Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Joomla VS Google Sites

Compare Joomla VS Google Sites and see what are their differences

Joomla logo Joomla

Joomla! is the mobile-ready and user-friendly way to build your website. Choose from thousands of features and designs. Joomla! is free and open source.

Google Sites logo Google Sites

Access Google Sites with a free Google account (for personal use) or G Suite account (for business use).
  • Joomla Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-07-18
  • Google Sites Landing page
    Landing page //
    2020-02-13

Joomla features and specs

  • Flexibility
    Joomla offers a high degree of flexibility and customizability. It is suitable for creating a wide range of websites, from small personal blogs to complex corporate websites.
  • User Access Control (UAC)
    Joomla has advanced user access control mechanisms, allowing you to set different permissions and access levels for various types of users, which is particularly useful for large websites with multiple contributors.
  • Multilingual Support
    Joomla comes with built-in support for multilingual content, making it a great choice for websites that need to cater to different language speakers.
  • Extensive Extension Directory
    Joomla has a large extension directory with thousands of free and paid plugins and templates that can be easily integrated to extend the functionality of your website.
  • Strong Community Support
    Joomla has a large and active community of developers and users who contribute to forums, documentation, and third-party resources, providing strong community support.

Possible disadvantages of Joomla

  • Steeper Learning Curve
    Compared to other CMSs, Joomla can be more challenging to learn for beginners due to its extensive features and complex interface.
  • Limited Built-in SEO
    Joomla's out-of-the-box SEO capabilities are not as advanced as those of other CMSs like WordPress. It often requires additional plugins for better SEO performance.
  • Performance Issues
    Joomla can sometimes have performance issues due to its resource-heavy nature, especially if not properly optimized.
  • Compatibility Issues with Extensions
    Not all third-party extensions and templates are always compatible with the latest version of Joomla, which can create challenges during updates.
  • Hosting Requirements
    Joomla has specific hosting requirements that not all web hosts can meet easily. This can limit your choices when it comes to hosting providers.

Google Sites features and specs

  • User-Friendly Interface
    Google Sites offers a simple and intuitive drag-and-drop interface, making it easy for users with no technical skills to create and manage websites.
  • Integration with Google Services
    It seamlessly integrates with other Google services like Google Drive, Google Analytics, and Google Calendar, enhancing productivity and collaboration.
  • Free to Use
    Google Sites is available for free with a Google account, making it an affordable option for individuals and small businesses.
  • Responsive Design
    Websites created with Google Sites are automatically responsive, ensuring they look good on any device, including tablets and smartphones.
  • Collaboration Features
    Multiple users can collaborate in real-time on the same site, which is particularly beneficial for teams working on shared projects.
  • Secure Hosting
    Google Sites is hosted on Google's secure servers, providing strong security and reliability without the need for additional hosting services.

Possible disadvantages of Google Sites

  • Limited Customization
    Google Sites offers fewer customization options compared to other website builders, which can be restrictive for advanced users seeking unique designs.
  • Basic Features
    While it covers essential functions, Google Sites lacks some advanced features found in other website-building platforms, such as extensive e-commerce tools or plugins.
  • Inconsistent Browser Support
    Certain features may not work consistently across all browsers, which can affect the user experience and functionality of the site.
  • Limited Template Options
    The number of available templates is limited, which might not be sufficient for users looking for specific styles or thematic flexibility.
  • SEO Limitations
    Google Sites has basic SEO capabilities, making it challenging to fully optimize sites for search engine performance compared to other platforms.
  • No Custom Domain for Free Plan
    Users on the free plan cannot use a custom domain, which can make the site appear less professional.

Analysis of Google Sites

Overall verdict

  • Google Sites is a solid option for those in need of a straightforward and cost-effective solution for building simple websites. However, it may not be suitable for complex or highly customized projects due to its limited customization options compared to other website builders.

Why this product is good

  • Google Sites is a good choice for individuals or small businesses looking for a simple and free platform to create basic websites. It is part of the Google Workspace suite, which integrates smoothly with other Google services like Google Drive, Google Docs, and Google Calendar, making it easy to incorporate these elements into your site. The platform is user-friendly, allowing users with no coding skills to create websites through its drag-and-drop interface. It also offers responsive design, automatically adjusting your site to look good on desktops, tablets, and mobile devices.

Recommended for

  • Individuals and small businesses who need a basic web presence
  • Educators and students for creating class projects or sharing resources
  • Teams needing internal sites for sharing information within organizations
  • Users already familiar with and using other Google Workspace applications

Joomla videos

10 Reasons Why You Should Use Joomla in 2018

More videos:

  • Review - [BEFORE You Buy] Joomla Extensions Review
  • Review - Helix Ultimate Joomla Framework [Setup/Demo/Review]

Google Sites videos

Google Sites Pros and Cons of this Excellent FREE Website Builder

More videos:

  • Review - Future of Google Sites (Cloud Next '19)
  • Tutorial - How to Use the New Google Sites

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Joomla and Google Sites)
CMS
65 65%
35% 35
Website Builder
38 38%
62% 62
Blogging Platform
100 100%
0% 0
Blogging
87 87%
13% 13

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Joomla and Google Sites

Joomla Reviews

Comparing 9 WordPress alternatives & competitors in 2024
Joomla! is an open-source, free WordPress alternative that combines advanced features with user-friendly interfaces. To customize your sites, check out the software’s massive library of over 5,000 extensions that integrate newsletters, user management, and site search.
Source: webflow.com
19 Best WordPress Alternatives in 2025
Joomla is an open-source content management system (CMS) that allows organizations to create and manage their websites. It offers a wide range of features, including content management, user permissions, SEO tools, and customization options.
Source: www.pixpa.com
Top 10 Web Content Management Systems
If for whatever reason WordPress does not float your boat as a CMS, then Joomla is a great alternative as a customizable CMS. Joomla is one of the best free CMS options in 2024, featuring a wide range of plug-ins, templates, and extensions, Similar to WordPress it is also an open-source CMS, and it focuses on enabling more advanced developers who already have some coding...
Source: cloudzy.com
Joomla vs WordPress: Which CMS Should You Choose?
Joomla’s Joomla Extensions Directory and WordPress’s Plugin Directory differ in their offerings. The Joomla Extensions Directory focuses on providing extensions specifically for Joomla, including plugins, modules, components, and templates. It caters directly to the Joomla community and offers a diverse range of extensions developed and tested specifically for Joomla websites.
8 Great Drupal Alternatives to Try for your Website (Nov 2021)
Joomla is an excellent CMS solution for those who don’t want to work with a lot of HTML and JavaScript. If you want the flexibility and extensibility to adjust your website however you choose, Joomla is the solution for you. This service can power any website, from the smallest solutions to the more complex. As a Drupal alternative, Joomla is usually the go-to choice for...

Google Sites Reviews

19 Best WordPress Alternatives in 2025
Google Sites is a free website builder that allows anyone with a Google account to create and publish a website. It offers a user-friendly interface, pre-built templates, and basic tools for creating webpages.
Source: www.pixpa.com

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Joomla seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 2 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Joomla mentions (2)

  • Joomla 3x - How to create a Custom Registration Form (Custom Fields) w/o 3rd Party? [Dev Only Please]
    What resources could someone who has achieved this, point me to. I once came across a development doc link on joomla.org I thought; I cannot seem to find it. I can only recently find this : https://docs.joomla.org/J3.x:Creating_a_Plugin_for_Joomla which is not how I remembered if it's done by plugin. Source: over 3 years ago
  • Helping with the basics
    The forums found on joomla.org are great and there are tons of people there to help. Source: almost 4 years ago

Google Sites mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of Google Sites yet. Tracking of Google Sites recommendations started around Mar 2021.

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Joomla and Google Sites, you can also consider the following products

WordPress - WordPress is web software you can use to create a beautiful website or blog. We like to say that WordPress is both free and priceless at the same time.

SquareSpace - Squarespace is the easiest way for anyone to create an exceptional website. Pages, galleries, blogs, e-commerce, domains, hosting, analytics, 24/7 support - all included.

Drupal - Drupal - the leading open-source CMS for ambitious digital experiences that reach your audience across multiple channels. Because we all have different needs, Drupal allows you to create a unique space in a world of cookie-cutter solutions.

WiX - Create a free website with Wix.com. Customize with Wix' website builder, no coding skills needed. Choose a design, begin customizing and be online today

Ghost - Ghost is a fully open source, adaptable platform for building and running a modern online publication. We power blogs, magazines and journalists from Zappos to Sky News.

WordPress.com - Create a free website or build a blog with ease on WordPress.com. Dozens of free, customizable, mobile-ready designs and themes. Free hosting and support.