What is a plugin? Code which is not part of the base package of software, with the purpose of extending functionality. Plugins are also called add-ons, extensions or modules. In most cases, using plugins leads to a phenomenal amount of complexity, fragmentation, duplication and overlap. They evolve each in their own way and create many issues and instabilities. WordPress, Drupal and Joomla! all work with plugins that are a hassle to choose from, integrate and update.
How do web applications compare?
WordPress | Drupal | Joomla! | Tiki | |
Web site | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Social Networking | Different project: BuddyPress, which has its own plugins | Many plugins to choose from | Many plugins to choose from | Built-in and configurable |
Forums | Different project: bbPress, which has its own plugins | Many plugins to choose from | Many plugins to choose from | Built-in and configurable |
Shopping cart | Many plugins to choose from | Many plugins to choose from | Many plugins to choose from | Built-in and configurable |
Wiki | They use MediaWiki | Many plugins to choose from | They use MediaWiki | Built-in and configurable |
Long Term Support (LTS) | WordPress doesn't offer an LTS version because the project leader is "philosophically opposed" to LTS versions. | No, but several years between major releases | At least 4 years | 5 years |
WordPress | Drupal | |||
Web site | Yes | Yes | ||
Social Networking | Different project: BuddyPress, which has its own plugins | Many plugins to choose from | ||
Forums | Different project: bbPress, which has its own plugins | Many plugins to choose from | ||
Shopping cart | Many plugins to choose from | Many plugins to choose from | ||
Wiki | They use MediaWiki | Many plugins to choose from | ||
Long Term Support (LTS) | WordPress doesn't offer an LTS version because the project leader is "philosophically opposed" to LTS versions. | No, but several years between major releases |
Joomla! | Tiki | |||
Web site | Yes | Yes | ||
Social Networking | Many plugins to choose from | Built-in and configurable | ||
Forums | Many plugins to choose from | Built-in and configurable | ||
Shopping cart | Many plugins to choose from | Built-in and configurable | ||
Wiki | They use MediaWiki | Built-in and configurable | ||
Long Term Support (LTS) | At least 4 years | 5 years |
Frequentpluginproblems |
Meet thebuilt-insolutions |
Feature duplication and abandoned plugins Plugins can die off because the developer gets bored, or not enough people buy the "premium" version. Or perhaps the core app changes so much that the developer doesn't have the energy or time to port over the plugin. | No need to research, choose, download and install additional plugins. There is no feature duplication. All the features are built-in and collaboratively maintained by the community, so you avoid the consequence of abandoned plugins. |
Incompatibilities between plugins Plugins are often incompatible with each other, and it's tricky to get support because each plugin works OK separately. It's just so complex with thousands of plugins. | Everything works with everything The whole community collaborates on the features instead of having plugins which may have incompatibilities. Turn everything on and it will work. |
Dependency hell and slow release cycle You can't upgrade the core software until all plugins are available, and even then, upgrades are notoriously difficult. | Quick, timely upgrades When a new version of Tiki comes out, you can upgrade right away and all the features are available. |