Drupal vs WordPress: which CMS to choose in 2024?

Is Drupal similar to WordPress?

Before we dig into the technical details and functional comparison, let’s get acquainted with these two players.

Drupal was launched in 2000 and powers 1 in 30 websites in the world, including sites from NASA, Tesla, The Emmy Awards, and more.

WordPress remains the most popular CMS and powers more than 43% of the web. It was created in 2003 as a blogging platform. WP is used by Mercedes Benz, The New Yorker, BBC America, and others.

Both content management systems have a few things in common. First and foremost, they are built on PHP + MySQL, which means that the web development process is similar. Besides, WordPress and Drupal are free: you only pay for additional modules, patches, or plugins that add more complex functionality. Last but not least, both platforms have a strong community of developers who are working hard to improve CMSs functionality and help users to find the best solution for free

Difference between Drupal and WordPress

So, what is the main difference between Drupal and WordPress? Here Drupfan compares their main features. Let’s see which CMS wins.

WordPress and Drupal development: level of expertise needed

WordPress is famous for its ‘five-minute install’ in one click. For a non-tech website owner, WP is much easier to start and update due to its user-friendly interface. Note, that such simplicity means a lack of functionality and an inability to create certain content-type relationships.

Drupal is a developer-centered CMS and requires the knowledge of PHP. However, it allows you to create more complex and custom data relationships between different types of content, as well as to customize the website look

Are Drupal and WordPress equally secure?

Is Drupal more secure than WordPress? When talking about Drupal vs WordPress 2024 security, Drupal certainly wins the battle. Although both cores are secure, the issue for WP begins with the updates and third-party integrations. By targeting vulnerabilities inside plugins, hackers can even break down the whole website. According to numerous research, WordPress turns out to be the most affected CMS (more than 74% of hacked websites are using WP).

When talking about Drupal, security is its key selling point. This CMS is the choice of government institutions, enterprises, and security-conscious website owners. Only 2% of Drupal-built websites were hacked. What’s more, the Drupal community publishes detailed security reports and advisories.

Drupal vs WordPress SEO

Both CMS are SEO-friendly out-of-the-box. This means that Google doesn’t make any difference between WordPress or Drupal in search results. However, Google evaluates content quality. Drupal can better handle hundreds of content pages and relationships between them, as it possesses many modules that simplify search engine optimization tasks.

Comparing Drupal vs WordPress performance

Performance is the second important point after website security. User experience and satisfaction directly depend on page loading speed. You might be wondering which CMS performs better: Drupal or WordPress?

Drupal can handle numerous queries on large-scale websites without any influence on its performance and page loading speed. This CMS is robust out-of-the-box. In the meanwhile, WP performance can only be enhanced with the help of additional plugins

Drupal vs Wordpress design in 2024

Custom web design might be one more argument for why use Drupal instead of WordPress. 

WP currently offers over 8,5 thousand free and commercial themes on its official website. Those themes are easy to install. However, adding custom features to the premade theme is usually impossible. You can only slightly change a WordPress theme. If you are okay with a premade theme, WP is a good solution. But note that this design can be used by numerous sites.

Meanwhile, Drupal offers 3,000+ default themes that are rarely used. This happens because this CMS has unlimited potential for custom website design. Business owners want their platforms to represent a unique vision and experience. That’s why custom design is always preferred. Contact Drupfan for custom Drupal design services

Ease of use: CMS WordPress vs Drupal

Content management and customization options should be easy to use and intuitive to make the process of content creation painless. What’s the difference between content editing in Drupal and WordPress?

When talking about usability, WordPress offers easy and clear menus & navigation structures. This way, creating new web pages requires no coding knowledge. Organizing content on a WP website saves time and money. 

On the other hand, Drupal requires more time to create new pages and set up navigation. This happens because custom code is written. However, this option is a must when you need to build difficult structures and content relationships. Running Drupal vs WordPress CMS might be challenging but you’ll enjoy its advantages

Choosing between WooCommerce and Drupal commerce?

As content management systems, WordPress and Drupal are similar in installation. However, their eCommerce extensions are completely different. 

Drupal commerce is an open source flexible eCommerce solution for your business. It is a module that requires Drupal CMS installation first. WooCommerce is a free and simple plugin that immediately provides all necessary functionality. Let’s check their differences, pros, and cons in more detail.

Drupal Commerce Pros

• Fast and responsive even for large-scale projects.
• Multi-language and multiple currencies support.
• Intuitive content management.
• Third-party payment integrations: PayPal, Braintree, PayU, etc.

Drupal Commerce Cons

• Requires constant CMS updates.
• Demands technical knowledge.
• Limited documentation.

WooCommerce Pros

• Offers free and commercial themes and extensions.
• Pre-installed payment gateways.
• Advanced tax settings.
• No technical skills are required.

WooCommerce Cons 

• Low security.
• Limited support for languages and currencies.
• Limited eCommerce capabilities.
• Lack of variety of shipping methods.

We hope that this comparison will help you to choose between eCommerce WordPress vs Drupal solutions. Remember to carefully consider your needs and expectations first. To sum up, WooCommerce fits small-size online stores, while Drupal commerce is a better choice for medium and large-scale projects.

You can always hire Drupfan web development team for eCommerce development services.

Should I use Drupal or WordPress for highly scalable projects?

Summarizing all mentioned above, the answer to the question of when to use Drupal or WordPress is clear. WP is perfect for simple and small projects, ideally one-page websites. Drupal is an agile platform for large businesses and multi-sites.

Drupal versus WordPress database

Now you know that Drupal is a perfect solution for complex websites. But why is Drupal better for large systems than WordPress?

Website complexity depends on the power of the database system. In general, a database is an organized collection of data that makes up your site: content, categories, settings, user data, and more.

Both WP and Drupal are using a database management system called MySQL. However, Drupal can use some other databases. Its functionality is more powerful than WordPress. As a result, it can store and process larger amounts of information in a short time

Should I make my website on Drupal or WordPress?

Is Drupal better than WordPress? Why choose Drupal over WP? You came here for these questions. However, it’s impossible to say which CMS is ‘better’. A more felicitous question is ‘Which content management system is better for my specific online business requirements?’ 

WP is a perfect solution for simple and small sites, such as personal blogs, portfolios, online art exhibitions, events pages, and beauty & fashion services.

You might ask now when and why Drupal is better than WordPress? Drupal is a better fit for large-scale and complex projects: eCommerce; governmental, educational, and financial institutions; online media platforms; healthcare and medicine platforms; travel sites, and more. It can be beneficial when content is published by many people with different access rights.

That’s it: always choose the right tool for your specific project. There never can be one thing 100% better than the other

Migrating WordPress to Drupal

If your website is built on WordPress but you have changed your mind and now want to use Drupal instead: no worries! You don’t need to create everything from scratch. Hire our web development team for Drupal to WordPress migration service.

WordPress to Drupal 9 migration

Drupal 9 has several advantages over WP:

• Better user roles and permission controls
• More flexible content types & content views
• More powerful database

If Drupal 9 is what fits your requirements better, it is time to boost your business and migrate your existing website to Drupal

The cost of going from WordPress to Drupal

The price of WP to Drupal migration depends on the project size and complexity. Contact us today to discover the specific requirements of your project and agree on pricing.

Drupal vs Squarespace vs WordPress

Squarespace is another powerful CMS. Contrary to WP and Drupal, it’s not free: it will cost you $12-$46 / month for hosting and the entire structure. It has more limited development and design capabilities. However, if ease of setup and maintenance is a priority for you, Squarespace is a good option.

Difference between WordPress vs Joomla vs Drupal vs Magento

Now you know when it is better to use WordPress, Joomla, or Drupal. But what about Magento?

Magento is an open-source platform that can only be used for eCommerce: from local stores to international chains. Its main advantage is easy integration with third-party sites and shipping services. Unlike Drupal, WP and Joomla, the Magento platform was specifically built for eCommerce purposes

WordPress, Drupal, and Laravel

Laravel is mostly used for web application development. It can be used to build a simple website, but WordPress and Drupal are better options for this task.

Drupal vs WordPress: time to choose

WordPress and Drupal are always mentioned together because they have a lot in common. Both are great tools for website development. Drupal or WordPress might be a difficult choice to make. Each website requires a specific approach. Overall, Drupal is a more powerful and flexible solution for large-scale projects. Save time and boost your website performance with Drupal development and 24/7 Drupal support services.

Whether you need assistance in choosing CMS or have already decided to build your digital presence, contact Drupfan web development company today.