WordPress vs Drupal
Our score, every feature we track, pricing plans, hosting and AI, side by side.
At a glance
The facts from each platform's profile, side by side.
| Metric | WordPress | Drupal |
|---|---|---|
| Our score | 4.1 | 3.9 |
| Pricing | Free software · WordPress.com from $4/mo per site | Free software · hosting from about $41/mo (Pantheon Basic) |
| AI | WordPress.com: editor agent and MCP on paid plans. Self-hosted: AI from plugins | AI module connects your own provider key: Anthropic, OpenAI, Gemini, Bedrock or Azure |
| Hosting | SaaS or self-hosted | Self-hosted |
| Source code | Open source | Open source |
| Created | 2003 | 2001Drop.org |
| Best for | Sites that need a huge plugin ecosystem and dynamic features | Large, complex sites with detailed permissions and a development team |
| AI features | WordPress.com: editor agent and MCP on paid plans. Self-hosted: AI from plugins | AI module connects your own provider key: Anthropic, OpenAI, Gemini, Bedrock or Azure |
Features
How each platform offers a feature: free, in the cheapest paid plan, on a higher plan, or enterprise only. Open a feature to compare it across every platform.
WordPress
- AI content tools Included WordPress.com paid plans: editor agent. Self-hosted: AI from plugins
- Custom code Tiered On WordPress.com, SFTP, WP-CLI and GitHub deployments need the Business plan, $25/mo per site
- Drafts and versioning Free Post revisions
- Drag-and-drop page builder Free Block editor and page builder plugins
- Hosting Included WordPress.com from $4/mo, billed yearly
- MCP server Included WordPress.com paid plans: MCP access for Claude or ChatGPT
- Plugins and apps Free Plugins for SEO, forms, commerce and more
- Self-hosting Free Free software from WordPress.org; you keep PHP, the database and updates running
- Templates and themes Free Large theme ecosystem
Drupal
- AI content tools Free AI module with your own provider key; a site builder must install and configure it
- Content modeling Free Content types, fields and views
- Headless API Free Decoupled or traditional delivery
- Plugins and apps Free Large free module ecosystem
- Roles and permissions Free Fine-grained roles and permissions
- Self-hosting Free Needs a host that runs PHP and a database
Pricing
Every plan, cheapest first, and what the bill is counted by. Open a profile for what each plan includes.
WordPress
- WordPress.org (self-hosted)Free Free Anyone who wants full control on their own hosting
- WordPress.com FreeFree Free Personal blogs on a wordpress.com address
- PersonalPer site $4per site / month Personal sites that want a custom domain
- PremiumPer site $8per site / month Creators who need stats, payments and video
- BusinessPer site $25per site / month Businesses that need developer tools and priority support
- CommercePer site $45per site / month Online stores built on WooCommerce
Prices checked Vendor pricing page
Drupal
- Drupal (self-hosted)Free Free Developers and organizations hosting Drupal themselves
- Pantheon BasicPer site $55per site / month Small Drupal sites on Pantheon managed hosting
- Pantheon Performance SmallPer site $200per site / month Busier Drupal sites on Pantheon managed hosting
- Pantheon Performance MediumPer site $350per site / month Higher-traffic Drupal sites without an SLA
- Pantheon EliteCustom quote Custom Enterprise Drupal sites that need an uptime SLA
Prices checked Vendor pricing page
Strengths and watch-outs
From our review of each platform.
WordPress
Strengths
- Enormous ecosystem of themes, plugins and developers.
- Free, open-source software you can host anywhere.
- WordPress.com paid plans add an editor agent and MCP access for Claude or ChatGPT.
Watch out for
- A server running PHP and a database that must be kept up to date.
- Core, themes and plugins need regular updates; every plugin is code on your server.
- Content in a database is harder to review and version than files.
- Developer tools such as SFTP, WP-CLI and GitHub deployments need the WordPress.com Business plan ($25/mo per site).
Drupal
Strengths
- Very flexible content modeling.
- Fine-grained roles and permissions.
- Free, open-source modules for almost anything.
- AI module with your own provider key, so no credits and no markup.
Watch out for
- Needs a host that runs PHP and a database (Pantheon Basic from $41/mo, paid yearly).
- Core and modules need security updates.
- Building and upkeep are specialist work, priced by the job.
- AI features are modules a site builder must install and configure.
More comparisons
Everything on this page comes from our profiles of the two platforms, checked against each vendor's own documentation and pricing pages. Vendors change plans often: confirm prices on their site before you buy.