Joomla vs Microweber
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted content management systems options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Joomla
Versatile CMS balancing power and ease of use
VS
Microweber
Drag-and-drop CMS with built-in online store
| Feature | Joomla | Microweber |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 90 · Excellent | 79 · Good |
| Category | Content Management Systems | Content Management Systems |
| License | GPL-2.0 | MIT |
| Language | PHP | HTML |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | docker, bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 5,143 | ★ 3,439 |
| First released | 2005 | 2013 |
| Replaces | Wix, Squarespace | WordPress, Wix |
What are Joomla and Microweber?
Joomla
Joomla is a long-established open-source CMS that sits between WordPress and Drupal in complexity. It offers built-in multilingual support, flexible templating, and a wide range of extensions for building websites and portals.
- Built-in multilingual content
- Flexible access control levels
- Large extension directory
- Strong templating system
Microweber
Microweber is an open-source drag-and-drop website builder and content management system that includes blogging and e-commerce features. It uses a live editing interface so content can be arranged visually on the page.
- Live drag-and-drop editing
- Built-in online store
- Blogging module
- Template marketplace
Joomla vs Microweber: key differences
Joomla is written in PHP, while Microweber is built with HTML. Licensing differs — GPL-2.0 for Joomla versus MIT for Microweber. Joomla is the more established project (first released 2005), while Microweber arrived in 2013.
Why pick each one
Choose Joomla if…
- Good middle ground in flexibility
- Multilingual without extra plugins
Watch out for
- Smaller community than WordPress
- Extension quality varies
Choose Microweber if…
- Released under the MIT license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (3.4k GitHub stars)
- Written in HTML
Frequently asked questions
Is Joomla or Microweber better?
Neither is universally better. Joomla has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Joomla and Microweber free and open-source?
Yes. Joomla is licensed under GPL-2.0 and Microweber under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Joomla and Microweber with Docker?
Joomla: yes. Microweber: yes.