Both Drupal and WordPress are open-source CMSs, are free to distribute, have an active community, and an established infrastructure (plugins, templates, developer documentation, etc.). Both are among the leaders in popularity. But, as you know, there are no two identical site management systems. In this article, you will get a complete idea about Drupal vs WordPress.
Below we will take a closer look at their differences and explain which one is suitable for what.
Table of Contents
What is Drupal?
What is it then? Very simple: Drupal is a free Content Management System developed using the PHP language and, therefore, ideal – like its more famous cousins - for creating dynamic websites. Which means that it is open source and has a freely adjustable code. Furthermore, despite being more complicated than its antagonists. Drupal is experiencing a rapid expansion even among a slice of novice users.
What are the benefits of Drupal?
Now that you know precisely what Drupal is, you are surely wondering why you should prefer it to more famous CMS, such as WordPress or Joomla. The most valid reason – which also represents one of the most significant advantages of this platform – is its modular composition. This means that you will only have a basic design, which you can modify as you wish by adding any module or theme you want, without having to put your hand to the code yourself. In other words, if you’re willing to take the time to learn how Drupal works, the results are sure to reward your efforts.
Technical aspect: pros and cons of Drupal
Once again, we have to start with the merits: even concerning the technical aspect, the advantages of Drupal are considerable. Provided you find a hosting service that can handle it. And here the problems begin: there are not many hosts able to provide servers capable of managing the SQL commands sent by Drupal. Furthermore, installation may also be complicated for novice users, and the very use of this CMS assumes patience that not all users may have.
How WordPress is made
Our beloved CMS is written in PHP and uses the MySQL database with a modular system to introduce new implementations. The WordPress core has been deliberately kept simple and with few features and then customized by installing various plugins, which add new features to the site. This is undoubtedly an advantage, but it can also be a disadvantage to installing many plugins within your platform. In addition to plugins, you can choose from a myriad of graphic themes, which allow you to customize your site, obtaining a friendly and modern graphical interface.
WordPress pros and cons: speed.
A well-optimized site can have loading times below one second. But why is it important? Suppose your site takes more than 4 or 5 seconds to load: some studies point out that 1 in 4 users will leave your website if it takes more than 4 seconds to load. What’s up? The user will abandon your site and then never return. But it does not end here. In fact, in the last period, the speed also affects the Seo. That is, the slowness of your site will negatively affect the organic positioning of the site. Adding a plugin means inserting Javascript and CSS files to the pages of the site, and this leads to poor optimization and slow loading. Moreover, each plugin also affects the response time of the server.
WordPress pros and cons: security.
The code used to create the WordPress platform is of a high level and is already entirely secure. I was, in most cases, open-source. The code used to build the plugins is available to all users of the web, so it can be analyzed by other programmers who have no good intentions—studying it for the sole purpose of finding flaws and exploiting them badly. Way.
In WordPress, the pros and cons of security issues are varied. All the experts recommend always to keep the plugins and themes updated in order to avoid security flaws.Even if you keep all your plugins updated regularly, you will always remain at risk.
Unfortunately, it is not possible to sleep peacefully when using code written by third parties …
Drupal vs WordPress: the primary purpose of services
If WordPress positions itself as a universal platform for launching fast and simple sites (informational, commercial, with some effort – even corporate). Then Drupal claims to develop corporate fintech solutions rapidly. What does it mean?
For example, you have an idea to develop a narrow-profile website that will work with banking infrastructure (requires interaction with corporate software, banking system, notification services, etc.). What does Drupal offer? He offers to launch such large and complex projects much faster. Since the development team does not have to write their own framework (a set of essential functions), they can use the ready-made Drupal base. And if something is missing, you can use additional modules/plugins.
That is, WordPress and Drupal are universal CMS, but each has a different understanding of “universality.” In one case, these are newbies, bloggers, and individual developers. And in another case – experienced, even “seasoned” developers who do not want to write their own “bike.”
The target audience of WordPress is a mass user who needs to make a website quickly and easily. And Drupal has a corporate sector that wants to accelerate the development of complex projects. Drupal may also appeal to small development teams that take orders for the creation of various sites (this engine will allow “unify” development).
This is why Drupal calls itself “an open-source enterprise content management system.” In fact, it is an advanced platform for developing websites and web services.
Difference Between Drupal and WordPress: Comparing functionality
Both WordPress and Drupal can be installed on shared hosting that supports the almost standard PHP + MySQL bundle (web programming language and the most popular database server). But in the case of Drupal, the choice of configurations will be much more excellent. Out of the box, there is support for less popular, but more narrow-profile database servers: PostgreSQL and SQLite. The minimum PHP version is 7.3. WordPress will do fine on outdated releases (5.4 and up).
Whereas in the case of WordPress, you get a predictable “standard” sorting of categories, materials, and static pages that allow you to start working with content quickly. Then in the case of Drupal, things are much more complicated. You will have to create principles for constructing taxonomies independently. This approach allows a more flexible approach to the construction of various selections for particular pages. But it significantly increases the complexity of customization. There is a user right management system and logging out of the box.
Drupal can be downloaded in a ready-made assembly that will be configured for a specific range of tasks. For example, creating an online store, etc. True, there may be problems with versioning and support – some of these projects stop actively developing (errors in the code remain unresolved.
Drupal vs WordPress: Installing plugins and templates
In WordPress, you can select and install add-ons and themes in one click – right from the admin panel. If necessary, you can use alternative sources (unique sites or the code of individual developers).
In Drupal, you must first find the necessary modules, for example, on the official website of the project or on alternative sites. If the HTTPS protocol is not available, the download functionality will be absent). And only after that the module can be activated and configured in the admin panel.
Drupal vs WordPress: Publication of new materials
In WordPress, all the necessary functions for publishing a material are placed on one page without any tabs. So, in the process, you can even create a new category without leaving the publication page or set the desired meta tags (if the corresponding plugin is installed and active).
In Drupal, you first need to set up a taxonomy: content elements and content types. Each type of material can have its own set of fields and principles of communication with other aspects of the taxonomy. It is difficult for beginners to understand. But after fine-tuning, you can quickly create different types of content and edit content blocks right on the page (as is the case with visual editors in online builders).
Other nuances
Safety. WordPress regularly closes security holes, but it is still a real anti-leader as it accounts for the most hacked sites. This is partly due to its prevalence, partly due to problems in architecture.
Drupal doesn’t have such problems – it is an enterprise-grade solution with adequate built-in security. But this does not mean that it cannot be hacked.
Server load. The basic Drupal assembly can run on shared hosting, but the engine will be “cramped” there. He has a need for specific modules and settings.
And the architecture of WordPress is its Achilles’ heel. If you do not use third-party caching plugins and do not connect CDN services when under heavy load, the engine will require a lot of resources. Continuity. Many plugins and templates are easily portable from one WordPress version to another.
In the case of Drupal, the major versions of the engine can be radically different. Therefore, before the upgrade, you need to create a test environment and a detailed analysis of the consequences of the upgrade. Some plugins may remain without support for a new kernel version for a long time, and this is normal.
Drupal vs WordPress: Compare tariff plans
Despite the fact that both CMS is distributed free of charge. If, according to the minimum hosting requirements, both CMS are relatively compatible (for example, they can work on virtual/shared hosting). Then the prices for templates and plugins/modules will differ.
Drupal vs WordPress: Cost of templates
WordPress is famous for its abundance of free and paid themes. Premium options run around $ 20-60 (even on third-party sites like TemplateMonster ).
Drupal themes will cost approximately the same amount, but on specialized resources, they are presented much less in quantitative ratio. Plus, this also includes compatibility problems due to different versions of the engine. Many templates were created for Drupal 7, and currently, the current version is 9. For example, in the official CMS catalog, only a few dozen templates out of 2,500 are compatible with the latest version. Ordering a turnkey template development for Drupal will be significantly more expensive than for WordPress due to the high complexity of the work.
Extension / plugin cost
Having paid add-ons for WordPress is the norm. The average prices are $ 20- $ 90. Individual developers even use a subscription model (with write-offs on a regular basis). But that doesn’t mean you can’t get your site up and running without the cost of purchasing add-ons. On the contrary, you can always find a free replacement for paid solutions.
The Drupal directory contains a huge number of add-ons, and they are all free. The main income is from donations and the provision of services for the completion/maintenance of sites.
What is the best choice for a business card site?
I was considering the complexity of installing and configuring Drupal. As well as the requirements for server resources, small-page sites, including business cards, portfolios, landing pages, etc., are best created and maintained in WordPress.
It will be faster, easier, and cheaper since it will be possible to do without hired specialists.
What is the best choice for a blog?
For blogging, a special clear and simple engine was created – WordPress. It can handle multi-page news sites just fine, even with a whole publisher working on them.
Drupal has blogging capabilities. There are even special builds for news agencies. But it should be understood that such a tool will be extremely ineffective without the participation of a professional development department. This engine is difficult to administer.
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What is the best choice for an online store?
If we are talking about a small online project where several hundred product names will be presented, then the choice is obvious – WordPress.
But if you have large-scale plans, if you need an engine “to grow,” and you are ready to maintain a staff of developers. You understand the scale of individual development and implementation. So, you are ready to use the framework or CMF. Then you will definitely like Drupal. Here you can find ready-made solutions for most complex tasks. You will receive a ready-made backend and the possibility of revision at any stage of growth. Drupal scales well and is suitable even for high-load online stores.
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conclusions
In 99% of cases, your tasks will be closed by CMS WordPress. It is easy to configure and maintain. The official catalog contains a huge number of add-ons, many of them are free. On it, you can launch a website of any subject and complexity – from a landing page to an online store. It will be cheap. You can always find a developer or specialist to help you with the site.
Drupal is a special engine that cannot be compared to mainstream CMS. It is rather CMF (symbiosis of framework and content management system). This is, first of all, a tool for developers, which is suitable for launching projects with non-standard functionality. He positions himself as an affordable corporate tool. Hence, not as widespread, but very active community and global recognition.
The tool must match the tasks in front of him. Therefore, WordPress has its own audience, and Drupal has its own.
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