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12 Free Joomla Alternatives Ranked by Real Users (2026)

Explore 12 alternatives to Joomla — vetted by our editors with real user reviews, pricing, and feature comparisons.

A side-by-side look at 12 free Joomla alternatives

Quick answer

For a quick answer, the leading Joomla alternatives are WordPress, Squarespace and Wix. WordPress ranks highest with a SpotScore of 9.8 and a 4.1★ rating. The table below lines up all 12 on score, rating, and price.

Maybe Joomla costs too much, misses a feature you need, or just feels clunky. Whatever the reason, these 12 content management software free alternatives are the picks worth a closer look. We order them by SpotScore, a mix of verified user satisfaction and market presence, plus ratings and pricing. Use the table to compare at a glance, then dig into each below.

ProductSpotScoreRatingPricingBest for
WordPressUnleash your website's potential.9.8★★★★ 4.1(4070)Freefrom $4/moteams of all sizes
SquarespaceCreate your online presence in minutes with ease.9.8★★★★★ 4.5(305)Freefrom $12/mosmall & mid-size businesses
WixBuild stunning websites without any coding skills.9.7★★★☆☆ 3.2(3980)Freefrom $2.76/moteams of all sizes
Story ChiefStreamline your content creation process with StoryChief.9.1★★★★★ 4.5(22)FreeFree Trial · Freemium · Subscription · Quotation Basedteams of all sizes
DrupalEmpowering websites with open source content management.9.8★★★★ 4(351)FreeFreemium · Open-sourceteams of all sizes
KajabiStreamline your online business and maximize profits.9.6★★★★★ 4.6(1321)FreeFree Trial · Subscriptionsmall & mid-size businesses
ContentfulEmpowering seamless content delivery for all your apps.9.6★★★★ 4.3(142)FreeFreemium · Subscription · Quotation Basedteams of all sizes
ShareFileEffortless file-sharing and security in one place.9.6★★★★ 4.3(291)FreeFree Trial · Subscription · Quotation Basedteams of all sizes
WebflowEmpowering seamless website creation for all.9.4★★★★ 4(370)FreeFreemium · Subscription · Quotation Basedteams of all sizes
CoSchedulePlan, publish and profit with CoSchedule.9.3★★★★ 4.4(71)FreeFree Trial · Subscription · Quotation Basedteams of all sizes
PaperfliteStreamline your paper trail with ease!9.2★★★★★ 4.8(180)FreeFree Trial · Subscription · Quotation Basedteams of all sizes
Third LightEfficiently manage and collaborate with ease9.1★★★★★ 4.9(65)FreeFree Trial · Subscriptionteams of all sizes

9.8

SpotScore

WordPress - Website Builder Software

WordPress

Unleash your website's potential.

Best for: SMB teams · Mid-market · Enterprise

Start Free Trial

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What is WordPress?

WordPress is an open-source CMS used by bloggers, SMB website owners, e-commerce operators, and enterprise marketing teams to publish and manage websites through a library of thousands of themes and plugins. It handles everything from a basic blog to a full WooCommerce store without requiring ...

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Free TrialTry Free →

9.8

SpotScore

Squarespace - Website Builder Software

Squarespace

Create your online presence in minutes with ease.

Best for: SMB teams · Mid-market

Start Free Trial

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What is Squarespace?

Squarespace is the easiest way to create an amazing website, blog or online store. With the beautiful templates and themes, anything from a personal portfolio, online store to a wedding site can be created in minutes. The powerful dashboard offers advanced functionality and features and aims to ...

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Free TrialTry Free →·

Squarespace offers custom pricing plan

9.7

SpotScore

Wix - Website Builder Software

Wix

Build stunning websites without any coding skills.

Best for: SMB teams · Mid-market · Enterprise

Start Free Trial

Add to compare

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What is Wix?

Wix is a cloud-based website builder platform that allows you to create professional websites for business, personal or charitable use. It is easy to learn and use, and you can do it all from your computer, tablet or smartphone. It's as easy as uploading a few pages, adding your own content, ...

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Free TrialTry Free →·

Wix offers custom pricing plan

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Reach in-market buyersRank above rivals2M+ buyers a year

9.1

SpotScore

Story Chief - Content Management Software

Story Chief

RECOMMENDED

Streamline your content creation process with StoryChief.

Best for: SMB teams · Mid-market · Enterprise

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What is Story Chief?

StoryChief is a cloud-based content management system that allows editors and designers to manage and automate the process of creating brand-specific content for editorial and marketing teams within an organization. StoryChief has been specifically designed with an emphasis on authoring, ...

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Free TrialTry Free →·

Starts from $12/Month when Billed Yearly, also offers free forever plan

9.8

SpotScore

Drupal - Content Management Software

Drupal

Empowering websites with open source content management.

Best for: SMB teams · Mid-market · Enterprise

Try for Free

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What is Drupal?

Meet Drupal, a powerful open source content management platform built to help organizations easily publish, manage, and organize information on the Web. Or developers can use it to build everything from a small company site to a massive online community. It is built, used, contributed to, and ...

Read more about Drupal

9.6

SpotScore

Kajabi - Content Management Software

Kajabi

Streamline your online business and maximize profits.

Best for: SMB teams · Mid-market

Start Free Trial

Add to compare

What is Kajabi?

Kajabi is a powerful content management system that supports businesses in their goals to profit from the Internet. It offers everything needed to manage business, customers and their sales funnel, and online content including guidebooks, ebooks, memberships and more. Content and services that ...

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Free TrialTry Free →·

Starts from $119/Month when Billed Yearly

9.6

SpotScore

Contentful - Content Management Software

Contentful

Empowering seamless content delivery for all your apps.

Best for: SMB teams · Mid-market · Enterprise

Try for Free

Add to compare

What is Contentful?

Contentful is a Content Management Software (CMS) or File Delivery Network for web and mobile apps. It allows developers and designers to create applications with an interface and an API. Applications can be configured and managed in the cloud and Contentful's client libraries take care of any ...

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Starts from $489/Month, also offers free forever plan

9.6

SpotScore

ShareFile - Document Management Software

ShareFile

Effortless file-sharing and security in one place.

Best for: SMB teams · Mid-market · Enterprise

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What is ShareFile?

With ShareFile's all-inclusive document management software anyone can easily sync, share and protect all files, from anywhere. ShareFile allows seamless integration into any process that requires file sharing, from B2B to remote worker collaboration. With a simple interface and powerful ...

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Free Trial·

Starts from $50/Month when Billed Yearly

9.4

SpotScore

Webflow - Website Builder Software

Webflow

Empowering seamless website creation for all.

Best for: SMB teams · Mid-market · Enterprise

Try for Free

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What is Webflow?

Webflow is a visual web design and CMS platform used by freelance designers, in-house marketing teams, and design agencies who want full creative control over websites without hand-coding HTML and CSS. It generates clean production code behind a visual canvas and bundles hosting, CMS, and SEO ...

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Starts from $12/Month when Billed Yearly, also offers free forever plan

9.3

SpotScore

CoSchedule - Social Media Management Software

CoSchedule

Plan, publish and profit with CoSchedule.

Best for: SMB teams · Mid-market · Enterprise

Start Free Trial

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What is CoSchedule?

CoSchedule is a social media management software that's perfect for content marketers, bloggers, and small business owners. Using the CoSchedule editorial calendar template, user can schedule blog posts from any connected device. The tool integrates with Google Analytics to gather key metrics ...

Read more about CoSchedule
Free Trial·

Starts from $29/User/Month when Billed Yearly

9.2

SpotScore

Paperflite - Content Management Software

Paperflite

Streamline your paper trail with ease!

Best for: SMB teams · Mid-market · Enterprise

Start Free Trial

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What is Paperflite?

Paperflite is a revolutionary content management software that allows to manage all paper documents in one place. Paperflite will help to organize, reuse, and recycle huge quantities of paper documents. Paperflite's proprietary document image rendering filters allow to scan paperwork into ...

Read more about Paperflite
Free TrialTry Free →·

Starts from $30/User/Month

9.1

SpotScore

Third Light - Digital Asset Management Software

Third Light

Efficiently manage and collaborate with ease

Best for: SMB teams · Mid-market · Enterprise

Start Free Trial

Add to compare

What is Third Light?

ThirdLight is a CIM provider of digital asset management software, helping users to digitize and transparently manage their business data. It securely collaborate with customers and partners using the latest technology delivering benefits such as increased revenue and customer retention, ...

Read more about Third Light
Free TrialTry Free →·

Starts from $5,500/Year

Why each Joomla alternative is here

WordPress9.8Best for teams of all sizes

Easy to use and ideal for beginners, with drag-and-drop functionality and a user-friendly interface.

Watch for: Reliance on plugins can lead to slower site performance and potential compatibility issues.

Squarespace9.8Best for small & mid-size businesses

Easy drag-and-drop interface and ease of use, even for non-coders, making website creation accessible to anyone.

Watch for: Limited customizability with pre-designed templates; some users find them restrictive for advanced design needs.

Wix9.7Best for teams of all sizes

Platform is accessible for non-technical users and supports fast, professional website creation.

Watch for: Billing clarity is occasionally an issue, with some users reporting unexpected charges or plan upgrades.

Story Chief9.1Best for teams of all sizes

Streamlines content creation with an editor, collaboration tools, and integration with publishing channels.

Watch for: Lack of innovation in design and preloaded templates, limiting customization options for publication.

Drupal9.8Best for teams of all sizes

Provides unparalleled flexibility, robustness, security, value, internationalization, and performance.

Watch for: Some find Drupal to be complex and not beginner-friendly compared to other CMS platforms.

Kajabi9.6Best for small & mid-size businesses

All-in-one platform for online training, websites, mailing lists, funnels, challenges, and coaching tools.

Watch for: Limited selection in the Marketplace for additional apps and connectors, restricting advanced functionalities.

Contentful9.6Best for teams of all sizes

Multi-language content management from a single interface.

Watch for: Beginners face a learning curve with many features to absorb.

ShareFile9.6Best for teams of all sizes

Secure file sharing with external parties is straightforward to set up.

Watch for: Feature depth may be hard to navigate for new users without structured training.

Webflow9.4Best for teams of all sizes

Combines ease of use with advanced customization, catering to both beginners and experienced developers.

Watch for: Advanced capabilities can have a steep learning curve for beginners without prior web development knowledge.

CoSchedule9.3Best for teams of all sizes

Editorial calendar integration

Watch for: Limited social platforms

Paperflite9.2Best for teams of all sizes

Tracks how customers engage with shared content, helping sales teams prioritize follow-up.

Watch for: Some technical configuration and third-party integration limitations exist.

Third Light9.1Best for teams of all sizes

Excellent customer service and support, with a focus on personalized care and responsive assistance.

Watch for: User interface may not be the most intuitive for all users, leading to occasional confusion.

Why teams look for a Joomla alternative

Most Joomla alternative searches trace back to a short list of frustrations:

  • Customization features may be overwhelming initially, requiring a learning curve for new users.
  • Limited selection of plugins and templates compared to other platforms, restricting some advanced functionalities.
  • Potential for server-side caching issues that need regular maintenance.
  • Lack of detailed preview options and API-based commercial components.

How to pick the right Joomla replacement

What sets these 12 free alternatives apart, in the numbers: 12 offer a free tier; paid plans run $2.76–$12, with Wix the cheapest entry point; and Third Light is the highest rated at 4.9 across 65 reviews.

How we score these.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Stuck on something? We're here to help with all the questions and answers in one place.

The top-rated alternatives to Joomla are Third Light (4.9★), Paperflite (4.8★), Kajabi (4.6★). Compare all 12 alternatives side-by-side above.

When evaluating alternatives to Joomla, prioritize: Template Creation, SEO Management, Search, Rule Based Publishing, Rich Text Editor, transparent pricing, free trial availability, and integrations with your existing tools. Use the filters above to compare by feature, budget, and team size.

Migration difficulty depends on how deeply Joomla is integrated into your workflows. Most alternatives offer data export/import tools and dedicated onboarding support. We recommend shortlisting 2–3 options, running a free trial, and checking each vendor's migration guides before committing.

Finding the right Joomla alternative for your team

  • On a budget / just exploring: start with a free tier — WordPress, Squarespace and Wix let you evaluate without paying upfront.
  • If real-user ratings matter most: Third Light has the strongest star rating (4.9★) among the options with verified reviews.
  • Want the safest pick: WordPress has the highest Spotsaas Score (9.8) in this list — a strong default if you're unsure.

Planning your switch from Joomla

Leaving Joomla is mostly about avoiding surprises. Export your data, check the new tool can import it, and confirm feature parity for what you actually use. Run a pilot before the full switch, and keep your Joomla account open until migration wraps. The free tiers above let you trial without spending.

Disclaimer: This research has been collated from a variety of authoritative sources. We welcome your feedback at [email protected].