 but its still a pain in the butt to use.
I’m now learning wordpress for the first time and want to switch all of our websites over to that as it’s so much nicer to use (both for me as a designer and other people who will be using it in the company). I’ve only been using it for about 7 days and its great. So long joomla, ya piece of rubbish
Actually, both Joomla and WordPress suck. They are the most hacked CMS; the latest MAC attack is due to hacked WordPress botnets.
Joomla just sucks flat out. Try moving Joomla to another server. Nigthmare! Always a unique problem that screws up the migration that requires a boat load of troubleshooting. Moving a wordpress site is the same exact process as moving a Joomla site. But wordpress is almost flawless when moving to a new server unlike Joomla. Joomla is the worst content management system ever.
Actually if you use Akeeba backup (free,) you can move your site within a few minutes painlessly.
No surprise that this blog received such ire. Joomla devs are very faithful to their platform. I find the whole cms argument tiring – like listening to protestants argue with catholocs or shias argue with sunnis. Fact is the Joomla core devs are trying to move more towards an application framework. WordPress is not suitable for complex mvc apps. If you tried to build a complex app in WordPress you,d hate it too.
Don’t use a screwdriver to drive a nail then state that all screwdrivers are useless.
Wow, I thought we were passed this type of “Which CMS” argument years ago. I use both WordPress and Joomla ALOT, and I must say that while I love WordPress we very rarely use it for large websites or sites that don’t match it’s target – and that is a large market. So WordPress is my favourite CMS for small clients, brochure websites and blogs but Joomla or Drupal for the rest – both are extremely developer friendly. Joomla was never meant to be a blogging system. I wouldn’t dream of using it for one.
I do agree however that the learning curve from a user, administrator and developer point of view is alot higher than WP.
Anyway, your frustration seems to stem from a migration issue. Bear in mind that you are trying to upgrade a website based on 2005 source code (Joomla 1.0.x) to the latest, completely rewritten version of the CMS (something not possible in WP – wordpress 1 to wordpress 3?). There are so many things that can go wrong there depending on what extensions your client is using. It is possible as I have migrated from 1.0 to 1.5 and 2.5 on numerous occassions without the slightest hitch.
i want to say wordpress near Joomla like ant against elephant, check my website,
when you don’t know how to work with knife you just cut your finger, and pain! so just try to study this swiss army knife man.
What’s the saying … “When you are holding a hammer everything looks like a nail”. People get so invested in content management systems the whole thing becomes like a religious argument. Choosing the right CMS, which sometimes is no CMS at all depends on the circumstances. I have seen people build Joomla and Drupal site with 5 only pages. When I see that I really want to slap somebody. CMS is just a frigging tool and whatever CMS you are using WILL DIE SOMEDAY.
What kind of retard tries to migrate a Joomla 1.0 site to the latest version? Everyone that is prepared to do even the tiniest bit ofresearch knows that you don’t migrate Joomla versions that are so outdated. If you need to migrate anything then migrate the content but rebuild the site in the most stable version (1.5.25 at the moment) and develop it to completion using that version. Whatever version you build in you stick with untill the latest version has the more support. Any fool knows that.
The problem with these hack developers nowadays is ‘one little problem with Joomla and let me run to WordPress’… WordPress is for dummies! and only creates limited crappy websites! Fuck WordPress and all the retards who use it!
All I can say is you are the reason people should hire professionals to get things done correctly. Hacks like you just through out garbage. Please do not make statements on things you are clearly unqualified to comment on.
I work in both Joomla and WordPress and prefer Joomla as I have never been able to paint myself in a corner with Joomla.
I did find your post funny but ultimately it is a bad craftsman who blames his tool!
JOOMLA is the worst piece of shiit. I hope this piece of shiit burns to hell faster than it already is dieing out. fuken piece of shiit.
Joomla’s core framework is basic and doesn’t tick all of the boxes on it’s own. Fortunately, there are hundreds of free components, modules and plugins available that enhance the framework. The difficult development work has already been done, so in most cases all the user has to do is make minor modifications to suit the look and feel of the website. Anyone with a sound knowledge of html and cms should be able to do this with a minimum of fuss but unfortunately a lot of users lack these basic skills. These boneheads stuff things up and blame Joomla when it’s their own fault. They head straight to the forums, post their inane issues and then complain about a lack of support when no one responds to their stupid unnecessary posts. I’ve built over 30 custom Joomla websites and not once have I felt the need to post an issue in the Joomla forum. Most questions I’ve had have already been asked and answered and 99% of problems I’ve had were solved simply by using Google.
I like WordPress as well but to me it serves different purposes than Joomla.
I have almost as many complaints about WordPress as I do Joomla, but at least I can find answers when I have questions about WordPress. The code really doesn’t matter to me, I can read and work in both just fine, but Joomla’s lack of support is the straw that broke the camel’s back. Unfortunately I have to use it for work, no choice there.
I havent yet tried my hands on it.. 😛 wordpress is awesome..
This post is among the more ignorant I have ever read. All it says about you is that you are likely a poor developer.
Joomla is a framework, a platform that can be configured in innumerable ways. So your choice of how to configure it, with your components/modules/plugins etc didn’t work well for you. Fine. But I host dozens of complex sites with Joomla and it is a mind blowing, stable extendible CMS. All I learned from this post is not to recommend you as a developer. A poor craftsman blames his tools.
Meanwhile, your post suggests that you lack the experience to be able to distinguish a well-implemented framework from a steaming pile of trash.
Joomla is not a tool. PHP, MySQL, Textmate, and Terminal are tools. Joomla is the foundation that someone has built for you with their tools and experience which you are supposed to bring to completion.
Unfortunately, Joomla is a mess, and as a NASA developer, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to determine this. One look at the db schema for Joomla would send any experienced/sane developer running for their lives.
You Sir, is a tool. Made by your parents who are also tools. Explain that.
Reggae is the foundation, everything else are tools. Remember this son.
Yeah…Joomla is not very good compared to WordPress. I agree with all of your points there and as for usability, WordPress is the best and most intuitive to use and one of the more important reasons why I use it for my client’s web sites when they want to be able to take over maintaining it. Having used Joomla before, and now WordPress, I can honestly attest to many reason why WordPress is the best all around for most users. 🙂
You’re so right about this…I’ve hated Joomla from day one. Extremely difficult to modify, and just doing an upgrade is a complete nightmare since you have to shut the site down. Everything about it is frustrating and annoying.
Thanks, I enjoyed this post! I worked on a huge Joomla project, and it was the WORST web development experience I’ve ever had. Like yours, it could not be upgraded because some bad coders had jury-rigged a whole bunch of stuff. Imagine a site where you cannot bring up the main admin panel at all. 🙂 The rest of the team, who had been working on the site for much longer than I had, would ask me where stuff was in the rest of the admin, because they had serious trouble finding anything. I did, too, but I became the SME, & that’s funny. So because the admin didn’t work right, I had no choice but to do text searches in the PHP source code, and make changes in dozens of PHP files. Ain’t nuthin’ but a party!!!!
Last I heard, they had converted the whole site to MODx, and now it doesn’t suck!
If you’re going to spend a huge amount of time on a learning curve, you might as well just learn something powerful and of decent quality, like Ruby or Drupal or…. basically anything else. 🙂
I’ve used and tested many CMS systems in my work, and yes, Joomla belongs in the toilet.
There is no denying the fact that wordpress is the bets of the best , whether you it in terms of variety or the money making oppurtunities !
I had used joomla before and frankly it was a bad experience , to everyone i would like to tell its wordpress that rules !
Joomla was a bitch, I’ve tried it and compare it to wordpress, and I am more in love with wordpress. I love this post Jai!
Hope some Joomla-ers stupid out there understand why they being stupid
I think Joomla is not really as bad as you have written about it. I will not also deny the fact that WordPress is far easier to use than Joomla! My advice for anyone is to use what is best for you.
Joomla is only awesome if you know nothing else, including doing it all from scratch. Trust me, use Drupal or WordPress and save yourself a lot of headaches
Great Fight.
For those who are confused, here is an old infographic which will help you make the decision fast.
Saying Joomla sucks is a huge understatement. I heard it was the best of the best and struggled with it for 1 1/2 months. Simply getting it to install correctly was a nightmare. Between the nonfunctionality and the bugs I encountered it was hell on earth to work with.
Switched to WordPress and had the website functional within 2 days. Leave your hair on your head rather than in handfuls on your desk top. Forget Joomla quick. You can use WordPress for anything and probably do it better than you could in Joomla.
BTW: If you want to check out a lousy CMS, try ExpressionEngine. It’s one of the worst i’ve seen the last years.
Sorry guy, i understand your anger but most of the stuff you’r writing is – please forgive me – crap.
If you want to update from 1.0 to 1.5 you should first read update guides, check compatibility of modules and themes and you’r done. The step from 1.0 to 1.5 is like the step from Windows 3.11 to Windows XP – it’s possible but may be pain in the A$$.
On the other hand, if you’r a skilled web worker it should not be the biggest problem to migrate content – worst case: Write some SQL queries and do it manually. The real problem starts with components, modules and plugins – one possible workaround was the compatibilty layer for 1.0 extensions which may be turned on within the plugin management.
You always should know your enemy – if you don’t understand the (sometimes sick) principle of Joomla and if you are not willing to spend time on it, you shouldn’t take client projects with joomla involved.
Yes: Some things – and since 1.6 some more – in Joomla are really, really sick – and from a client perspective i would hate spearation of structure and content (it’s to abstract for the normal skilled user). On the other hand, Joomla can be a very flexible app framework and this is one of its strengths in my opinion.
WordPress is totally different kind of software and – of course – it is not as good as you write. But the strengths are: It is very “loud” in the internet: Everyone can easily publish things which appear minutes later in google or in other blogs and you have community features out of the box. On the other hand wordpress has absolutely weak user and permission management, no real ability to create dedictaed content for different groups (which of course comes first Joomla 1.6 out of the box) and has out of the box a weak theming system .
It’s like comparing Apples and Pears to compare WordPress with Joomla and therefore pointless.
Regards,
Rainer Phantasiename
I personally prefer WordPress and use it the most. However, there are many small business companies who have built their website on joomla.
Best thing about WordPress is its incredible ease to use and has wide array of plugins and themes. It is also very simple to install.
I love WordPress and have been using it a little over two years. I think it does have a fairly steep learning curve, but you CAN learn it, even if you’re not terribly technical. Joomla, on the other hand, has lots of secrets that it doesn’t want to share with anyone. My boyfriend is the webmaster for his engineering group and we haven’t been able to figure out how to change the footer information on the group’s Joomla based website, and we’ve tried everything. Unfortunately for me, he can’t convince the group to switch to WordPress.
You may want to look into the modules section or – if it is a custom theme – it might be hardcoded.
I think WordPress has a much easier administration interface, thus its more popular. When i first used Joomla i almost got lost in admin panel 🙂
WordPress is much more better and easier for blogging .. i love wordpress..i even don’t know how is Joomla..
It will be difficult for me to judge because I havent used Joomla. But going by the comparism, that means I cant even try use anytime
I quit Joomla Years Back…. LOL.. also quit Drupal.. another horrible thing…. and fall in love with WordPress…..
Drupal is awesome but it’s not for everyone. It’s a lot more powerful and you really have to spend some time learning. Joomla, on the other hand, is a worthless piece of crap. WordPress is good for small sites and blogs.
I used to use WordPress for blogging then a couple of years ago choosed to use Joomla for my customers websites. WordPress is easy to use but lacks the scalability and therefore the functionalities developed that you add to Joomla.
I know Joomla can be somehow tricky to learn (like any new CMS) but saying it sucks for a single bad experience is not fair. Today, for instance, I had a bad experience with WordPress and a template I used in a new site and that does not mean WordPress sucks and that I won’t be using it again, that’s part of the game.
In defense of Joomla, it has improved a lot since 1.7, now upgrades are much easier and works in multilanguage natively which can be very important for most non-english speaking websites.
Who the heck wants a CMS when you only need a Blog? Use WP when your needs require more than just publishing some sentences. If you really have to maintain CONTENT, then return to Joomla … and look for another contractor. 😉
I have tried to run few sites on Joomla and really found them really hard to manage and even update to latest version. If wordpress needs one click of a button and you have the latest version then Joomla will take all your nerves and beer to get it done of just give up at some point.
Had the same issues with Drupal, but they have dramatically updated their platform, so probably they are a bit better now.
Hi.. Nice comparison u made her… 🙂
The true in my case is I start in Joomla 4 years ago when I buy a small book about it; was very easy to start using Joomla even installing the XAMMP local server with no one knowledge about that, since that I just be in Love to Joomla and I made several sites whit it; I don’t use other CMS because I find every I or my customers need, With Joomla 1.7 and a small extension you can start very nice and smart blog, so I can’t say nothing bad about WordPress but about Joomla I need to say its amazing simple to use, simple to learn, easy to expand or integrate with other aplications and had an Excelent Community that help you step by step in the learning and building process, sorry for the people that have problems with it, but really you almost dont need to be even Smart to start with Joomla…
Geesh… Obviously you haven’t had much experience with Joomla to write such an article. Joomla is very powerful and, though the back-end administration is fairly sophisticated, a Joomla site can be configured to that anyone can do 99% of updates through the front end easily and efficiently. Joomla has also come along way – Joomla 1.6 and 1.7 have a great many improvements over previous versions. Also, the code is anything but “lousy and inefficient” (though considering you were working with Joomla 1.0, released over 6 years ago, I can see why might think so.)
If someone has little computer knowledge and wants to create and maintain their own website from scratch, by all means use WordPress. However, if you are having your site developed professionally and simply want to maintain it yourself, or if you don’t mind investing a little time to create a truly powerful website, you should take a good look at Joomla.
Cheers,
Chris
Regarding your quote, I think this one from Jay Gilmore is more appropriate:
“A car will get you from place to place, but if you need that car to be a chip wagon or a boom truck or an intermodal transport trailer, you aren’t going to start with a Ford Focus. WordPress is a Ford Focus or a Honda Civic to the vast number of things Joomla, Drupal, or MODX sites could be: an aircraft carrier, a amoured personnel vehicle with a cash bar, a power company boomtruck that shoots lasers. They’re all vehicles, but very different indeed.”
Its been awhile since the last time I get my hands dirty with Joomla. I know it sucks. But the important thing before I take any website project, I’ll always ask the client, what is the purpose of their website. Most of them are only catalogue site. WordPress has always be my first choice if they want CMS style.
I haven’t used WordPress for all that long, but I do like it’s user friendliness. I like to stick with what works. This confirms it a bit for me. I don’t actually think I have seen Joomla, and known it anyways, but I’ll stick with WordPress for now. Thanks for the information.
@Jai – Thank god 6 year before itself I got to know all these things and running a successful Blog with WordPress. In between 6 years I never seen any evolution in Joomla.
Thanks for the great comparison Jai.
Your comparison is subjective.
I would always choose WordPress instead of Joomla, but I can also make a table like you did and proove how awesome is Joomla or other CMS by finding WordPress bugs.
Hahs I didn’t even know of it till I came across your blog…good to know. I will be signing up. 🙂
I m using joomla since 4years.
Better you should go to one who knows atleast programming;
Joomla is the easiest one then wordpress… with more functionality..
You Can intigrate WordPress blog in Joomla , you can not do vice-versa…
there r millions of links available which will remove your ignorance.
Please use google … some times.. if u know … how to use.
Its nice to hear that you find Joomla easy and productive. You must have a good IQ 🙂
you right,@this point
Small Installation Size (around 10MB) | Bloated Installation Size (around 30MB)
Better and Efficient Code | Lousy and Inefficient code
but you are wrong at all,Joomla can be more dynamic than WP.
if you cant use or learn Joomla,i thing you have a low IQ hehehehe
your IQ score is? ough i think you can calculate about it..
you use the wrong words to judge something you dislike
Are you actually really discussing with some one at this niveau?
C’mon you have better things to do.
Once I have to admit, WordPress is much easier to use (therefore it’s functionality has to be limited) that even idiots may use it – quod erat demonstrandum
You will be astonished to know that searching for the phrase “Wordpress Sucks” returns 39,300,000 results on Google.com
Maybe next time you should ask somebody educated for help.
Hi there,
By now many of the Joomla users are having headache with duplicate pages and duplicate meta description due to a Joomla bug; when you try to optimize the site for SEO… this will send the SEO rating down the tube..
Add this to you comparison chart.
Charles
It is great to hear someone else complain about Joomla and rave about WordPress! I have tried several times to use Joomla, to have it available for any client base, but every time I mess with it I come back with a ‘you suck’. I love WordPress, have made several sites with it, makes it so easy for the client to use too! This last time I pretty much decided I was done messing with Joomla period, so glad I am not the only one!!
You will be astonished to know that searching for the phrase “Joomla Sucks” returns 5,330,000 results on Google.com
I think the disparity between search results of “Joomla Sucks” vs. “WordPress Sucks” is because not many people use Joomla to begin with. I’ve used Joomla and really, it’s not that intuitive to use.
I used joomla 1.5 to build a number of sites. Now the time has come to upgrade to Joomla 3.x and sincerely I find the whole thing obscure to say the least. I am no dummy and I have been forced by necessity to learn computer LANGUAGES in a few days and under pressure. I have been sitting here for two hours figuring out the Joomla 3.x administration interface. How to simply display a module? I still don’t know. I could have been done long ago if I was using 1.5 but this interface is obscure, very obscure and not intuitive at all. Sorry … but that’s the truth for this very experienced developer. Good night Joomla. I am going somewhere else.
Yes man! that’s excactly what’s going on. You nailed it!!!!! Thank you!!!
I tell you why! Because people who blob feel like writing about everything they don’t get handeled in their live. Good developers don’t because they thing before they talk. And if you can’t handle joomla, you are not right for this material. It’s one of the most simple and most flexible open source system out there along with Drupal.
Though a little message out to all of you bloggers: Think before you write. And if you are not up to the task, than don’t blame the system for your supidity.