Drupal vs Joomla
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted content management systems options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
Drupal
Flexible enterprise CMS for complex content structures
VS
Joomla
Versatile CMS balancing power and ease of use
| Feature | Drupal | Joomla |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Content Management Systems | Content Management Systems |
| License | GPL-2.0 | GPL-2.0 |
| Language | PHP | PHP |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, source | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 4,280 | ★ 5,122 |
| First released | 2001 | 2005 |
| Replaces | Adobe Experience Manager, Sitecore | Wix, Squarespace |
Why pick each one
Frequently asked questions
Is Drupal or Joomla better?
Joomla is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler medium setup. Consider Drupal if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Drupal and Joomla free and open-source?
Yes. Drupal is licensed under GPL-2.0 and Joomla under GPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Drupal and Joomla with Docker?
Drupal: yes. Joomla: yes.