Joomla vs Orchard Core
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?
Joomla
Versatile CMS balancing power and ease of use
VS
Orchard Core
Modular, multi-tenant CMS built on ASP.NET Core
| Feature | Joomla | Orchard Core |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Content Management Systems | Content Management Systems |
| License | GPL-2.0 | BSD-3-Clause |
| Language | PHP | C# |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | docker, bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 5,122 | ★ 8,148 |
| First released | 2005 | 2018 |
| Replaces | Wix, Squarespace | Sitecore, WordPress |
Why pick each one
Frequently asked questions
Is Joomla or Orchard Core better?
Neither is universally better. Orchard Core has the larger community, while Joomla is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Joomla and Orchard Core free and open-source?
Yes. Joomla is licensed under GPL-2.0 and Orchard Core under BSD-3-Clause. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Joomla and Orchard Core with Docker?
Joomla: yes. Orchard Core: yes.