Sitecore and Drupal are both recognised as powerful platforms, but for different reasons. Choosing the best system for your organisation can be difficult. Identifying how they differ in features, security and scalability are good places to start.
Round one: Pricing, licenses and value
Sitecore can’t compete on price with Drupal. But with good reason. Drupal is an open-source content management system (CMS) that is run and maintained by a group of volunteers and sponsored contributors. It comes out-of-the box and is easily accessible without any licence requirements. This makes it a great choice for individuals, like freelancers that want to quickly set up their own site. That’s not to overlook that it’s a chosen platform for some larger organisations that aren’t ambitious enough to invest in digital but are keen to have a platform that integrates with a wide range of tools.
Sitecore is a high-end product and it’s pricing reflects this. Named in the Gartner Magic Quadrant year after year as an industry leader, Sitecore is an investment that can be harnessed to digitally transform customer experiences and deliver impressive ROI. The .NET experience management system is custom built to suit the specific needs and goals of the organisation. Companies that choose to invest in Sitecore benefit from some of the best marketing tools on the market. Unlike Drupal, Sitecore is best suited to large to enterprise level businesses, or those with the scope to grow and need a platform that can grow with them.
Round two: Security and scaling
Sitecore is a robust, long-term solution. Built on Microsoft’s closed-source .NET technology, Sitecore sites are automatically updated with .NET patches. Due to the lengthy list of Sitecore features, it’s not as necessary to integrate with other systems like Drupal does. This minimalises third-parties and the risk of security breaches making it an incredibly secure platform.
Being a highly integrated system increases the risk of security breaches, however sourcing secure modules can aid this. Drupal doesn’t share the automatic patch updates like Sitecore, which is a common reason for infection of the CMS. Drupal was named in 2016 as one of the most hacked content management systems, with over 80% of breaches attributed to out of date software. For enterprise website security, organisations would be best with Sitecore.
Round three: Sitecore vs Drupal for scalability?
Both have scalable capabilities, but with quite different parameters. Where Sitecore is like a chameleon that adapts with its environment on a complex level, Drupal is more like an ambitious leopard trying to change. Drupal relies on external systems to be flexible to heavy loads – which makes configuration difficult. Sitecore’s scalability is in the DNA of the system and provides a variety of options through the Sitecore Experience Database (xDB), Sitecore’s architecture empowers websites to take sudden changes to traffic volumes in its stride, adapting its environment to:
- Run as a separate environment
- Scale vertically
- Scale horizontally
For scalability, Sitecore beats Drupal.
Round four: Creating brilliant user experience
Creating a great user experience is at the centre of most Sitecore features. Its suite of marketing tools is what really what elevates the .NET platform into leagues above Drupal. Sitecore personalisation and automation make it the go-to platform for user experience. For companies that are focussed on creating sophisticated personalised customer journeys, Sitecore’s tools are like a fully stocked sweet shop for marketers. Whether it’s multivariate, A/B testing, path analysis, segmentation, machine learning or engagement analytics, Sitecore has a comprehensive list of tools to help organisations get closer to their prospects and customers.
Although Drupal’s marketing capabilities aren’t as extensive as Sitecore’s, it can be integrated with various automation tools to strengthen it’s offering for user experience. Organisations that are keen to fine-tune their customisation to create the ideal personalised experience are best suited to Sitecore.
You’ll need to buy a large bundle of add-ons and third party tools to get anything like this from Drupal.
Which platform takes the Sitecore vs Drupal crown?
If your organisation’s site doesn’t receive a lot of traffic or you’re restricted by budget to invest in an experience platform that will grow with your business through digital transformation, Drupal is your winner.
If your organisation prioritises security and wants to create user experiences that will deliver a healthy ROI, Sitecore is your champion. The decision comes down to ambition.
If you’d like to learn more about Sitecore and how it can benefit your organisation, we’d love to hear from you.
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