Did all Drupal 7 Websites Jump to WordPress? Josh Koenig Answers

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Co-founder and Chief Strategy Officer of Pantheon, Josh Koenig recently published an article that explores the transition of websites from Drupal 7 to other platforms. He highlights WordPress as the most popular destination for former Drupal 7 sites. Data from BuiltWith shows that of the 800,000+ sites that once ran on Drupal 7, nearly 300,000 migrated to WordPress, with only about 50,000 upgrading to a modern version of Drupal. 

A significant number, around 230,000, continue to operate on Drupal 7, likely to stay put even as community support ends in 2025. This choice to remain or migrate reflects different motivations, with some organizations opting for the stability of Drupal 7 and relying on Long-Term Support options, while others are drawn to WordPress’s user-friendly nature and extensive plugin ecosystem.

The shift to WordPress over Drupal highlights a broader evolution in content management system (CMS) preferences and market dynamics. Since its early days, WordPress has evolved from a blogging tool to a full-featured CMS, appealing to both small businesses and enterprise users with its scalable, low-code capabilities. Meanwhile, Drupal 8’s pivot towards enterprise capabilities, adopting Symfony and complex development practices, made it more challenging for general users and required a total rebuild for Drupal 7 users. The decision not to maintain backward compatibility in Drupal 8 created a choice for Drupal 7 users: stick with Drupal’s enterprise path or opt for WordPress, which offers easier migration and familiar usability.

The divergence of Drupal and WordPress reflects their distinct target markets. Drupal has cemented itself as an enterprise solution, especially for complex, content-heavy sites that require advanced customization, while WordPress has established itself as the primary choice for general websites and marketing-driven digital experiences. As both platforms continue to advance, Drupal’s Starshot initiative and enterprise appeal position it well for organizations seeking a powerful content hub, while WordPress dominates the market for versatile, approachable CMS solutions. This market shift underscores the flexibility that open-source options bring, allowing organizations to select the best path for their long-term digital needs.

Disclosure: This content is produced with the assistance of AI.

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https://pantheon.io/blog/where-did-all-drupal-7-sites-go

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