3 Minutes
Both WordPress and Drupal are popular CMS platforms and have their own set of pros and cons. Are you trying to decide the right choice between WordPress and Drupal? Of course, there is not a single answer to the question of which CMS platform is best for you. Both Drupal and WordPress have developed a lot since their launch in the 2000s.
Let's See Some Stats First?
As per a report generated in Feb 2020, there were an estimated 1.3 billion websites on the Internet, and Drupal accounted for around 2 percent of total websites.
Drupal is even the third most used CMS platform by market share. As per another report generated in February 2020, WordPress accounted for more than 35 percent of around 1.3 billion websites on the Internet.
WordPress is the most extensive content management system. However, stats are stats, and we can't rely on stats or a platform's popularity to decide its usefulness for us. Let us dig deep and find out which platform wins the battle in this Drupal Vs. WordPress blog. We will discuss several benefits and help you decide the right one for your web development.
Both CMS platforms are popular and used throughout the web development world. If you have an issue or new to both the platforms, users will have access to a large community of developers and users who can help you address your problems. Both the CMS have some similarities as well.
For Example, application update is accessible in both Drupal and WordPress.
Ready to get a CMS for your business? Ask yourself some of these critical questions:
- You want to build a website or a web application?
- What kind of information are we trying to display and share?
- Do you want to integrate or sync third-party tools?
- In which way you want visitors to interact and engage with the website?
- What is the size of the website you want to build (small, medium, enterprise)?
- Where do you see your site/application growing in the next few years?
Now that you have answers to all these questions, let us understand both the CMS in detail.
What is WordPress?
WordPress is an open-source website creation platform written in PHP. It is easy to use and has thousands of third-party plugins to help you build an entire website. It is a very flexible CMS, and you don't need to have any coding or developing knowledge to create your website.
Some of the significant entities using WordPress to build some or all of their web presence are:
- Sony Mobile
- University of Washington
- Mercedes Benz
- TechCrunch
- Whitehouse.gov
What is Drupal?
Drupal is primarily used to create sites for businesses, public entities, and enterprises. It helps you engage with users on websites and beyond and deliver a customized experience to the right users at the right time.
Drupal offers a fantastic collection of modules to help users develop every type of website: whether you are looking to create blogs, an e-commerce company site, or a full-blown social community, Drupal can be the best bet.
Some of the notable brands running their websites running on Drupal are:
- The Economist
- Dallas Cowboys
- University of Colorado
- State of Colorado
- Nasa.gov
Also Read: Web Development Strategy You Must Follow for a Successful Drupal 9 Upgrade
Drupal Vs. WordPress
Pros of Choosing WordPress Over Drupal For Website Development:
Ease Of Use – WordPress is a free and open-source CMS in which anyone can change and redistribute its source code. WordPress even offers mobile apps that make content editing, site administration easy on any device.
SEO-Friendly – Sites built using WordPress are SEO-friendly as there are several SEO plugins (such as Yoast SEO) inbuilt to help optimize content, meta tags, keywords, etc.
Responsive – You can use thousands of WordPress themes to make your site responsive and mobile-friendly. Using this market-leading CMS keeps you ready for the emergent responsive web technology.
Cost-Effective – WordPress is free, and even its paid features are less expensive than Drupal. The development, maintenance, and hosting cost of WordPress is lower than Drupal.
E-Commerce – WordPress provides plugins like WooCommerce to help you run your e-commerce site efficiently. Also, it has the features to help you handle the growing demand for your products and services.
Cons of Choosing WordPress Over Drupal For Website Development:
Frequent Updates – WordPress releases regular updates, and if you fail to keep up with these updates, it can bring your site to a screeching halt.
Customization Sophistication – You need to know PHP, CSS, and HTML to write complicated code if you want to add any enhanced feature to your site and
Pros of Choosing Drupal Over WordPress For Website Development:
Rapid Development – Drupal is agile and rapid, which helps developers create and deploy a website's core features and functionality. You can use the modules to cut down development times from weeks to days.
Extensive API Support – Drupal offers a range of API support, including Google Analytics, Facebook, Twitter, Google Apps, YouTube, that help developers create custom modules effortlessly.
Security – Unlike WordPress, themes, and modules are covered by an internal security program in Drupal. Therefore, it is not vulnerable when third-party plugins are uploaded as it is challenging to smuggle malicious content in Drupal.
Cross-Browser Usability and Support – Drupal is easy and suitable to use with almost all major browsers. The website's functionality and design translate as per the browsers.
Access Controls / User Permissions - Drupal has a built-in access control system using which you can easily create new roles with individual permissions in no time.
Cons Of Choosing Drupal Over WordPress For Website Development:
Installation and Modification – Drupal does not offer ease of use as WordPress because of its script, which is not user-friendly and needs advanced technical knowledge to install and modify.
Compatibility – Drupal is not backward compatible; if you have extra content and programs in place that you are customary to, Drupal might not be the right CMS platform for you.
We hope you have sound learning of both, WordPress and Drupal CMS platform’s pros and cons now. Again the choice of the right CMS platform for your business boils down to the question; what is your business requirement?
When Does Drupal Make Sense?
1. If you want a Robust and Complex Website, go for Drupal.
If you need a complex website and robust functionality, choose Drupal over WordPress from the start. It may take longer to learn Drupal's taxonomies and core structure, but it will be worth your time and money.
2. If you have complex integration requirements, go for Drupal.
If you need to do complex integration like web services, microservices, an iPhone app, Drupal would be easier and best-suited.
Also Read: Top 5 Reasons to Choose Drupal for Building a Large Business Website
When Does WordPress Make Sense?
1. If you want value usability over custom functionality; go for WordPress
If you want an easy-to-use site that does not need technical expertise and offers out-of-the-box functionality, then go for WordPress.
2. If you want a low-cost investment, then choose WordPress.
WordPress may be the right platform for your website development if you are a small business owner with a tight budget and looking for an affordable solution.
Conclusion
Drupal is suitable for complex projects, whereas WordPress offers ease of use. We hope this Drupal Vs. WordPress blog help you decide the right CMS platform for your business? If you search in the market for WordPress or Drupal developers, most developers or companies will recommend the CMS, which is easy for them to build; without considering your website's need and goals.
Let's Talks Solution
At AddWeb Solution, we have dedicated a team for developing customized websites and applications using WordPress, Drupal, and other popular CMS platforms. You can connect with us, to discuss your business requirements, goals, and the purpose of building CMS. We can then help you decide which CMS platform is best suited for your business.
Frequently Asked Questions
I'm not a tech expert. Which one is easier for beginners?
If you're new to website building, WordPress is your friend. It's super easy to use, with a friendly interface. Drupal is more developer-oriented, so it might feel a bit complex if you're starting..
I'm thinking long-term. Which one scales better as my website grows?
Drupal is fantastic for big dreams and future expansion. It's like having a superpower for scalability. WordPress is no slouch, but Drupal is like having a superhero cape for handling huge websites.
Do I have to pay for using Drupal or WordPress?
Nope, both are free and open-source. However, you might incur costs for themes, plugins, or hiring developers for advanced features. So, it's more about how you want to customize your site.
Can I switch my website from one to the other later on?
It's doable but tricky. Moving from Drupal to WordPress or vice versa requires technical know-how. So, choosing from the start is better based on your needs.
Which one has more cool stuff, like themes and features?
WordPress has a massive collection of themes and plugins. It's like a treasure trove of cool features. Drupal has a strong community, too, but if you want many options, WordPress is like a theme park for your website.
How often do they get updates?
Both get regular updates to stay secure and fresh. They're like your smartphones - regular updates keep things running smoothly. So, you're in good hands with either.
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