For years, Drupal has been a trusted choice for content management, offering powerful flexibility and scalability for large websites. In all honesty, we're a little biased—other platforms have felt a bit more limber for our creative needs, and we’ve frequently heard from clients wanting to switch to WordPress or another platform because Drupal felt too challenging. That said, we recognize Drupal has its place and has served many well. But with upcoming changes in its version support and development schedule, website owners and developers are now looking closely at their options. In this post, we’ll explore what’s happening with Drupal, the impact on current users, and why alternatives like WordPress and Webflow are becoming go-to solutions—especially Webflow.
Why Some are Moving Away from Drupal
Drupal has been around since 2001, providing a solid, open-source platform for managing complex websites. However, its flexibility comes with a steep learning curve and development demands. As more accessible platforms emerge, these challenges have become harder to overlook.
Drupal 10 will reach its end of life in 2026, with Drupal 12 set to debut around the same time. Moving forward, Drupal plans to release new major versions every two years on a regular cadence. While this approach aims to keep the platform current, it also means that version updates—and the associated costs and maintenance—will become more frequent for Drupal users.
With Drupal 7 reaching its end of life in early 2025 and Drupal 8 already unsupported, the need for regular upgrades is crucial for businesses still relying on the platform. The phase-out schedule for these versions poses challenges such as:
- Increased Maintenance and Security Concerns: Unsupported platforms are highly vulnerable to security risks. As support ends, keeping a Drupal site secure and up-to-date will become costly and labor-intensive.
- Developer Shortage: Drupal’s complexity requires developers with specialized knowledge. With fewer new developers learning Drupal, finding and hiring experienced Drupal developers will be increasingly difficult.
- Limited Flexibility for Modern Needs: Drupal lacks a built-in, user-friendly visual editor, and certain integrations with popular modern tools require extensive customization, making it hard for businesses to keep up with digital trends.
Exploring Alternatives: WordPress and Webflow
Drupal users don’t have to face these challenges alone; there are viable alternatives that cater to different needs and skill levels. Let’s look at two popular options, WordPress and Webflow, and how they compare.
Drupal users don’t have to face these challenges alone; there are viable alternatives that cater to different needs and skill levels. Let’s look at two popular options, WordPress and Webflow, and how they compare.
WordPress: An Established Powerhouse WordPress has been a leading CMS for nearly two decades, powering over 40% of all websites. It’s a flexible, open-source solution with a vast library of themes, plugins, and integrations. Here’s why it’s appealing:
- Flexibility and Customization: WordPress offers nearly endless customization options with its thousands of themes and plugins, making it ideal for users who want to personalize their site deeply.
- Large Community and Resources: WordPress’s popularity means it has a huge support community, extensive documentation, and resources for troubleshooting and development.
- Open Source but Cost-Effective: WordPress is technically free to use, though costs can add up with premium themes, plugins, hosting, and security add-ons.
While WordPress is a powerful alternative, it still shares some issues with Drupal. It can be vulnerable to security risks without regular maintenance, requires some technical skill for complex customizations, and often depends on plugins for advanced functionality, which can create compatibility issues.
Webflow: The Future of Modern Websites Webflow is rapidly gaining popularity for being an intuitive, no-code platform that combines the flexibility of a traditional CMS with a visual editor that’s ideal for non-technical users. Here’s why it stands out:
- User-Friendly Visual Editing: Webflow’s drag-and-drop interface lets users design and update their sites without coding. This intuitive approach makes it accessible for marketing teams and business owners who want control over their websites.
- All-in-One Platform: Webflow includes hosting, a powerful CMS, and e-commerce capabilities, meaning users don’t have to juggle multiple platforms for a seamless experience.
- Security and Stability: Webflow handles security and updates automatically, reducing maintenance hassles and keeping the site stable and secure.
- Responsive Design with Built-In Animations: Modern websites need to be responsive and engaging. Webflow’s designer allows users to create fully responsive sites with custom animations directly in the editor.
- Scalability for Businesses of All Sizes: Whether you’re building a small portfolio or an enterprise-level site, Webflow offers scalability, making it ideal for a variety of needs.
Embracing the Shift to a Modern CMS
Drupal has been a valuable tool for many, but as the landscape of web development evolves, it’s crucial to consider modern, sustainable alternatives. Whether you’re looking to build a sleek portfolio, a corporate site, or an e-commerce platform, Webflow’s flexibility, ease of use, and robust features make it an excellent choice. Embracing change and transitioning to Webflow could be the right move for businesses looking to future-proof their online presence without compromising on design or functionality.
