Drupal or WordPress for CiviCRM

I got this very practical and common question from a client last week:

We know we want CivCRM. Should we use Drupal or WordPress, or maybe even something else?

Of course every situation is different. The more I know about what you want to achieve, the more I'll be able to recommend solutions specifically for you.

But let me answer this in very general terms:

CiviCRM itself works just fine under Drupal, WordPress and a couple of others. (You probably haven't heard of the others, and if you haven't, there's no real need to consider them.)

If you already know that one or another is going to be right for you for specific reasons, there's no reason not to go ahead.

But if you're just completely unsure, I'm almost certainly going to recommend WordPress.

For three reasons:

1. It's simpler to use.

CiviCRM is complex enough. Yes, Drupal can be a lot more flexible in the right hands, and if your team is already in love with Drupal there's no reason —none at all—not to go with it.

But if you're in the position to make this decision yourself, and you're asking this question, you will almost certainly be better off with the simpler approach of WordPress.

2. it's easier to maintain.

Drupal site maintenance includes working with composer on the command line over ssh.

If you know what that means and are comfortable with it, you may be comfortable keeping a Drupal site up to date with security releases and new versions.

Or, if you're outsourcing the entire maintenance of the site to someone who's familiar with Drupal, they'll do just fine.

But if you don't already have a preference, you will almost certainly be frustrated by the technical skills required for Drupal maintenance.

3. CiviCRM is the same under both systems.

There's virtually nothing you can do with CiviCRM under Drupal that you can't do under WordPress.

Almost all of my clients are using either WordPress or Drupal. A scant few use one of the others.

And I can't think of one case where I’ve wished a client was using Drupal instead of WordPress.

But I can think of a few who are using Drupal whose lives would just be easier under WordPress.

Believe me, when I discuss this with other tech-minded people in the CiviCRM community, the conversation is a lot more complex.

At the technology level, there are pros and cons either way.

But here's the thing:

When you have clear goals and measurable business outcomes that you're trying to achieve (and you do, right?), debates over technology are not the most important thing.

You need something that will get the job done, and fit your ability to use it well. There are no bad systems.

Focus on the outcomes, and pick the solution that's most likely to help you keep that focus, without needless distractions on technical minutiae.

All the best,
Allen