Choosing a content management system isn’t about picking the “best” platform overall — it’s about picking the right one for your project.
There are loads of CMS options out there, from quick-start tools to enterprise-grade platforms. Each has its place. In this article, we’ll look at how Drupal compares to other popular CMS options, including WordPress and the growing world of SaaS web builders like Contentful and Sitecore — and when Drupal really comes into its own.
The Main CMS Categories
Most modern CMS platforms fall into one of three broad camps:
- Traditional open-source CMSs (like WordPress and Drupal)
- SaaS and enterprise CMS platforms (Contentful, Sitecore, etc.)
- Website builders (Squarespace, Wix, and friends)
Let’s break those down.
WordPress: Fast, Familiar, and Flexible (to a Point)
WordPress is the most widely used CMS in the world, and with good reason:
- It’s quick to get up and running
- There’s a huge ecosystem of themes and plugins
- Content editing is generally straightforward
For blogs, marketing sites, and smaller business websites, WordPress can be an excellent choice.
Where WordPress can start to creak is when projects become more complex, for example:
- Highly structured or interrelated content
- Multiple user roles with detailed permissions
- Large-scale performance and security requirements
- Heavily customised integrations
It can handle these things… but often with a growing stack of plugins and workarounds. It doesn't take much web searching to find a lot of developers and users unhappy with the 'plugin hell' they've ended up with.
Your experience building and then developing your site over the next few years, then, depend on how complex your site needs really are. If you have lots of clever business logic or "interesting" data, or performance really matters, your development team may quickly find themselves pushing against the platform's limitations. The ongoing cost of development, as a result, could rescale much higher than initially estimated.
Dealing with "awkward" site code can quickly get old, making your site harder to maintain - which is probably what you're trying to escape by looking at alternative platforms?!
SaaS CMS Platforms: Powerful, Polished, and Opinionated
Platforms like Contentful, Sitecore, and similar SaaS-based CMSs are increasingly popular, especially in larger organisations.
They often offer:
- Cloud hosting and infrastructure handled for you
- Strong APIs and headless-first approaches
- Enterprise-level features and support packages
These platforms can be great if you want a managed, all-in-one solution and are comfortable working within their constraints.
However, there are trade-offs:
- Ongoing licensing costs
- Less control over the underlying platform
- Customisation can be limited or expensive
- You’re locked into a vendor’s ecosystem
They work well for certain teams (particularly those with enterprise budgets and fixed requirements) but they’re not always the most flexible or cost-effective option long term.
If your site has more than moderate complexity and the thought of being limited by your platform's product development team makes you sweat, you'd be well advised to look at a platform that gives you better scope for deep customisation.
Drupal: Built for Complex, Scalable, Grown-Up Websites
This is where Drupal really shines.
Drupal is an open-source CMS designed from the ground up for structured content, flexibility, and scale. It’s used by governments, universities, media organisations, and ambitious businesses for a reason.
What Drupal Does Exceptionally Well
- Content modelling: Drupal lets you define exactly how your content is structured - no bending your ideas to fit the CMS.
- User roles & permissions: Ideal for teams with multiple editors, reviewers, and administrators.
- Scalability: Drupal performs brilliantly as sites grow in size, traffic, and complexity.
- Security: It has one of the strongest security reputations in the CMS world.
- Integration-friendly: APIs, CRMs, third-party platforms — Drupal plays nicely with others.
The honest truth? Drupal isn’t always the fastest way to launch a very small website, and it does benefit from experienced developers. But when a project needs to be robust, flexible, and future-proof, Drupal is often the smartest foundation.
We have a Knowledge Center full of to-the-point guidance on Drupal's main features, check it out!
(Conveniently, this is where our expertise really comes into play.)
So… Which CMS Is Right?
There’s no one-size-fits-all answer:
- Simple marketing site or blog? WordPress or a site builder might be perfect.
- Highly managed, enterprise setup with budget to match? A SaaS CMS could be a good fit.
- Complex content, long-term growth, custom workflows, or integrations? Drupal is hard to beat.
The key is choosing a CMS that won’t just work now, but will still work two, five, or ten years down the line.
Our Slightly Biased Conclusion
We specialise in Drupal not because it’s trendy, but because it consistently delivers for the right projects. When clients need something reliable, scalable, and thoughtfully built - without being boxed into a rigid platform - Drupal gives us (and them) the freedom to do things properly.
If you’re weighing up CMS options and want honest advice - not a sales pitch - we’re always happy to talk things through. Friendly, reliable, and genuinely invested in your project? That’s kind of our thing 😊