Drupal review
Bottom line
Drupal is a web content management platform that covers pages, documents, forms, and media in one system. Its clearest strength is that the software carries no license fees, so the main cost is building and maintaining the site. Buyers should plan for development and hosting work, and for larger migrations that require a Drupal Certified Partner. It suits organizations with web development resources that want control over their content stack.
What is Drupal?
Drupal is a content management system for building and running websites, with tools for managing documents, electronic forms, and audio and video files alongside the pages themselves. It addresses the problem of spreading site content, files, and forms across separate products that do not share a workspace. Teams can keep those materials in one platform and publish them from the same place.
Day to day, content editors work with text editing tools and content publishing options to draft and release material. Collaboration tools let several people contribute to the same content, and website management features keep the site organized. Drupal connects to outside services including Smartling, Google Analytics 360, and Google Maps, as well as Meta for Business, Instagram, and Twitter/X. Developers can reach the platform through its API to build their own connections. For help, users can contact the email help desk, browse the FAQs, forum, and knowledge base, or start a chat, and training is delivered through documentation.
Drupal is deployed on the web. Its typical customers include freelancers, small businesses, mid-size businesses, and enterprises. The software itself carries no license fees, so there is no per-user price to budget for. Organizations that want to support the project can join as Sustaining Members with annual donations, with the Silver tier starting at $5,000 and the Diamond tier at $100,000 or more. Agencies that migrate sites can join the Migration Partner Program, which charges partner firms $75 to $1,000 per month depending on project budget, and only Drupal Certified Partners qualify for the two largest tiers.
What sets Drupal apart from typical tools in its category is its cost structure and its breadth. Rather than charging a subscription for the software, Drupal is free to use, and its funding comes from community donations and partner programs. It also handles documents, forms, and media in the same system as website content, which single-purpose publishing tools often do not. The trade-off is that the buyer takes on the work of building, hosting, and maintaining the site.
Who it's for
- Organizations that want to avoid software license fees
- Teams that publish mixed content types on one site
- Enterprises with in-house development resources
Who should look elsewhere
- Buyers who need a hosted, ready-to-use product
- Teams without web development staff
Typical uses
- Publishing website content and documents
- Managing audio and video files on a website
- Building electronic forms for site visitors
- Connecting site content to analytics and social channels
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Drupal alternatives and comparisons
Drupal is the only content management product we list so far. Browse the category as more are added.