Backdrop CMS vs Joomla!
A side-by-side comparison of Backdrop CMS and Joomla! — pricing, license, deployment, and where each tool wins.
Backdrop CMS
backdropcms.org
Comprehensive CMS for small to medium sized businesses and non-profits.
Joomla!
joomla.org
Advanced Content Management System (CMS).
| Feature | Backdrop CMS | Joomla! |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free | Free |
| Model | Open-source | Open-source |
| License | CC-BY-SA-3.0 | CC-BY-SA-3.0 |
| Deployment | Self-hosted | Self-hosted |
| Category | Content Management Systems (CMS) | Content Management Systems (CMS) |
| Self-hosted | ✓Yes | ✓Yes |
| Free tier | ✓Yes | ✓Yes |
Pick Backdrop CMS if…
- ✓You prefer Backdrop CMS's feature set or ecosystem fit.
Pick Joomla! if…
- ✓You prefer Joomla!'s feature set or ecosystem fit.
Switch from Backdrop CMS → Joomla!
16–80hhigh risk
Treat as a project — 16-80 engineering hours plus user training and parallel-run period.
Export from Backdrop CMS: XML, JSON, Database dump
3 things to watch
- ⚠URL preservation = SEO survival
- ⚠Re-render templates
- ⚠Media file paths
Switch from Joomla! → Backdrop CMS
16–84hhigh risk
Treat as a project — 16-84 engineering hours plus user training and parallel-run period.
Export from Joomla!: XML, JSON, Database dump
4 things to watch
- ⚠URL preservation = SEO survival
- ⚠Re-render templates
- ⚠Media file paths
- ⚠Fewer tutorials online for Backdrop CMS — expect more trial-and-error