# Joomla Software Pricing, Alternatives & More 2026 | Capterra

> With the help of Capterra, learn about Joomla Software - reviews, pricing plans, popular comparisons to other Website Builder products and more.

Source: https://www.capterra.com/p/161648/Joomla

---

# 

 Joomla Software Review 2026: Features, Integrations, Pros & Cons

Last updated on March 13, 2026

Provider data verified by our Software Research team, and reviews moderated by our Reviews Verification team.

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[Description](#description)[Use cases](#use-cases)[Alternatives](#alternatives)[Users](#users)[Pros and Cons](#pros-cons)[Features](#features)[Pricing](#pricing)[Integrations](#integrations)[Support](#support)[Reviews](#reviews)

Joomla

## What is Joomla?

CMS designed to help both novice users and expert developers to build websites and applications.

## What is Joomla used for?

[Website Builder](https://www.capterra.com/website-builder-software/)[Content Management](https://www.capterra.com/content-management-software/)[Digital Asset Management](https://www.capterra.com/digital-asset-management-software/)

Top alternative

Featured

Overall rating

Based on 621 user reviews

Reviews sentiment

Positive

78%

Neutral

17%

Negative

5%

Pros & cons

Versatile website creation tool

Comprehensive feature set

Complex and outdated interface

Challenging update process

Starting price

$199

Per User, Per Month

Free trial  
not available

Capterra Shortlist charts the highest-rated and most popular products...

Our "Best of" badge program showcases products with the highest ratings...

Our "Best of" badge program showcases products with the highest ratings...

Do you work for Joomla?[Manage this product listing](https://digitalmarkets.gartner.com/get-listed/claim-bx?url=http://www.joomla.org&name=Joomla)

## Compare with a popular alternative

Capterra selects software alternatives based on relevant features, verified user reviews and user interactions. Placement may be influenced by client status.

### Joomla

4.2 (621)

VS.

[4.3 (144)](https://www.capterra.com/p/142300/Adobe-Experience-Manager/reviews/)

Starting Price

$199

Per User

Starting Price

Contact vendor

Free Trial

Free Version

Pricing Options

Free Trial

Free Version

Ease Of Use

3.7 (619)

Ease Of Use

3.9 (142)

Value For Money

4.3 (447)

Value For Money

3.9 (109)

Customer Service

3.8 (417)

Customer Service

4.1 (109)

## Joomla alternatives

[4.4 (2,973)](https://www.capterra.com/p/76113/Wrike/reviews/)

Starting price

$10.00

Per User, Per Month

Pricing Options

Free Trial

Free Version

User Rating

89%

of reviewers

rated it above 4 stars

Highest Rated

[4.7 (114)](https://www.capterra.com/p/133218/Filecamp/reviews/)

Starting price

$29.00

Per User, Per Month

Pricing Options

Free Trial

Free Version

User Rating

97%

of reviewers

rated it above 4 stars

[4.7 (75)](https://www.capterra.com/p/146864/Vitrium/reviews/)

Starting price

$500.00

Per User, Per Month

Pricing Options

Free Trial

Free Version

User Rating

97%

of reviewers

rated it above 4 stars

[4.6 (906)](https://www.capterra.com/p/169468/Elementor/reviews/)

Starting price

$11.99

Per User, Per Month

Pricing Options

Free Trial

Free Version

User Rating

95%

of reviewers

rated it above 4 stars

[View all alternatives](https://www.capterra.com/p/161648/Joomla/alternatives/)

## Who uses Joomla?

Based on Capterra reviews from the past 4 years

Talk to a software expert

to get a free software list  
tailored to your business needs

## Pros and Cons

Versatile website creation tool

91% positive reviews out of 185

Most users report Joomla supports building both simple and complex websites with high flexibility and scalability.

Younes E

Web administrator , 2 - 10 employees.

"With Joomla, it's easier to build a website with no complications, an advanced web builder that simplifies the building task."

Complex and outdated interface

45% negative reviews out of 65

Some reviewers feel Joomla’s user interface is unintuitive, cluttered, and challenging for beginners to navigate.

David C

IT Engineer, 2 - 10 employees.

"It requires a lot of work to manage and trying to navigate the admin tools can be difficult."

Comprehensive feature set

91% positive reviews out of 44

Most reviewers describe Joomla as feature-rich, offering extensive built-in tools and flexible customization options.

Associate H

Chief Architect, 201 - 500 employees.

"It's freely available, with many features available for you to setup and create your own Content Management System."

Challenging update process

65% negative reviews out of 52

Most reviewers find Joomla updates cumbersome, often causing compatibility issues, manual work, and potential site disruptions.

Flexible open source platform

100% positive reviews out of 39

Reviewers appreciate open source in Joomla, enabling free use, customization, and strong community support.

Version upgrade difficulties

71% negative reviews out of 31

Most reviewers indicate version compatibility in Joomla is problematic, with difficult upgrades and outdated extension support.

## Features

Features with the highest number of reviews are displayed first. Those that have no reviews appear next, sorted alphabetically.

Access Controls/Permissions

4.2 (111)

59.46% of 111 reviewers that rated this feature as important or highly important

Define levels of authorization for access to specific files or systems

Website Management

4.4 (110)

60.00% of 110 reviewers that rated this feature as important or highly important

Built-in website builder or integration with third-party site

Real Time Editing

4.3 (81)

53.09% of 81 reviewers that rated this feature as important or highly important

Preview and make real-time changes in the web content

Customizable Templates

4.0 (70)

50.00% of 70 reviewers that rated this feature as important or highly important

Pre-designed layouts that can be customized to match preferences and requirements

Text Editing

4.6 (59)

54.24% of 59 reviewers that rated this feature as important or highly important

Edit text as needed

Pre-built Templates

4.0 (55)

50.91% of 55 reviewers that rated this feature as important or highly important

Pre-defined templates within a library for common cases such as contracts, websites, emails, and more

Joomla 42 features

Define levels of authorization for access to specific files or systems

Dashboard to view the status of ongoing processes, identify current incidents and track past activities

Track and document all activities across devices, networks, and other systems

Alerts or notifications of various types such as pop-up messages, sounds, banners, or badges

Application programming interface that allows for integration with other systems/databases

Collection of all assets in the system

Share access to files and assets with individuals

Create a collection of marketing actions to complete specific goals and plan and analyze campaign results

Provides a channel for team members to share media files, communicate, and work together

Leave comments and notes on documents for others to view

Handles digital content throughout its lifecycle, from creation and storage to distribution and archiving

Facilitates online authoring and publishing of the content

Add customized logos and colors to align with company branding

Customize data fields to support various needs and use cases

Customize contracts and forms to collect specific information

Pre-designed layouts that can be customized to match preferences and requirements

Import and export data to and from software applications

Collaborate on creating a product by sharing and adjusting designs through a shared portal

Assign categories, labels, tags, or attributes to documents for organization, search and storage

Store, manage, and track all electronic documents in a centralized location

Assemble applications and processes by dragging over and arranging pre-built components

Has a built-in eCommerce system or integrates with third-party systems to manage online sale of products

Create, save, and store files

Search for specific words or phrases within a document or database

Create landing pages or online forms designed to capture new leads and prospects

Collect and maintain structured information that describes data or content

Manage and support multiple languages

Includes functionalities for creating custom eCommerce websites

Pre-defined templates within a library for common cases such as contracts, websites, emails, and more

Preview and make real-time changes in the web content

View and track pertinent metrics to find patterns and gain insights from data

Search and filter data across systems to locate required information by entering keywords or certain criteria

Checkout of online store

Integrate with social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc.

Edit text as needed

Set up connections to third-party platforms to improve business processes

Manage user accounts, profiles, roles, permissions, and other details across applications, devices or networks

Track revisions and updates made to files and navigate between different versions

Supports various video file formats

Track and analyze information regarding website visitors

Built-in website builder or integration with third-party site

What You See Is What You Get is a no-code tool that allows users to create and edit content using a visual interface

Get Advice

We can help you find the software with the features you need.

Features

4.1 (614)

4.1

Based on 614 reviews

## Pricing

Value for money

4.3 (447)

Free Version

Basic

$199.00

Per User,

Value for money

4.3 (447)

4.3

Based on 447 reviews

## Integrations

[

Google Analytics 360](https://www.capterra.com/p/177042/Google-Analytics/)[

Google Maps](https://www.capterra.com/p/227511/Google-Maps/)[

Ecwid](https://www.capterra.com/p/143648/Ecwid/)[

Moolah](https://www.capterra.com/p/151267/Moolah/)[

Spreadshop](https://www.capterra.com/p/227570/Spreadshop/)

Connect with a Capterra advisor for a free 15-minute consultation

Get a personalized software list aligned to your business needs with guidance from our expert advisors. Our team has helped 1 million+ businesses like yours find options that fit their needs.

## Support, customer service and training options

Customer Service

3.8 (417)

Support

-   Email/Help Desk
-   FAQs/Forum
-   Knowledge Base
-   Phone Support
-   24/7 (Live rep)
-   Chat

Training

-   In Person
-   Live Online
-   Webinars
-   Documentation
-   Videos

Deployment

-   Web
-   Android
-   iPhone/iPad

Typical users

-   Freelancers
-   Small businesses
-   Mid size businesses
-   Enterprises

Customer Service

3.8 (417)

3.8

Based on 417 reviews

## User reviews

Overall rating

4.2

Based on 621 reviews

Filter by rating

5(267)

4(220)

3(103)

2(24)

1(7)

Mentioned topic

Sorted by most recent

BR

Bradley R.

IT Director

Information Technology and Services

### "Joomla 6 so much better than prior version"

5.0

Overall Rating

5.0

5.0

Ease of Use

4.0

4.0

Features

4.0

4.0

Customer Service

1.0

1.0

Likelihood to Recommend

10/10

May 4, 2026

Pros

We use Joomla across both internal and external sites, and it’s been a very solid platform for that. What stands out most is the flexibility—you can build pretty much anything you need without fighting the system. The extension ecosystem is a big plus. There’s usually a third-party solution available for what we need, and it’s easy to plug in functionality without reinventing the wheel. That’s saved us a lot of development time over the years. It’s also modular in a way that works well for an IT team. You can structure things cleanly, scale sites as needed, and maintain consistency across multiple environments without a lot of overhead.

Cons

The biggest drawback is that it can be a bit heavier to manage compared to simpler CMS platforms. There’s a learning curve, especially for non-technical users, and even basic changes can require some familiarity with how Joomla structures things. Extension quality can also vary. While the ecosystem is a strength, not all third-party plugins are maintained equally, so you have to be selective and stay on top of updates to avoid issues. Upgrades between major versions have improved, but they can still require planning and testing, especially if you rely on multiple extensions. It’s not a “set it and forget it” platform—you need to actively manage it to keep everything running smoothly.

Alternatives considered

[Laravel ecommerce](https://www.capterra.com/p/146357/Laravel-ecommerce/)

Reasons for choosing Joomla

Great CMS and tons of external modules and support for those modules. Widely developed.

Review source

Non-incentivized review: any software user can leave a review for any product listed on our site. All submitted reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication.

Pierre K.

CTO

Information Technology and Services

### "Fastracking the Web Development process"

5.0

Overall Rating

5.0

5.0

Ease of Use

5.0

5.0

Features

5.0

5.0

Customer Service

4.0

4.0

Likelihood to Recommend

10/10

August 20, 2025

I ran a web hosting company for over 10 years and have created hundreds of websites using Joomla's framework.

Pros

Joomla allows the web development process to be jumpstarted by using recycleable framework that can be customized to suit your needs.

Cons

Having to debug module, plugins, and add-ons for issues after updating Joomla to a new version. Checking over all the web applications resources for vulnerabilities.

Alternatives considered

[WordPress](https://www.capterra.com/p/131687/WordPress/)

Reasons for choosing Joomla

Joomla allows more room to configure your web applications to your liking.

Review source

Non-incentivized review: any software user can leave a review for any product listed on our site. All submitted reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication.

FB

Florian B.

Co-gérant

Computer Software

### "Joomla, un produit français"

5.0

Overall Rating

5.0

5.0

Ease of Use

4.0

4.0

Features

4.0

4.0

Customer Service

4.0

4.0

Likelihood to Recommend

6/10

June 28, 2025

Pros

J’apprécie que ce soit un produit français. Ainsi que la facilité de mise à jour du produit et le nombre de plugins.

Cons

Comparé à WordPress, Joomla peut être plus complexe à prendre en main, surtout pour les débutants. L’interface backend est parfois jugée moins ergonomique, avec des menus et options qui peuvent prêter à confusion.

Switched from

[WordPress](https://www.capterra.com/p/131687/WordPress/)

La simplicité de administration et l'ergonomie.

Review source

Incentivized review: software users are invited to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive for their time and effort. All incentivized reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication.

JS

Joseph S.

Developer

Information Technology and Services

### "Old but strong. A basic of development."

3.0

Overall Rating

3.0

3.0

Ease of Use

4.0

4.0

Features

3.0

3.0

Customer Service

3.0

3.0

Likelihood to Recommend

7/10

April 11, 2025

It was a great starting place from which to evolve to better options.

Pros

Joomla is basically the original block building cms

Cons

It is outdated and not very supported in general.

Review source

Incentivized review: software users are invited to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive for their time and effort. All incentivized reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication.

Sofia B.

Senior Tester Engineer

Computer & Network Security

### "SEO-friendly CMS"

3.0

Overall Rating

3.0

3.0

Ease of Use

4.0

4.0

Features

4.0

4.0

Customer Service

0.0

0.0

Likelihood to Recommend

6/10

February 6, 2025

Pros

Simple CMS yet flexible and with many community plugins. Very useful for simple websites or blogs. Its rich text editor has many accessibility features that help authors to create SEO-friendly articles.

Cons

Integration can sometimes be difficult, specially if you try to use old or unsupported plugins, then you'd need PHP expertise on board. In general, having coding experience helps.

Review source

Non-incentivized review: any software user can leave a review for any product listed on our site. All submitted reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication.

KP

Kathryn P.

Owner

Consumer Goods

### "Joomla has a great wide range of capabilities and features"

5.0

Overall Rating

5.0

5.0

Ease of Use

4.0

4.0

Features

5.0

5.0

Customer Service

5.0

5.0

Likelihood to Recommend

10/10

January 27, 2025

Once you become more familiar with the user interface it became easier to create the functions needed for my website.

Pros

Joomla is robust in it’s flexibility for a wide range of uses for developing even complex websites. If you are looking for a wide range of capabilities this is great software choice.

Cons

Using Joomla requires having a stronger background in knowing how to modify the site’s structure and development so there is a little more of a learning curve.

Review source

Non-incentivized review: any software user can leave a review for any product listed on our site. All submitted reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication.

JD

Justin D.

Webmaster

Building Materials

### "Good but difficult to fully utilize"

3.0

Overall Rating

3.0

3.0

Ease of Use

2.0

2.0

Features

5.0

5.0

Customer Service

3.0

3.0

Likelihood to Recommend

3/10

December 6, 2024

We had a good experience with Joomla, but only due to our staff having prior knowledge of Joomla as a base.

Pros

Modern and capable software with lots of flexibility for small business owners and larger businesses alike.

Cons

Requires moderate technical knowledge to get started and maintain.

Alternatives considered

[WordPress](https://www.capterra.com/p/131687/WordPress/)

Reasons for choosing Joomla

We tried Wordpress but went with Joomla for about five years. Now that we are on Wordpress, we couldn’t be happier.

Review source

Non-incentivized review: any software user can leave a review for any product listed on our site. All submitted reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication.

CS

Curt S.

Owner

Marketing and Advertising

### "Joomla Review"

4.0

Overall Rating

4.0

4.0

Ease of Use

4.0

4.0

Features

4.0

4.0

Customer Service

4.0

4.0

Likelihood to Recommend

8/10

December 5, 2024

My overall experience with Joomla has been very positive.

Pros

The layout and workflow is easy to use. Notifications for updates are excellent.

Cons

The additional vendors are not always up to date.

Switched from

[Drupal](https://www.capterra.com/p/119594/Drupal/)

Joomla is better supported with more vendors.

Alternatives considered

[WordPress](https://www.capterra.com/p/131687/WordPress/)

Reasons for choosing Joomla

More favorable recommendations and quick try of the software was not favorable.

Review source

Incentivized review: software users are invited to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive for their time and effort. All incentivized reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication.

TH

Thom H.

Retired Guy building website for fun

Computer Software

### "Getting long in the tooth"

3.0

Overall Rating

3.0

3.0

Ease of Use

3.0

3.0

Features

2.0

2.0

Customer Service

3.0

3.0

Likelihood to Recommend

4/10

November 27, 2024

I've used Joomla for several projects over multiple years. At this point, I use it out of familiarity rather than preference. It's too complex to be suited to building a small business website. Perhaps it's a best fit for a publication of some sort. Today, there are so many quicker and simpler ways to build most website needs, I feel like it might be a bit of a dinosaur.

Pros

PHP based. Large community of users. Reputation for security.

Cons

Wild west of plug-in vendors. Lack of built-in page creation model. Painful transition from 3.x

Switched from

[WordPress](https://www.capterra.com/p/131687/WordPress/)

Site owners had fear about using wordpress. (irrational fear, imho.)

Review source

Incentivized review: software users are invited to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive for their time and effort. All incentivized reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication.

RF

Robert F.

Website Adminiatrator

Non-Profit Organization Management

### "Learning Curve"

4.0

Overall Rating

4.0

4.0

Ease of Use

3.0

3.0

Features

5.0

5.0

Customer Service

3.0

3.0

Likelihood to Recommend

8/10

August 30, 2024

I personally enjoyed it but found other open-source software easier to update, although with less bells and whistles.

Pros

Everything one would need in a neatly organized package. No need for any additional "plug-ins" needed from other 3rd party

Cons

It is a steep learning curve. We used it for 5 years, but being open source, updates required a complete re-write of the website.

Alternatives considered

[WordPress](https://www.capterra.com/p/131687/WordPress/)

Reasons for choosing Joomla

WordPress was not as prevalent as it is today, we eventually went to WordPress a few years ago. Joomla was just too heavy.

Review source

Incentivized review: software users are invited to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive for their time and effort. All incentivized reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication.

[View all Reviews](https://www.capterra.com/p/161648/Joomla/reviews/)

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Popular comparisons

[Wix vs Joomla](https://www.capterra.com/compare/161648-169007/Joomla-vs-Wix)[WordPress vs Joomla](https://www.capterra.com/compare/131687-161648/WordPress-vs-Joomla)[ClickSites vs Joomla](https://www.capterra.com/compare/161648-10024383/Joomla-vs-ClickSites)[Divi vs Joomla](https://www.capterra.com/compare/161648-201958/Joomla-vs-Divi)[Squarespace vs Joomla](https://www.capterra.com/compare/143461-161648/Squarespace-vs-Joomla)

[Pixpa vs Joomla](https://www.capterra.com/compare/152263-161648/Pixpa-vs-Joomla)[Webnode vs Joomla](https://www.capterra.com/compare/161648-167799/Joomla-vs-Webnode)[Systeme.io vs Joomla](https://www.capterra.com/compare/161648-198994/Joomla-vs-Systeme)[Adobe Experience Manager vs Joomla](https://www.capterra.com/compare/142300-161648/Adobe-Experience-Manager-vs-Joomla) 

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Capterra's researchers use a mix of verified reviews, independent research and objective methodologies to bring you selection and ranking information you can trust. While we may earn a referral fee when you visit a provider through our links or speak to an advisor, this has no influence on our research or methodology.

[Learn more](https://www.capterra.com/resources/proprietary-data-research/)

How Capterra verifies reviews

Capterra carefully verified over 2.5 million+ reviews to bring you authentic software experiences from real users. Our human moderators verify that reviewers are real people and that reviews are authentic. They use leading tech to analyze text quality and to detect plagiarism and generative AI.

[Learn more](https://www.capterra.com/resources/how-we-verify-reviews/)

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Capterra lists all providers across its website—not just those that pay us—so that users can make informed purchase decisions. Capterra is free for users. Software providers pay us for sponsored profiles to receive web traffic and sales opportunities. Sponsored profiles include a link-out icon that takes users to the provider's website.

[Learn more](https://www.capterra.com/resources/how-we-ensure-transparency/)