Joomla to WordPress Migration

Why You Should Migrate from Joomla to WordPress

Joomla and WordPress started out in the same era and grew side by side for years, but the gap between them has widened a lot since then. According to W3Techs (October 2026), WordPress is used by 39.6% of all websites, while Joomla is used by 1.1%. That gap drives most of the other reasons site owners decide to convert Joomla to WordPress.

WordPress has a far larger plugin ecosystem

Joomla’s Extensions Directory currently lists around 5,000 free and paid extensions. WordPress, by comparison, has over 76,000 free plugins and more than 15,000 free themes available in its library alone, with new ones added daily by an active developer community. In practice, that means almost any feature you want to add to your site already has a ready-made WordPress plugin, rather than something you need custom-built.

WordPress is easier to use day to day

Joomla ships packed with functions out of the box, which also makes its admin heavier and more technical to navigate, especially for non-technical editors. WordPress takes a leaner approach: the block editor and dashboard are built around everyday content editing, so your team can publish and update pages without needing developer help for routine changes.

WordPress has a bigger community and hiring pool

WordPress’s community isn’t just larger, it’s still growing, while Joomla’s developer pool has been shrinking for years. That translates directly into practical terms: it’s considerably easier to find a WordPress developer, agency, or freelancer than a Joomla specialist, and that gap keeps widening.

WordPress is built with blogging at its core

Joomla offers only limited native tools for managing a blog, and it doesn’t have a dedicated content type built specifically for blog posts. WordPress, on the other hand, started as a blogging platform and still treats posts as a first-class content type, with a much deeper library of blog-focused themes and plugins to match.

Older Joomla versions no longer receive security fixes

Support windows are another practical push to convert Joomla to WordPress. Joomla 3 reached end of life in 2023 and Joomla 4 in October 2025, so a site still running either version has to upgrade or move. Joomla 5 receives security fixes until October 2027. Because a Joomla upgrade can mean rebuilding templates and extensions anyway, many owners treat it as the right moment to migrate Joomla to WordPress instead.

Joomla vs. WordPress at a glance

Here is how the two platforms compare across the areas that matter most when you decide to move:

Which Joomla Data Can LitExtension Migrate to WordPress?

The supported store data depends on the Joomla eCommerce extension used by your website. Where applicable, LitExtension can migrate:

• Products: core product details, pricing, stock, images, variants, and SEO fields, along with product categories.
• Customers: contact info plus billing and shipping addresses.
• Orders: order details, items, pricing breakdown, and linked customer and address data.
• CMS Pages: page title, content, category, and thumbnail image.
• Blogs: post title, content, category, and thumbnail image.
• Manufacturers: name and logo image.
• Taxes: tax classes and rates by country.
• Coupons: coupon codes, discount rules, and validity periods.
• Reviews: ratings, comments, and reviewer details.
• Multiple Languages: translated content for products, categories, CMS pages, and blogs (additional fee may apply).

Joomla has no native eCommerce of its own, so your products, orders, and customers live inside whichever shopping component your site runs on. Because these components structure data differently, our team confirms which one you use and scopes the migration around it during consultation.

What doesn’t transfer automatically

Whichever method you use, a few parts of a Joomla site need to be rebuilt in WordPress rather than migrated directly:

• Joomla template and design: Joomla and WordPress use entirely different theming systems, so your site’s look and feel needs a new WordPress theme rather than a like-for-like transfer.
• Custom modules and complex content: content built with certain Joomla-specific extensions generally has no direct WordPress equivalent and needs to be rebuilt or replaced with a comparable WordPress plugin.
• Navigation menus and custom routing: Joomla’s menu structure and custom links don’t carry over automatically and need to be recreated in WordPress.
• ACL and permissions structure: Joomla’s access control levels don’t map one-to-one to WordPress user roles, so permissions need to be reconfigured for your new setup.
• User passwords: Joomla and WordPress hash passwords differently, so users usually need to reset theirs after launch. Confirm how this applies to your site during consultation.
• Component-specific settings: configuration specific to your Joomla shopping component or other extensions stays behind and needs to be set up fresh in its WordPress equivalent.

Prepare Your SEO Before You Migrate Joomla to WordPress

Joomla and WordPress build URLs differently, so most of the SEO risk in a Joomla to WordPress migration comes from addresses that change. Joomla article links can include /index.php/ or parameters such as ?option=com_content, while WordPress commonly uses the /%postname%/ structure. Collect this information before you touch anything:

• Crawl your live Joomla site: a crawler such as Screaming Frog can list every URL with its title tag and meta description.
• Export your top pages and backlinks: use Google Search Console to see which URLs earn traffic, so you protect them first.
• Include parameter-based URLs: add the raw Joomla addresses, not only the friendly versions, to your redirect map.
• Build a staging WordPress site: import and test there so your live Joomla site is never affected.
• List your Joomla version and extensions: note which extensions you use and which have a WordPress plugin equivalent, so nothing is a surprise during the rebuild.
• Lower your DNS TTL: about 24 hours before launch, shorten it so the final switch takes effect faster.

Two Ways to Migrate Joomla to WordPress: DIY Plugin or Expert Service

There are two practical ways to migrate Joomla to WordPress: do it yourself with a free content import plugin, or let LitExtension experts manage the whole Joomla to WordPress migration for you. Which one fits best depends mostly on how much content you have and whether your site runs a Joomla shopping component. Here is how the two routes compare for sites that want to convert Joomla to WordPress:

Option 1: DIY Migration with a Joomla-to-WordPress Import Plugin

A number of free WordPress plugins are built specifically to pull content out of a Joomla database and into WordPress. This kind of plugin works well for small, content-only sites, but it has real limits worth knowing before you start.

• Step 1: Back up your Joomla site. Back up your Joomla database and files, and note every extension, module, and custom feature you use so you can rebuild them later.
• Step 2: Set up the plugin. Install and activate a Joomla-to-WordPress import plugin from the Plugins menu. Some offer a paid tier with custom fields, user accounts, SEO data, or URL redirects.
• Step 3: Identify your Joomla database parameters. In Joomla, go to System > Global Configuration > Server to find your database host, database name, username, and table prefix. The password isn’t displayed there, so open the configuration.php file in your Joomla root folder (through FTP or your hosting file manager) to copy it. Keep this window open, or note the values down, so you can copy them over.
• Step 4: Test the database connection. Back in WordPress, open the plugin’s connection settings, enter your Joomla site URL and database parameters, then run a test to confirm WordPress can reach your Joomla database before importing anything.
• Step 5: Run the import. Once the connection is confirmed, start the import and let the plugin pull your Joomla content into WordPress. You can usually choose which content types to include as it runs. If the plugin offers an option to empty your WordPress content first, leave it off unless you are importing into a fresh site, because it deletes existing posts, pages, and media.
• Step 6: Fix internal links. After the import, run the plugin’s option to modify internal links, so old Joomla-style addresses inside your content point to your new WordPress URLs.

Joomla treats all content as articles, with no split between pages and posts. Most import plugins ask whether to bring articles in as WordPress posts or pages. Pages do not support categories, so importing as posts first and converting specific ones to pages afterward is usually more reliable.

A typical free plugin turns articles into posts and pages, keeps categories, moves media into the media library, and updates internal links. User accounts, SEO fields such as meta descriptions, and redirects are usually paid. Joomla extensions with no WordPress equivalent, custom templates, menus and routing, and structured data still need separate handling.

Content from components such as K2, EasyBlog, or VirtueMart is handled by separate paid add-ons from the plugin’s developer, so check your component list before choosing this route. The plugin only reads your Joomla database and does not change your Joomla site. If the import stalls or content goes missing, check these first:

• Connection errors: the WordPress server must be able to reach your Joomla database. If the two sites are on different hosts, allow remote MySQL access for your WordPress host in cPanel, or export the Joomla database and import it next to your WordPress database, then point the plugin at that copy.
• Missing images: the URL you enter in the plugin must be your Joomla home page URL, and the PHP setting allow_url_fopen must be turned on.
• Missing articles: articles in the Joomla trash are not imported. Unpublished and archived articles arrive as drafts.
• Stalled import: deactivate other plugins and raise the WordPress memory limit, then run the import again. It continues where it stopped.

Option 2: Migrate Joomla to WordPress with LitExtension

If your site includes eCommerce data, custom components, or you’d simply rather not manage the technical work yourself, LitExtension’s All-in-One service handles the entire Joomla to WordPress migration on your behalf. Here’s how the process works from start to finish.

Step 1. Technical consultation with LitExtension experts

Our technical team reviews your Joomla site’s structure, size, and custom components, and identifies which shopping component, if any, powers your store data. This lets us scope the migration accurately and flag challenges early.

Step 2. Pre-migration setup and data mapping

We collect the access details needed to connect securely to both platforms, then map your Joomla data, such as articles, categories, users, and store records, to the matching structure in WordPress. Custom fields get configured individually.

Step 3. Run a demo migration

Before touching your full dataset, we run a demo migration using a sample of your Joomla content. This gives you an early look at how your data will appear in WordPress, and gives our team a chance to catch and fix any formatting or mapping issues before the full transfer runs.

Step 4. Perform the full Joomla to WordPress migration

Once you approve the demo results, we move ahead with the complete migration. Your Joomla site stays live and fully operational throughout the process, so there’s no downtime and no need to pause your business while the transfer runs in the background.

Step 5. Migration results testing

After the full migration completes, our team runs a thorough QA review to confirm your content transferred accurately, articles, categories, images, and any eCommerce data included in your scope, checking for missing records, broken links, or formatting issues. We also verify SEO metadata and, if you’ve enabled the option, confirm 301 redirects are mapping your old Joomla URLs correctly. You’ll receive a summary report once everything checks out.

Step 6. Post-migration tasks

Since your Joomla site keeps running during the migration, it may pick up new orders, customers, or content in the meantime. LitExtension’s post-migration services, including Recent Data Migration, Smart Update, and Re-migration, bring anything new over so your WordPress site stays current once it goes live.

Step 7. Post-migration customer support

Our support doesn’t end when the migration does. For up to 60 days after your Joomla to WordPress migration completes, our team is available to help with any questions, fix issues you spot, or guide you through your new WordPress setup.

How to Rebuild Your Joomla Design in WordPress

Your Joomla template does not transfer, so treat the design as its own task. Keep the live Joomla site open as a reference and rebuild in this order:

1. Choose a theme or page builder that fits the layout you want.
2. Recreate your menus, header, and footer so navigation matches the old site.
3. Replace Joomla modules and extensions with WordPress plugins that do the same job.
4. Rebuild your top pages first, starting with the ones that earn the most traffic.
5. Reconfigure user roles, since Joomla access levels do not map one to one to WordPress roles.

How Long Does a Joomla to WordPress Migration Take?

The import itself is quick compared with the rebuild. As a rough guide, a site under 30 pages is often finished in one to two weeks, a site of 30 to 200 pages in three to six weeks, and a large site with custom extensions or a store in six weeks or more. The time depends mostly on how many extensions you replace and how much content you review by hand.

What Affects the Cost of a Joomla to WordPress Migration?

The total depends on a few separate choices, so list them before you pick a route:

What to Do After Joomla to WordPress Migration

Getting your content into WordPress is the starting line, not the finish. Work through this checklist before you consider the migration fully done:

• Verify imported content end-to-end: walk through every article, page, and category to confirm everything imported cleanly, with no broken internal links or empty sections.
• Confirm your media library: check that featured images and other media are actually hosted in the WordPress media library, not still pulling from your old Joomla URLs.
• Configure WordPress permalinks: under Settings > Permalinks, choose a structure that matches your Joomla URL format as closely as you can, so fewer URLs need a redirect, and confirm the rest lines up with your redirect map.
• Set up your 301 redirects: if redirects were not created during migration, add them from your old Joomla URLs to the matching WordPress pages, for example with the Redirection plugin, then test a sample of old URLs.
• Install essential plugins: an SEO plugin, a security plugin, a forms plugin, and caching, so your site is properly covered from day one.
• Set up WooCommerce, if your migration includes store data, and confirm your products, orders, and customers display correctly.
• Enable HTTPS and harden your login: turn on SSL if it isn’t already active, and limit login attempts on your WordPress admin to cut down on automated attacks.
• Rebuild forms and check email delivery: Joomla forms do not carry over, so recreate them with a forms plugin and send a test message, since forms can fail silently until SMTP is configured.
• Reinstall analytics and tracking: add your Google Analytics and tag manager code again, since tracking snippets usually live in the Joomla template.
• Keep Joomla running until launch is verified: an import only reads your Joomla database, so you can point DNS back if something goes wrong. Watch your 404 errors closely for the first few days after the switch.
• Submit a new sitemap to Google Search Console so search engines can re-crawl your site under its new URL structure.
• Test mobile responsiveness across a few common screen sizes before you announce the switch publicly.
• Remove the import plugin once you have verified the migration.
• Monitor your SEO rankings and organic traffic closely over the first 30, 60, and 90 days, since most sites stabilize within that window if the redirect map was built correctly.

A small content-only site can often be moved with a free plugin, while a store, a large archive, or a site with many backlinks is safer with an expert-led Joomla to WordPress migration and a full redirect plan. Either way, you migrate Joomla to WordPress most safely when you test on staging first and switch DNS last.