WordPress vs Joomla
Our score, every feature we track, pricing plans, hosting and AI, side by side.
At a glance
The facts from each platform's profile, side by side.
| Metric | WordPress | Joomla |
|---|---|---|
| Our score | 4.1 | 3.6 |
| Pricing | Free software · WordPress.com from $4/mo per site | Free · free hosted trial site · paid hosting from $10/mo |
| AI | WordPress.com: editor agent and MCP on paid plans. Self-hosted: AI from plugins | No AI in core; a developer AI framework and third-party MCP extensions |
| Hosting | SaaS or self-hosted | Self-hosted |
| Source code | Open source | Open source |
| Created | 2003 | 2005 |
| Best for | Sites that need a huge plugin ecosystem and dynamic features | Community and small business sites on budget hosting |
| AI features | WordPress.com: editor agent and MCP on paid plans. Self-hosted: AI from plugins | No AI in core; a developer AI framework and third-party MCP extensions |
Features
How each platform offers a feature: free, in the cheapest paid plan, on a higher plan, or enterprise only. Open a feature to compare it across every platform.
WordPress
- AI content tools Included WordPress.com paid plans: editor agent. Self-hosted: AI from plugins
- Custom code Tiered On WordPress.com, SFTP, WP-CLI and GitHub deployments need the Business plan, $25/mo per site
- Drafts and versioning Free Post revisions
- Drag-and-drop page builder Free Block editor and page builder plugins
- Hosting Included WordPress.com from $4/mo, billed yearly
- MCP server Included WordPress.com paid plans: MCP access for Claude or ChatGPT
- Plugins and apps Free Plugins for SEO, forms, commerce and more
- Self-hosting Free Free software from WordPress.org; you keep PHP, the database and updates running
- Templates and themes Free Large theme ecosystem
Pricing
Every plan, cheapest first, and what the bill is counted by. Open a profile for what each plan includes.
WordPress
- WordPress.org (self-hosted)Free Free Anyone who wants full control on their own hosting
- WordPress.com FreeFree Free Personal blogs on a wordpress.com address
- PersonalPer site $4per site / month Personal sites that want a custom domain
- PremiumPer site $8per site / month Creators who need stats, payments and video
- BusinessPer site $25per site / month Businesses that need developer tools and priority support
- CommercePer site $45per site / month Online stores built on WooCommerce
Prices checked Vendor pricing page
Joomla
- Joomla (self-hosted)Free Free Community and small business sites on own hosting
- Joomla Launch FreeFree Free People trying Joomla without setting up hosting
- Joomla Launch PaidPer site $10per site / month Trial users keeping their site long term
Prices checked Vendor pricing page
Strengths and watch-outs
From our review of each platform.
WordPress
Strengths
- Enormous ecosystem of themes, plugins and developers.
- Free, open-source software you can host anywhere.
- WordPress.com paid plans add an editor agent and MCP access for Claude or ChatGPT.
Watch out for
- A server running PHP and a database that must be kept up to date.
- Core, themes and plugins need regular updates; every plugin is code on your server.
- Content in a database is harder to review and version than files.
- Developer tools such as SFTP, WP-CLI and GitHub deployments need the WordPress.com Business plan ($25/mo per site).
Joomla
Strengths
- Free and open source, with no licence fees.
- Built-in multilingual support, user access control and menus.
- A large extension directory.
- A free hosted trial site on launch.joomla.org.
Watch out for
- No AI features in core; the official MCP server is still a proof of concept.
- The free hosted site has 500 MB of disk and must be renewed every 30 days.
- A smaller, slower-moving ecosystem than WordPress.
- Updates and security are your job when you host it yourself.
More comparisons
Everything on this page comes from our profiles of the two platforms, checked against each vendor's own documentation and pricing pages. Vendors change plans often: confirm prices on their site before you buy.