The Web industry is currently on fire with the latest WP Drama. But to be clear, the point of this article isn't to joke or feed this internal mess but to guide and give hope and a solution to many WP users.
If you expect a WP bashing article, close the page right now. This article is no more than a friendly hand extended to the WP users after the turbulences they are facing since few weeks now.
As an integrator, I really do understand their concerns and their anger. As a business owner, I'm also really concern for their clients, their activities, and their incomes. We are doing the same job, with the same kind of clients, only with a different tool.
I wrote this article as I would like to read it if I were a WP user looking for an alternative solution to protect my clients, to save my business and to secure my income. I really hope you'll find this content helpful and useful.
Why should consider Joomla over WordPress in 2024?
Because Joomla is a real free open source CMS managed by a non profit organization.
I've recently read painful stories of some WP businesses ruined by the recent situation: hundreds of WP site blocked or vanished, accounts locked without any warning, etc. What happen to many WP users is really sad but this situation can't happen in the Joomla ecosystem. And I'll explain you why.
From what I know about the WP current situation, I can resume this sad mess to a single individual using a FOSS project for personal financial gain (with some dark personal revenges, as side effect).
This kind of scary situation can't really happen in Joomla with the way this open source project is currently structured. The entire source code of Joomla is available on GitHub and the trademark belongs to Open Source Matters, the non profit organization supporting the Joomla! project.
If an OSM board member tried to pull something like that, the board has the power to fire this member. And if the whole board becomes greedy, the voting members of OSM (the members of the teams) can call for a special emergency meeting and remove the entire board.
Since Joomla and OSM aren't commercial entities that financially benefits, there's absolutely no motivation for that to happen in the Joomla ecosystem. We're just here volunteering for Joomla and... we are expecting you.
Last point: no one will block your Joomla account or your Joomla websites because you simply disagree with the Great Leader behaviours.
Because Joomla has a strong and passionate community, ready to welcome and help you.
I'm perfectly aware that you'll probably not move from WP to Joomla in a single day, right after reading this awesome article. But, who knows?
Change might be scary to many, but this situation is also a good business opportunity just to test and look what Joomla became in the last decade. You might be very surprized.
Joomla from 2005 to 2024
When we are lost, and alone, there's nothing more conforting than someone welcoming you with a warm cup of tea/coffee/chocolate. That's exactly the point of this article and what the thousands of Joomla volunteers do every day. With kindness
Because Joomla means all together, this powerful CMS is natively multilingual and you'll definitely find volunteers, resources, and support in your native language: Spanish, German, Italian, Russian, French, Arabic, etc.
Because with Joomla, you can build websites in minutes. Just like with WordPress.
Nowadays, most of the Joomla themes (templates, in our ecosystem) are build and come with a page builder: Helix, YOOTheme, Astroid, Gantry, Sparky, etc. In just few clicks, you can create perfectly responsive design websites. Just like with WordPress.
Furthermore, you can install all the Joomla plugins (extensions, in our ecosystem) you want directly from the Joomla admin panel. Just like with WordPress.
Most of the Joomla templates are available with a quickstart pack: you install it on your server and after few clicks, your website looks like the demo! This is exactly what integrators are expecting from a modern CMS in 2024.
It also worth to mention the thousands of free resources available online about Joomla: documentation, training courses, tutorials, templates, 3rd party extensions, videos, etc. Just like with...
Where and how to start with Joomla?
Among the ton of resources available about Joomla, I'll list here the 5 most important to me if you want to explore what Joomla is in 2024. You might consider this list as a first step, and I'll let you dig and navigate through the links and Internet if you are interested to go further.
launch.joomla.org: like wordpress.com, it's the perfect place to start, test, learn, and create your first(s) Joomla website(s) for FREE.
launch.joomla.org
docs.joomla.org: welcome to the official documentation of Joomla, available in 34 different languages.
docs.joomla.org
joomlacommunity.cloud.mattermost.com: the official channel of Joomal teams, where you'll meet the men and women behind this open source project. Free entrance!
extensions.joomla.org: need to add features and functionalities to your site(s)? This is the official librairy of the Joomla extensions.
extensions.joomla.org
templatejoomla.com: the largest Joomla template directory with more than 2,600 templates listed.
templatejoomla.com
And of course, you'll find tens of Joomla groups on social medias if you want to chat with users and volunteers.
Welcome to Joomla, my friends
Because I believe that it is more constructive to focus on the future rather than to remain stuck on a disappointment or anger (even if they are legitimate), Joomla might be a reliable alternative for many WP users because it allow to create websites (almost) exactly as with Wordpress:
you pick a theme,
you pick a page builder (if not included with the theme)
you add all the plugins that you need to achieve the site's functionality.
and you're done in minutes!
From an integrator prespective, Joomla has completely remove all the frictions from the website creation and maintenance process. And you don't even need to put the hands in the code!
From a business owener point of view, Joomla offers a sain and secure environement with an clear mid long term perspective, thanks to its governance. And this is really reassuring for businesses.
Frequently Asked Questions about Joomla and its ecosystem
Seriously, Joomla is still alive in 2024?
Yeah sure, Joomla just turn 19 in August, and near a million websites on the Web are powered by this powerful CMS, thanks to the thousands of volunteers and users.
There are far less plugins and themes for Joomla than WordPress
True but it's only a matter of quality vs quantity. All the Joomla extensions are controlled and checked before being added in the extensions directory. This reduces the risks of security breaches and attacks.
What are the 3 main Joomla features in that could make a difference from an integrator perspective?
As an integrator, I really appreciate the ACL, SEO friendly, and the performances out of the box. Of course and if needed, you can extend the core of Joomla by adding extensions, simply with few clicks directly from the admin panel.
From a entrepreneurial point of view, why should I work with Joomla now?
When I've created my business 11 years ago, I've decided to work on a niche (Joomla) rather than a mass market (WP). I don't know if it was the best approach but so far, I'm fine and I only need few projects per year to earn a comfortable income. My clients are mainly large businesses (LVMH) and large organizations (Fondation de France).
The Web industry is currently on fire with the latest WP Drama. But to be clear, the point of this article isn't to joke or feed this internal mess but to guide and give hope and a solution to many WP users.
If you expect a WP bashing article, close the page right now. This article is no more than a friendly hand extended to the WP users after the turbulences they are facing since few weeks now.
As an integrator, I really do understand their concerns and their anger. As a business owner, I'm also really concern for their clients, their activities, and their incomes. We are doing the same job, with the same kind of clients, only with a different tool.
I wrote this article as I would like to read it if I were a WP user looking for an alternative solution to protect my clients, to save my business and to secure my income. I really hope you'll find this content helpful and useful.
Why should consider Joomla over WordPress in 2024?
Because Joomla is a real free open source CMS managed by a non profit organization.
I've recently read painful stories of some WP businesses ruined by the recent situation: hundreds of WP site blocked or vanished, accounts locked without any warning, etc. What happen to many WP users is really sad but this situation can't happen in the Joomla ecosystem. And I'll explain you why.
From what I know about the WP current situation, I can resume this sad mess to a single individual using a FOSS project for personal financial gain (with some dark personal revenges, as side effect).
This kind of scary situation can't really happen in Joomla with the way this open source project is currently structured. The entire source code of Joomla is available on GitHub and the trademark belongs to Open Source Matters, the non profit organization supporting the Joomla! project.
If an OSM board member tried to pull something like that, the board has the power to fire this member. And if the whole board becomes greedy, the voting members of OSM (the members of the teams) can call for a special emergency meeting and remove the entire board.
Since Joomla and OSM aren't commercial entities that financially benefits, there's absolutely no motivation for that to happen in the Joomla ecosystem. We're just here volunteering for Joomla and... we are expecting you.
Last point: no one will block your Joomla account or your Joomla websites because you simply disagree with the Great Leader behaviours.
Because Joomla has a strong and passionate community, ready to welcome and help you.
I'm perfectly aware that you'll probably not move from WP to Joomla in a single day, right after reading this awesome article. But, who knows?
Change might be scary to many, but this situation is also a good business opportunity just to test and look what Joomla became in the last decade. You might be very surprized.
Joomla from 2005 to 2024
When we are lost, and alone, there's nothing more conforting than someone welcoming you with a warm cup of tea/coffee/chocolate. That's exactly the point of this article and what the thousands of Joomla volunteers do every day. With kindness
Because Joomla means all together, this powerful CMS is natively multilingual and you'll definitely find volunteers, resources, and support in your native language: Spanish, German, Italian, Russian, French, Arabic, etc.
Because with Joomla, you can build websites in minutes. Just like with WordPress.
Nowadays, most of the Joomla themes (templates, in our ecosystem) are build and come with a page builder: Helix, YOOTheme, Astroid, Gantry, Sparky, etc. In just few clicks, you can create perfectly responsive design websites. Just like with WordPress.
Furthermore, you can install all the Joomla plugins (extensions, in our ecosystem) you want directly from the Joomla admin panel. Just like with WordPress.
Most of the Joomla templates are available with a quickstart pack: you install it on your server and after few clicks, your website looks like the demo! This is exactly what integrators are expecting from a modern CMS in 2024.
It also worth to mention the thousands of free resources available online about Joomla: documentation, training courses, tutorials, templates, 3rd party extensions, videos, etc. Just like with...
Where and how to start with Joomla?
Among the ton of resources available about Joomla, I'll list here the 5 most important to me if you want to explore what Joomla is in 2024. You might consider this list as a first step, and I'll let you dig and navigate through the links and Internet if you are interested to go further.
launch.joomla.org: like wordpress.com, it's the perfect place to start, test, learn, and create your first(s) Joomla website(s) for FREE.
launch.joomla.org
docs.joomla.org: welcome to the official documentation of Joomla, available in 34 different languages.
docs.joomla.org
joomlacommunity.cloud.mattermost.com: the official channel of Joomal teams, where you'll meet the men and women behind this open source project. Free entrance!
extensions.joomla.org: need to add features and functionalities to your site(s)? This is the official librairy of the Joomla extensions.
extensions.joomla.org
templatejoomla.com: the largest Joomla template directory with more than 2,600 templates listed.
templatejoomla.com
And of course, you'll find tens of Joomla groups on social medias if you want to chat with users and volunteers.
Welcome to Joomla, my friends
Because I believe that it is more constructive to focus on the future rather than to remain stuck on a disappointment or anger (even if they are legitimate), Joomla might be a reliable alternative for many WP users because it allow to create websites (almost) exactly as with Wordpress:
you pick a theme,
you pick a page builder (if not included with the theme)
you add all the plugins that you need to achieve the site's functionality.
and you're done in minutes!
From an integrator prespective, Joomla has completely remove all the frictions from the website creation and maintenance process. And you don't even need to put the hands in the code!
From a business owener point of view, Joomla offers a sain and secure environement with an clear mid long term perspective, thanks to its governance. And this is really reassuring for businesses.
About Daniel
Passionate about the Web since 2007, Daniel defends the widow and the orphan of the Web by creating W3C-compliant sites. With his experience, he shares his knowledge in an open source mindset. Very involved in favor of the Joomla CMS since 2014, he is the founder of the Joomla User Group Breizh and a speaker in Joomla events.
