Creating a website is not an easy task like a few people may assume. There are several things to consider. One of the most crucial things to focus on is the content management system or CMS. From the words itself, it means that this will be the system the website owner will be using to manage all the content and design.
There are several CMS software packages you can find online, both paid and open source which is why it is hard to decide which one to choose. WordPress, Joomla and Drupal are three of the most used CMS programs. All three have their own flaws and strengths, but any type of website can work with either of the three. Here are some of the pros and cons about these three CMS programs. Decide for yourself which one will fit your website needs best.
WordPress
This is the most popular CMS of all three. Probably because it started out as a system for blogging, and we all know how famous blogging is to a lot of people worldwide. Eventually, it developed into a CMS. WordPress is considered as an underdog in the CMS world since it is the latest among the three.
- Pros- Many can testify how easy WordPress is to use, especially administrators. Although at first, it can be quite intimidating to see a lot of choices on the menu, especially when you are still a beginner. But when you get the hang of it, you will definitely enjoy it since it also has a lot of interesting features. It is very easy to post and categorize content. Basically, it needs no modification since almost everything is ready for use. There are also hundreds of templates to choose from.
- Cons- It is not developer friendly. Since WordPress is the newest among the three in CMS, it has several flaws especially when upgrading it. It is made in a way that users wont need to modify it, but then sometimes, developers want to use advance features. In most cases, when developer modifies it, it can bug down and ruin the entire site. When it comes to upgrading, mostly it will bring more problems that fixes.
Joomla
Joomla is more complex as compared to WordPress, and less complicated than Drupal.
- Pros- It is easy to use for designers, developers and administrators. Designers will love this because of its ability to make websites look very good. They have various choices when it comes to designs. For developers, it also has a large capacity for development and customization. Administrators wont have a hard time to operate his sites. This site is recommended to all.
- Cons- Although it is developer friendly, it is still not powerful enough to do anything the developer wishes to do as compared to Drupal.
Drupal
Drupal has a very big community of active users compared to all three. This is because it has been operating since 2001. Just recently, Drupal has released more than 20,000 plugins.
- Pros- Developers will love this CMS. It is the most advance CMS of all three. For complex websites that have certain functions, this is the best choice. When it comes to website performance, Drupal is the better choice. It has a very powerful capacity to operate multiple and complicated sites. Definitely the best when in comes to capacity.
- Cons- Unfortunately, of all three, Drupal is said to cost more because it will take more time to have a Drupal website published. To an eye of a designer, themes available in Drupal are straight forward unattractive. Thus getting it designed is advisable, then again, cost you more. It is not designer and user-friendly because it is hard to make simple tweaks on the website. It will take an expert or an experienced person to smoothly and successfully operate it.
Conclusion
WordPress is good for beginners because almost everything is ready and you wouldn’t not need to modify it. Also, it would work best for content focused websites. WordPress is good for blogging and simple portfolio sites. Joomla, is recommended to all because administrators, developers and designers will find it easy to operate. It’s more on a combination of the other two but it has less power than Drupal. Drupal is best for very complex websites since it is very known for its powerful capacity.
