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Looking for a great blogging platform? ContentRobot performed a head-to-head test of two popular, open-source software platforms: Drupal and WordPress. As a testament to these products, there was no clear-cut winner as each has their merits. Here are some of the criteria we used and our thoughts about each.
Installation
Drupal’s multi-step installation and database configuration is quite complex and technical, although adding modules later on can be as easy as dropping in some code into a simple prompt. WordPress installation is fairly simple and lightening quick, however, module implementation can be a bit difficult.
Winner: WordPress
Blog Template Design
WordPress and Drupal both have a bunch of ready-made templates that are designed to get you blogging right away, so the difference here lies in their customization. WordPress allows you to access and modify the CSS entirely within the browser window inside the dashboard. Drupal mods are done within administrative prompts and direct file manipulation. Either way you need to understand CSS (and maybe Dreamweaver) to make the most of your designs.
Winner: Tie
Taxonomy and Post Naming Conventions
Drupal allows you to easily create categories, yet to their naming will remain at taxonomy/1 unless you alias them in a a separate step. WordPress, on the other hand, allows you to add categories and it aliases them on-the-fly. Drupal now supports post’s smart naming that is native in WordPress. A nifty Drupal module (called taxonomy_context) can be implemented to provide breadcrumb navigation based on the taxonomy. Both platforms can implement tag cloud navigation with modules/plug-ins as well.
Winner: WordPress
Managing Users
WordPress allows you to create usernames, passwords, and access control of several levels from administrative rights to contributor status. Drupal takes that step further with a myriad of access possibilities for all aspects of the blog and its management.
Winner: Drupal
Managing Comments
Both platforms allow you to accept comments on posts on blogwide or single post basis, they can be made anonymously (or require registration), and can be setup to be moderated. While Drupal’s setup is a bit unwieldy, WordPress does a great job with the ability to email comments needing attention. WordPress also adds a native trackback feature where Drupal requires a module to be installed (called trackback).
Winner: WordPress
Writing Posts
Both platforms offer WYIWYG editors but we find in both cases neither editor is up to the task. The code they generate is often messy and the results inconsistent – not unlike Word gremlins, but annoying just the same.
Winner: None
Handling Imagery
Both platforms allow you to create an image library. However, inserting imagers (even using the WYSIWG editors) proves to be difficult because controlling their sizes and placement requires HTML knowledge.
Winner: None
Drupal Cool Tools
Things that Drupal does natively: adding forums and polls.
WordPress Cool Tools
Things that WordPress does natively: managing comment spam.
Bottom Line
Either platform would be a great choice, so it all boils down to your specific needs For more straightforward blogging, head on over to WordPress and get started. If you need to more customization and control, Drupal may be the way to go. The great thing is, that whichever way you lean, there is someone out there who has written a plug-in or module that can extend your fun even further. Take advantage of Drupal’s and WordPress support and blogs to get the most of our your platform.
Note: ContentRobot like to use Drupal for our blog-powered websites, and WordPress for blogs in most cases.
Tags: ContentRobot, blog, blogging, Drupal, WordPress