WordPress​ ​vs.​ ​Drupal:​ ​Which​ ​CMS​ ​Fits​ ​Your​ ​Needs?

In today’s rapidly evolving digital landscape, having a website isn’t enough. To keep your business’ site up to date and engaging, you need an effective content management system (CMS). A CMS is a tool through which you can publish, edit, organize, and remove a variety of content on your website—including copy, images, videos, and metadata.

Two of the most popular CMS options are WordPress and Drupal, each with its own set of design templates, editing tools, and advanced features. Whether you’re handling your content management in-house, or hiring an agency to maintain your website, it’s important to find a CMS that’s intuitive and highly customizable.

Ease of use

If you’re not a web developer, designer, or programmer, a user-friendly interface is key. WordPress is known for its convenient five-minute installation. Also, its simple dashboard and interface make it a dream to work with for new users.

With Drupal, you have the option of using pre-packaged bundles, which include modules and configurations for specific types of websites. For inexperienced developers, it may be difficult to modify content and design once you choose a template. Sometimes, oversimplifying startup can complicate future projects—especially with semi-annual updates, which occur seamlessly through WordPress but may require complete redesigns with Drupal.

Customization

With almost 37,000 plug-ins and a wide range of themes, WordPress lets you change nearly every aspect of your site—to fit your brand and appeal to your audience. Drupal offers less plug-ins, but its page types are naturally flexible, allowing for personalization if you have design know-how.

For business websites—and especially e-commerce sites—the possibilities are endless with WordPress.

Big-name WordPress & Drupal users

Because of its robust, enterprise-level security and in-depth reports, Drupal is often used by government websites to avoid hacking. For example, the White House and The Economist both use Drupal as their CMS.

WordPress, on the other hand, is more popular—and therefore, more prone to hacks. It does, however, offer third-party plug-ins to prevent security breaches, but you’ll need to stay on top of upgrades and updates to ensure protection. Some examples of WordPress sites include the New York Times and CNN.

Overall, WordPress and Drupal are both excellent content management systems. Drupal may have more built-in features, but the open-source plug-ins WordPress boasts may make it more customizable.

In the end, your CMS decision should depend on the size, purpose, and aesthetic of your site. If you publish heavy amounts of content, WordPress may be your better option. If you’re looking for a stable and scalable site—but not necessarily an eye-catching one—you may lean toward Drupal.

Liqui-Site develops responsive, highly customized sites using WordPress, while installing plug-ins that boost load times and SEO. To find out how we use the multitude of WordPress’ tools to your advantage, reach out today.