Linux.com: Drupal vs. WordPress - Which is better for blogging?

Submitted by Bryan on March 26, 2007 - 1:46am
Last week, Linux.com posted an article titled, Drupal vs. WordPress - Which is better for blogging?
How do Drupal and WordPress, the leading content management systems for blogging, compare for the average user? To find out, Linux.com used a preconfigure Drupal site from Bryght and a free site from WordPress.com to set up two similar sites. We compared the interfaces, the basic tasks of customizing a site, adding content, managing comments and spam, and reading site statistics, as well as the other available options. A pattern soon emerged. Consistently, Drupal offered more fine-tuning and tools for managing multiple blogs, while WordPress, although less configurable than Drupal, proved easier to use and navigate.
The article doesn't compare the "out of the box" CMS, but actually preconfigured sites from Bryght for Drupal and Wordpress.com from well the folks who brought you Wordpress.org. Much of what you see at Bryght is Drupal with various modules, however Wordpress.com isn't just Wordpress with plug-ins. In fact, Wordpress.com actually doesn't use Wordpress the application but instead uses Wordpress MU with a code base that is different from Wordpress the application.

My point is simply that the author isn't really comparing so much the two blogging CMS but instead is comparing two services (Bryght and Wordpress.com) along with two different blogging CMS (Drupal and Wordpress MU). This fact shouldn't diminish the value of the article, but I believe it's something that should have been made clearer to the reader. While I would recommend the article as a comparison of services I can't help but point readers interested in comparisons between the actual applications to look elsewhere. Perhaps, readers might be interested in one of the longest running forum threads I know at Drupal.org: Wordpress vs Drupal; what's in a reputation?
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Aaargh!

Submitted by Boris Mann (not verified) on March 27, 2007 - 3:50am.
This is what happens when you go off to a conference... So, yeah, the Bryght Basic profile is a) in Preview Release mode and b) not finished and c) not targetted / optimized for blogging. Worpress is *clearly* better for blogging...it's a blogging tool. Anyway, off to make some factual corrections.

Boris, always glad to hear

Submitted by Bryan on March 27, 2007 - 5:19pm.
Boris, always glad to hear from you.  I too had a number of issues with the article.  A good analogy would be the comparison of DirecTV services on a satellite TV receiver with services provided by XM Radio on a satellite radio receiver.  Sure...both services are delivered via satellite...but the receiver is intended to deliver different functions to different audiences. 

 

I have written about this

Submitted by Leon (not verified) on March 27, 2007 - 10:07am.
I have written about this from my point of view. Drupal does have some advantages from WordPress!

Yes, you have written a good

Submitted by Bryan on March 27, 2007 - 5:21pm.
Yes, you have written a good comparison.   Though...possibly a little bit slanted in Drupal's favor...but we all have our favorites don't we.  Thanks for the link.

Hi, i think wordpress is

Submitted by Freeware Eugen (not verified) on May 22, 2007 - 4:04pm.
Hi, i think wordpress is good for one man blogging , drupal (one from the best cms) for community blogging. PS: wordpress is simply bloging tool and perfect for blogger-beginner :)

Wordpress is better for

Submitted by Helen (not verified) on May 26, 2007 - 9:50am.
Wordpress is better for blogging IMO.

As I newcomer to blogging

Submitted by Berlin (not verified) on May 27, 2007 - 11:51pm.
As I newcomer to blogging tools (Mambo/Joomla user), I find Drupal powerful and easier to customize than wordpress. Drupal, however, separates blogging and story. And only story can have categories.

Both platforms are really

Submitted by themegarden.org (not verified) on July 16, 2007 - 4:46am.
Both platforms are really great. If you need simplicity, WP could be an answer. If you need flexibility, drupal should be your choice.

Both are great

Submitted by Jose (not verified) on July 25, 2007 - 10:22pm.
I've been using Wordpress for quite a while and Drupal for a few months. The obvious thing is that Drupal is far more customizable and better put together as a CMS engine. The sites I've accomplished with Drupal are a far cry from a blog (music management, events, full blown profiles for users, several types of memberships, complex taxonomy, etc). But the question at hand is which would be better for the average user. Even assuming that the average user is one non-tech-savvy, I would be hesitant to argue that the CMS needs are similar all through the average range. Many bloggers have personal sites that are not meant to expand. Other bloggers have plans to incorporate features as they go. In that sense I would recommend Wordpress for people that don't want anything other than your standard run-of-the-mill blog. Wordpress has the advantage of being meant exclusively for blogging, which makes things more intuitive around the menus. Plus, the main plugins out there handle just about anything the hands-off spectrum of the average user may need. Drupal is far more customizable, also harder to setup. For example, it makes you install more modules for things you would expect out-of-the-box from a blog CMS. This is because Drupal is not primarily a blog CMS, just an awesome CMS capable of handling blogs. With Drupal you will encounter things that will make you miss Wordpress, such as lack of notifications when new comments arrive, and a counterintuitive summary of comments awaiting approval. Although I'm sure there are solutions for this (gotta look for a module or code one). To summarize, my recommendation: - Wordpress for standard blogging - Drupal for sites that require fine tuning and foresee expansion Also, I have a comment on a previous comment. "Drupal, however, separates blogging and story. And only story can have categories." That is not accurate. Drupal is extremely flexible, both in content types and taxonomy. If you are finding a limitation then you are just not familiar enough with the extensive library of modules and how to use them properly. I would recommend research on the CCK, Views, and ConTemplate modules, for starters.