Drupal vs Webflow: A Detailed Comparison (2025)
When it comes to building and managing websites, Drupal has long been a popular choice for those looking for a robust content management system (CMS). According to Built With, there are 463,000+ websites using Drupal
Webflow, on the other hand, offers not only powerful CMS capabilities but also an all-in-one web design platform that empowers designers and developers alike. Built With claims there are 960,000 customers using Webflow.
In this blog, I’ll compare Drupal and Webflow across several key areas:
- Ease of Use
- CMS Capabilities
- Pricing Plans
- Available Tools, Apps, and Integrations
- Templates and Themes
- SEO Capabilities
- Available Resources and Community
- Use of AI
By the end, you'll have a clearer understanding of which option might be the better fit for your specific website needs.
Let’s take a closer look at these builders.
{{cta}}
Drupal vs Webflow: A Quick Comparison
Before I delve deeper into the features of each, here’s a quick comparison of the two solutions.
Ease of Use
- Webflow offers an intuitive, visual interface that's user-friendly, although there’s some learning curve.
- Drupal's steep learning curve requires more technical expertise.
CMS Capabilities
Both platforms provide powerful CMS features, but they are slightly different
- Webflow integrates design and content management seamlessly.
- Drupal is more customizable but complex.
Pricing Plans
- Webflow’s pricing is tiered based on project needs
- Drupal itself is free but requires additional costs for hosting, maintenance, and development.
Available Tools, Apps, and Integrations
- Webflow integrates with a wide range of third-party tools easily, and offers an app ecosystem
- Drupal offers extensive modules and plugins but may require more technical configuration
Templates and Themes
- Webflow provides a wide array of ready-to-use templates
- Drupal has more flexibility in theme customization but fewer out-of-the-box design options.
SEO Capabilities
Both platforms are highly capable in terms of SEO.
- Webflow offers built-in SEO tools, along with the option to integrate some external solutions.
- Drupal provides advanced SEO options through modules.
Available Resources and Community
- Webflow’s has a large community but also a range of guides, videos, and more created by the Webflow team.
- Drupal also has a large, active developer community with extensive documentation.
Use of AI
- Webflow is slowly beginning to integrate AI for features like design suggestions
- Drupal relies more on third-party AI tools through custom implementations.
-
Who Should Use Drupal?
- Government websites with a high volume of documents or complex content management needs.
- Educational institutions, such as colleges and universities, requiring detailed course catalogs, faculty pages, and extensive content structures.
- Media organizations managing large databases of content, including articles, multimedia, and archives.
- Communities or membership-based websites with complex user permissions and engagement features.
Drupal is ideal for organizations like governments and schools that need highly customizable, scalable content management with advanced capabilities, such as managing extensive documentation, multiple users, and complex content workflows.
Who Should Use Webflow?
- Enterprises seeking scalable, visually appealing websites with agile updates for marketing and branding.
- Marketing teams and businesses looking for fast, responsive websites focused on lead generation and customer conversions.
- Businesses that require sites optimized for SEO and user experience to drive sales and engagement.
- Designers who want creative freedom with no-code design tools that enable complete control over website aesthetics.
- Marketers needing a flexible platform to manage content without relying on developers, enhancing speed-to-market.
Webflow is more suitable for business-oriented users, offering tools that seamlessly extend a company's marketing, branding, and customer acquisition strategies while allowing easy management of visually-driven, high-performing websites.
Ease of Use + Interface Overview
Webflow and Drupal offer different approaches—one designed for a smooth, visual experience and the other built for developers seeking flexibility and complexity.
Yet, this doesn’t mean that Webflow lacks flexibility or that Drupal isn’t smooth with right plugins. Let’s take a closer look.
Webflow Ease of Use and Interface
Webflow is designed with user-friendliness in mind, especially for designers, marketers, and businesses that prefer a visual interface. Its drag-and-drop editor enables users to create professional-grade websites without needing to write code. The clean, intuitive interface allows for quick customization, content management, and responsive design.
While Webflow is optimized for marketers and non-technical users, it also offers advanced features like custom code integration, making it highly flexible for developers.
This means that you’ll still need some support form devs to make the website the best possible and utilize all Webflow features, such as integrations (some of which require APIs). I mean, this is still much lower rate of engagement compared to many other complex builders and CMSs, where even the slightest change relies on dev help.
Drupal Ease of Use and Interface
Drupal, while highly powerful, has a steeper learning curve and is geared more toward developers and technically proficient users. The interface is not as intuitive as Webflow’s, and it often requires custom development or the use of modules to achieve desired functionalities.
The admin dashboard focuses on managing content, users, and site configurations but may feel cumbersome for beginners. However, for those familiar with content management systems or who need to handle complex site architectures, Drupal offers flexibility and control.
CMS Capabilities in Drupal and Webflow
Both Drupal and Webflow have extensive CMS capabilities. While Drupal is more focused on the standard content management options, Webflow is focused on the CMS features that work the best within their solution.
Webflow CMS Capabilities
- Visual content editor: Create and manage content in a visual, real-time editor.
- Customizable content types: Define custom collections for dynamic content like blogs, portfolios, and products.
- CMS-driven templates: Design and build pages automatically based on CMS content.
- Collaborative content management: Allow multiple team members to edit content with role-based permissions.
- Content scheduling: Schedule when content goes live or is removed.
- SEO tools: Built-in options for meta tags, alt text, automatic sitemaps, and canonical tags.
- Responsive design: Manage content that adapts seamlessly across devices.
- API access: Retrieve and manipulate CMS data with Webflow’s CMS API.
- No-code functionality: Users can manage and update content without any technical expertise.
- E-commerce integration: Manage product catalogs and related content with a CMS that integrates with Webflow’s e-commerce features.
-
Drupal CMS Capabilities
- Custom content types: Define highly specific and flexible content types with advanced fields and structures.
- Content versioning: Track and manage multiple versions of content with rollback capabilities.
- Advanced user permissions: Granular control over who can create, edit, or delete content.
- Multilingual support: Built-in capabilities to create content in multiple languages.
- Content moderation: Set up workflows for content approvals, publishing, and user roles.
- Taxonomy system: Manage complex categories, tags, and relationships between content types.
- Scalable content management: Ideal for managing large-scale websites with thousands of pages and users.
- API-first architecture: Highly flexible integration with other systems and custom APIs.
- Third-party module support: Extend functionality with thousands of contributed modules.
- Document and media management: Powerful tools for managing large volumes of media and files.
Webflow and Drupal Pricing Plans
Webflow offers a more predictable, all-in-one pricing structure, while Drupal’s pricing can vary widely depending on the complexity and scale of the website.
Webflow Pricing Plans
Webflow follows a transparent, tiered pricing model with predefined plans that cater to different business sizes and needs. Plans start at $14 per month for basic sites and go up depending on the level of features, storage, and traffic needs.
For businesses and enterprises, higher-tier plans offer additional CMS items, custom code integration, and advanced SEO options. Webflow’s pricing is generally predictable, and the cost scales as the complexity and size of the website grow. However, the pricing includes hosting, which simplifies managing expenses.
Check our detailed guide on Webflow pricing.
Drupal Pricing Plans
Drupal, on the other hand, is an open-source platform and technically free to use. However, the costs associated with building and maintaining a Drupal site can add up quickly. These include hosting fees, custom development, security updates, and maintenance.
As your site scales, you may need a team of developers to manage the complexity, which can lead to significant costs, especially for large-scale, feature-rich websites.
In the long run, Drupal can become as expensive as Webflow when factoring in development, hosting, and ongoing maintenance costs.
Available Apps and Plugins
Both Webflow and Drupal offer extensions that can enhance your workflow and your overall website and CMS experience. Let’s see how they work.
Webflow Apps
Webflow Apps provide users with the ability to expand the platform’s core functionality without needing extensive coding. These apps enable enhancements in areas such as interactivity, content management, and membership sites, making it possible to create more dynamic, personalized experiences for website visitors.
Whether it's adding custom filtering, integrating advanced analytics, or managing subscriptions, Webflow Apps empower users to implement features beyond the standard toolkit. These integrations are designed to be easy to implement, making them accessible to non-technical users while still offering flexibility for those with more advanced needs.
Many external integrations can be added using API but don’t have a Webflow app per se.
It’s also important to mention that Webflow Apps are all vetted by the Webflow team, as Webflow is not open-source. It means that all apps need to go through a thorough review before they become available in the marketplace.
Drupal Plugins (Modules)
Drupal modules are pieces of code that extend the core functionality of a Drupal website, similar to plugins in other content management systems. They allow users to add new features or customize existing ones without having to modify the core Drupal system itself.
Modules can provide anything from simple tools like adding a new field type for forms to complex functionalities like managing user roles, content workflows, or e-commerce operations.
Many of Drupal’s modules are community-created and contributed, reflecting the platform’s open-source nature. Drupal has an active community of developers who build, maintain, and share these modules for free, contributing to Drupal’s extensive ecosystem. These contributed modules are available on Drupal.org, and anyone can download and use them to add functionality to their site.
- Core Modules: These come pre-installed with Drupal and provide basic site functionality like managing content, users, and layouts. Examples include modules for content editing, navigation menus, and search features.
- Contributed Modules: These are created by the community and can be downloaded and installed to extend Drupal’s functionality. Popular areas they cover include SEO, e-commerce, social media integration, and advanced content filtering.
Templates and Themes for Drupal and Webflow
Both options offer templates (themes), but the Drupal ones are more aimed at developers.
Webflow Templates
Webflow offers a large library of pre-designed, fully customizable templates that allow users to quickly launch visually stunning websites. These templates cater to various industries and use cases, such as e-commerce, portfolios, blogs, and business sites. Unlike Drupal, Webflow’s templates are designed to be easily customizable through the platform’s drag-and-drop editor, making it accessible to both designers and non-technical users. These templates can be easily connected to the Webflow CMS.
Each Webflow template is fully responsive, ensuring that websites look great on all devices. The platform’s visual design tools enable users to modify every aspect of a template, from fonts and colors to layout and animations, without writing any code. Webflow also allows users to start from a blank canvas, providing designers with total creative control to build unique, brand-specific websites from scratch.
The majority of Webflow templates are paid.
Drupal Themes
Drupal offers a flexible yet developer-focused approach to themes and templates. Themes in Drupal define the visual appearance of a website, while templates control the layout and structure of specific content types or pages. The platform provides a wide variety of community-contributed themes that can be customized to fit specific design requirements. Many of these themes are responsive, ensuring compatibility across devices, but most themes require developer expertise for customization.
Drupal’s themes are built using Twig, a templating engine that allows developers to create reusable layouts and designs. While there are free themes available, many organizations opt for custom themes to meet their unique needs. This means Drupal offers nearly unlimited design flexibility but often requires a skilled team to achieve a polished, unique user experience.
SEO Capabilities
No matter whether you choose Webflow or Drupal, you’ll get great SEO capabilities. Most of Webflow’s features are built-in, whereas Drupal features SEO modules. That said, you can also use some of the Webflow SEO apps that are part of it’s ecosystem.
Webflow SEO
Webflow is designed with built-in SEO tools that are easy to use, making it highly accessible for marketers, designers, and businesses. The platform allows users to optimize websites for search engines without needing to dive into complex configurations or custom coding. Key SEO features include:
- Customizable meta tags: Easily add and edit page titles, meta descriptions, and open graph tags for social sharing.
- Clean, semantic code: Webflow automatically generates clean, SEO-friendly code, which helps with search engine crawling and indexing.
- Automatic sitemaps: Webflow generates and updates sitemaps automatically, ensuring search engines have access to all the pages on your site.
- Alt text for images: Easily add alt text to images for better accessibility and image search optimization.
- SSL certificates: Webflow includes free SSL certificates for all websites, boosting security and search engine rankings.
- Canonical tags: Webflow allows users to add canonical tags to avoid duplicate content issues.
- 301 redirects: Set up 301 redirects directly in the platform to ensure smooth navigation and preserve SEO rankings when URLs change.
- Fast loading times: Webflow’s hosting and code optimization lead to faster load times, which is crucial for SEO rankings.
Drupal SEO
Drupal offers powerful SEO capabilities, but much of it comes from customizable modules rather than built-in features. Key features include:
- Customizable meta tags: Using Drupal modules, site owners can add and manage meta tags, including titles, descriptions, and Open Graph tags.
- Advanced taxonomy system: Drupal's flexible taxonomy system allows for complex content categorization, improving site structure and helping search engines understand content relationships.
- Modules for SEO management: Drupal relies on modules like Yoast SEO and Metatag for advanced SEO management, giving developers full control over technical SEO settings.
- Content hierarchy and structure: Drupal is well-suited for managing large-scale content-heavy websites, offering strong internal linking and content categorization for SEO-friendly architecture.
- XML Sitemaps: With the use of modules, Drupal can generate customizable XML sitemaps, which help search engines index large, complex websites effectively.
Available Resources for Webflow and Drupal
Here’s what you can find regarding education materials, and other resources for Webflow and Drupal.
Webflow Resources
Webflow offers a wide variety of user-friendly resources, making it accessible for users of all skill levels, from total beginners to experienced designers and developers. Key resources include:
- Webflow University: A comprehensive learning platform offering free courses, tutorials, and video lessons that guide users step-by-step through building and optimizing websites. These courses cover everything from the basics of using Webflow to advanced design and development techniques.
- Official documentation: Webflow provides detailed documentation to help users understand the platform's features, workflows, and integrations.
- Community forum: An active forum where users can ask questions, share advice, and collaborate on projects.
- Templates and showcase: A library of templates and a showcase of user projects to inspire and guide users through real-world examples.
Drupal Resources
Drupal, known for its technical flexibility, provides a deep reservoir of resources for developers, content managers, and site administrators. These include:
- Extensive technical documentation: Drupal has a large body of official, in-depth documentation covering all aspects of the platform, from installation and configuration to developing custom modules and themes.
- Drupal community: The Drupal community is one of the most active and collaborative in the open-source world, offering forums, discussion groups, and events (such as DrupalCon) to support users at all levels.
- Community-contributed guides and tutorials: Many experienced Drupal developers and agencies share tutorials, blog posts, and how-to guides, providing insight into best practices and advanced customizations.
- Issue queues and support: Drupal.org provides access to issue queues, where users can track bugs, contribute to discussions, and receive technical support from the community.
Use of AI in Drupal and Webflow
Webflow is still experimenting with AI capabilities, gradually incorporating AI-driven features to enhance website design, content creation, and automation, although these are in the early stages. It has recently acquired Intellimize and is working on several features that will be incorporated into Webflow Designer.
On the other hand, Drupal does not have native AI capabilities, but its flexible architecture allows developers to integrate AI tools through custom modules or third-party services if needed. While Webflow is exploring AI, both platforms currently rely on external solutions for advanced AI functionalities.
Conclusion
In the comparison between Drupal and Webflow, both platforms excel in different areas, making them suitable for distinct types of users and projects.
Webflow is best for businesses and enterprises looking for a user-friendly, marketing-driven platform, while Drupal is better suited for organizations needing intricate content management systems such as government and universities.
If you’re not able to make up your mind about whether Webflow is the right choice for you, feel free to schedule a call.
{{cta}}
The 2024 Playbook for Website Customer Acquisition
After helping 200+ clients skyrocket their conversions, we've created an in-depth marketing guide for turning websites into sales drivers.
in mind?
Talk with our team and learn how your ideas can become digital experiences.
Suggested articles
Recent articles
Webflow, design and productivity tips
Just tips, no sales or offer emails ever.