The short answer
Choose WordPress for the largest theme and plugin market and a widely familiar editing environment. Evaluate Joomla when built-in multilingual and portal-oriented features align with the project and suitable maintainers are available.
Choose from requirements, not reputation. Test content modeling, one publishing workflow, preview, extension needs, performance and an upgrade in a small proof of concept.
Platform facts
Strengths and tradeoffs
WordPress
Why choose it: Largest ecosystem and familiar editorial workflow.
Watch for: Plugin governance, updates and performance need discipline.
Joomla
Why choose it: Strong core features without requiring many extensions.
Watch for: Smaller extension and talent pool than WordPress.
Decision checklist
- Define authors, roles and approval steps.
- Model the most complex content and relationships.
- List required integrations and accountable maintainers.
- Estimate build plus three years of operations.
- Test exports and preserve URL ownership.
Frequently asked questions
Do WordPress and Joomla use PHP?
Yes. Both are PHP-based, self-hosted content management systems and support database-backed publishing. Their administration, extension systems and project ecosystems differ.