For many people who have worked with websites over the last two decades, Joomla is a familiar name. It was once considered one of the “big three” content management systems alongside WordPress and Drupal. During the late 2000s and early 2010s, Joomla powered millions of websites ranging from small business sites to government portals and online communities.

But as time passed and WordPress became increasingly dominant, many people began asking the same question: “Is Joomla dead?” Others wonder if Joomla is still actively developed, whether businesses still use it, and if it remains a good option for building websites today.

The short answer is yes. Joomla is still used, still updated, and still supported by a dedicated global community. In fact, Joomla continues to release new versions, security patches, and feature improvements on a regular basis. Recent releases of Joomla 6 show that the platform is far from abandoned.

However, the longer answer is more complicated. Joomla is no longer the dominant CMS it once was, and it faces stiff competition from WordPress, modern website builders, and headless CMS platforms. Yet despite this competition, Joomla still occupies an important place in the web development world.

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What Is Joomla?

Joomla is an open-source content management system, often referred to as a CMS. A CMS allows people to create and manage websites without needing to build every page manually with raw HTML and CSS.

Joomla launched in 2005 as a fork of another CMS called Mambo. Over time, it developed into one of the most respected open-source website platforms on the internet.

The system allows users to:

• Build websites
• Publish articles and blog posts
• Create membership systems
• Manage users and permissions
• Install templates and extensions
• Create online stores
• Manage multilingual websites
• Build business portals and applications

Unlike simple website builders, Joomla was designed to be highly flexible. It offered more advanced capabilities than beginner-focused builders while still being easier than building everything from scratch.

For years, Joomla gained a reputation as the “middle ground” between WordPress and Drupal. WordPress was considered easier for beginners, while Drupal was viewed as highly technical. Joomla sat somewhere in the center, balancing power and usability.

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Is Joomla Still Being Updated?

One of the biggest signs that a CMS is alive is active development. Joomla clearly meets this requirement.

As of 2026, Joomla continues releasing:

• Major versions
• Minor feature updates
• Security patches
• Bug fixes
• Compatibility updates

The project recently released Joomla 6.1.0 in April 2026, along with updates for Joomla 5.x.

The Joomla project also maintains long-term support schedules and published release cycles. Current supported versions continue receiving active maintenance and security support for years into the future.

This is important because abandoned CMS platforms become security risks. Without updates, hackers eventually discover vulnerabilities that never get patched.

Joomla’s continued development proves that the software is still maintained by an active community of contributors and developers.

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Why Some People Think Joomla Is Dead

Despite active development, many people assume Joomla has disappeared. There are several reasons for this perception.

WordPress Became Dominant

The biggest reason is the explosive growth of WordPress.

WordPress powers a massive portion of the internet and dominates discussions about website creation. Many beginners only hear about WordPress, Shopify, or Wix today.

As WordPress grew larger, Joomla became less visible.

This does not mean Joomla disappeared. It simply means it became more specialized and less mainstream.

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Fewer Hosting Companies Promote Joomla

Years ago, many hosting companies heavily promoted Joomla alongside WordPress.

Today, most hosting providers focus primarily on WordPress hosting because demand is larger. Many one-click installers still support Joomla, but the marketing emphasis has shifted.

This reduced visibility makes some newcomers think Joomla no longer exists.

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Some Old Joomla Sites Were Never Updated

A major issue within the Joomla ecosystem is that many older websites remained stuck on outdated versions.

Some website owners failed to upgrade from Joomla 2 or Joomla 3. Eventually these versions reached end-of-life status and stopped receiving security updates.

This created the impression that Joomla sites were old or abandoned.

In reality, modern Joomla installations running Joomla 5 or Joomla 6 are actively maintained and secure.

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The Learning Curve

Joomla has traditionally been more complex than WordPress for beginners.

While Joomla offers powerful features, some users found the administration interface less beginner-friendly compared to simpler platforms.

This learning curve caused many casual users to migrate toward easier website builders.

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Who Still Uses Joomla Today?

Although Joomla no longer dominates headlines, it still powers many websites around the world.

Government Websites

Joomla has long been popular with governments and public institutions because of its strong user permission system and flexibility.

Many municipalities, educational institutions, and public organizations continue using Joomla for internal and public-facing portals.

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Universities and Schools

Educational institutions often choose Joomla because it handles complex content structures well.

Universities frequently require:

• Multiple departments
• Different permission levels
• Event systems
• Multilingual support
• Large content libraries

Joomla’s architecture is well suited for these needs.

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Businesses With Legacy Websites

Many businesses built Joomla sites years ago and continue operating them successfully today.

Some companies prefer maintaining existing Joomla websites rather than rebuilding entirely on another platform.

In many cases, these sites continue functioning perfectly after updates and modernization.

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Developers Who Prefer Flexibility

Some developers genuinely prefer Joomla’s structure and architecture over WordPress.

Joomla includes advanced features natively that sometimes require multiple plugins in WordPress.

For example:

• User access control
• Multilingual capabilities
• Menu management
• Content organization

Developers who understand Joomla often appreciate its balance between structure and flexibility.

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Joomla 6 and Modern Development

One reason Joomla remains relevant is that the platform continues modernizing.

Joomla 6 introduced improvements in:

• Performance
• Security
• PHP compatibility
• Code modernization
• Accessibility
• User experience
• Extension management

The platform supports modern PHP versions and contemporary development practices. (Joomla! Downloads)

This is important because old software eventually becomes incompatible with modern hosting environments.

Joomla has continued adapting to newer server technologies rather than remaining frozen in the past.

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Is Joomla Secure?

Security is one of the most important questions for any CMS.

The good news is that actively updated Joomla installations are generally considered secure.

The Joomla project regularly releases security patches and bug fixes.

However, problems usually occur when website owners fail to update:

• Joomla core
• Extensions
• Templates
• PHP versions

Many hacked Joomla websites are actually running extremely outdated software.

The same problem happens with WordPress, Drupal, and virtually every other CMS.

A properly maintained Joomla site can be very secure.

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The Importance of Extensions

Like WordPress plugins, Joomla extensions are a major part of the ecosystem.

Extensions allow users to add:

• Online stores
• Forums
• Membership systems
• SEO tools
• Page builders
• Galleries
• Forms

However, extension compatibility can sometimes become a challenge during major upgrades.

Some Reddit users in 2026 discussed how older extensions delayed upgrades to Joomla 6 compatibility. (Reddit)

One user explained:

This highlights one of Joomla’s ongoing realities: the CMS itself may remain modern and secure, but third-party extensions can create compatibility challenges.

Still, this issue is not unique to Joomla. WordPress users experience similar plugin compatibility problems regularly.

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Advantages of Joomla in 2026

Even today, Joomla offers several advantages that keep developers loyal to the platform.

Strong User Permissions

Joomla has historically had better built-in access control than WordPress.

Website owners can create:

• Different user groups
• Advanced permissions
• Restricted content systems
• Membership areas

Without relying heavily on plugins.

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Multilingual Support

Joomla includes excellent multilingual support directly in the core system.

This is extremely useful for international organizations and multilingual businesses.

Many WordPress users require additional plugins for similar functionality.

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Flexible Content Organization

Joomla’s content structure allows more advanced organization than some simpler website builders.

This becomes valuable for larger websites with complex navigation systems.

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Open Source Freedom

Like WordPress, Joomla is open-source software.

This means:

• No licensing fees
• No vendor lock-in
• Full customization
• Large developer community
• Control over hosting

Many businesses appreciate owning their platform rather than depending entirely on proprietary website builders.

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Mature Ecosystem

Joomla has existed for over 20 years.

That longevity means there are:

• Experienced developers
• Established documentation
• Thousands of extensions
• Large knowledge bases
• Long-term community support

Even if Joomla is smaller than WordPress, it still has a mature ecosystem.

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Disadvantages of Joomla

Despite its strengths, Joomla also has weaknesses.

Smaller Community Than WordPress

The Joomla community is much smaller than the WordPress ecosystem.

This means:

• Fewer tutorials
• Fewer developers
• Fewer themes
• Fewer extensions
• Less mainstream support

Finding Joomla specialists can sometimes be harder.

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Learning Curve

Beginners often find Joomla more difficult initially.

The administration interface has improved over time, but some users still consider WordPress easier for simple websites.

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Migration Challenges

Upgrading older Joomla websites can occasionally be difficult.

Some users on Reddit described challenges upgrading older sites due to outdated templates and extensions. (Reddit)

In some cases, rebuilding portions of a site becomes easier than upgrading ancient installations.

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Less Market Momentum

The web industry currently focuses heavily on:

• WordPress
• Shopify
• React frameworks
• Headless CMS platforms
• Website builders

Joomla receives less media attention than these alternatives.

That reduced momentum affects adoption among new developers.

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Joomla vs WordPress

A major question people ask is whether Joomla can still compete with WordPress.

The answer depends on the project.

WordPress Advantages

WordPress offers:

• Easier beginner experience
• Larger ecosystem
• More themes and plugins
• More tutorials
• Larger developer pool
• Greater hosting support

For simple blogs and basic business websites, WordPress often wins due to convenience.

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Joomla Advantages

Joomla offers:

• Stronger built-in permissions
• Better native multilingual features
• More structured architecture
• Advanced content organization
• Greater flexibility in some workflows

For complex websites, some developers still prefer Joomla.

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Can Joomla Handle Modern Websites?

Absolutely.

Modern Joomla sites can support:

• Responsive designs
• Mobile optimization
• SEO
• E-commerce
• APIs
• Membership systems
• Modern templates
• Security best practices

A visitor often cannot tell whether a site uses Joomla, WordPress, or another CMS.

The quality depends more on the developer than the CMS itself.

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Is Joomla Good for Beginners?

This depends on the beginner.

For someone wanting the easiest possible experience, platforms like WordPress or Wix may feel simpler initially.

However, beginners who want to learn more advanced website management concepts may benefit from Joomla’s structure.

Joomla can teach users:

• User permissions
• Content organization
• Menu structures
• Module positioning
• Website architecture

The learning curve is steeper, but some developers believe it creates stronger technical understanding.

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The Joomla Community

One reason Joomla remains alive is its dedicated community.

The project still has:

• Contributors
• Developers
• Documentation writers
• Extension creators
• Support forums
• Conferences and events

Reddit discussions in 2026 continue showing active Joomla users helping each other solve upgrade and compatibility problems.

Even though the community is smaller than WordPress, it remains highly engaged.

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Should You Use Joomla in 2026?

The answer depends on your goals.

Joomla May Be a Good Choice If:

• You want strong built-in permissions
• You need multilingual functionality
• You prefer structured content management
• You already have Joomla experience
• You manage a complex website
• You value open-source flexibility

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Another Platform May Be Better If:

• You want the simplest beginner experience
• You need massive plugin availability
• You want easier hiring options
• You prefer mainstream ecosystems
• You need broad third-party integrations

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Should Existing Joomla Sites Be Rebuilt?

Not necessarily.

Many Joomla websites continue operating successfully after updates and modernization.

If a Joomla site is:

• Secure
• Updated
• Performing well
• Meeting business goals

There may be no reason to rebuild it.

However, extremely outdated Joomla sites running unsupported versions should absolutely be upgraded or rebuilt for security reasons.

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The Future of Joomla

Joomla’s future likely looks different from its past.

It probably will not regain the market dominance it once had. WordPress and newer frameworks dominate much of the conversation today.

However, Joomla does not need to be the largest CMS to remain valuable.

The project still has:

• Active development
• Modern releases
• Security support
• Loyal developers
• Enterprise users
• Government adoption
• Long-term infrastructure

As long as these continue, Joomla will remain a viable CMS.

Recent Joomla 6 releases clearly demonstrate that the platform continues evolving rather than fading away. (Joomla! Downloads)

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Final Thoughts

So, is Joomla still used and updated in 2026?

Yes, absolutely.

Joomla is still actively maintained, regularly updated, and used by businesses, governments, schools, and developers worldwide. While it may no longer dominate the CMS market the way it once did, it remains a powerful and capable platform.

Joomla’s strengths continue to include flexibility, advanced permissions, multilingual support, and structured website management. At the same time, it faces challenges from WordPress dominance, modern site builders, and a smaller ecosystem.

For some users, Joomla remains the perfect balance between simplicity and power. For others, alternative platforms may better fit their needs.

But one thing is clear: Joomla is not dead. It is still evolving, still supported, and still helping power websites across the internet.