MailBeez
MailBeez V5 arrives with a redesigned workspace, dark mode and V5-ready modules.
Comparison · Mkt Auto
Joomla vs Craft CMS
A side-by-side editorial comparison of Joomla and Craft CMS — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.
Shared themes:cms
Joomla vs Craft CMS: at a glance
What is Joomla?
Joomla 6.2 is out, and every branch now ships patches in lockstep.
Joomla 6.2.0 shipped on 13 October after two release candidates, with more than 116 merged pull requests including a refactored MVCFactory, Crypt package deprecation and build tooling. The 5.4 line released 5.4.10 the same day with an API PATCH timezone fix and banner access checks, and late September brought paired security releases, 5.4.9 and 6.1.4.
What is Craft CMS?
Craft 6 reaches beta with an AI assistant that edits content through its own MCP tools.
Craft CMS 6.0.0-beta.1 ends the alpha series on the Laravel foundation. It adds Ask AI, a chat panel beside every control panel screen that uses Craft's MCP tools as the signed-in user and proposes changes the user reviews and applies, plus a Ctrl/Cmd+K command palette, a side-by-side Compare screen for drafts, revisions and sites, and copy/paste of field values. The 5.12 stable line gets only single-fix patches.
Joomla vs Craft CMS: editorial side-by-side
Joomla
5.0MKT AUTO
Joomla 6.2 is out, and every branch now ships patches in lockstep.
◆ Current state
Joomla 6.2.0 shipped on 13 October after two release candidates, with more than 116 merged pull requests including a refactored MVCFactory, Crypt package deprecation and build tooling. The 5.4 line released 5.4.10 the same day with an API PATCH timezone fix and banner access checks, and late September brought paired security releases, 5.4.9 and 6.1.4.
◆ Where it's heading
The project runs three lines on one calendar: a feature minor on 6.x, security and bug patches on 6.1 and 5.4, all released together. 6.2 is mostly framework work aimed at Joomla 7, with deprecations now targeted at version 7. Several fixes are tagged [AI], meaning contributors used AI tools to write them.
◆ Prediction
With 6.2 out, 6.1 maintenance should wind down while 6.2.x patches start on the same paired schedule as 5.4. Further deprecations ahead of Joomla 7 are the likely theme of the next minor.
Craft CMS
6.3MKT AUTO
Craft 6 reaches beta with an AI assistant that edits content through its own MCP tools.
◆ Current state
Craft CMS 6.0.0-beta.1 ends the alpha series on the Laravel foundation. It adds Ask AI, a chat panel beside every control panel screen that uses Craft's MCP tools as the signed-in user and proposes changes the user reviews and applies, plus a Ctrl/Cmd+K command palette, a side-by-side Compare screen for drafts, revisions and sites, and copy/paste of field values. The 5.12 stable line gets only single-fix patches.
◆ Where it's heading
The alphas rebuilt the control panel on shared Inertia/Vue components; the beta uses that base to add editor-facing features, with AI assistance and version comparison at the center. Ask AI runs on the same MCP tools and permissions as the user, so Craft is treating AI as another way to operate the control panel rather than a separate content generator.
◆ Prediction
Further 6.0 betas fixing plugin and UI issues are the likely next step, with Ask AI's scope and model settings the area to watch. No release date for 6.0 is visible in the entries.
Alternatives to Joomla and Craft CMS
Other Mkt Auto products tracked by Sparkpulse, ranked by recent ship velocity. Each card links to a full editorial trajectory and lets you pivot into a head-to-head comparison with either Joomla or Craft CMS.
Postiz
Postiz encrypts channel tokens and lets agents send connect links for new channels.
n8n
n8n fixes executions being redacted when they used global credentials, on three lines.
Gumloop
Gumloop 13.6 gives admins one set of rules for every tool an agent touches.
AcyMailing
AcyMailing 11.1.2 closes holes that let strangers read or unsubscribe any subscriber.
Buttondown
Buttondown lets writers reorder editor blocks without a mouse.
See all Joomla alternatives → · See all Craft CMS alternatives →
Recent activity from Joomla and Craft CMS
Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.
- 3d agoCraft CMSCraft 6 beta adds Ask AI, a command palette and draft compare ⚡
- 10d agoCraft CMSCraft 5.12.0.1 fixes duplicate icons in icon pickers
- 1mo agoJoomlaJoomla 6.2.0 ships with framework refactors aimed at Joomla 7
- 1mo agoJoomla5.4.10 fixes API PATCH dates and banner access checks
- 1mo agoCraft CMS5.11.5.1 restores editing of third-party nested elements
- 1mo agoCraft CMSCraft 6 alpha.20 moves more editors onto shared Vue controls
- 1mo agoJoomla6.2.0 RC2 adds a what's-new tour and association fix
- 1mo agoJoomla5.4.10 RC1 previews API PATCH and banner fixes
- 1mo agoCraft CMSCraft 6 alpha.19 adds inline editing and exports to indexes
- 1mo agoJoomla5.4.9 security release hardens TOTP checks and exports
- 1mo agoJoomla6.2.0 RC1 treats MariaDB as a first-class database
- 2mo agoCraft CMSCraft CMS 6.0.0-alpha.18
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between Joomla and Craft CMS?
Both compete on the same themes — cms — within Mkt Auto. Craft CMS is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 6.3 vs 5.0), with 1 editorial sparks in the last 30 days against 0. See the at-a-glance table above for a side-by-side breakdown of velocity, recent sparks, and editorial themes.
Is Joomla better than Craft CMS?
Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. Craft CMS is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 6.3 vs 5.0), with 1 editorial sparks in the last 30 days against 0. For your specific use case, the alternatives sections above list other Mkt Auto products to evaluate alongside.
What are the best alternatives to Joomla?
Top Joomla alternatives in Mkt Auto are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "Joomla alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/joomla for the full list with editorial commentary on each.
What are the best alternatives to Craft CMS?
Top Craft CMS alternatives in Mkt Auto are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "Craft CMS alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/craft-cms for the full list with editorial commentary on each.