Companies Using Drupal
This page contains companies using Drupal, a free and open-source content management system written in PHP. We've analyzed 47,605 enriched companies to identify the brands that use Drupal for their web infrastructure, including global leaders like Deloitte, IBM, FedEx, Shell, Nokia, and the United Nations. This list of companies using Drupal includes detailed firmographic data, technology stack overlaps, customer migration patterns, and market insights to help sales and marketing teams identify prospects.
The websites using Drupal detected in our dataset reveal a platform with 2.57% market share and #11 ranking in the CMS category, but with unusual enterprise penetration (1.5% of users have 10,001+ employees). Our data includes usage statistics dating back to 2005, geographic and industry breakdowns, competitor analysis, and insights into the top companies using Drupal across government, nonprofit, higher education, and enterprise sectors. All data is current as of March 2026.
Published Mar 4, 2026 · Updated Mar 4, 2026 · Data analysed on March 4, 2026.
Drupal Usage Statistics
According to TechnologyChecker.io data, Drupal was first detected in July 2005 and experienced steady growth until peaking at 91,762 active domains in December 2024. Since then, active usage has declined to 72,746 domains by July 2025, a 20.7% drop in just seven months. This signals a shift away from traditional open-source CMS platforms toward modern website builders and headless architectures.
List of Companies Using Drupal
Download all 91,286 Drupal customers with full company data, or create a signal to track when companies start or stop using Drupal.
| Company | Detection URL | Domain | Country | Industry | Employees | Type | Founded | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ivsaapacore.aaps.deloitte.com | deloitte.com | United States | Business Consulting and Services | 10001+ | Privately Held | 1900 | https://linkedin.com/company/deloitte | |
| ibm.com | ibm.com | United States | IT Services and IT Consulting | 10001+ | Public Company | 1911 | https://linkedin.com/company/ibm | |
| hcltech.com | hcltech.com | United States | IT Services and IT Consulting | 10001+ | Public Company | 1998 | https://linkedin.com/company/hcltech | |
| siemens.com | siemens.com | Germany | Automation Machinery Manufacturing | 10001+ | Public Company | 1847 | https://linkedin.com/company/siemens | |
| investors.concentrix.com | concentrix.com | United States | IT Services and IT Consulting | 10001+ | Public Company | 1983 | https://linkedin.com/company/concentrix | |
| dev.supplychain.fedex.com | fedex.com | United States | Freight and Package Transportation | 10001+ | Public Company | 1973 | https://linkedin.com/company/fedex | |
| developer.shell.com | shell.com | United Kingdom | Oil and Gas | 10001+ | Public Company | 1833 | https://linkedin.com/company/shell | |
| canada.ca | canada.ca | Canada | Government Administration | 10001+ | Government Agency | 1867 | https://linkedin.com/company/government-of-canada | |
| ge.com | ge.com | United States | Industrial Machinery Manufacturing | 10001+ | Public Company | 1892 | https://linkedin.com/company/ge | |
| postalpro.usps.com | usps.com | United States | Government Administration | 10001+ | Nonprofit | 1776 | https://linkedin.com/company/usps |
Show 20 more Drupal using companies as demo data
| Company | Detection URL | Country | Industry | Employees | Type | Founded | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| hp.com | hp.com | United States | IT Services and IT Consulting | 10001+ | Public Company | 2011 | https://linkedin.com/company/hp | |
| investors.rtx.com | rtx.com | United States | Aviation and Aerospace Component Manufacturing | 10001+ | Public Company | — | https://linkedin.com/company/rtx | |
| orange.com | orange.com | France | Telecommunications | 10001+ | Public Company | 1988 | https://linkedin.com/company/orange | |
| walgreensbootsalliance.com | walgreensbootsalliance.com | United States | Retail Pharmacies | 10001+ | Public Company | 2014 | https://linkedin.com/company/walgreens-boots-alliance | |
| cvshealth.com | cvshealth.com | United States | Hospitals and Health Care | 10001+ | Public Company | 1963 | https://linkedin.com/company/cvshealth | |
| education.gouv.fr | education.gouv.fr | France | Government Administration | 10001+ | Government Agency | — | https://linkedin.com/company/ministere-education-nationale | |
| bk.com | bk.com | United States | Restaurants | 10001+ | Public Company | 1954 | https://linkedin.com/company/burger-king | |
| ideas.ubs.com | ubs.com | Switzerland | Financial Services | 10001+ | Public Company | 1862 | https://linkedin.com/company/ubs | |
| investors.lockheedmartin.com | lockheedmartin.com | United States | Defense and Space Manufacturing | 10001+ | Public Company | 1912 | https://linkedin.com/company/lockheed-martin | |
| apiportal.axisbank.com | axisbank.com | India | Banking | 10001+ | Public Company | 1994 | https://linkedin.com/company/axis-bank | |
| nokia.com | nokia.com | Finland | Telecommunications | 10001+ | Public Company | 1865 | https://linkedin.com/company/nokia | |
| verizon.com | verizon.com | United States | IT Services and IT Consulting | 10001+ | Public Company | 1983 | https://linkedin.com/company/verizon | |
| bayer.com | bayer.com | Germany | Chemical Manufacturing | 10001+ | Public Company | 1863 | https://linkedin.com/company/bayer | |
| inside-our-products.loreal.com | loreal.com | France | Personal Care Product Manufacturing | 10001+ | Public Company | 1909 | https://linkedin.com/company/lor%c3%a9al | |
| atos.net | atos.net | France | IT Services and IT Consulting | 10001+ | Public Company | 1997 | https://linkedin.com/company/atos | |
| novartis.com | novartis.com | Switzerland | Pharmaceutical Manufacturing | 10001+ | Public Company | 1996 | https://linkedin.com/company/novartis | |
| investor.northropgrumman.com | northropgrumman.com | United States | Defense and Space Manufacturing | 10001+ | Public Company | 1939 | https://linkedin.com/company/northrop-grumman-corporation | |
| zoningresolution.planning.nyc.gov | nyc.gov | United States | Government Administration | 10001+ | Government Agency | — | https://linkedin.com/company/nyc-department-of-education | |
| un.org | un.org | United States | International Affairs | 10001+ | Nonprofit | 1945 | https://linkedin.com/company/united-nations | |
| randstad.com | randstad.com | Netherlands | Human Resources Services | 10001+ | Public Company | 1960 | https://linkedin.com/company/randstad |
There are 91,286 companies and websites using Drupal, sign up to download the entire Drupal dataset.
- Deloitte — Global consulting firm
- IBM — Technology and IT services leader
- FedEx Corporation — Package transportation and logistics
- Shell Group — Oil and gas multinational
- Government of Canada — National government portal
- United Nations — International organization
- Nokia — Telecommunications equipment manufacturer
- Verizon Communications — US telecom provider
- L'Oréal Group — Beauty and cosmetics company
- Novartis — Swiss pharmaceutical manufacturer
Which Countries Use Drupal the Most?
Which countries use Drupal the most? TechnologyChecker.io's analysis shows the United States leads with 12,190 customers (25.6% of all Drupal users), followed by France with 3,787 customers (8.0%) and Germany with 3,129 (6.6%). Belgium punches above its weight with 2,640 customers, likely driven by EU government and institutional websites in Brussels. English-speaking countries (US, UK, Canada, Australia) collectively account for roughly 37% of all Drupal installations.
Drupal Market Share Among CMS
What is Drupal's market share? Drupal currently holds 2.57% of the CMS platform market, ranking #11 in its category with 91,286 total customers detected across our database. While this places Drupal far behind leaders like Squarespace (18.42%) and Wix (17.87%), its presence among established institutions gives it a stable but declining niche.
Top Competitors by Market Share
Drupal Customers by Company Size & Age
Is Drupal only for enterprise? While 63.5% of Drupal users are small teams with 1-10 employees, the platform shows unusual enterprise penetration with 1.5% of users employing 10,001+ people. This enterprise percentage is significantly higher than most CMS platforms, where large organizations typically represent less than 0.5% of users. Mid-market adoption is solid, with 14.5% in the 11-50 range and 9.7% in the 51-200 bracket.
Company Size Distribution
Company Age (Founded Decade)
What Industries Use Drupal the Most?
Drupal's industry distribution reveals its strength in the public and nonprofit sectors. Government Administration leads at 3.55% of all customers, followed immediately by Non-profit Organizations at 3.49%. Higher Education ranks fifth at 2.99%, rounding out what can only be described as the public sector trifecta. IT Services (3.22%) and Construction (3.06%) round out the top five.
Government organizations using Drupal include federal agencies, municipal websites, and international bodies like the United Nations and Government of Canada. Higher education institutions on Drupal span universities, research centers, and educational government departments like France's Ministry of Education. The platform's security credentials and accessibility compliance make it a natural fit for these regulated environments.
Drupal Alternatives & Competitors
Drupal competes in a crowded CMS field dominated by website builders and hosted platforms. Squarespace (18.42% market share) and Wix (17.87%) hold the top two positions with their user-friendly, all-in-one approaches. GoDaddy Website Builder (10.33%) and WordPress.com Hosting (6.2%) represent the mid-market, while Joomla (3.15%) is Drupal's closest open-source peer. Drupal's 2.57% share reflects its positioning as a specialized tool rather than a mass-market product.
| Technology | Domains | Market Share |
|---|---|---|
| 653,387 | 18.42% | |
| 634,023 | 17.87% | |
| 366,591 | 10.33% | |
| 219,851 | 6.2% | |
| 111,637 | 3.15% |
Drupal Customer Migration
Migration data from our 47,605 enriched companies shows Drupal gaining customers from traditional CMS platforms while losing ground to modern website builders. Drupal has gained 2,827 customers from Joomla while losing only 872 to it, a 3.2:1 ratio that suggests consolidation among open-source CMS users. However, Drupal has lost 2,910 customers to Wix and 2,708 to Squarespace while gaining only 663 and 665 from them respectively. This bidirectional churn indicates small businesses are abandoning Drupal's complexity for simpler platforms, while traditional CMS users are moving up to Drupal's enterprise features.
| Competitor | Gained | Lost | Net |
|---|---|---|---|
+2,827 | -872 | +1,955 | |
+663 | -2,910 | -2,247 | |
+665 | -2,708 | -2,043 | |
+791 | -502 | +289 | |
+212 | -714 | -502 |
Tech Stack of Drupal-Powered Websites
Technology stack analysis across 47,605 enriched companies reveals that 69.82% of Drupal users run Google Analytics, one of the highest overlap rates we've seen for any CMS platform. This reflects the serious, tracked nature of Drupal websites. 50.25% use Global Site Tag and 37.87% still use Google Universal Analytics, showing some lag in upgrading to GA4. For marketing automation, 4.79% use MailChimp and 2.75% use HubSpot. JavaScript frameworks include GSAP (8.24%), Vue (7.42%), and AngularJS (6.1%). Ecommerce adoption is modest, with only 7.35% running cart functionality and 3.39% using WooCommerce.
Web Analytics
Marketing Automation
JavaScript Frameworks
E-Commerce
Live Chat
Drupal Customer Reviews with Pros and Cons
G2 reviews highlight Drupal's strengths in customizability, customer support, and flexibility, with users praising the active open-source community and ability to build tailored solutions. However, the cons consistently mention learning difficulty, complex coding requirements, and expensive hosting costs. The steep learning curve and upgrade challenges make Drupal a poor fit for teams without dedicated technical resources, but those who master it gain access to an enterprise-grade content management system that can handle complex multilingual, multi-site deployments at scale.
Generated from real user reviews on G2
- Users value the customer support available for Drupal, backed by helpful resources and an active open-source community.(2 reviews)
- Users value Drupal's customizability, which allows tailored solutions for a wide range of web development needs.(2 reviews)
- The customization options in Drupal enable purpose-built solutions with strong functionality and intuitive management.(2 reviews)
- Users appreciate Drupal's easy setup process, which supports quick launches and efficient content management.(2 reviews)
- Drupal's flexibility and power as an open-source platform enables efficient website management and easy integrations.(2 reviews)
- Users report learning difficulty with Drupal due to its complex initial setup and steep learning curve for beginners.(2 reviews)
- Some users face upgrade difficulties with Drupal, as infrequent enhancements can complicate ongoing site maintenance.(2 reviews)
- Drupal's complex coding requirements can be intimidating for new builders, especially when creating custom modules.(1 reviews)
- The overall complexity of Drupal can be daunting for newcomers due to its extensive feature set and module integration.(1 reviews)
- Users flag expensive hosting costs and complex resource requirements as a downside of running Drupal in production.(1 reviews)
Expert Analysis: Drupal Growth Trends & Key Signals for Sales Teams in 2026

Drupal occupies a fascinating position in the CMS market as the platform of choice for institutions that value security and complexity over simplicity. Our dataset of 47,605 enriched companies using Drupal reveals a product in transition, losing ground among small businesses while maintaining a defensible position in government, higher education, and enterprise sectors where its strengths align with non-negotiable requirements.
Growth Trajectory and Market Position
Drupal's usage history tells a story of steady institutional adoption followed by recent contraction. First detected in our data in July 2005, the platform experienced consistent growth through 2024, peaking at 91,762 active domains in December 2024. Since then, we've observed a sharp 20.7% decline to 72,746 domains by July 2025. This seven-month drop suggests acceleration of a trend we've been tracking: migration from traditional open-source CMS platforms to modern website builders and headless architectures.
At 2.57% market share and #11 in the CMS category, Drupal trails far behind leaders like Squarespace (18.42%) and Wix (17.87%). However, market share percentages obscure what makes Drupal unique: its enterprise penetration. While 63.5% of Drupal users are small 1-10 employee teams, an extraordinary 1.5% employ 10,001+ people. Most CMS platforms see enterprise organizations represent less than 0.5% of their user base. This distribution indicates Drupal serves two distinct markets with minimal overlap: freelance developers building sites for local organizations, and IT departments at major institutions managing mission-critical digital properties.
Sales Signal: The 20.7% domain decline since December 2024 means thousands of organizations are actively evaluating alternatives. Target companies still running Drupal with migration-related messaging, or position your product as a complement that helps them get more value from their existing Drupal investment before they decide to leave.
Customer Profile and Ideal User
The typical Drupal customer, according to our data, is a small team (1-10 employees) in the United States, France, or Germany, founded in the 2010s. However, this statistical profile masks the platform's true strength among established institutions. An unusually high 13.27% of Drupal users were founded before 1960 — the highest proportion we've seen for any CMS platform. These are government agencies, universities, and multinational corporations with decades of accumulated digital infrastructure and content.
Industry distribution makes Drupal's positioning crystal clear. Government Administration leads at 3.55%, immediately followed by Non-profit Organizations at 3.49% and Higher Education at 2.99%. This public sector trifecta accounts for over 10% of all Drupal users and defines the platform's core market. These organizations share common requirements: accessibility compliance (WCAG), security certifications (FISMA, FedRAMP), multilingual content management, complex user permissions, and the ability to maintain sites for decades rather than rebuild them every few years.
Sales Signal: The 13.27% of Drupal users founded before 1960 are institutional buyers with established procurement budgets and long technology cycles. These organizations plan purchases 12-18 months ahead and respond to compliance-focused messaging, not feature comparisons. Position your product around security certifications, accessibility standards, and long-term support commitments.
Industry and Geographic Concentration
Geographic distribution shows Drupal's strength in Western democracies with strong public institutions. The United States leads with 12,190 customers (25.6%), followed by France (3,787, 8.0%), Germany (3,129, 6.6%), and the United Kingdom (2,834, 6.0%). The fifth position is revealing: Belgium with 2,640 customers, despite having a fraction of these larger countries' populations. This Belgian concentration almost certainly reflects EU government institutions, international organizations, and NGO headquarters in Brussels choosing Drupal for multilingual official websites.
Company age distribution reinforces the institutional thesis. While 28.22% were founded in the 2010s (the digital transformation decade), 13.27% predate 1960 and 21.32% date to the 2000s. Old organizations that have survived for generations tend to prioritize stability, security, and longevity over modern user experience. They're building digital infrastructure meant to last 20 years, not marketing sites that get redesigned every 18 months. Drupal's architecture philosophy aligns with these institutional timeframes in ways that rapid-iteration platforms like Squarespace fundamentally don't.
Sales Signal: Belgium's outsized Drupal adoption (2,640 customers despite its small population) points directly to EU institutions and international organizations in Brussels. If your product serves government or international bodies, filter TechnologyChecker.io data by Belgium + Drupal + Government Administration to surface a concentrated cluster of high-value institutional prospects.
Migration Patterns and Competitive Dynamics
Customer migration data from TechnologyChecker.io reveals Drupal's dual role as both destination and departure point. The platform has gained 2,827 customers from Joomla while losing only 872 to it — a 3.2:1 gain ratio that indicates consolidation among open-source CMS users. TYPO3 shows similar patterns (791 gained vs. 502 lost). These traditional PHP-based platforms are losing users to Drupal as organizations realize they need enterprise features that only Drupal's maturity provides.
However, the migration story reverses with modern website builders. Drupal has lost 2,910 customers to Wix (gained only 663) and 2,708 to Squarespace (gained only 665). These 4:1 loss ratios signal small businesses and nonprofits abandoning Drupal's complexity for platforms where non-technical staff can manage content without developer support. This bidirectional churn is creating a barbell distribution: Drupal is simultaneously moving upmarket toward enterprise while losing the lower end of its market to consumer-grade tools. This isn't necessarily unhealthy — it may represent the market correctly segmenting itself.
Sales Signal: The 3.2:1 gain ratio from Joomla means thousands of organizations recently migrated to Drupal and are in active technology consolidation mode. Target these recent switchers with complementary tools (hosting, security monitoring, analytics) while they're still building out their new stack. Conversely, the 4:1 loss ratio to Wix and Squarespace identifies organizations actively leaving Drupal — they need migration services, data export tools, and simpler alternatives.
Technology Environment and Stack Analysis
Drupal's technology environment reveals professional, analytics-driven organizations. An extraordinary 69.82% of Drupal users run Google Analytics — one of the highest overlap rates we've measured for any CMS platform. For context, many website builders see analytics adoption below 40%. This indicates Drupal sites aren't vanity projects; they're business-critical properties where traffic, conversions, and user behavior matter enough to instrument carefully. 50.25% use Global Site Tag and 37.87% still run Google Universal Analytics, suggesting some lag in upgrading to GA4 but also organizational processes that prevent jumping on every new platform immediately.
Marketing automation adoption sits at 4.79% for MailChimp and 2.75% for HubSpot — modest numbers that reflect Drupal's government and nonprofit concentration. These organizations do less email marketing than commercial companies and often face procurement restrictions on SaaS tools. JavaScript framework usage shows modernization in progress: 8.24% use GSAP, 7.42% run Vue, and 6.1% still use AngularJS. The persistence of older frameworks reflects long-lived code bases maintained over years rather than constantly rewritten.
Ecommerce adoption is notably low, with only 7.35% running cart functionality and 3.39% using WooCommerce. Drupal has its own ecommerce solution (Drupal Commerce), but low adoption across the board indicates most Drupal sites aren't transactional. They're informational portals, knowledge bases, publishing platforms, and content repositories — exactly what government, education, and nonprofit organizations need.
Sales Signal: The 69.82% Google Analytics overlap is one of the highest for any CMS, but marketing automation sits below 5%. This gap means Drupal organizations measure website performance seriously but haven't invested in converting that traffic. Email platforms, marketing automation tools, and conversion optimization services that meet government procurement standards have a clear opening with this audience.
Key Takeaways for Marketing and Sales Teams
From a CMO perspective, the Drupal market presents a clear segmentation opportunity. There are two distinct Drupal buyers with almost nothing in common:
Segment 1: Institutional Drupal — Government agencies, universities, international organizations, and established enterprises with pre-1960 founding dates. These buyers prioritize security certifications, accessibility compliance, long-term support, and structured content management. They have IT departments, procurement processes, and requirements documents. Sales cycles are long, budgets are defined, and decisions involve committees. These organizations will use Drupal for another decade because replacing it would require years of migration work.
Segment 2: Agency/Freelance Drupal — Small web development shops (1-10 employees) building sites for local clients. These users compete with WordPress developers and Squarespace designers. They're price-sensitive, prefer open-source solutions, and value flexibility. This segment is declining as their clients migrate to managed platforms where monthly fees replace developer relationships.
If you're selling to Drupal users, focus on Segment 1 with products that integrate into enterprise workflows: analytics platforms, marketing automation that meets government security standards, accessibility testing tools, hosting with compliance certifications, and development services for major version migrations. Don't waste resources trying to sell consumer SaaS to this market — they can't buy it even if they want to.
Sales Signals and Targeting Strategies
TechnologyChecker.io data provides several high-intent signals for targeting Drupal users. Companies running outdated Drupal versions (still on Drupal 7 or 8) face mandatory upgrades and represent prime opportunities for hosting providers, development agencies, and migration consultants. Organizations that recently added Google Analytics 4 show digital maturity and budget availability — they're investing in their web presence. Drupal sites with low marketing automation adoption but high traffic represent opportunities for email platforms that meet government security requirements.
Geographic targeting should prioritize Brussels, Ottawa, Washington DC, Paris, and London where government and international organization concentration is highest. Industry filters should focus on Government Administration, Higher Education, Non-profits, and Financial Services where Drupal's security credentials are non-negotiable requirements. Company age filters should target organizations founded before 1980 with established digital properties and modernization budgets.
The migration data suggests a specific play: target Joomla and TYPO3 users with "enterprise CMS consolidation" messaging. These platforms are losing users to Drupal at 3:1+ ratios, indicating dissatisfaction and active shopping. A campaign offering "Migrate from Joomla to Drupal in 90 days" would hit companies already halfway through their buying journey.
Final Assessment
Drupal is a platform in managed decline at the small business level but stable entrenchment at the institutional level. The 20.7% drop in active domains over seven months looks alarming until you realize most of that churn is micro-businesses migrating to Wix. Meanwhile, organizations like the United Nations, Government of Canada, and IBM aren't switching to Squarespace anytime soon. They've invested millions in Drupal customizations, trained staff on its workflows, and built integrations that would take years to replicate elsewhere.
For B2B companies, the Drupal market offers a well-defined, stable customer base with specific needs and procurement budgets. These aren't impulse buyers clicking "upgrade now" buttons — they're organizations that plan multi-year technology roadmaps and issue RFPs for six-figure contracts. If your product aligns with government, education, or enterprise requirements and you understand procurement processes, Drupal users on TechnologyChecker.io represent some of the most qualified leads available in the CMS market.
Use our platform to filter by Drupal version, company size, industry, and technology stack overlaps. Download enriched company lists with decision-maker contacts, LinkedIn profiles, and technology installation dates. Track when organizations add or remove technologies to identify buying windows. That's how you turn market data into revenue.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who uses Drupal?
Drupal is used by 91,286 companies worldwide, including Deloitte, IBM, HCLTech, based on our analysis of 50M+ crawled domains at TechnologyChecker.io. It's particularly popular in the Government Administration industry (3.55% of customers).
How many customers does Drupal have?
Drupal has 91,286 active customers detected through our monthly crawl of 50M+ domains. We enriched 47,606 of these with LinkedIn company data on TechnologyChecker.io to generate detailed insights. An additional 251,588 sites that previously used Drupal are also tracked.
What is Drupal's market share?
Drupal holds 2.57% of the CMS market, ranking #11 in the category — based on our analysis of 50M+ domains and 40K+ technologies at TechnologyChecker.io.
What are the best alternatives to Drupal?
The top alternatives to Drupal include Squarespace (18.42% market share), Wix (17.87% market share), GoDaddy Website Builder (10.33% market share), WordPress.com Hosting (6.2% market share) — based on our market share data across 50M+ crawled domains.
Which countries use Drupal the most?
United States leads with 12,190 Drupal customers, followed by France (3,787), Germany (3,129), United Kingdom (2,834), Belgium (2,640), based on our enriched company data at TechnologyChecker.io.
What size companies use Drupal?
The most common company size is 1-10 employees, representing 63.5% of Drupal customers, based on our analysis of 47,606 enriched companies. This is followed by 11-50 employees (14.5%) and 51-200 employees (9.7%).
How old are companies that use Drupal?
The majority of Drupal customers were founded in the 2010s (28.22%), followed by the 2000s (21.32%), based on our analysis of 47,606 enriched companies. This suggests Drupal is most popular among relatively young companies.
What is the ideal customer profile for Drupal?
The ideal Drupal customer is: Company Size: 1-10 employees, Location: US, France, or Germany, City: New York, Paris, London, Brussels, Founded: 2010-2019, Company Age: ~10-15 years old — based on our analysis of 47,606 enriched companies at TechnologyChecker.io.
Is Drupal a CMS platform?
Yes, Drupal is a free and open-source content management system (CMS) written in PHP. It was first released in 2001 by Dries Buytaert and has evolved into one of the most powerful enterprise CMS platforms available. Drupal excels at managing complex content architectures with multilingual support, advanced user permissions, and flexible taxonomy systems. It's particularly popular among government agencies, universities, and large organizations that need strong security and scalability for mission-critical websites.
Is Drupal the same as PHP?
No, Drupal isn't the same as PHP, though it's built using the PHP programming language. PHP is a server-side scripting language used to create dynamic web applications, while Drupal is a complete content management framework written in PHP. Think of PHP as the building material and Drupal as the finished structure. Drupal uses PHP to provide a full-featured CMS with database abstraction, theming systems, module architecture, and administrative interfaces that allow non-technical users to manage website content without writing code.
Who still uses Drupal?
Drupal is still widely used by government agencies, universities, nonprofits, and large enterprises that require strong security and complex content management. Our data shows 91,286 active Drupal installations, with Government Administration (3.55% of users), Non-profit Organizations (3.49%), and Higher Education (2.99%) leading adoption. Notable users include the United Nations, Government of Canada, IBM, Nokia, and FedEx. While small businesses have migrated to simpler platforms like Wix and Squarespace, Drupal remains the go-to choice for organizations with strict compliance requirements and sophisticated multilingual needs.
Is Drupal harder than WordPress?
Yes, Drupal has a steeper learning curve than WordPress. G2 reviews consistently cite Drupal's "complex coding requirements" and "learning difficulty" as top challenges for new users. WordPress prioritizes ease of use with visual page builders and intuitive interfaces, while Drupal requires more technical knowledge to configure content types, views, and permissions. However, this complexity translates to greater flexibility and control. Organizations with dedicated development teams can build highly customized solutions in Drupal that would be difficult to replicate in WordPress without extensive custom development.
Why use Drupal over WordPress?
Choose Drupal over WordPress when you need advanced content architecture, enterprise-grade security, or complex multilingual/multi-site management. Drupal excels at structured content with custom content types, relationships, and taxonomies that WordPress handles less elegantly. Government agencies and enterprises select Drupal for its rigorous security track record and granular user permissions. The platform also offers superior multilingual capabilities out of the box and can manage dozens of related sites from a single installation. If you're building a simple blog or brochure site, WordPress is easier; for complex institutional websites, Drupal's architecture provides a stronger foundation.
What are the disadvantages of Drupal?
Drupal's main disadvantages include a steep learning curve, higher hosting costs, complex upgrade paths, and limited availability of non-technical resources. G2 reviews highlight "learning difficulty" and "expensive hosting costs" as top concerns. Drupal requires more server resources than lightweight CMS options, driving up infrastructure expenses. Major version upgrades often require significant rebuilding rather than simple updates. The platform also demands developers with specialized Drupal knowledge, which can be scarce and expensive compared to WordPress developers. For small teams without technical staff, these challenges often outweigh Drupal's enterprise capabilities.
Is Drupal free to use?
Yes, Drupal core software is completely free and open-source, released under the GNU General Public License. You can download, install, modify, and distribute Drupal without paying licensing fees. However, the total cost of ownership includes hosting infrastructure, development time, custom module development, ongoing maintenance, and potential professional support services. While the software itself costs nothing, organizations typically spend significantly on implementation and support. Hosting requirements are more demanding than simpler CMS platforms, and you'll likely need experienced Drupal developers for configuration and customization, which adds to the overall investment.
Is Drupal good for enterprise websites?
Yes, Drupal is excellent for enterprise websites, which explains why 1.5% of its users employ 10,001+ people (compared to <0.5% for most CMS platforms). Its architecture supports complex organizational structures with advanced user roles, workflow management, and content governance. Enterprise users like IBM, Deloitte, and FedEx choose Drupal for its security credentials, scalability, and ability to integrate with existing enterprise systems. The platform handles high traffic loads, supports sophisticated caching strategies, and offers extensive APIs for connecting to CRM, ERP, and marketing automation tools. For large organizations with technical resources, Drupal provides the control and flexibility enterprise requirements demand.
What is Drupal used for?
Drupal is used for government portals, university websites, nonprofit sites, corporate intranets, publishing platforms, and complex multilingual web applications. Government agencies use it for transparency portals and citizen services that require accessibility compliance and security. Universities deploy Drupal for academic department sites, research databases, and student information systems. Media organizations build publishing workflows with editorial calendars and content scheduling. Corporations use Drupal for knowledge management systems and customer-facing microsites. The platform's flexible content modeling makes it ideal for any project where content relationships, user permissions, and data structure matter more than quick setup and simplicity.
How long has Drupal been around?
Drupal was first released in 2001 by Dries Buytaert, making it over 24 years old. The platform originated as a message board for Buytaert and friends before evolving into a general-purpose CMS framework. Our dataset shows Drupal detections beginning in July 2005. Major versions have included Drupal 6 (2008), Drupal 7 (2011), Drupal 8 (2015), Drupal 9 (2020), and the current Drupal 10 series. This longevity gives Drupal a mature collection of contributed modules, established best practices, and a proven track record for mission-critical applications that newer platforms can't match.
Is Drupal secure?
Yes, Drupal has a strong security reputation and is trusted by government agencies and enterprises with strict compliance requirements. The Drupal Security Team actively monitors vulnerabilities, releases security advisories, and provides patches for both core software and contributed modules. However, security depends heavily on proper configuration, regular updates, and following best practices. Outdated Drupal installations can be vulnerable, as seen in past exploits targeting sites that didn't apply security patches promptly. When properly maintained, Drupal meets stringent security standards including FISMA, HIPAA, and PCI DSS compliance requirements that government and healthcare organizations demand.
What industries use Drupal the most?
Government Administration (3.55%), Non-profit Organizations (3.49%), IT Services and IT Consulting (3.22%), Construction (3.06%), and Higher Education (2.99%) are the top five industries using Drupal. This industry distribution reflects Drupal's strength in public sector and institutional environments where security, accessibility, and complex content management take priority over ease of use. Financial Services (2.93%), Real Estate (2.43%), Software Development (2.35%), Retail (2.31%), and Hospitals and Health Care (2.19%) round out the top ten. These sectors share common needs for structured content, regulatory compliance, and multilingual support that align with Drupal's core capabilities.
Based on 47,606 company data
These insights include all TechnologCchecker.io detections of Drupal (free & paid plans).