Modernize your legacy Joomla site with a Next.js rebuild. Better DX, better performance.
You can migrate from Joomla to Next.js for free using LeaveWP. Enter your site URL, choose Next.js as the destination, and download your content — posts, pages, and media — in minutes. No API keys, passwords, or CLI tools required. Difficulty: Advanced. Estimated time: 45-90 minutes.
Official docs: Joomla Documentation · Next.js Documentation
PHP CMS balancing power and usability. Community portals and membership sites needing built-in user management, but these limitations push teams toward modern alternatives.
Smaller community means fewer extensions and themes
This is the most common reason teams migrate away from Joomla. Next.js eliminates this issue entirely.
Admin interface feels dated compared to modern CMS options
With Next.js, hybrid rendering — ssg, ssr, isr, and client-side in one app.
Performance degrades with many extensions installed
Modern architectures like Next.js are designed to avoid this from the ground up.
Finding skilled Joomla developers is increasingly difficult
After migrating, you'll no longer need to worry about this — Next.js takes a fundamentally different approach.
React framework for production with SSR, SSG, and API routes. Built with JavaScript/TypeScript (React), it's production web apps and content sites needing flexible rendering strategies.
Hybrid rendering — SSG, SSR, ISR, and client-side in one app
Most popular React framework with massive community
Built-in image optimization, API routes, and middleware
Optimized for Vercel but deploys anywhere (Node.js, Docker)
Next.js is open-source and free to use. You own your code and data with no vendor lock-in. Deploy to any host that supports JavaScript/TypeScript, or use managed platforms like Vercel and Netlify for zero-config deployments.
Side-by-side comparison based on real platform characteristics
| Metric | Joomla | Next.js |
|---|---|---|
| Ease of Use | ⭐⭐⭐ 3/5 | ⭐⭐⭐ 3/5 |
| Performance | ⭐⭐ 2/5 | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5/5 |
| Flexibility | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4/5 | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5/5 |
| Cost | ⭐⭐⭐ 3/5 | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5/5 |
| Scalability | ⭐⭐⭐ 3/5 | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5/5 |
| Ecosystem | ⭐⭐⭐ 3/5 | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5/5 |
| Language | PHP | JavaScript/TypeScript (React) |
| Pricing | Free (self-hosted) | Free (open-source) |
| Open Source | Yes | Yes |
Ratings are based on publicly available data, documentation, and community consensus as of 2026. Individual experience may vary.
A detailed breakdown of how your Joomla content maps to Next.js
What may need manual attention
Custom server-side logic, third-party integrations, and platform-specific plugins will need equivalent solutions in Next.js. The core content (text, images, metadata) transfers cleanly.
Migrate your content in three simple steps
Enter your Joomla site URL — LeaveWP connects automatically.
Select Next.js as destination and choose content options.
Download your migrated content or preview it in your browser.
Migrating from Joomla to Next.js makes the most sense if you're experiencing smaller community means fewer extensions and themes or outgrowing Joomla's architecture. Next.js is best for production web apps and content sites needing flexible rendering strategies.
You should migrate if: your Joomla site is slow, your hosting costs are climbing, you need developer flexibility, or you want to adopt a modern JAMstack architecture.
You might want to stay if: your Joomla site benefits from built-in acl system more powerful than wordpress out of the box and you don't have JavaScript/TypeScript developers on your team.
The migration itself is straightforward with LeaveWP — enter your Joomla URL, select Next.js, and download your content. The more important question is whether Next.js's architecture fits your team's skills and your project's long-term needs.
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