Drupal Considers Marketplace for Site Templates with Open Source and Commercial Options

Drupal founder Dries Buytaert introduced the idea of an official marketplace for Site Templates during his keynote at DrupalCon Atlanta 2025. The concept, now under discussion by the Drupal CMS Leadership Team and the Drupal Association, is intended to make Drupal more accessible by offering pre-configured templates that users can download or purchase to launch websites more quickly.

Site Templates would bundle Drupal recipes, themes, design elements, and default content into complete starting points tailored to specific use cases. For example, a restaurant template might include menu management and reservation tools, while a nonprofit template could feature donation processing and event promotion. The proposed marketplace would let users find and install these templates, offering both open-source and commercial options.

Dries said that while open-source templates fit naturally with Drupal’s values, commercial templates could generate revenue to support platform maintenance, quality control, and user support. These commercial offerings would still respect Drupal’s open-source license. Code that interacts with Drupal APIs would remain under the GPL, while non-code assets such as images, fonts, and sample content could carry commercial licenses. Buyers would also be paying for services like documentation, support, and updates.

A major issue under discussion is whether it’s fair for template creators to profit while module and core contributors are not directly compensated. Dries acknowledged this concern, pointing out that while the situation is not new, the marketplace could make this dynamic more visible and create opportunities to better support and recognize foundational contributors.

The marketplace could also benefit digital agencies and freelancers. While some worry it might compete with custom services, Dries argued that templates won’t replace the consulting, design, and support work agencies offer. Instead, templates could attract smaller clients who may later need more complex solutions. Agencies could also earn revenue from selling templates and use them as marketing tools. The marketplace may include lead generation features, connecting buyers with template creators for paid customization and services.

At DrupalCon Atlanta, a follow-up session drew around 75 attendees who discussed licensing, sustainability, and implementation. Most participants rated the idea as highly impactful. A new #drupal-cms-marketplace Slack channel has been launched to continue the conversation.

A Marketplace Working Group led by Drupal Association Board Member Tiffany Farriss will now explore feasibility, funding, governance, and technical infrastructure. A decision is expected by DrupalCon Vienna in six months. The initiative remains open for community input.