Item: Joomla!
Rating: 10
Author: Lisa Keyser

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

Joomla! is the second-most popular open source Content Management System (CMS) and by far my favorite. My very first website was built on the Joomla! platform for its ease of installation, variety of customization features, and built-in Access Level Control (ACL) that makes it easy to have multiple users for the website right out of the box. I recommend it for all of my clients who need more than just a website with content, particularly if they have membership needs, high-level security and control needs, or extensibility.

Pros and Cons

Multiple templates assigned on a page-level basis allow fine-grained control of your site design
Excellent ACL out-of-the-box means you can have a mutli-user website up and running without needing to install anything additional
Straightforward control panel and useful help features and documentation make it easy for people to manage their own websites

Because Joomla's user community is smaller than WP, it lacks as many choices from 3rd party developers, meaning it can be a little more difficult to find the right extension for what you need to accomplish
Along the same vein, most of the best 3rd-party software for Joomla! is paid
Simple features such as Add to Menu and Cache cleaners should be adopted as part of the Joomla! core, though they are available as extensions
Joomla! could use a simpler and easier URL rewriting process

Return on Investment

Deploying Joomla! for clients has helped them discover the benefits of using Open Source software while helping them appreciate our expertise.
Because the Joomla! community is smaller than the WP community, we are able to reach a wide range of clients looking for experts in the software, boosting our bottom line.
Occasionally a client will find Joomla! too complicated and wish to move to a proprietary DIY CMS, which we do not support, so we have lost clients looking for that level of flexibility.

Alternatives Considered

WordPress, Weebly, Squarespace and Drupal

Joomla! is the #2 Open Source CMS behind WordPress, which we also use, and ahead of Drupal, which we have evaluated but decided not to pursue. Joomla! generally performs better than WP for clients that need more complexity to their websites, including flexibility in templating, menus, and user access. While it is less developer-friendly than Drupal, it was designed from the get-go as a CMS and not as blogging software, like WP, so it has more built-in features that are necessary to run a solid website.

Other Software Used

WordPress

Likelihood to Recommend

Joomla! is a great CMS for companies who are looking for flexibility and extensibility. With the right set of extensions, it's extremely secure and able to power any type of website, from simple to complex. Any time a business wants to do more than just put up content and pretty pictures on their website, Joomla! is my recommendation. For companies, however, that are looking for simple brochure websites without a lot of complexity, it might be too much. Also, for companies that are looking for enterprise-level solutions with white-glove support, an open-source CMS may generally not be the best path, unless they also have a dedicated vendor who provides that type of support.

Joomla! is a great open source CMS for businesses

Overall Satisfaction with Joomla!