⏳ In a hurry? Here’s your Joomla Review snapshot: 0.00
Summary
Joomla is a free and open-source content management system (CMS) used for creating websites and online applications. It is written in PHP and uses a MySQL database.
Overall
-
Ease of Use - 70%
70%
-
Features & Flexibility - 85%
85%
-
SEO & Mobility - 80%
80%
-
Help & Support - 80%
80%
-
Pricing - 90%
90%
Pros
- Mostly free
- Open source and great community
- Flexible
Cons
- Module-oriented
- Application-based
- Complex, not novice-friendly
Introduction to our Joomla Review
Joomla is a famously known top-rated content management system (CMS). It has earned its prestige due to its unique open-source software available to everyone for free. It has thousands of free modules, extensions, and templates easily accessible for use in website building, Joomla eCommerce, publications, and many more depending on what you need.
Spanning over 110 million downloads and supporting more than 2 million web sites, its fame as the greatest free open source CMS according to Joomla UK, indeed does seem to hold weight. Yet in 2020, does it still deserve to be ranked among the top? Read more in our Joomla review to know if it still does.
Overview: The Free Open Source CMS Solution
Started in the year 2005 as a project of a New York based non-profit, Joomla is currently hosted and maintained by Open Source Matters, Inc. (OSM) and a handful of Joomla Volunteers. The free content management system has rapidly grown to support around 3% of the entire web, with 9% being on business websites and 6% on the CMS market.
It remains sensational due to it being free, constantly evolving, flexible, and unlimited potential. Now that the best qualities of Joomla CMS are known, what then exactly are the benefits and features that make this CMS great? This Joomla review will explain more of that for you.
Ease of Use:
Joomla CMS can only be called the greatest if its ease of access is also up to par. So to examine more in regards to that, we tested its ease of use for you. Here's what we've found out about Joomla UK.
To start, Joomla CMS can be downloaded or launched on their website. With a simple click, you have the option of downloading their software and running it at your convenience. If you find that too taxing, you can opt to launch it via their website.
When done, you need to follow a simple set of instructions and procedures that will be prompted to start creating your website finally. After adding some extensions and modules when you use Joomla eCommerce or Joomla eShop, you are now good to go!
As stated in Joomla reviews, learning how to use Joomla CMS fully can be tedious, but thankfully they prepared for that. They have lots of free and available developer resources you can read and watch to help you along the way. You can also chat with their developers and other support members if you find Joomla eCommerce or SEO features hard. You need to invest time and effort to familiarise yourself with this CMS.
Features and flexibility:
Joomla Out of the Box:
Joomla CMS has state-of-the-art search engine optimisation (SEO) tools ready to assist you right out of the box. It is capable of producing sitemaps with consistency and clarity for optimum menu creation, support for search engine friendly URL’s, and options regarding Keywords and Metadata.
Joomla Review of Themes and Templates:
In our Joomla reviews, this CMS has thousands of free themes and templates categorised into what you specifically need. There are extensions fit for Social Web, News Display, Joomla eCommerce, Advertisements, and many others listed conveniently waiting for you to select. You can also download advanced premium themes from third-party providers like Template Monster.
Check out the Latest Joomla Themes and Templates now
Joomla Review of 3rd Party Apps Market:
Joomla UK has thousands of verified third-party applications that can be added to the market. If you want, you can also make your own. Joomla version CMS is capable of making PHP applications through their framework; it is independent of their CMS, so use it to your bidding.
Joomla eCommerce, Joomla SEO, Joomla form maker, Joomla for blogging, Joomla page builder, etc. are the most efficient and flexible features and tools among all other web builders and CMS that you can get from totally free!
Joomla Review of Hosting:
You have two options with Joomla CMS. You can have your website hosted by Joomla CMS through their hosted web builder. Or if you already have a reliable hosting from a 3rd party web hosting service like Siteground, self host Joomla UK through the “one-click-install” through your host site or program. Take note that Joomla.com server infrastructure is built and supported by SiteGround web hosting company
Joomla Review of Backups and Migration:
According to Joomla reviews, for backups, you can transfer all Joomla related files with an FTP client or utilise the archive option found in the File Manager tools. If it’s a database, you can use a secure shell (SSH). Migrating to or from Joomla CMS is quickly done with the use of extensions called migration tools. You have lots of options in the extensions market you can choose depending on where, when, and how you want to migrate.
Joomla eCommerce Tools:
With a great number of available shopping cart extensions, building an online Joomla shop is now easier than it ever has been. Listed below your will find 6 of the most popular Joomla 3.x eCommerce extensions.
- VirtueMart. VirtueMart is one of the best Joomla eCommerce solution!
- JoomShopping.
- Hikashop.
- MijoShop.
- EShop.
- J2Store.
SEO and Mobility:
Now that its features are done with, we can now analyze Joomla’s other crucial aspects: SEO and Mobility. The following are what we have gathered via Joomla UK.
Joomla SEO:
Joomla’s Seach Engine Optimisation is immediately available for use as it is already embedded. If you want more out of it, they have tools and extensions you can choose from to further optimise SEO and SEF ranking in the search engine.
Mobile:
Creating websites fit for mobile devices is also possible for Joomla. You have the option of downloading an extension or directly going to their mobile Joomla. They work on most mobile browsers like HTML5 and across multiple platforms like Android or IOS.
Joomla Pagespeed:
Websites hosted by Joomla CMS have a page speed of around 75-95. For mobile devices, they usually do not go below 90. There are extensions available in case your website has a problem with page speed.
Support and Resources:
From what we have found in Joomla UK, Joomla's customer support is impressive. They have lots of help when it comes to sharing valuable resources. You have the option to chat with the developers or users to ask technical questions regarding the use of Joomla eCommerce and SEO. They have updated blogs, videos, and tutorials to every update released by the site. Also, there is a resources directory dedicated to connecting every support needed towards them.
Joomla Pricing:
Important to remember that those wishing to create a Joomla site will need to invest in a domain name. This should be relevant to your web presence (Blog, Brand, Products/Services offered. Also consider you will need to purchase Joomlas' recommended reliable hosting Siteground web hosting service if you are planning to self host Joomla.
Otherwise the best news that we have found from Joomla UK is that the hosted Joomla is pretty much free! There may be some paid extensions, themes, and tools, like Joomla Ecommerce features, but most of everything that runs it is totally free and if you want to be an individual sponsor, you can be with just $5.00! If it’s corporate sponsorships, you’ll have benefits depending on your donation per year. You can choose from $5,000 to $25,000 per annum.
While there will undoubtedly be interest with Joomla.org being free, those who are still unsure with other ongoing cost management and future needs, it is recommended that you also review other Website builder platforms to achieve a comprehensive understanding of what is out there.
Conclusion and Recommendation to our Joomla Review:
There you have it for our Joomla review. In our opinion, Joomla is arguably up with the greatest of free CMS there is. If you quickly browse through Joomla UK or other Joomla reviews, you’ll find positive feedback in favour of this platform.
Joomla Alternatives:
However, Joomla CMS may be best for flexibility and technicality but not for aesthetics and conciseness. If you want more of the latter, we recommend using WordPress. Remember you can test this platform for free with the hosted version wordpress.com
Or, you can also check out Joomla vs Drupal comparisons to find out if a further CMS alternative is needed.
For less experienced hands who want to launch a site with less hassle, you should explore more DIY web builder software with more user-friendly drag-and-drop editors. Not only will you create intuitive and mobile-responsive sites, but you’ll also have more time focusing on your site than learning how to weave through the software.
Here's a list of the best Joomla alternatives to create a website;
| Rank | Key Features | Price (Basic Paid Plan) | My View | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🥇 Squarespace | Beautiful Professional design templates, blogging tools, powerful marketing tools, great eCommerce features for small to medium-sized stores | Starts at $12/month Check Pricing | Perfect for creatives and small businesses needing a visually stunning site | Try For Free |
| 2. Webflow | Visual CSS design, CMS features, eCommerce capabilities | Starts at $12/month Check Pricing | Best for designers and developers wanting deep customization | Try For Free |
| 3. Weebly | Easy-to-use, eCommerce capabilities, range of templates | Starts at $6/month Check Pricing | Good for small businesses and e-commerce | Try For Free |
| 4. Shopify | Comprehensive eCommerce tools, large app store, SEO features | Starts at $29/month Check Pricing | Best for creating an online store | Try For Free |
| 5. Wix | Drag-and-drop builder, wide range of templates, App Market | Starts at $14/month Check Pricing | Great all-around website builder with flexibility and features | Try For Free |
| 6. Wordpress.com | Blogging tools, large theme selection, good for large sites | Starts at $4/month Check Pricing | Best for blogging and larger sites | Try For Free |
| 7. Carrd | Simple, one-page sites, ideal for personal profiles and resumes | Starts at $19/year Check Pricing | Best for simple, one-page sites | Try For Free |
| 8. Jimdo | AI-powered builder, eCommerce tools, SEO features | Starts at $9/month Check Pricing | Ideal for beginners with its easy-to-use interface | Try For Free |
| 9. 1&1 IONOS | Wide range of templates, marketing and eCommerce tools | Starts at $5/month Check Pricing | Good all-rounder with a focus on business websites | Try For Free |
| 10. GoDaddy | GoCentral ADI, email marketing, eCommerce tools | Starts at $9.99/month Check Pricing | Easy-to-use, but limited in terms of design customization | Try For Free |
Joomla Review Final Word:
We advise that before you commit, test it out for yourself first! It’s completely free, so what do you have to lose?
That’s all for now:
Thanks for reading our Joomla review and don’t forget to keep an eye out for our ever-growing blog of review and comparison articles. You may be interested in our related website builder, eCommerce platform review and comparison articles below;
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