Quick answer
WordPress had 11,334 reported vulnerabilities in 2025 (Patchstack), while Joomla extensions had 357 in 2026 (JoomGuard): about 97% fewer for Joomla. WordPress also runs around 36 times as many websites, and on both platforms nearly all flaws are in plugins and extensions rather than the core. The real risk factor is how many add-ons a site runs and how quickly they are updated.
Most of the hacked websites we clean up were not broken into through WordPress or Joomla itself. They came in through an add-on: a plugin, theme or extension that was out of date or abandoned. So when people ask us which platform is safer, the useful question is really where the vulnerabilities are, and how many of them a typical site is exposed to. The latest public data gives a clear picture.
The figures
| WordPress (2025) | Joomla (2026) | |
|---|---|---|
| Reported vulnerabilities | 11,334 | 357 |
| Where they were found | About 91% plugins (around 10,310), 9% themes (around 1,018), 6 in core | Extensions and components, across 141 extensions |
| Most serious | 1,966 high severity (17%) | 89 critical |
WordPress: Patchstack, full year 2025. Joomla: JoomGuard database, 2026 records when the figures were pulled. The JoomGuard database is live and had reached 361 entries for 2026 by 28 October.
That works out to about 97% fewer reported vulnerabilities for Joomla. Turned around, WordPress had roughly 32 times as many.
Reading the data properly
A count of reported flaws is not a security rating, and it would be easy to oversell this one. Four things matter:
- Different periods and sources. WordPress is 2025 data from Patchstack. Joomla is 2026 data from JoomGuard. Their methods differ.
- Size. WordPress runs about 40% of all websites and Joomla about 1% (W3Techs, October 2026). A far bigger ecosystem attracts far more researchers and attackers. Per website, the gap is much narrower than 32 to 1.
- Undisclosed flaws are invisible. Neither number includes vulnerabilities nobody has reported yet.
- Exploitation is what hurts. Joomla extensions including the JCE editor were actively exploited in 2026. One unpatched extension is enough. See Surviving the Great JCE Hack of 2026.
The pattern that matters: add-ons
On both platforms the core software is in good shape. WordPress core had only 6 reported vulnerabilities in 2025, all low priority. The risk sits almost entirely in third-party add-ons, so the number a site runs, and how well they are maintained, is what decides its exposure.
This is where Joomla has a genuine advantage. Multilingual content, detailed user permissions, multi-factor authentication and content workflows are part of Joomla itself. On WordPress they usually mean installing more plugins, and every extra plugin is another thing to patch, another developer who might stop maintaining it, and another possible way in.
How to protect your site, whichever platform you use
- Remove any plugin or extension you do not actively use.
- Replace anything its developer has stopped updating.
- Apply security updates within a day or two of release, after a full backup.
- Keep the CMS and PHP on supported versions. See PHP upgrades, WordPress updates and Joomla upgrades.
- Keep tested backups off the server.
- Have someone watching for new vulnerabilities in the add-ons you run. That is what our website security and maintenance plans do.
Not sure where your site stands? Take the free 3-minute self-check, or if something already looks wrong, go straight to hacked website repair or call 1300 566 652.
Sources
- WordPress: Patchstack, State of WordPress Security in 2026
- Joomla: JoomGuard, Joomla vulnerabilities 2026
- Market share: Colorlib, CMS Market Share 2026, citing W3Techs data for October 2026
From our sister company
Planning a new website, or moving to Joomla?
Joomstore Digital, our sister company, has designed and built Joomla websites in Perth since 2008, from law firm and not-for-profit sites to B2B portals and membership platforms. If you are weighing up a rebuild or a move from WordPress, they can help you plan it properly.
Visit Joomstore »Joomla specialists · Website development · Joomstore’s take on this data
Written and reviewed by Noah Greenstone, Founder and Principal Consultant. Last reviewed 28 October 2026.
