Drupal vs WordPress
Which CMS is right for you? Honest comparison between Drupal and WordPress on scalability, security, flexibility, and costs.
Drupal
Best for: Enterprise, government, complex apps, multilingual sites, high-traffic platforms
- Extremely scalable
- Enterprise security
- Unlimited flexibility
- Steep learning curve
WordPress
Best for: Blogs, small business, portfolios, simple e-commerce, quick launches
- Easy to learn
- Huge plugin library
- Affordable developers
- Less scalable
TL;DR: WordPress is perfect for blogs and small sites. Drupal is built for complex enterprise applications. Choose WordPress if you want to start quickly. Choose Drupal if you want scalability and flexibility in the long term.
Detailed comparison
Drupal vs WordPress on all important criteria
1. Scalability and performance
Drupal
Drupal is built for scale. Sites with millions of pages and hundreds of thousands of visitors per day are normal.
- Built-in advanced caching (BigPipe, Dynamic Page Cache)
- Native Redis/Memcache support
- Used by large organizations (Tesla, NASA, Pfizer)
- Database optimization and query caching
WordPress
WordPress can scale with the right setup, but requires more work and external plugins for high-traffic sites.
- Basic caching plugins needed (WP Rocket, W3 Total Cache)
- CDN almost mandatory for large sites
- Database optimization requires extra plugins
- Can become slow with 1000+ posts without optimization
2. Security
Drupal
Drupal has a dedicated security team and is known for its strong security. Used by governments worldwide.
- Dedicated Drupal Security Team
- Security advisories with detailed patches
- Built-in protection against SQL injection, XSS, CSRF
- Strict code review for contributed modules
WordPress
WordPress core is reasonably secure, but the huge plugin ecosystem creates security risks.
- WordPress core receives regular updates
- Plugins are often the weak link
- Popular target for hackers (due to popularity)
- Security plugins available (Wordfence, Sucuri)
3. Flexibility and customization
Drupal
Drupal is extremely flexible. You can literally build anything without modifying the core. Content types, Views, and custom modules make everything possible.
- Custom content types with unlimited fields
- Views: create any list/overview without code
- Taxonomy system for complex categorization
- Multilingual core functionality (not via plugin)
WordPress
WordPress is primarily a blogging platform. Custom post types and plugins make more possible, but you hit limitations sooner.
- Custom post types possible (with Advanced Custom Fields)
- Plugins for almost everything, but quality varies
- Multilingual via plugins (WPML, Polylang) - not native
- Complex data models are difficult without custom development
4. Usability and learning curve
Drupal
Drupal has a steep learning curve. It's powerful, but you need to invest time in learning concepts like Views, content types, and theming.
- Steep learning curve for beginners
- Admin interface is clear but complex
- Requires technical knowledge or developer
- Once mastered, very powerful
WordPress
WordPress is famous for its user-friendliness. The "famous 5-minute install" and intuitive admin interface make it accessible to everyone.
- Very low learning curve, easy to start
- Intuitive admin interface and post editor
- Gutenberg block editor (WYSIWYG)
- Huge community and tutorials
5. Costs and TCO (Total Cost of Ownership)
Drupal
Drupal itself is free, but development and maintenance cost more due to higher developer specialization.
- Core and modules free (open source)
- Developer rates: €60-100+/hour
- Hosting: €10-50/month (dedicated server more expensive)
- Lower costs in the long term (fewer refactors)
WordPress
WordPress is cheaper to start with. Developers are everywhere and many plugins are affordable.
- Core free, many free plugins and themes
- Developer rates: €30-60/hour
- Hosting: €3-20/month for standard sites
- Premium plugins: €20-200/year per plugin
Drupal vs WordPress overview table
| Criterion | Drupal | WordPress |
|---|---|---|
| Scalability | Excellent - scale to millions of pages | Good - requires optimization at scale |
| Security | Enterprise-level, dedicated security team | Basic good, plugins are often weak spot |
| Flexibility | Extremely flexible - build anything | Flexible with plugins, limits at complexity |
| Learning curve | Steep - requires technical knowledge | Low - beginner-friendly |
| Developer costs | €60-100+/hour | €30-60/hour |
| Hosting costs | €10-50+/month | €3-20/month |
| Multilingual | Native core functionality | Via plugins (WPML, Polylang) |
| Content structure | Custom content types, unlimited fields, Views | Posts/pages, custom post types with plugins |
| Performance | Excellent caching, fastest for large sites | Good with caching plugins |
| Market share | ~2% of all websites | ~43% of all websites |
| Community | Smaller but technically strong community | Huge community, many tutorials |
When do you choose which?
Help making the right choice
Choose Drupal if you:
- Build an enterprise website or complex platform
- Need a multilingual site with complex content structures
- Expect scalability to millions of pageviews
- Require enterprise-level security (government, finance)
- Need custom data models and workflows
- Have a technical team or developer available
- Want to invest in a future-proof platform
Choose WordPress if you:
- Create a blog, portfolio, or small business site
- Want to start quickly without technical knowledge
- Have a limited budget
- Want simple e-commerce (WooCommerce)
- Want to manage the site yourself without a developer
- Want access to thousands of plugins and themes
- A standard content structure is sufficient
Frequently asked questions
Can I migrate from WordPress to Drupal?
Yes, you can! There are Drupal modules like "WordPress Migrate" that can automatically import content. Posts become nodes, categories become taxonomy terms. It does require technical knowledge and the structure often needs to be adjusted. Count on 20-40 hours of work for an average site.
Is Drupal harder than WordPress?
Yes, Drupal has a steep learning curve. Concepts like Views, content types, and theming take time to learn. WordPress is much more intuitive for beginners. But the investment in Drupal pays off for complex projects - you get more flexibility and scalability.
Which CMS is better for SEO?
Both are good for SEO with the right setup. Drupal has technically cleaner code and better out-of-the-box performance. WordPress requires SEO plugins (Yoast, Rank Math) but works fine too. For enterprise SEO with complex structures, Drupal is preferred. For blogs, WordPress is more than sufficient.
What does a Drupal site cost compared to WordPress?
Drupal development costs 2-3x more than WordPress due to higher developer rates. A basic WordPress site: €1,000-3,000. A basic Drupal site: €3,000-10,000. But for enterprise projects, Drupal is often cheaper in the long run due to better scalability and fewer refactors.
Which large sites use Drupal?
Tesla, NASA, Pfizer, Australian Government, Harvard University, The Economist, and many other Fortune 500 companies and governments use Drupal. WordPress is used by The White House blog, TechCrunch, and many media/blog sites. Both platforms are used by large organizations.
Can I create a webshop with Drupal?
Yes, with Drupal Commerce. It's extremely flexible and powerful for complex e-commerce (B2B, marketplaces, configurable products). For simple webshops, WooCommerce (WordPress) is easier and cheaper. For enterprise e-commerce with custom flows, Drupal Commerce is superior.
What hosting do I need for Drupal vs WordPress?
Drupal requires more resources: minimum 1GB RAM, PHP 8.1+, Composer support. WordPress runs on almost any shared hosting. For Drupal, choose VPS or managed Drupal hosting. Compare Drupal hosting providers.
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