Umbraco vs Drupal: which CMS should you choose?

When it comes to choosing the right content management system (CMS), Umbraco and Drupal are often top contenders—especially for medium to large organisations looking for robust, flexible platforms.

Both are powerful, open-source solutions with loyal communities, but they cater to different needs and development requirements.

In this blog, we’ll break down the key differences between Umbraco and Drupal to help you decide which one might be the better fit for your project.

What is Umbraco?

Umbraco is a CMS built on the Microsoft .NET framework, using C# as its primary programming language. First released in 2004, it has steadily evolved into a flexible and developer-friendly platform which is well-suited to organisations already working within the Microsoft technology stack, as well as developers looking for a clean, intuitive user interface with strong customisation capabilities.

What is Drupal?

Drupal is a CMS which uses PHP as its primary language. Originally released in 2001 it is well-suited to government agencies, educational institutions, NGOs, and other organisations managing complex, content-heavy websites that require robust structure, scalability, and security.

Umbraco vs. Drupal: key differences

Ease of use

Often praised for its intuitive back-office interface, Umbraco features a clean design, user-friendly workflows, strong media handling and customisable dashboards.

In contrast, and whilst extremely powerful, Drupal has a much steeper learning curve—especially for content editors; and despite significant usability improvements in recent versions, its admin interface still lacks the modern, intuitive feel of Umbraco’s, with new users often requiring extensive training.

Flexibility and customisation

Known for being a developer-friendly CMS, Umbraco offers complete flexibility without enforcing a rigid content structure, effectively providing a blank canvas to build tailored, bespoke solutions. Built on .NET/C#, it also integrates seamlessly with enterprise systems and offers strong performance and scalability when developed with the right expertise.

In comparison, Drupal is known for its ability to manage complex content relationships and permissions (especially in multilingual environments) and has a vast ecosystem of contributed modules. That said, it often demands a strong technical foundation and deep familiarity with PHP.

Community and ecosystem

Umbraco has a vibrant and dedicated community, especially strong in Europe and within the .NET ecosystem. Supported by Umbraco Cloud (a managed hosting platform) its modern developer experience offers streamlined deployment, automated upgrades, and scalable hosting; whilst available packages tend to be well-maintained and of high quality.

Drupal, on the other hand, boasts a large open-source community and is used by high-profile organisations. Its extensive ecosystem includes tens of thousands of modules and themes, however the sheer scale of available options can introduce complexity, and module quality tends to vary.

Performance and scalability

Umbraco handles high traffic well, leveraging the scalability and performance of the .NET platform to support demanding, enterprise-grade applications. It integrates seamlessly with Microsoft Azure, enabling flexible cloud deployments, automated scaling, and secure DevOps workflows—making it a strong choice for enterprise environments.

Equally, Drupal is known for handling large-scale, high-traffic sites efficiently with advanced caching, CDN support, and flexible headless capabilities, however, its complexity and resource-intensive setup can slow down development.

Security

Based on .NET, Umbraco benefits from Microsoft’s robust security model, providing enterprise-grade protection and regular updates. The core CMS also has a good security record, whilst commercial support via Umbraco HQ adds an additional layer of assurance.

Drupal, in comparison, is widely recognised for its strong security, with its rigorous standards, regular audits and dedicated security team making it a popular choice for government and public sector websites. That said, its security setup can be complex and often requires significant maintenance.

Conclusion: which one is right for you?

Final thoughts

The right CMS ultimately depends on your team’s technology stack, the complexity of your content, and the long-term goals of your project.

Umbraco is ideal for teams working within the .NET ecosystem, offering a scalable, secure, and highly customisable platform with a clean, user-friendly editing experience; whilst its modern development workflow and seamless integration with Microsoft technologies make it especially appealing to organisations already invested in that stack.

Drupal, on the other hand, is well-suited to complex, content-heavy sites that require advanced permissions, multilingual capabilities, and flexible content modelling. It’s a powerful platform, but often demands more technical overhead and ongoing maintenance, particularly for teams who aren't already familiar with PHP.

Interested in hearing more?

Need help deciding between Umbraco and Drupal for your business? Get in touch with the 16i team.