Which CMS to Use in 2016 – Drupal vs. WordPress

If you’re a casual internet user who doesn’t know much about web design then you probably didn’t hear about Drupal – a content management system used daily by developers to build fast, reliable websites. However, you probably did hear about WordPress. There is no shame in that. Wordpress has 74,652,825 sites depending on it daily. Drupal has a fraction – around 7 million to be exact.

So considering the fact that Wordpress has nearly 10 times as many users does that mean that it’s 10 better than Drupal? Not really. All it means is that it is easier to use and more widespread. Drupal has a lot of qualities of its own – otherwise, it wouldn’t be used by large sites with tons of traffic such as The Economist, The White House, League of Legends, Twitter, or Pinterest. It’s also more difficult to use.

Finding a WordPress CMS web development company is easy. Unfortunately, finding a Drupal CMS web development company is going to be a lot harder, especially if you need the job done professionally and to a certain standard.

Your choice of CMS is going to depend on several things that all have to be considered before you make your final decision.

Let’s take a quick detailed look at all of them.

1. Ease of Use
   There is no denying that WordPress is easy to use. Website contents updating is simple by using its WYSIWYG editor, publishing posts is easy, the interface is intuitive – the list just goes on and on.

   

   On the other hand, Drupal has a more advanced backend features and if you don’t have the needed technical know-how there is no way you can set up a Drupal page all by yourself. Drupal interface is also less intuitive than that of WordPress, which can be easily judged by comparing the two images.

   
   So when it comes to the ease of use, WordPress is definitely a hands-down winner.
   
   

2. Handling Large Volumes
   This is one of the areas where Drupal outshines WordPress. Drupal is an enterprise CMS, meaning that it can handle thousands of pages and large volumes of content without a single issue. Considering that page loading speed and content are both important SEO signals large companies, e-commerce sites, and directories prefer Drupal since it can handle everything thrown at it.

   WordPress can get a bit buggy in this case – it was primarily built as a blogging platform (no bells-and-whistles platform) but it has since evolved and is being used for numerous other purposes. However, certain issues still remain and large content volume can cause WordPress to bug out and create a slow experience for your visitors. That is definitely something that Google penalizes when it comes to SEO so keep it in mind.
   
   

3. Security
   Another Drupal strong point is their overall security. They take security issues extremely seriously and simply have fewer loopholes that can be exploited. Drupal also provides users with extensive security reports about their installations and updates so that you’re always kept informed.

   WordPress is more vulnerable to hacker attacks because there are more moving parts that need to be kept in mind. All plugins need to be current and work with the latest version of WordPress otherwise you run the risk of breaking the site completely and exposing yourself even more to security threats.
   
   

4. Customization
   Both Drupal and WordPress offer a great level of customization to their customers but WordPress does it more elegantly. There are over 30,000 WordPress plugins you can use and thousands of themes that are at your disposal when it comes to customizing design. Since WordPress is an open source platform it makes it easier for developers around the world to contribute to their database. WordPress plugins are mostly free and easy to use as are the themes. However, when using WordPress themes you always run the risk of not looking completely unique and original.

   Drupal approaches the problem from a different angle. They offer a lot of design flexibility right there on page types without the need for using plugins. A skilled Drupal developer can create a unique site by using Drupal’s built-in capabilities. Of course, expertise and skill are involved here because programming in Drupal isn’t easy.
   
   

5. Cost
   Development costs of a wordpress website as compared to a drupal website is more or less the same, with many web design companies in Singapore specializing in either Wordpress CMS development, Drupal CMS development or both.
   
   

Ultimately, your choice of a CMS will depend on your needs and wants. If you require a secure, fast CMS we suggest looking into Drupal but if you want to keep your cost at a minimum than WordPress might be a better solution. Whatever you end up choosing, make sure to reach out to Above1, a web development company with over 10 years of experience in designing quality, great-looking websites for a variety of businesses and e-commerce sites!