Developer Tools
Drupal
Open-source PHP content-management framework with modular site architecture.
What it is
Drupal is GPL-licensed open-source content-management software for structured content, permissions, multilingual sites and extensible web applications. Core has no license fee, but production use requires compatible PHP, database and web-server infrastructure plus disciplined Composer updates, contributed-module review, security monitoring and custom development.
Drupal pricing
Drupal does not publish a plan ladder we could verify. Free.
Prices read from the vendor's own pricing page on 2026-09-09. Vendors change plans without notice — check the source before you budget. Price verification log.
Key features
Content entities and fields
Models reusable structured content through configurable entity and field types.
Roles and permissions
Controls administrative and editorial actions by assigned user roles.
Modules and themes
Extends application behavior and presentation through core, contributed or custom packages.
JSON:API
Exposes supported entity resources through Drupal core's HTTP API module.
Strengths and trade-offs
What works well
- Structured content model: Core supports configurable content types, fields, taxonomies and display modes.
- Access controls: Roles and permissions can govern administrative and publishing capabilities.
- Extension ecosystem: Contributed modules and themes add functions beyond core.
- Core JSON:API: Supported entities can be exposed through Drupal's standards-oriented API module.
Where it falls short
- Operations are not free: Hosting, engineering, upgrades, backups and security response remain customer costs.
- Dependency governance: Composer, core, contributed modules, themes and custom code must remain compatible.
- Version support moves: Only supported core branches receive the relevant bug or security fixes.
- Server responsibility: Non-Apache deployments must recreate security behavior otherwise supplied through Drupal's .htaccess rules.
Who it is for
Organizations needing a customizable structured-content platform and able to fund ongoing PHP, Composer and Drupal engineering.
Pick it or skip it
Pick Drupal if
- Publishers who need a CMS with no licence fee — Drupal is GPL v2 or later
- Agencies that resell work: the project confirms selling Drupal, modules and themes is permitted
- Teams that want the right to modify and redistribute the code they run
Skip it if
- You want to keep your modifications proprietary — GPL requires distributing under the same terms
- You need vendor support included; the project charges nothing and provides no commercial SLA
- You are costing a project on licence alone: the software is free, hosting and build are not
Our verdict
Choose Drupal when its structured-content and extension model justifies a maintained application platform; budget operations and upgrade engineering separately from the zero-dollar core license.
Frequently asked questions
- How much does Drupal cost?
- Drupal is free to use. We verified this against the vendor's own page; see "What we checked" below for the date.
- Does Drupal have a free plan?
- Yes. Drupal is free to use at its base level.
- Who is Drupal best for?
- Organizations needing a customizable structured-content platform and able to fund ongoing PHP, Composer and Drupal engineering.
- What are the main drawbacks of Drupal?
- The trade-offs we noted: Operations are not free: Hosting, engineering, upgrades, backups and security response remain customer costs.; Dependency governance: Composer, core, contributed modules, themes and custom code must remain compatible.; Version support moves: Only supported core branches receive the relevant bug or security fixes..
- When should you not use Drupal?
- Skip Drupal if: You want to keep your modifications proprietary — GPL requires distributing under the same terms; You need vendor support included; the project charges nothing and provides no commercial SLA; You are costing a project on licence alone: the software is free, hosting and build are not.
What we checked
- Public APIOffers a documented API you can build against.Yes
- Mobile appHas a native app for iOS or Android, not just a mobile website.No
- Open source / self-hostableSource is open and the tool can be run on your own infrastructure.Yes
- SSO (SAML)Supports SAML single sign-on on at least one plan.No
“Not checked” means exactly that — we have not verified it, and we do not guess.
Evidence and freshness
Status: Open source, free — vendor page verifiedReviewed: 2026-09-09
- Drupal — Licensing ↗
Checked 2026-09-09 · Supports: Released under the GNU General Public License, version 2 or later (GPL v2+), "You are free to download, reuse, modify, and distribute any files hosted in Drupal.org's Git repositories under the terms of either the GPL version 2 or version 3", Selling Drupal, a Drupal module or a Drupal theme is explicitly permitted, under GPL v2 or later, No fees are stated anywhere on the licensing page
Limit: Vendor pricing page was reviewed by an editor on this date; this record is not a ToolCompare benchmark. Prices and limits change.
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Same job, different pricing. Verified starting price first.
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