Drupal is another choice of content management system besides Joomla or WordPress. Actually, it is the second most popular of all the three major choices of CMS. If you’re thinking of using it, there are some things to keep in mind about it; and some major differences that separate it from the other two. It isn’t simply that Joomla, WordPress, and Drupal are essentially the same, or in other words, are just different brand choices of a very similar service or idea, that is not the case at all, and it’s important to be aware of what makes them distinct.
There is a bit of a myth going around about Drupal; specifically that no one uses it. This is false, The British government, General Electric, and Pfizer all use it, just to name a few. Out of all the available options, it is the most secure; hell, even the White House uses it. One should not underestimate the reasons why. It is the most “technical” of the three, its code is the strongest, and anyone who seeks to use it should understand that coding knowledge of HTML, XML, and PHP (at least) are needed. Since it is the most well coded, it is also the fastest option, and takes the least time to load for pages and sites that utilize it. Drupal is (by definition) the most difficult option to use from a purely computer science standpoint. And while it is a good option for some as such, it is not for the previous reasons a good option for all.
There are some disadvantages to using Drupal as well; beyond simply the technical expertise needed to harness it (one can see from above that the previous is both an advantage as well as a disadvantage). It is much less “popular” than wordpress is, and does not have as many “plug-ins” available for it, as well as themes. This can be a problem for some users. You also must absolutely host it yourself on your own site. While that’s not a “deal-breaker” at all as far as the system itself goes for its usability, the other two options have “.com” versions of their sites where you can sign up for free hosting. Again we can see how highly “technical” an option Drupal is, but that’s exactly why the White House can’t say enough good things about it. They love it, it serves them well; for high security sites like the American or the British Government it is a perfect choice, and they’re not shy about saying so. Drupal is the best option for those with a high degree of skill, those who need lower-level customization, want a fully “open-source” option, (etc.). One should not underestimate it for a moment.
We can see that when it comes to CMS, there are choices available; but they’re all very different from each other. That’s why here at TRMW.com, we’re glad to help clear up any confusion about which one is which, and which one is the best for you.