Anyone who works online, even if they aren’t a web developer, has probably heard of WordPress. It’s a sure bet that very few people outside of the world of web development or IT have heard of Drupal. Today, we’ll examine what Drupal and WordPress are, how they work, and why the platform of choice for freelance Drupal developers is quickly becoming a leader in open-source software for businesses and governments around the world.
What Are Drupal and WordPress?
Think of Drupal and WordPress as two sides of the same coin. They are both open-source CMS (Content Management System) software, and around half of all websites in existence are built using either Drupal or WordPress. CMS software makes it possible for both amateurs and professionals alike to design websites that look professional, are easy to use and navigate, and have built-in functionality such as authentication, encryption, and security.
What Makes Drupal Better Than WordPress?
First, let’s start out by recognizing the elephant in the room—WordPress is not a bad system by any means. After all, WordPress powers about 45% of the world’s websites, while Drupal only powers 3.5%. Shouldn’t that mean that WordPress is better since it’s clearly ten times more popular? Not necessarily–WordPress’s market domination is due in part to its overwhelming ease of use compared to Drupal. For developers willing to put in the effort to learn it, Drupal has many advantages over WordPress.
Functionality
As anyone who has installed software on their computer knows, you’re typically offered two options—recommended settings or custom installation. You can think of Drupal as the latter. While it may take some time, once you figure out how to build a website using Drupal, the possibilities of customization are endless. Downloadable templates available for both WordPress and Drupal can only take you so far. It’s the fine details that determine if a website is good or great, and those fine details are where Drupal shines.
Ease of Use
For years, WordPress has had the upper hand when it comes to amateur website design. Typically, a website designer would design a WordPress website and then turn it over to the client for final customization—the added complexity of Drupal made this kind of workflow difficult.
In recent years, Drupal has been playing catch up. With their modules like WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) and CKEditor adding drag and drop functionality, even amateurs can set up pages if they are willing to watch a few tutorial videos online.
Security
With data leaks, government-sponsored hackers, software exploits, and fraud running rampant in the online world, security should be at the forefront in the mind of anyone who works online.
Security is one of Drupal’s greatest strengths, and it relates back to both functionality and ease of use. WordPress, while popular, is far more susceptible to malicious attacks. This is because each open-source plugin that’s downloaded can have its own security risks that may be exploited. Drupal, on the other hand, has a plugin community that is more democratized. In Drupal, the best plugins float to the top and virtually all users implement the most popular plugins. Because of this, plugin developers are intimately tied to many more users and are more likely to identify and fix any security issues in a timely manner.
Lastly, Drupal has a dedicated volunteer security team. The internet and open-source software are amazing things, but they wouldn’t be possible without the endless dedication of thousands of people working behind the scenes. These people provide free patching vulnerability and release updates that protect users from threats they never even knew existed.
Cost
It used to be that because Drupal had such a limited portion of the CMS software market, there were very few developers available, and this meant those that were available were costly. Over the years, as Drupal has become the tool of choice for large organizations and governments, more and more Drupal developers have emerged and brought down the cost.
Some of the best sites to hire Drupal developers at a fair price are freelancer sites such as Guru. There, you can find thousands of expert freelance Drupal developers ready to make your website dreams a reality so that you can focus more on what matters most to you.
