Drupal vs Joomla

If you mentioned the idea of a simple open-source content management system to anyone a few years ago, they’d have assumed you were talking about a basic blogging platform. Fast forward to 2014 and the once-humblest CMSs are now powering millions of the world’s most successful websites, illustrating just how far the concept of the CMS as a whole has come over recent years. And of course, a fair few names have joined the mix over the years too, though there are some that remain the world’s best-loved tools of choice…and with good reason.       Drupal – What is It?Rarely categorised in the same league as WordPress or Joomla for example, Drupal is nonetheless a seriously popular CMS. If you’re not already familiar with the name, Drupal started life as something of a simple message board and eventually grew to become a full-blown CMS in its own right. It’s a bit like the way in which WordPress grew from a basic blogging platform into the powerhouse it is today, though perhaps not quite on the same scale.In terms of what Drupal offers, it’s certainly feature-rich and has done a good job as of late giving rivals a run for its money. A few of the plus points of going with Drupal include:

• A vast array of themes to create unique websites
• A large and still growing Drupal Community for support and guidance
• Support for most common and popular media types
• On-going patches and fixes for performance boosts
• Easy to use overall setup and ideal for intermediates

Drupal or Joomla – Which Wins?Of course, how it stands up as a CMS in its own right might not be the most important thing – it’s how Drupal fares when squared-off against the likes of Joomla. There’s no disputing the fact that Joomla is massively more popular and remains the pro tool of choice, but is it really so black and white?Well, in terms of getting started in the first place it’s probably fair to say that while Drupal is technically a simple CMS to get to grips with, it’s not quite as friendly on first-timers as Joomla. Unless you have at least a tiny bit of prior experience, you might find the Drupal learning curve a steep one.As far as site quality goes, things are pretty much tied. Both Joomla and Drupal allow those with the necessary skills to come up with seriously impressive and undeniably complex websites, though it’s again likely that those using Drupal will need either prior experience or professional assistance. Still, it’s a draw on the whole.The primary purpose of each CMS is somewhat different – Joomla is aimed at Ecommerce and social site builders while Drupal is more of a pro platform for bigger business. Both offer the utmost security and are brilliantly reliable performance wise, though the general consensus is that the overall support structure for Joomla users is slightly better.And the Winner?In terms of choosing a winner, it’s a pretty even split as the best CMS for any individual depends entirely on what it is they want to do and how experienced they are. That being said, for newcomers just getting to grips with site building for the first time, Joomla stands out as the CMS of choice.