Content management systems (CMS) encompass a multitude of functions and aspects. Currently, there are so many options on the market, and the debate about which one is the best for you can get pretty heated.
Drupal vs WordPress: Which is a Better CMS?
Like this, web developers and designers have difficulty choosing between Drupal and WordPress, two of the most popular open-source content management systems. They both have advantages and disadvantages. In this article, Drupal vs WordPress, we’ll outline the main differences between the two CMS and tell you what makes each one better suited to different sites and projects.
What is Drupal?
Released in 2001, Drupal is a content management system developed by Dries Buytaert, widely known as the most suitable for moderately experienced developers. According to the market share trends for content management systems in June 2021, around 2 percent of websites use Drupal. But it is worth noting that Drupal acquires 4.6% of the CMS market share.
Drupal is well known for its advanced customization and flexibility features. Moreover, the system shows extensive support for growing businesses, especially eCommerce. It supports various eCommerce platforms like Amazon, e-Commerce Invoice, etc.
Some well-known companies and institutions using Drupal include Tesla, Nokia, Grammys, NASA, Harvard, and Oxford University. The year 2022 awaits the new version, Drupal 10, which is announced to be released by the end of 2022.
What is WordPress?
Owned by Matt Mullenweg and released in 2003, WordPress is quite a famous name. Around 42% of websites on the internet use WordPress.
This platform can be used even by non-developers, as it needs no coding or manuals to set up a website. Some famous companies and institutions that use WordPress are Walt Disney, BBC America, and Mercedes Benz.
Drupal vs WordPress: A Detailed Comparison
Here we will have a detailed comparison to find out which one is better.
1. Ease of use
Drupal: Drupal is straightforward, although it is more time-consuming than other CMS platforms. This is because your website does not support one-click installations.
PHP, HTML, and other programming languages are required to make most new changes to a website design. Even if you only want to make minor changes to your site, you’ll need to know how to alter the coding to ensure that everything is up to date. Drupal has a variety of modules, as after installing Drupal on a CMS hosting plan, you can customize it to your liking.
WordPress: WordPress’s popularity might be attributed to its ease of use. You can have WordPress up and running on your host within a few minutes. WordPress can be installed with a simple one-click operation in most hosting systems.
You’ll be met by an easy-to-use dashboard as soon as WordPress is up and running, where you can install themes and plugins, add new material, and keep your site up to date. In order to make modifications or updates to the website, you do not need any coding knowledge.
Winner:
WordPress will win this race as non-programmers can handle it
2. Security
WordPress: Websites built on WordPress and third-party plugins are popular targets of hackers. There are over 75 million WordPress sites on the internet today, so hackers can get their hands on what they want more on a WordPress website.
Even though WordPress is constantly improving the security of its core platform and distributing information on best practices to plugin and theme developers, additional security features provided by web hosting companies may be required to keep the website safe and secure.
Drupal: This is a long-standing reputation that Drupal has developed for itself as a highly secure content management system on the market. You may feel certain that Drupal’s security requirements are among the strongest in the industry because it is largely used by many major companies and institutions.
Drupal takes security very remarkably; that much is clear. Drupal’s security has been improved since there are fewer sites and fewer themes and plugins to hack.
Winner:
Drupal is generally better protected and more secure because it can handle complex security situations better, such as PCI compliance
3. Performance
Drupal
Drupal CMS uses relatively few resources and can help build highly responsive web pages. You can install addons to improve efficiency, including page caching. This improves server connectivity and response times and makes it better suited to handle thousands-of-page websites.
WordPress
WordPress sites may be noticeably slower than their counterparts due to a lack of optimization. You can build a website quickly if you know what you’re doing or follow WordPress best practices. Loading time and overall performance will be slowed if you use too many plugins, use a poorly developed theme, and don’t optimize your site. Your website will load quickly if you optimize photos, use a cache plugin, choose a good host, and get a good theme.
Winner:
WordPress will stand winner here because it delivers millisecond loading speeds.
4. SEO
Drupal
If you are not a programming person, it will be challenging to keep your Drupal up to date. You can not update it from the UI. Therefore, the task probably needs to be performed by an experienced developer.
But apart from the problematic update process, Drupal does well with SEO. The CMS was developed with SEO best practices such as integrated coaching. You can also find various extensions like Yoast SEO that can further improve your SEO.
The community after Drupal is very corroborative and valuable but much more smallish. Also, the community generally seems full of developers rather than beginners.
WordPress
It’s essential to keep every aspect of your website up to date as it helps prevent security issues. WordPress creates it easy to update every element of your website, from themes to plugins to WordPress core. These updations can be done with a few clicks from your WordPress dashboard.
WordPress has been optimized for SEO since the beginning. You can also install plugins like Yoast SEO to extend your optimization services further.
Whether you have conflicting plugins or want to add specific features to your site, you can always rely on the large WordPress community, regardless of the issues you encounter.
Winner:
WordPress will win as it an easier for non-programming persons.
5. Flexibility
Drupal: In Drupal, customization is done via extensions and modules so you can effencitley customize your Drupal site. But if you are not familiar with the coding, then customization will be a challenging task for you.
There are also modules in marketplaces where you can integrate features such as Twitter, Yoast, and Shopify into your website.
If you have weak programming skills, you must have to buy a pre-developed professional Drupal theme or need to go for any other free services.
WordPress: WordPress has a variety of plugins and themes available to serve your website. The website’s core is built on themes, adding additional features via plugins. All plugins are easy to use and do not need of programming background for using them.
In WordPress, along with powerful free plugins and theme libraries, you can also find premium themes and plugins. Premium versions tend to be of high quality, include additional feature sets, or have expert support.
Regardless of your website type, you can create it using WordPress.
Winner:
WordPress will be considered best as it has a more robust and easy-to-use plugin.
Drupal vs WordPress: Which is More Used By Industry?
Both CMS are well-known in the industry concerning different features and usages following are the name of some notable organizations that use these platforms:
Some notable famous organizations use WordPress for all:
- Mercedes Benz
- TechCrunch
- The New Yorker
- gov
- Sony Mobile
- University of Washington
Some notable websites running on Drupal are:
- The Economist
- Dallas Cowboys
- gov
- University of Colorado
- State of Colorado
Drupal vs WordPress: Who Won The Race?
Picking the suitable CMS is an essential step in the destiny of your website. Selecting the wrong CMS can be a brutal contest from the beginning.
Overall, Drupal is a trustworthy CMS. It’s out of the box and fully functional, with performance and security optimized from day one. It’s very flexible, but the learning curve is steep. If you don’t have an interest in coding and want to build your website as soon as possible, consider WordPress.
WordPress is very involuntary and is easy to CMS. You can build a very large and highly customized website, but beginners will still have access. Finding the right combination of plugins, choosing a solid theme, and selecting a high-quality host will prepare you for success. In addition, WordPress is so popular that you can find a wealth of tutorials and support information to help you solve any problems you may encounter.
In the end, WordPress won the comparison between WordPress and Drupal.
FAQs
Is Drupal more expensive than WordPress?
You can build cheap WordPress and Drupal sites, but on average, Drupal projects are more expensive and customized than WordPress projects.
Why is WordPress more popular than Drupal?
WordPress’s massive global community makes it popular as it is easy to find support for any issues you run. It is an affordable, flexible, and cost-effective tool, making it popular among the community.
Wrapping up
A vital step in creating a victorious website is deciding on CMS. If you pick the wrong CMS, you’ll be fighting a losing battle right from the start of the project.
In general, Drupal is a sound content management system for your website. It has several pre-installed features and is designed for performance and security right out of the box.
WordPress is an extremely user-friendly CMS. Large and highly customized websites can be created. Consider using WordPress if you don’t want to spend time learning how to program and instead want to build up your site quickly.
You should concentrate on finding a content management system (CMS) that is compatible with the requirements of your specific project, taking into account your circumstances and the budget that has been allotted.
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