Important Factors to Consider in the WordPress vs. Drupal Debate

Yesterday I came across some recent slides titled “Why Drupal Should Be More Like WordPress”. As a longtime user of both platforms, I found this comparison to be very informative about why the WordPress community has grown to be much larger than the Drupal community.

Because WordPress 3.0 vastly expands WordPress’ CMS capabilities, the gap between what Drupal can do and what WordPress can do is growing ever smaller. Both are fantastic enterprise-class content management systems. If you’re having a difficult time selecting between the two, have a look at these slides:

The Popularity Contest

If you want a large development community with lots of plugin and theme options, then WordPress is your platform. The popularity of a CMS is not merely a shallow consideration. It means that you’ll have a greater chance of finding the functionality you’re looking for without having to hire a developer to create a custom solution for you.

Quick Setup

I love Drupal, but the main drawback is the necessity to install 5-10 modules just to get basic functionality that most websites need, especially if the site is being passed off to a non-technical client. For example, Drupal doesn’t include a native WSIWG editor. It has to be installed as a module, as do many other usability enhancements that WordPress users take for granted. This makes setup more time-consuming, especially if you’re new to Drupal and don’t know what modules you’ll need.

Security and Flexibility

More large companies are choosing WordPress now that its Multisite support is included in the core and custom post types and taxonomies are more accessible. However, Drupal is still a far more secure platform with greater flexibility for a truly custom CMS build. A large corporation may be better off opting for a greater level of security. In this regard Drupal is the clear winner.

Cost of Development

Companies on a budget may be more impressed with WordPress because of more options for ready-made functionality in the form of plugins and the ability to get a site off the ground quickly. WordPress developers also tend to be less expensive than those who specialize in Drupal.

Conclusion:

When comparing Drupal and WordPress, it’s difficult to determine an overall winner. It boils down to the factors that are the most important for your business. This is by no means an exhaustive comparison- just a few key considerations when thinking about building with either platform. Agree? Disagree? Have more information? Feel free to jump in the comments.

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