In terms of market share, WordPress is by far the largest with 65%. Closest is e-commerce focused Shopify with 7%, Drupal and Joomla with around 2% each. The rest is divided among a fairly large number of CMSs.
Both Drupal and WordPress are open source, meaning they are free to use and develop. Both are used to create websites with built-in content management, in an admin interface.
While many people are already familiar with WordPress and its benefits, significantly fewer are familiar with Drupal and its benefits. We have gathered some of the most important pros and cons so that you can compare WordPress vs Drupal.
WordPress – Content Management System (CMS)
The first version of WordPress was released in 2003. Since then, it has grown from a blogging tool to an advanced content management system for websites in general. There are as of January 2025, over 501.28 million worldwide.
Advantages of WordPress
Easy to Install
Setting up a simple WordPress site is very quick and does not need to be done by a developer.
User-Friendly
One of the main reasons why WordPress has become so popular is that it is easily accessible and easy to use, especially for new users. This is one of the main reasons for WordPress’ success.
Large Community
The fact that the WordPress community is large and global means that there are plenty of themes and plugins to choose from and a lot of help to get.
Customization Potential
With its huge range of plugins, the possibilities for customization and expansion are endless.
Easy to Find Developers
It is also easier to find WordPress developers and agencies that can help you. It also makes it easier to get a favorable cost picture.
Disadvantages of WordPress
Plugins
It is difficult to customize WordPress plugins if you want to, and in those cases, they stop being updated and working, you cannot make custom solutions in the same way as in Drupal.
Vulnerability
As third-party plugins are added, the risk of building vulnerabilities into the website also increases. It’s easy to make mistakes. A phenomenon that makes WordPress sites attractive targets for hackers.
Multilingual Support is Missing
If you want multilingual support, this must be solved with a third-party plugin and it is not always easy to find the right plugin in the large selection available.
Frequent Updates
WordPress plugins and themes are updated frequently and this can sometimes lead to problems. This is not unique to WordPress but becomes noticeable to a target audience that expects an easy-to-maintain website and may rely on WordPress’ automatic update feature.
Drupal – Content Management System (CMS)
Drupal comes from the Dutch word for drop. It originated in 2001 as a discussion forum and got a big boost when presidential candidate Howard Dean used it as a campaign platform during the 2003 US primaries.
Advantages of Drupal
Flexibility
For sites with more complex content that require custom content types, Drupal offers greater flexibility. Even the views in the administrative interface can be customized to make it easier for editors. And with Drupal’s taxonomies, you have a powerful tool for organizing and relating content.
Several Important Built-in features
Many features that need to be added as plugins in WordPress are already built into Drupal, as so-called Drupal Core Modules.
Advanced Management of Users and Permissions
Drupal has a built-in system for advanced management of user roles and permissions down to the individual level.
Multilingual Support
Drupal has built-in support for over 100 languages and is one of the best CMS choices when it comes to multilingual support.
Security
Drupal is considered by many to be one of the most secure CMS on the market. It is no coincidence that several government agencies in the US have chosen Drupal.
Disadvantages of Drupal
High Learning Curve
Drupal is a little different from other CMSs in how it is organized, which means that even those who are used to other CMSs may find it challenging to learn.
Advanced admin interface
Drupal is more geared towards professionals. The complex interface is experienced by many as a little less intuitive and more difficult to use.
Poorer Selection of Themes
Many people find it difficult to find free themes of better quality, which means that you have to create your design with all that that entails.
Development Cost
It is harder to find developers who know Drupal, which means that development costs tend to be higher than for WordPress. You will also likely need a developer who is well-versed in the CMS, which contributes to that cost picture.
Requires Time, Knowledge, and Care
Drupal does not come ready to fly out of the box. It will take time, knowledge, and a certain budget to set up, develop, and maintain a website built in Drupal.
