Before starting this blog, let me tell you one thing! Joomla! is here to stay and it’s not going to die. Why am I making this statement? Well, there is a debate which I wrote about Joomla’s apparently shrinking market share. I am happy that my aim of starting a healthy discussion about this pressing issue has been taken seriously and I am honored that people have written or shared their responses openly.
Downloaded more than 50 million times as of now, Joomla has become one of the foremost commonly used CMS over the past 6 years. As of now it is the most prevalent CMS arrangement after WordPress. Joomla! has thrived as a content management system since its inception. Now, it’s the time to dig in more into the ecosystem and explore more about the rich and diversified Joomla extensions that can enhance the overall experience.
There are 5 common types of extensions for Joomla!: Languages, Components, Templates, Plugins, and Modules. Moreover, three other types: Packages, Files, and Libraries. Each of these extensions has specific functionality, and numerous built-in extensions of Joomla! are actualized utilizing expansions.
Top 15 Free Joomla Extensions
In this blog post, I have highlighted and enumerated about 15 of the best Joomla extensions. I have written this post for beginners; however, there are some which are for intermediate users. The Joomla extensions covered in this post are absolutely free of cost. Oh yes. Consider this as a list; a sort of a guide. This list does not rank the qualities of the following extensions.
1. JCE
Well, it is a favorite among many and it’s the best thing to install on your Joomla website. This gives your website a full WYSIWYG editor and an image editor among many other useful things. In the image editor, you can put Alternate Text easily and you can also set the dimension of your images.
2. Akeeba Backup
Although Cloudways has an excellent automated offline backup system with point-in-time recovery mechanism, there are Joomla developers and designers who like to keep a backup of their website for their own use. Akeeba Backup extension is the best option in this case. With this extension, you can take the back up of your whole site or selective portions of it.
3. Advanced Module Manager
As the name suggests, the Advanced Module Manager gives you the liberty to do anything you want to do with your Joomla! website. It’s really a comprehensive extension, with which you can customize your site’s Module manager.
This extension comes in handy when you want to publish assignments for modules and edit your modules within the pop-up window. One of the best features of this extension is that you can create lists with color labels to easily distinguish between the modules. What if the modules you are using are not giving you the right results? You can simply hide such modules. It’s that easy.
4. JSN Power Admin
Do you want to have a complete control over your Joomla! site? JSN Power Admin extension can help you out. With this extension, you can control and manage whatever you want; be it content types, menus, modules, etc. You can also use infinite admin sessions via this extension.
By using this extension, you can also edit any duplicate content. It gives the opportunity to place different items in one place. You can use drop-down menus to reorder the items you choose. One thing more, you can also play around with your customized templates and edit or uninstall them as per your needs.
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5. Component Creator
This user-friendly extension helps you create custom component for your Joomla website. You can also use Component Creator extension for streamlining your search engine optimization operations.
With this extension you  can also create database and SQL tables for your website with ultimate ease. Additionally, you can create detailed lists as well. This extension also gives you the opportunity to create front-end forms with ACL controls.
6. Asynchronous Google Analytics Plugin
Well, it’s a fact that keeping a constant eye on website traffic via Google Analytics is a cumbersome job. No fears folks, just relax. With Asynchronous Google Analytics Plugin available, you don’t have worry about your Joomla website. This extension takes care of it all.
You can easily install Asynchronous Google Analytics Plugin within the header of your Joomla based website. It’s reliable in its own right. With this plugin, you can monitor virtually everything related to your website analytics. It supports the universal Google Analytics code.
7. ReReplacer
Do you want to replace a table from your Joomla website? Do you want to add or delete a text box from your site? The ReReplacer extension does an efficient job here. You can also replace or edit the html code from your site.
One of the best advantages of this extension is that you can create your own plugin-like tags and place them anywhere on your site. If there exist an HTML code that you don’t want, you can use this extension to replace that unwanted code.
8. R Antispam
Are you bothered because of spam? Don’t worry. Just use R Antispam. You can use this extension on forums like Kunena, NinjaBoard and ccBoard. While using this extension, you can experience an improved spam control mechanism.
If you are using any other Joomla extension, you can integrate R antispam and use it to block unwanted spam content. It also supports Akismet.
9. PlayThru Captcha
Do you want to protect forms by gamifying it? All credit goes to Davide Tampellini of AreYouAHuman, for developing the PlayThru Captcha, a lightweight Joomla extension. With this extension, you can identify real engagement as respondents will play mini games to confirm their presence.
10. Disqus Comments
Joomla! is used for static business website. Therefore, many will argue my judgement as to why one should put a comments extension on their website. Well, if you have a business website, it does not mean you cannot start discussion. When you integrate Disqus, you can create discussion pages on your website.
11. Sourcerer
Well, well, well, Sourcerer is yet again a useful extension, which you can use with your text editor button. It also helps you to place your content anywhere within your web pages. You can also use this extension to develop content for meta tags.
With this extension, you can also place original code within the WYSIWYG editor. You can use this extension to place HTML, JavaScript, and CSS codes. It also supports multi language mechanism for your Joomla.
12. Brute Force Stop
While the new Joomla versions have built-in two-factor authorization mechanism, you can always strengthen the security of your website by protecting against brute force attacks. This plugin will record unsuccessful login attempts and block IPs addresses which seem to infiltrating your Joomla admin panel.
13. JCH Optimizer
Do you know separate CSS and JS files can bog down your website? This is why it is recommended to keep them in a single file; however, to do this, you might need a help of a developer. Well, worry not as you can get the same functionality by using JCH Optimizer. By doing this, you will also improve your SEO rankings.
14. DJ-ImageSlider
I have yet to find a person who does not like the idea of an image slider. By adding a good looking image slideshow, you can increase the engagement rate of your website. This extension displays an image slider with a title and short description. You can create any menu item, article, or URL.
15. FlexiContact
A good website is one which has a contact form. If you want a simple contact form, FlexiContact extension is the best. This extension creates a responsive CSS-based contact form which can be customized to the need of the website owner. It comes with optional protective measures.
Conclusion
Joomla! without a doubt one of the leading CMS on the market. With more than 7900 extensions, components, modules and plugins to choose from within the Joomla!
In this post, I have elaborated about 15 best extensions that you can enjoy with your Joomla website. All these extensions are absolutely free. I know there are many such extensions. Did I miss a crucial one? Feel free to post your suggestions and ideas in the comments section below.
In the end, let me introduce you to Cloudways Joomla Hosting Platform where Joomla websites run 100% faster than ones on other hosting mediums.
Salman Mehdi
Salman Mehdi works as Digital Content Producer for Cloudways. In his spare time, he reads books, blog posts, or anything that catches his fancy.
