Joomla is one of the most coveted content management systems (CSM) that allows you to build fast and visually appealing websites and is used for web application development. Several features like extensibility, ease of use, and more, have made Joomla one of the most used website development software. It is an open-source solution, which can be availed and customized by anyone with ease.
Joomla developers have a large number of template frameworks to select from when building websites. So while many serious designers opt for the core platform, there are some who choose templates as they help in minimizing the effort required and building the website quickly.
What Is Joomla Template Framework?
A Joomla template framework offers a bundle of features like mega menus, dynamic module positions, template compression, optimization, responsive template frameworks, and so on. As a developer, you can select the right Joomla framework template as a solution that can adjust to your brand identity as well as enhance the user engagement ratio on your site.
A Joomla template framework is created either by customizing the base framework provided by the software or building the content upon it. Some of the deciding factor that leads the developers to select a Joomla framework template includes ease of implementation, time-saving, ease to update, contains reach features, and more. These features allow developers to create and customize unique websites.
Let’s discuss the top 7 Joomla Frameworks of 2019 that can help you design great-looking websites quickly.
1. The Sparky Joomla Template Framework
Last but not least, we would like to once again introduce the Sparky Framework developed by our team. All our Joomla templates developed by HotThemes are based on this framework. Over the years, we enjoy using this framework and building unique web experiences with ease. It's probably the only framework that will never add any constraints to your work as all other frameworks do. With this framework, you can create any website you can imagine.
This is the short list of Sparky's most important features. For more details, please visit Sparky's official web page.
- Layout builder which allows you to create a layout for your website using drag and drop technology
- Full control over your website's typography with a visual selection of 800+ Google fonts.
- Support for multiple Joomla menus with several pre-defined styles, such as the drop-down menu, off-canvas menu, mega menu, and static menu.
- Automatic generation of static CSS and JS files when you Save template settings.
- Template export feature.
- Many other cool features, like support for Google Analytics, CSS3 animations, logo uploader, scroll to top button, etc.
2. Template Toaster
It is a Joomla Template Creator software that allows you to design Joomla templates. However, it has its own Joomla template framework that offers sample templates plus the option to create customized templates. The user can avail a host of unique features in this template like editing the section header, footer, sidebars, body, menu, and more.
In the header backgrounds, the template also allows you to add videos. You can also add different module positions if you want to. Furthermore, without any coding, you can leverage all the available latest functionalities. With its easy-to-use interface, you can create unique and customized sites for corporates, businesses, or individuals. The best feature of Joomla Template Toaster is that it gets regularly updated.
Here is the list of unique features of this Joomla template framework:
- Responsive layout
- Page title option
- Bootstrap enabled
- Header option
- Header video background option
- Google fonts with an update icon
- Menu options
- Custom CSS
- Cross-browser support
- Custom module positions
- Support RTL
- Social comments
3. Joomlart T3 Framework
Joomlart is available for six years now and is one of the most sought-after Joomla template frameworks because of its reliability. All the T3-based Joomla templates are powered by the Joomlart T3 framework. Joomlart allows easy customization of themes without you having to dive into the code.
Some of the other features that Joomlart offers are:
- Integrated bootstrap
- LESS & CSS
- Megamenu, Off-canvas, and Sticky navigation
- A responsive framework
- CSS optimization
- Supports RTL at the core
- Easy to use typography
- Ajax driven
- Backend profiles management
- Layout Configuration
4. Wrap Framework
German developers – Yootheme developed the Wrap framework for Joomla. It offers over 50 plus templates to choose from, which are based on Wrap 5.5 and Wrap 6. It is easy and fast to work with since it has exceptional loading speed. Gzip compression and CSS Sprite enables the Wrap framework to have a commendable remarkable loading speed.
The template framework is also suitable for several server configurations because the compression parameter considers 4 values. All these parameters are further clustered into 3 panels:
- The General Panel: This is for the default profile, tracking code, and more.
- Profile Panel: This holds the style, layout, and content.
- Module Panel: This is primarily for the customization of the mobile layout.
Apart from these, there are several other features that Wrap Framework offers, including
- Support for WordPress
- Standalone framework
- Modular and Extensible
- Portable themes
5. Zen Grid Framework
Zen Grid Template has led to the development of the Zen Grid framework. Many developers tout it to be the best-rated Joomla template framework because of its features. It is a standalone framework and lets you manage the layout of the template and design its panels & subpanels. Zen Grid framework also allows you to practically transform all the aspects of the website like overview, appearance, and layout.
Furthermore, you can also change the style, logo, and fonts of the website with the Zen grid framework even if you do not know to code. With minimal CSS knowledge, you can also override the core CSS template right from the backend. It also has detailed documentation.
Apart from these, several other features make the Zen Grid Framework quite a favorite among many developers:
- Flexible layout
- Superior font control
- Host of modules
- Translation and localization
- Integrated Google Analytics
- Three menu system
- Tabbed modules
- IE6 PNG fix support
- CSS & JS Compression
- Remove Mootools
6. Gantry Framework
Rockettheme is a Joomla product vendor that developed the Gantry Template Framework. Both the frontend and backend, it has excellent designs that offer a flexible layout. Gantry Framework has 960 grid-system and 65 module positions. For all levels of users, whether beginner, intermediate, or expert, the documentation is very detailed and precise. The framework offers optimum performance due to the speed that it gets from RocGZipeer, which compresses the CSS and JS files.
Some of the other features that Gantry Template Framework offers:
- Powerful and efficient layout manager
- Fast and lightweight
- Visual menu editor
- Mega menu support
- Ajax admin
- Unlimited undo/redo
- Twig based templating
- SCSS/LESS support
- Theme inheritance
- Sophisticated built-in fields
- Off-Canvas panel
- YAML based configuration
7. Helix3 Framework
Helix is easy to use and requires less time for the developer to get accustomed to the framework. It offers six basic tables in the back end with the parameters. In Helix, you can easily insert Google Analytics code, logo, menu, and such features.
Also, since it offers over 40 modules, you have plenty of options for the website layout. It has separated column blocks that you can adjust to offer a clear layout. The framework is especially useful for those who require limited customization. The Helix3 framework was specifically created for corporate and business sites with its innovative features like
- Modern design and responsive layout
- Mega Menu Generator
- Off-Canvas Menu (offers a separate menu for mobile)
- Article Post Formats
- Option for the page title
- Bootstrap
- Optional fixed (sticky) header
- Logo option for desktop and mobile
- Google fonts with update button
- Improved layout manager
- Custom 404 page and offline page
- Custom CSS/JS code fields
- Social Comments
- Cross-Browser support
Conclusion: Which Joomla Template Framework You Should Use?
There are multiple frameworks available for Joomla and selecting the right one can be quite challenging. The main reason that makes choosing a Joomla template framework to be daunting for developers is that while each of them offers unique features, several of them overlap too.
Also, as a developer, you need to find the right framework and evaluate it correctly so that it can fulfill the objectives of the websites you are developing.
These are some of the best Joomla template frameworks available, and in case you are searching for an offline Joomla template-creating software, then TemplateToaster can be the preferred choice. This framework has all the required functionalities that you would need to create an offline product in very less time. Furthermore, any templates created with TempleToaster are compatible with nearly about all extensions, and plugins, and are reliable.