Drupal Vs. WordPress (2023 Comparison) – Forbes Advisor INDIA

Drupal and WordPress are two popular website-building platforms. Both solutions let users quickly set up a website and publish their own content. Though both platforms also have all the essential features for businesses, one may be ideal for you depending on your goals and objectives. Read our comprehensive Drupal vs WordPress comparison to learn how these popular website builders measure up in terms of features, cost, design and more.

• WordPress: Best for small businesses on a budget looking to set up a simple website.
• Drupal: Best for businesses looking to build a site with more complex capabilities.

WordPress vs. Drupal: At a Glance

Drupal and WordPress are both open-source and free platforms with reliable content management features. They are packed with tools for multichannel publishing, digital asset management and SEO.

WordPress is best for bloggers looking to set up a website fast with little to no experience because it has professionally designed themes and easy-to-use block editors. Meanwhile, Drupal is a more flexible solution but it has a higher learning curve. It’s ideal for bloggers with technical skills or access to a developer who can build their site.

FEATURED PARTNER OFFER

Drupal

Hosting

Requires third-party hosting provider

Best for

Users looking for an open-source solution to build complex sites

Hosting

Requires third-party hosting provider

Best for

Users looking for an open-source solution to build complex sites

Why We Picked It

Drupal is an open-source CMS used by at least 14% of the top 10,000 websites across the globe. It comes with features including content management tools, multimedia support and e-commerce functionality, which make it a top choice for media and publishing.

Pros & Cons

• Flexible framework
• Custom content types and views
• Top-notch security

• Requires higher learning curve
• More expensive and time-consuming to build a site
• Lacks beginner-friendly interface

FEATURED PARTNER OFFER

WordPress

Hosting

Premium hosting and security included on paid and free plans

Best for

Users looking to build all types of websites without much technical expertise

Hosting

Premium hosting and security included on paid and free plans

Best for

Users looking to build all types of websites without much technical expertise

Why We Picked It

WordPress is a leading content management system used by more than 455 million websites across the globe. The platform has hundreds of mobile-ready designs and themes, easy-to-install add-ons, built-in SEO tools and e-commerce capabilities. Users can level up their website’s capabilities through its WordPress Plugin Directory, which boasts more than 59,000 free plugins, as well as 9,000 free themes.

Pros & Cons

• Thousands of themes and plugins to choose from
• More user-friendly than Drupal
• Feature-rich blogging platform

• More vulnerable to hacking
• Not suitable for sites with complex customization requirements compared to Drupal

How Drupal vs. WordPress Stack Up

Building a basic website is free on WordPress. Even so, we recommend exploring its paid plans to enjoy more functionalities.

From INR 415.72 ($5) per month, WordPress Starter offers a free custom domain for a year, the ability to collect payments, 6 GB of storage and Google Analytics integration. Meanwhile, WordPress Pro is packed with all the features of WordPress starter plus 50 GB of storage, unlimited plugins, premium support and WooCommerce integration among others.

Drupal is a free content management system with no licensing fees. However, building a website requires a higher learning curve, so it is better suited for website owners with technical knowledge or access to professional developers. According to users, a Drupal project with minimal custom development may take around six to eight weeks of work and cost INR 2,494,326.00 to INR 3,325,768.00 $30,000 to $40,000.

Themes and Templates

Although there are some stark differences in the web design process, users can build professional-looking websites on both platforms.

WordPress has a large variety of free or paid customizable themes and templates. Its interface is not widely regarded as user-friendly. However, it is possible to use an array of page builder plugins that transform its standard editor into a drag-and-drop editor. Some popular options include Beaver Builder, Elementor, and Divi.

Drupal doesn’t have a large variety of ready-made themes or third-party page builders, compared to WordPress. However, you’ll likely need a developer to guide you in the process of designing your website.

SEO Tools

SEO is crucial to get on the top of search engine rankings and attract more traffic to your website. Thankfully, most blogging platforms have built-in SEO features.

WordPress has auto-generated XML sitemaps that improve your site’s visibility on search engines. However, only users on Business tiers can access its advanced SEO tools, leverage Google Analytics or install third-party plugins.

Drupal has modules or codes—consisting of PHP or JavaScript files—that add new features or alter existing functionalities on a website. It’s easy to add SEO modules to your website for meta tags, site verification, XML sitemaps, page titles and Google Analytics.

E-Commerce Options

WordPress has a full range of e-commerce features for all types of businesses. It’s easy to build an online store, add products and install e-commerce plugins to boost your site’s capabilities. Collecting payments is also a breeze because you can set up subscriptions with automated payments, one-click payments and credit or debit card payments with no hassle.

Drupal Commerce lets users develop e-commerce sites that suit their needs. Core features include dynamic product ranges, multiple order types, promotions with multiple offer types, robust payment API and order management.

Bottom Line

WordPress may be the better option for small businesses looking to set up their website quickly with minimum complications. The user-friendly platform has themes and plugins you can use to build a simple website to introduce your product or sell to customers. Drupal is the better choice, if you want a more customizable and flexible solution. With its rich theme ecosystem and modules, you can build the website of your dreams.

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