Pick WordPress if you want the quickest launch, the biggest pool of people who know the software and simple roles with a review step. Pick Drupal if your content has many types, several languages or formal moderation states. Drupal puts more in core but needs developer time; WordPress leans on plugins.
Word & Press is an independent publication. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by or connected to WordPress, the WordPress Foundation or Automattic. This profile describes the open-source WordPress software as a third party.
The short version
Pick WordPress if you want to be publishing soon, hire from a large talent pool and keep the build simple. Its documentation describes six default roles, a pending status with a Submit for Review button, scheduling and revisions, which covers a small desk without extra software. The cost is that anything beyond that, such as multilingual content or structured data, is not described as a core feature in the pages we read.
Pick Drupal if your publication is closer to a content system than a blog: distinct content types, several desks with different permissions, more than one language, or an app consuming an API. Core includes Content Moderation, the multilingual modules and JSON:API. The cost is a heavier build, Composer-based updates and several SEO functions that come from contributed modules.
Both are open-source and free of licence fees. The real difference is where the effort lands. WordPress asks for plugin vetting and upkeep; Drupal asks for developer time up front. Read the full profiles for WordPress and Drupal, or browse the other comparisons. Everything here comes from vendor documentation, not an install of our own.
At a glance
| Feature | WordPress | Drupal |
|---|---|---|
| Licence | GPLv2 or later | GNU GPL version 2 or later |
| Latest version | 7.1.3 (6 October 2026), per the release archive | 11.4.9 (9 October 2026), per the repository tags; 12.0.0-beta1 is a pre-release |
| Written in | PHP; 8.3 or greater recommended | PHP; 11.x requires 8.3.0 or later |
| Hosting | Self-hosted, Apache or Nginx recommended, MariaDB 10.11+ or MySQL 8.0+ | Self-hosted, Apache, Nginx or others; MariaDB, MySQL, PostgreSQL or SQLite; Linux recommended; Composer required |
| Editorial roles and workflow | Six default roles; pending status; scheduling; revisions | Roles and permissions you define; core Content Moderation with an Editorial workflow; scheduling via contributed Scheduler |
| SEO and structured data | Sitemap index in core since 5.5; structured data not described as core | Pathauto, Metatag, Simple XML Sitemap and Schema.org Metatag are contributed modules |
| Multilingual | Multisite in core; content translation not described in the pages we read | Core Language, Interface, Configuration and Content Translation modules |
| Headless and API | REST API returning JSON | JSON:API module in core |
| Typical cost | Software free; hosting, plugins and development extra | Software free; hosting and development extra |
| Best for | Small to mid-sized publishers wanting a fast launch | Publishers with structured content, roles or languages |
Editorial workflow
WordPress documents six default roles: Super Admin, Administrator, Editor, Author, Contributor and Subscriber. A Contributor can write but not publish, so a freelancer’s post can sit in the pending status until someone with the publish capability approves it. There are eight built-in statuses, including future for scheduled posts. Revisions are stored for each saved draft or published update, with a slider and a Restore button.
Drupal approaches the same job through configuration. The core Content Moderation module builds workflows from states such as Draft, Published and Archived, and the transitions between them, and a published version can stay live while a working copy is reviewed. Enabling it creates a default Editorial workflow. The roles are yours to define.
The practical difference is how far each goes without add-ons. WordPress gives you a single review step. Drupal gives you named states and transitions, which suits a newsroom with a sub-editor and a publisher. Scheduling goes the other way: it is in WordPress core, while Drupal’s description points to the contributed Scheduler module, and we have not verified how it interacts with moderation states.
Search, structured data and feeds
WordPress exposes a sitemap index at /wp-sitemap.xml since 5.5, covering public post types, taxonomies, author archives and the homepage. Built-in feeds are RSS 2.0, Atom and RDF, plus a comments feed. Title tags, meta descriptions and JSON-LD are not described in the pages we opened as core features, and most sites add an SEO plugin.
Drupal core does less here and the contributed modules do more. Pathauto generates URL aliases from patterns, and its project page reports 470,202 sites using it. Metatag handles titles, canonical URLs, descriptions, Open Graph and Twitter Cards, with schema.org and JSON-LD in a separate Schema.org Metatag module. Simple XML Sitemap supports hreflang, image sitemaps and IndexNow. We did not verify Drupal’s feed behaviour.
In both cases structured data is an extension decision. Check output against Google’s own documentation rather than a plugin’s description. Our features checklist lists what to test.
Hosting, performance and security
WordPress recommends PHP 8.3 or greater, MariaDB 10.11 or greater or MySQL 8.0 or greater, Apache or Nginx, and HTTPS. It warns that PHP 7.4 and MySQL 5.5.5 are end-of-life and may expose a site to vulnerabilities. The release archive says only the most recent release in the 7.1 series is safe to use and actively maintained.
Drupal 11.x requires PHP 8.3.0 or later. It supports four database servers, recommends Linux or similar for hosting, supports Windows only for development, and needs Composer for installs and updates. The releases page says Drupal 10.6.x has security support until December 2026, so older branches carry a deadline.
For speed, WordPress documentation points to caching plugins that serve static files and to a CDN. Drupal’s User Guide describes its cache types, including render and views, and how to clear them. Neither page benchmarks anything, and we measured nothing. Ask your host or developer how page caching will work under a traffic spike.
Cost of ownership
Neither product charges a licence fee. WordPress is GPLv2 or later and its plugins and themes inherit the GPL under the project’s own statement. Drupal.org’s licensing page says Drupal and contributed derivative files hosted there are GPL version 2 or later.
The costs sit elsewhere. For WordPress: hosting, a theme or custom design, any paid plugins, and developer time for updates. For Drupal: a developer or agency to model content types, roles and moderation, and to run Composer updates. We have not verified public prices for hosts, plugins or agencies, so we give no figures. See the cost guide and licence guide.
Migrating between them
We did not open an official migration guide for either direction, so we make no claim about tools or modules. Treat it as a content-modelling exercise: list your content types, authors, redirects and media before you pick. The demo page explains what we have and have not run ourselves.
Which should you choose?
- Solo writer or small desk, live within weeks: WordPress.
- Several desks, formal approval states and a developer on staff: Drupal.
- Multiple languages as a core requirement: Drupal’s documented core modules give you more to start from.
- No developer and a small budget: WordPress, with a short plugin list.
- Content feeding an app or separate front end: either; both ship an API, so choose on the team’s skills.
If neither fits, compare WordPress and Ghost, WordPress and Joomla or Drupal and Joomla.
Questions people ask
Is Drupal harder than WordPress?
For setup, yes. The Drupal documentation says Composer is needed for installation and updates, and its SEO helpers are contributed modules you install and configure. WordPress also needs plugins for some of that, but its roles and review step work out of the box.
Which is better for a news site, WordPress or Drupal?
It depends on the newsroom. WordPress suits a small or mid-sized team that wants to launch quickly. Drupal suits a publisher with many content types, several desks or languages, and a developer. Neither documentation describes a news-specific feature set.
Do WordPress and Drupal cost money?
Neither charges a licence fee: WordPress is GPLv2 or later and Drupal is GPL version 2 or later. You still pay for hosting, development and maintenance. We have not verified public prices for hosts, plugins or agencies, so we give no figures.
Can I use WordPress or Drupal as a headless CMS?
Both can. WordPress has a REST API that returns JSON for posts, pages and taxonomies. Drupal ships JSON:API in core. In both cases you build and host the front end yourself, and you should test access control and caching.
Which handles multiple languages better?
Drupal documents four core modules for it: Language, Interface Translation, Configuration Translation and Content Translation. The WordPress pages we read describe Multisite but not core content translation, so a multilingual site there would rely on a plugin or separate sites.
Sources
- The WordPress release archive lists WordPress 7.1.3, released on 6 October 2026, as the newest release, and states that only the most recent release in the 7.1 series is safe to use and actively maintained. — source, checked 10 October 2026.
- The WordPress software is released under the GPLv2 (or later) from the Free Software Foundation, and plugins and themes are derivative work and inherit the GPL licence. — source, checked 10 October 2026.
- The WordPress requirements page recommends PHP 8.3 or greater, and MariaDB 10.11 or greater or MySQL 8.0 or greater, with HTTPS support. — source, checked 10 October 2026.
- The WordPress requirements page recommends Apache or Nginx as the most robust and featureful server for running WordPress, and says older versions such as PHP 7.4 and MySQL 5.5.5 are end-of-life and may expose a site to security vulnerabilities. — source, checked 10 October 2026.
- WordPress documents six default roles: Super Admin, Administrator, Editor, Author, Contributor and Subscriber. An Editor can publish and manage posts including those of other users; an Author can publish and manage their own posts; a Contributor can write and manage their own posts but cannot publish them. — source, checked 10 October 2026.
- WordPress provides 8 built-in post statuses, including draft, pending (awaiting a user with the publish_posts capability), future (scheduled to be published at a future date), private and publish. Users without the publish_posts capability see a Submit for Review button instead of Publish. — source, checked 10 October 2026.
- The WordPress revisions system stores a record of each saved draft or published update, lets you drag a slider to see what changed, and has a Restore button. Since WordPress 7.0, clicking a revision opens a new revisions screen, with the classic screen still available. — source, checked 10 October 2026.
- Since WordPress 5.5, WordPress exposes a sitemap index at /wp-sitemap.xml, with sitemaps created by default for all public post types and taxonomies, author archives and the homepage. — source, checked 10 October 2026.
- WordPress documentation lists built-in feed formats of RSS 2.0, Atom and RDF/RSS 1.0, plus a comments feed in RSS 2.0. — source, checked 10 October 2026.
- The WordPress REST API supplies endpoints representing posts, pages, taxonomies and other built-in data types, and applications can send and receive JSON to query, modify and create content. — source, checked 10 October 2026.
- WordPress documentation says caching plugins cache posts and pages as static files to reduce server load, and that using a CDN can greatly reduce the load on a website. — source, checked 10 October 2026.
- WordPress Multisite enables you to create several instances of WordPress managed within one installation. — source, checked 10 October 2026.
- The tag list of the Drupal repository shows Drupal 11.4.9, dated 9 October 2026, as the newest stable tag, ahead of 12.0.0-beta1 dated 30 September 2026, which is a pre-release. — source, checked 10 October 2026.
- The Drupal.org core releases page lists Drupal 11.4.9, 11.3.18 and 10.6.18 as bugfix releases, 12.0.0-beta1 as a testing release, and says Drupal 10.6.x receives security support until December 2026. — source, checked 10 October 2026.
- Drupal, and all contributed files that are derivative works of Drupal hosted on Drupal.org, are licensed under the GNU General Public License, version 2 or later. — source, checked 10 October 2026.
- The composer.json of the Drupal core repository's 11.x branch requires PHP 8.3.0 or later and describes Drupal as an open source content management platform powering millions of websites and applications. — source, checked 10 October 2026.
- Drupal's system requirements page lists MariaDB, MySQL, PostgreSQL and SQLite as database servers, says Drupal works on Apache, Nginx and other web servers, recommends Linux or a similar operating system for hosting with Windows supported only for development, and says Composer is needed for installation and updates. — source, checked 10 October 2026.
- The core Content Moderation module expands the unpublished and published states with workflows made of states such as Draft, Published and Archived and the transitions between them, lets a published version stay live while a working copy is reviewed, and creates a default workflow called Editorial when enabled. — source, checked 10 October 2026.
- The contributed Scheduler module lets editors schedule content, media, commerce products and taxonomy terms for publishing and unpublishing at specified dates and times in the future. — source, checked 10 October 2026.
- The contributed Pathauto module automatically generates URL path aliases for nodes, taxonomy terms and users without requiring a manual path alias, and the project page reports 470,202 sites using it. — source, checked 10 October 2026.
- The contributed Metatag module provides meta tags including page titles, canonical URLs, descriptions, Open Graph and Twitter Cards; its page says schema.org and JSON-LD support is provided by the separate Schema.org Metatag module. — source, checked 10 October 2026.
- The contributed Simple XML Sitemap module generates multilingual sitemaps for entities, views and custom links, supports hreflang and image sitemaps, and supports the IndexNow protocol. — source, checked 10 October 2026.
- The Drupal User Guide says the base language of Drupal software is English, that the core Language module is needed to use another language, and that the core Interface Translation, Configuration Translation and Content Translation modules cover interface text, configuration text and content respectively. — source, checked 10 October 2026.
- The JSON:API module is part of Drupal core; it implements the JSON:API specification for Drupal entities and provides a zero-configuration, opinionated way to allow RESTful CRUD for a site's content. — source, checked 10 October 2026.
- The Drupal User Guide describes clearing caches through Configuration, Development, Performance, or with Drush commands, and lists cache types including theme-registry, menu, css-js, block, render and views. — source, checked 10 October 2026.