Typo3 vs. WordPress – A comparison

Why use a CMS?

A content management system (CMS) is a platform for managing digital content. When creating a website, the layout and content are kept separate. And remember: design templates define the visual structure of a website, while the content can be edited independently within the CMS. This is especially crucial for online stores, where new products – and therefore new content – are constantly being added. A CMS is not only essential but also a cost-saving solution. With a well-designed CMS, businesses can update text, content, and images without relying on web developers.
Strengths and weaknesses at a glance

WordPress

One of WordPress’s greatest strengths remains its ease of use when transitioning to a content management system. It’s no surprise that the CMS has gained immense popularity – WordPress is ideal for creating blogs and smaller websites, as content management is easy to learn and requires no programming knowledge. Additionally, updates are free and can be installed with a single click. The result: more than 60% of websites worldwide are built with WordPress. However, this widespread popularity also comes with a downside – WordPress is a frequent target for hackers, which poses potential security risks for users.
Nevertheless, this risk does not diminish WordPress’s popularity – especially because of its design flexibility. The CMS stands out with consistently modern and responsive web design, allowing for the implementation of nearly all current trends. WordPress provides a wide range of templates and an extensive selection of plugins that enable greater website customization. Best of all, many plugins are available for free – including one that allows you to create a multilingual website.
Despite the many free options, the cost of designing your website cannot be precisely determined. Since WordPress is an open-source CMS, the system itself is free, but you should account for expenses such as domain registration, hosting, and premium plugins or themes.

Typo3

Typo3 also has an excellent reputation in the industry – not only because medium-sized and large companies, as well as developers, have trusted it for content management for years. The system offers extensive design possibilities, even without many extensions, as numerous features are already built into the standard version.
Typo3’s multilingual capabilities do not require additional extensions, as the CMS comes with built-in tools for this. It also supports multi-domain hosting, including subdomains, allowing multiple websites to be managed from a single backend.
When it comes to costs, Typo3, as an open-source CMS, does not require license fees. However, expenses for domain registration and hosting must still be considered. Additionally, using Typo3 can sometimes lead to higher costs for specialized agencies that provide support with setup and maintenance.

The right CMS depends on the website’s size and purpose

When choosing the perfect CMS, you should always consider two key factors: the size and the primary purpose of your website. Size refers to the amount of content you plan to publish – something you should determine during the planning phase. The rule of thumb is simple: the more content you upload, the larger your website will be, and the more powerful your CMS needs to be.
At the same time, you need to define the purpose of your website. Do you want a corporate website with multilingual support? Are you looking to build an e-commerce store or create a blog? Do you need a document management system? The more clearly you can answer these questions, the easier it will be to find the right CMS on the market.
If you want to create a blog, WordPress is the best choice. If your website requires multilingual functionality, Typo3 is the better option. If you’re looking to launch an e-commerce store with a large product range while delivering a unique shopping experience, WordPress or even Pimcore could be the right fit. As you can see, few things are as diverse as the selection of content management systems!

The differences in detail

And now – let the comparison begin! We’ll take a closer look at the key components that make a great CMS, helping you determine which one best suits your needs.

The technical foundation

WordPress and Typo3 are both built on PHP and MySQL databases, providing a similar technical foundation. However, WordPress operates with a lightweight core functionality that can be extended through plugins. This can be beneficial if you require only a few features, but it may also cause issues if, for example, two plugins are incompatible. Additionally, plugins are the primary source of security vulnerabilities, as they often do not undergo rigorous quality checks.
Typo3’s greatest advantage, on the other hand, is its high security standards. Extensions, which can be installed as needed, are only approved for the backend after undergoing thorough quality and security checks.

SEO friendliness

Unfortunately, Typo3 does not generate many useful URLs for SEO. Most of these are author or tag pages that provide little value to users, the website, or Google, making them unnecessary clutter. However, Typo3 is praised for its clean codebase, which enhances page speed and SEO performance by avoiding unnecessary code.
When it comes to search engine optimization, WordPress is a top performer and offers a wide range of specialized SEO plugins that provide various functionalities.
User friendliness
As mentioned earlier, WordPress is a prime example of user-friendliness: content can be easily managed, and it is accessible to beginners without programming knowledge. The Advanced Custom Fields plugin also makes WordPress a valuable CMS for corporate websites, as it allows web developers to customize pages as needed.
In terms of usability, Typo3 is significantly more complex than WordPress. While the customization options in the backend are extensive, they require a lengthy learning curve for proper implementation. Additionally, mastering Typoscript, Typo3’s programming language, is often necessary to fully unlock the platform’s design capabilities.

Website design

WordPress has set the standard for modern web design: full-width heroes, hero videos, parallax scrolling, and one-page layouts – these trends have been heavily influenced by the themes available in WordPress. As a result, users have grown accustomed to high design standards and now expect a more emotional experience when visiting a website – which positively impacts their purchasing decisions.
Typo3 appears less modern than WordPress websites in terms of web design, mainly because Typo3 websites tend to be content-heavy, making them less flexible when it comes to adapting to new structures.

User administration

When it comes to user administration, Typo3 sets a clear example, offering an unusually extensive range of features. In the CMS, users can be assigned roles with varying rights, differentiating between read and write permissions, specific access rights for data records, folders, page sections, or modules, as well as the transfer and merging of user rights across different user groups. This type of rights management can be a real asset, especially for large projects – something you can’t expect from WordPress, for instance. WordPress doesn’t offer comparable settings. While user administration can be extended with plugins, rights management is not provided.

Stability and security

As you now know, security is a top priority with Typo3: users have access to comprehensive security guidelines, and the CMS features a security mailing list that provides quick and easy updates on security issues. Another key factor: With only a 6% market share, Typo3 is far less attractive to hackers compared to WordPress, for example.
The attack surface for cyberattacks is larger, as more enterprise websites rely on the CMS, but WordPress is continually working to improve its security. It benefits from a large community that quickly and reliably addresses security vulnerabilities. However, you can rest easy: both CMS platforms are secure as long as you keep them updated regularly.
When considering the stability of both systems, Typo3 is expected to have a more solid foundation. The CMS requires few extensions, as its core structure is already quite robust. WordPress, on the other hand, attempts to bolster its stability with numerous plugins, which is a significant weakness of the CMS: installing a plugin for every small feature can lead to system instability. Additionally, you may face a worst-case scenario, as plugins can degrade website performance or cause crashes and errors.

Interfaces and scalability

Typo3 is like a toolbox that includes all the necessary functionalities, including interfaces. For example, ERP applications for processing large amounts of data can be quickly integrated thanks to the provided interface.
With WordPress, on the other hand, you need to rely on an additional plugin. Unfortunately, the CMS is somewhat limited in terms of scalability, and its content management can be quite confusing. Typo3, however, offers better management options, with the page hierarchy neatly organized in a tree structure. This allows for nearly limitless scalability, making it more suitable for large websites.

Content management and editing

When it comes to content management and editing, Typo3 and WordPress are often contrasted by two adjectives: complex and simple. This is especially true when it comes to usability: while Typo3 is more complex and requires some training, WordPress stands out for its simplicity, making it ideal, especially for beginners.
Typo3 offers strong design options with its rich text editor, particularly through its expandable content elements. The Gutenberg block editor in WordPress can be both a blessing and a curse for some users, but it consistently impresses with its visual and intuitive interface. Media management in WordPress is simple and user-friendly, while Typo3 is often seen as more complex, though it offers more powerful features.
Speaking of editors: Typo3 stands out with its high level of flexibility and custom content elements when it comes to content types. WordPress’ content types, on the other hand, are quite standardized but can be customized using plugins.