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Drupal

Drupal

Overview

What is Drupal?

Drupal is a free, open-source content management system written in PHP that competes primarily with Joomla and Plone. The standard release of Drupal, known as Drupal core, contains basic features such as account and menu management, RSS feeds, page layout…

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Recent Reviews

TrustRadius Insights

Drupal has been widely used in a variety of industries and situations, proving itself as a robust and extensible platform that can fulfill …
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Drupal! You beauty!

10 out of 10
February 09, 2023
  • To develop content oriented and transaction oriented sites
  • Non technical users can easily build sites using Drupal
  • Drupal 8 and above have …
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Awards

Products that are considered exceptional by their customers based on a variety of criteria win TrustRadius awards. Learn more about the types of TrustRadius awards to make the best purchase decision. More about TrustRadius Awards

Popular Features

View all 16 features
  • Page templates (67)
    9.5
    95%
  • Admin section (68)
    9.5
    95%
  • Code quality / cleanliness (66)
    9.1
    91%
  • Publishing workflow (67)
    9.1
    91%
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Pricing

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Unavailable

What is Drupal?

Drupal is a free, open-source content management system written in PHP that competes primarily with Joomla and Plone. The standard release of Drupal, known as Drupal core, contains basic features such as account and menu management, RSS feeds, page layout customization, and system administration.

Entry-level set up fee?

  • No setup fee

Offerings

  • Free Trial
  • Free/Freemium Version
  • Premium Consulting/Integration Services

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Small business owners don’t have much time to build their online presence, don’t have much money to spend on digital advertising, and don’t want to navigate the complexity of what it means to be online today. So UENI presents a solution built specifically for them. Unlike DIY website builders or…

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Product Demos

Drupal Glazed Theme Tutorial 1: Basic Drag and Drop Controls

YouTube

Drupal Demo

YouTube

Drupal Paragraph Blocks Demo

YouTube

JSON:API demo

YouTube

Drupal Link Intelligence Getting Started Demo

YouTube

Drupal Content Optimizer SEO Module Demo Video

YouTube
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Features

Security

This component helps a company minimize the security risks by controlling access to the software and its data, and encouraging best practices among users.

10
Avg 8.0

Platform & Infrastructure

Features related to platform-wide settings and structure, such as permissions, languages, integrations, customizations, etc.

9.5
Avg 7.7

Web Content Creation

Features that support the creation of website content.

9.4
Avg 7.6

Web Content Management

Features for managing website content

9.5
Avg 7.3
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Product Details

What is Drupal?

Drupal is a free and open source content management system written in PHP that competes primarily with Joomla and Plone. The standard release of Drupal, known as Drupal core, contains basic features common to content management systems. These include a dashboard with a menu management system, RSS feeds, page layout customization and themes to aid this, and system administration tools. Drupal offers access statistics, more advanced search features, caching and feature throttling (to improve performance if needed), descriptive URLs, multiple users with controllable privileges, access control and restrictions, and workflow tools (triggers). There are over 30,000 addons or modules to expand Drupal's functionality.

Drupal Video

Why Drupal?

Drupal Competitors

Drupal Technical Details

Operating SystemsUnspecified
Mobile ApplicationNo

Frequently Asked Questions

Drupal is a free, open-source content management system written in PHP that competes primarily with Joomla and Plone. The standard release of Drupal, known as Drupal core, contains basic features such as account and menu management, RSS feeds, page layout customization, and system administration.

Joomla!, Kentico Xperience, and Plone are common alternatives for Drupal.

Reviewers rate Role-based user permissions and Mobile optimization / responsive design and Form generator highest, with a score of 10.

The most common users of Drupal are from Small Businesses (1-50 employees).
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Comparisons

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Reviews and Ratings

(378)

Community Insights

TrustRadius Insights are summaries of user sentiment data from TrustRadius reviews and, when necessary, 3rd-party data sources. Have feedback on this content? Let us know!

Drupal has been widely used in a variety of industries and situations, proving itself as a robust and extensible platform that can fulfill specific needs. For example, Ericsson is leveraging Drupal to develop an internal application for accessing company policies and documents, including a news and events section. This showcases Drupal's capability to serve as an efficient tool for knowledge management within organizations. Similarly, Commercial Progression takes advantage of Drupal's integration capabilities with CRM and ERP systems to develop websites for various industries, demonstrating its flexibility in meeting diverse business requirements.

Another key use case for Drupal is creating uniform intranet sites across different operating units, enabling organizations to convey their identity and provide basic information consistently. This allows companies to maintain a cohesive brand image while providing essential resources to their employees. Additionally, non-technical staff can easily create and manage content using Drupal, addressing marketing web presence needs efficiently without extensive coding knowledge. This user-friendly aspect of Drupal makes it accessible to a wide range of users within an organization.

Furthermore, Drupal proves invaluable in the realm of website development, offering a quick and flexible solution for building test sites or serving as a content management system for clients who require rapid website development with built-in control. Its ability to handle large volumes of content makes it suitable for managing customer service articles, translation services, and industry-standard features like views and revisioning. The platform is also chosen by developers specializing in Drupal due to its ease of use in quickly getting sites up and running for clients.

In the educational sector, the University of Edinburgh's Web Interfaces team has utilized Drupal to develop bespoke web solutions with a focus on security and scalability. This use case highlights Drupal's suitability for academic institutions seeking reliable and customizable solutions for their web development needs. Moreover, Drupal has proven its worth in the online education space, with approximately 95% of websites designed to market and recruit online degree programs being built with this platform.

Overall, Drupal offers a versatile range of use cases, from powering corporate intranets to supporting website development across various industries. Its capacity for customization and its ability to handle diverse content needs make it a compelling choice for organizations of all sizes.

Extensibility and Customization: Users highly appreciate the extensibility and customization options provided by Drupal's wide range of contributed modules. Many reviewers have stated that this flexibility allows them to tailor the software to their specific needs, enhancing the overall value of the platform.

Cost-effectiveness: The open-source nature of Drupal is seen as a major advantage by users, with many stating that it eliminates ongoing licensing costs. Reviewers mention that this cost-effectiveness makes Drupal an attractive option for those on a tight budget.

Strong Community Support: Users highly value the fantastic open-source community surrounding Drupal. Several reviewers have mentioned that they appreciate the community's readiness to help and provide solutions to any problems encountered. This support system is seen as invaluable, ensuring users have necessary assistance and resources to overcome challenges while using the software.

Intuitive User Interface: Some users have mentioned that the user interface of Drupal is not intuitive and requires technical expertise to use effectively. They feel that the platform lacks a WYSIWYG text editor, making it necessary to have a basic understanding of HTML and CSS style sheets to customize the site.

Complicated Development Process: Several users have found the development process in Drupal to be complicated and difficult to learn, even for experienced developers. They express that development is hard to learn and complicated, which can be challenging for those with prior experience in web development.

Time-Consuming Maintenance: Users have expressed that maintaining Drupal websites can be time-consuming due to frequent updates and patches that need to be installed. The continuous need for maintenance can become burdensome as it requires allocating additional time towards keeping the website up-to-date.

Security Concerns with Plugins: Some users have raised concerns about the security of Drupal websites, attributing it to the large number of plugins available from numerous developers. They find it harder to ensure site security due to this vast variety of plugins, often requiring careful vetting and monitoring.

Resource-Intensive Infrastructure Requirement: Users mention that compared to other content management systems (CMSs), Drupal requires a more powerful infrastructure. This makes it more resource-intensive in terms of hardware requirements, potentially increasing costs for hosting and server resources.

Steep Learning Curve with Drupal 8: The learning curve associated with Drupal has been highlighted by users as a challenge, particularly concerning its eighth version. They perceive Drupal 8 as significantly different from previous versions, complicating the learning process further.

Confusing Back-end User Interface: Some users find the back-end user interface of Drupal confusing and clunky. They express difficulties navigating through menus or locating specific settings within the interface, leading them to consider it less user-friendly than desired.

Configuration Changes Hidden in Menus: Users mention encountering certain configuration changes hidden within menus where they may not expect them. This can make it challenging for users to locate and modify specific settings, potentially causing frustration or inefficiencies.

Time-Consuming Setup and Configuration: The process of setting up and configuring Drupal has been mentioned as time-consuming by users. They express that it requires technical skills and knowledge, making the initial setup a potential pain point. Additionally, some changes may require IT assistance and might not be applied immediately.

Limited Ease of Use: While Drupal is generally considered relatively easy to use, some users note that it still requires development skills. They advise that installation and upgrading processes should be handled by someone with technical expertise to avoid potential troubles during these procedures.

Users have made several recommendations based on their experiences with Drupal. Here are the three most common recommendations:

  1. Start with a theme if you don't have much time to learn the system.
  2. Avoid using too many plugins and have someone on-site for day-to-day maintenance.
  3. Consider other options for CRM or shopping cart functionality.

Overall, users believe Drupal is a robust CMS platform but recommend starting with a theme for quicker setup, limiting plugin usage, and considering alternative options for CRM and shopping cart functionality. These recommendations aim to optimize the user experience and ensure efficient management of websites built on Drupal.

Attribute Ratings

Reviews

(1-2 of 2)
Companies can't remove reviews or game the system. Here's why
Eric Batson | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 7 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Drupal was the software used to create many of our organization's intranet sites. It was used across the majority of the organization. Each operating unit used it to create sites that conveyed who they were, the work they did, and other basic information. We used it so the operating units' sites would be uniform in their look and feel. Consequently, information would be be found in predictable locations across the operating unit sites.
  • You don't need to be a developer to use Drupal. You just need to learn its functions.
  • We were able to train people with various non-computer backgrounds to use Drupal. It can be learned by a range of people who are not "technical".
  • Drupal sites can include APIs, webforms, slideshows, parent and child pages, and more.
  • The option to compare older site page versions with the current version could be easier to decipher from a visual standpoint.
  • It would be great if the various customizable features included descriptions of how they function for the many non-technical users who work on Drupal.
  • It can be tough for users to find previously added slides (in the slideshow carousel) to edit them.
It is good for organizations like mine where standardization and clarity were the main goals. If you want a fancy and dynamic site then this may not be the solution. This is also a good option if non-technical people will be tasked with its regular maintenance. A little training can go a long way with Drupal.
Web Content Creation (8)
56.25%
5.6
WYSIWYG editor
90%
9.0
Code quality / cleanliness
N/A
N/A
Admin section
90%
9.0
Page templates
90%
9.0
Library of website themes
N/A
N/A
Mobile optimization / responsive design
N/A
N/A
Publishing workflow
90%
9.0
Form generator
90%
9.0
Web Content Management (5)
18%
1.8
Content taxonomy
90%
9.0
SEO support
N/A
N/A
Bulk management
N/A
N/A
Availability / breadth of extensions
N/A
N/A
Community / comment management
N/A
N/A
Platform & Infrastructure (2)
45%
4.5
API
90%
9.0
Internationalization / multi-language
N/A
N/A
Security (1)
90%
9.0
Role-based user permissions
90%
9.0
CMS programming language or framework
N/A
N/A
  • The various operating unit sites are now fairly uniform. When you go from one site to another it is fairly easy to find information.
  • Employees who want fancier options with their intranet sites were disappointed with the Drupal user interface.
  • Employees now know where to go to access predictable information regarding the different operating units.
  • Google Sites
I was not a decision maker when it came to which software we would use. There are pros and cons to any software. I would have preferred to use Google Sites, especially since the organization uses Google Drive and its related products pretty heavily. I see great value in sticking with fewer systems and platforms to minimize employee confusion and frustration.
Various operating units and departments use Drupal for a number of reasons. Human Resources uses it to provide HR related information and resources for employees agency-wide. Other operating units use it to provide articles with the latest information on their work and success stories. In general, it is used to provide information for employees about what each operating unit does, who their leadership is and how to contact each operating unit.
At the very least, some basic web design knowledge is helpful if someone is to truly support users of Drupal. More advanced knowledge of web design is more desirable, since our users had more in-depth questions about what they can and cannot do with their Drupal sites. They often wanted help implementing more advanced features.
  • Inform employees about each operating unit.
  • Uniform communication tool to present information about each operating unit.
  • Tool for providing resources to help employees with their work.
  • More features may be added / allowed in the future, but I'm not sure what they are at this point.
The time and money invested into this platform were too great to discontinue it at this point. I'm sure it will be in use for a while. We have also spent time training many employees how to use it. All of these things add up to quite an investment in the product. Lastly, it basically fulfills what we need our intranet site to do.
  • Online training
  • In-person training
  • Self-taught
I was part of the team that conducted the training. Our training was fine, but we could have been better informed on Drupal before we started providing it. If we did not have answers to tough questions, we had more technical staff we could consult with. We did provide hands-on practice time for the learners, which I would always recommend. That is where the best learning occurred.
The on-line training was not as ideal as the face-to-face training. It was done remotely and only allowed for the trainers to present information to the learners and demonstrate the platform online. There was not a good way to allow for the learners to practice, ask questions and have them answered all in the same session.
If the learner was technically savvy and had a background in website development then the platform could be learned fairly easily. If the learners were not technically savvy, they needed training and continued support after their initial training session. We found that the non-technical learners often contacted us after their initial training with items that may or may not have been addressed in training.
  • Adding a basic page.
  • Adding a slide.
  • Adding content in the rich text editor on a basic page.
  • Finding a slide to edit after you have created it can be challenging for a new, less technical user.
  • Comparing older and newer versions of a page is not as intuitive as I would have liked.
  • Webform creation is a two part process that can confuse the new, less technical user.
Perhaps this is just because our organization limited the functions available to us. I'm not sure about all of the possibilities that exist with Drupal as a result. In our circumstance, it did provide the basics of what we needed (basic site pages, images, articles, webforms etc.), but we could not do anything "fancy".
Chris Coppenbarger | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Drupal is being used in a multi-domain environment for a set of community sites where we can display events, sell one of our products via it's own website apart from the main, ask surveys in another site, and display an archive of our catalogs in another site. They are viewable by the public for their benefit in the market that we serve. One main thing we are trying to address is the content management and the many domains, but one code base, and Drupal does both of these quite well.
  • Drupal offers multiple sites on one code base out of the box, so to speak. It's an incredible strength should you need Drupal for both a customer-facing site, and an intranet and only want to manage one code base.
  • For developers, it offers a bare-bones content management system that you can customize to fit your needs. It is built with a module-based system so that you can plug and play what modules will fit your organizational needs.
  • It offers the ability to either use themes built by the community or customize your own.
  • One strength I mentioned is the bare-bones that you can build on yourself, but this also leads to a weakness in that you cannot usually just set up a site and expect to have what you need quickly. I can setup a Wordpress site and have one very usable in a week, but I cannot do that with Drupal. As a developer, I don't mind this, but this can easily frustrate non-developers.
Drupal is very appropriate for sites with a lot of content, and custom theming. If you are only developing a blog or only a few static pages, but need a content management system, I would recommend Wordpress, as it is better-suited for those scenarios. If you expect to have more custom work on your site, then Drupal is very much the way to go.
Web Content Creation (8)
81.25%
8.1
WYSIWYG editor
80%
8.0
Code quality / cleanliness
90%
9.0
Admin section
100%
10.0
Page templates
80%
8.0
Library of website themes
80%
8.0
Mobile optimization / responsive design
60%
6.0
Publishing workflow
80%
8.0
Form generator
80%
8.0
Web Content Management (5)
88%
8.8
Content taxonomy
100%
10.0
SEO support
70%
7.0
Bulk management
70%
7.0
Availability / breadth of extensions
100%
10.0
Community / comment management
100%
10.0
Platform & Infrastructure (2)
80%
8.0
API
80%
8.0
Internationalization / multi-language
80%
8.0
Security (1)
80%
8.0
Role-based user permissions
80%
8.0
CMS programming language or framework
N/A
N/A
  • It has led to increased content management efficiency in that we are able to better manage what content can be put out there. Once it is developed, the developers can move on to other projects, and it is up to the content managers to ensure the content is fresh.
  • Customers can better interact with the site as there is less opportunity for bugs to creep into the code.
Wordpress is very simple and easy to set up, but is not that easy to customize. Drupal is all about customization. Joomla is also very customizable, but has grown too big and bulky. Drupal allows for more customization then either of these other two products.
Drupal continues to innovate on the content management front in that they are pursuing default mobile theming in the next iteration as well as continuing the complete customization. There are some things that they are adding to the default code base which I may not like or agree with, but overall, it continues to be a steady product with a steady stream of users and developers.
  • Implemented in-house
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