Drupal vs Unbounce: guide for 2024

Final verdict

Drupal and Unbounce both offer unique strengths, making them suitable for different types of users and purposes.

Drupal (Overall Grade: 6.4/10)

is a highly flexible and powerful open-source content management system. It excels in creating complex websites with custom functionalities, making it ideal for developers and organizations needing extensive customization. Drupal’s vast array of modules and themes, along with its strong community support, make it a versatile choice for various types of websites, from personal blogs to government sites. However, its steep learning curve and need for technical expertise can be challenging for beginners.
Unbounce (Overall Grade: 6.4/10)

is a user-friendly website builder focused on creating high-converting landing pages, popups, and sticky bars. It is particularly favored for its ease of use, drag-and-drop interface, and strong emphasis on optimizing conversion rates. Unbounce integrates seamlessly with numerous marketing tools and analytics platforms, making it an excellent choice for marketers looking to capture leads and launch campaigns quickly. However, it lacks the depth of ecommerce features and customization options that Drupal offers.

	Overall grade: 6.4	Overall grade: 6.4
Design functionalities & templates	7.8	7.8
Ease of use	5.4	8.2
Ecommerce	7.5	4.8
Website Editors	7.5	7.5
Product testing options	7.1	6.6
Price	5.7	7.0
Hosting quality	0	3.9
Website speed optimization	6.4	5.6
Plugins and integrations	8.6	6.8
Marketing features	8.0	7.4
Customer support	6.7	7.7
Security	8.3	8.4
AI capabilities	7.5	7.5
User Management	9.1	7.2

Best for ecommerce

7.5

4.8

Verdict

: Drupal is better suited for comprehensive ecommerce solutions, while Unbounce excels in creating high-converting landing pages with ecommerce integrations.

Drupal

: Known for its flexibility and extensive ecommerce features, Drupal is ideal for businesses that require a robust and customizable ecommerce platform. It offers a wide range of modules and themes, making it suitable for complex ecommerce needs. However, it has a steep learning curve and may require extensive customization.
Unbounce

: Specializes in creating, testing, and optimizing landing pages for conversions. While it integrates well with ecommerce platforms like Shopify and Ecwid, it lacks in-depth ecommerce features. Unbounce is perfect for businesses focusing on conversion optimization rather than comprehensive ecommerce functionalities.

Best for informational & business websites

7.5

5.9

Verdict

: When it comes to Drupal vs Unbounce for informational and business websites, Drupal stands out due to its flexibility and extensive customization options, while Unbounce excels in ease of use and conversion-focused design.

Drupal

: Drupal is a robust open-source CMS that offers unparalleled flexibility and extensibility, making it ideal for complex informational websites. With a wide range of modules and themes, it can be tailored to meet specific business needs. However, its steep learning curve may be a barrier for beginners. Drupal scores 7.5 in this category, reflecting its strong capabilities for creating versatile and feature-rich websites.
Unbounce

: Unbounce is designed for creating high-converting landing pages, popups, and sticky bars, making it a powerful tool for marketing-focused informational sites. Its user-friendly drag-and-drop interface and integration with various marketing tools make it easy to design and optimize pages without coding. However, its focus on landing pages limits its versatility for broader informational website needs. Unbounce scores 5.9, indicating its niche strength in conversion optimization but limited scope for comprehensive informational sites.

Detailed comparison

7.8

🏆

Winner: Tie.

Both Drupal and Unbounce offer a wide range of design functionalities and templates, making them both excellent choices depending on your specific needs.

Drupal, as a highly flexible and powerful content management system, offers a vast array of templates and designs to cater to virtually any website need. With thousands of themes available, users can choose from minimalist designs, industry-specific layouts, and highly customizable multipurpose themes.

Drupal Themes

On the other hand, Unbounce provides a gallery of over 100 high-converting templates for landing pages, popups, and sticky bars. These templates are designed with conversion in mind, incorporating knowledge and insights gained from Unbounce’s experience in optimizing landing pages.

Unbounce Themes

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5.4

8.2

🏆 Winner: Unbounce

. With a score of 8.2, Unbounce is known for its user-friendly interface and intuitive drag-and-drop builder, making it easy for users to design and customize landing pages. On the other hand, Drupal, scoring 5.4, is a powerful platform for building complex websites and applications, but its flexibility comes with a steep learning curve, especially for beginners.

Learning Resources

🏆 Winner: Drupal

. Both platforms offer solid learning resources, but Drupal provides a wealth of resources, including extensive official documentation, a vibrant community forum, and a variety of online courses and tutorials. Unbounce also offers a rich collection of learning resources, but Drupal’s resources are more comprehensive and cater to a wider range of user expertise levels.

Learn Drupal

Learn Unbounce

7.5

4.8

When it comes to ecommerce, Drupal and Unbounce offer different approaches. Drupal, with its Drupal Commerce module, provides a comprehensive ecommerce solution that integrates seamlessly with its content management system. It offers features like product management, shopping cart, payment gateway integration, and customizable workflows. However, it has a steep learning curve and may require extensive customization to meet specific ecommerce needs.


Ecommerce themes and templates	7.8	2.0
Product page customization	8.3	3.0
Payment processing and commissions	7.5	6.5
POS capabilities	5.5	0.0
Payment gateways	7.7	7.0
Product numbers	7.0	0.0
Additional ecommerce features	8.0	4.5

Drupal ecommerce features:

Shopping Cart and Checkout Process
Payment Gateway Integration
Order Management and Invoicing
Tax Calculation and VAT Support
Shipping and Fulfillment
Promotions and Discounts
Reporting and Analytics
Security and Compliance

On the other hand, Unbounce stands out for its ability to create, test, and customize highly targeted ecommerce landing pages. It features a wide array of tools for conversion optimization, including A/B testing and Smart Traffic insights. However, it lacks in-depth ecommerce features and relies on integrations with other ecommerce solutions like Shopify and Ecwid.

Unbounce ecommerce features:

Shopify, Ecwid, or and other ecommerce solutions integration

Ecommerce themes & templates

Drupal offers a wide array of ecommerce themes designed to cater to different types of online stores. These themes are built with responsiveness in mind, ensuring that stores function seamlessly across various devices. Themes like Fiora, DrupalMag, and Storefront highlight the diversity available, offering customization options to match the unique needs of each business. Unbounce, however, primarily focuses on building landing pages and does not have ecommerce specific templates.

Product page customization

Drupal offers extensive customization possibilities for product pages through its modular architecture, allowing for detailed content types, flexible displays with Views, and theme customizations. The Drupal Commerce module enriches ecommerce functionalities, enabling tailored product management, checkout flows, and payment systems. Unbounce, on the other hand, does not have the possibility to create or customize product pages, it’s primarily focused on building landing pages, with the possibility to integrate with ecommerce platforms such as Shopify or Ecwid.

Payment processing

Drupal supports a wide range of payment gateways through third-party modules, including popular ones like PayPal, Stripe, and Authorize.Net. These modules enable seamless integration for ecommerce functionalities on Drupal sites. Unbounce supports payment processing through an integration with Stripe, allowing users to create landing pages that can handle transactions directly. Unbounce itself does not mention charging additional fees for transactions, implying that fees are subject to Stripe’s own pricing structure.

7.5

🏆

Winner: Tie

. Both Drupal and Unbounce scored 7.5 for their website editors, indicating a similar level of quality and functionality.

Drupal editor

Drupal’s editor, integrated through modules such as CKEditor, offers a wide range of features tailored for content creation and management. It supports rich text editing and is highly customizable, allowing administrators to configure toolbars and options according to the needs of their site. However, it can be challenging for beginners due to its wide range of features and customization options.

Unbounce website editor

Unbounce’s editor, on the other hand, is equipped with a user-friendly drag-and-drop interface, enabling users to design and customize landing pages without the need for coding skills. It offers a variety of templates, widgets, and elements, and supports responsive design. However, it has a steeper learning curve for new users due to its advanced features.

Mobile editor/app

🏆

Winner: None

. Both Drupal and Unbounce do not offer a dedicated mobile editor app.

Drupal is an open-source content management system (CMS) known for its flexibility and extensibility, enabling developers to create complex websites with custom functionalities. However, it does not have a dedicated mobile editor app, which can limit its accessibility and convenience for users who prefer to manage their websites on the go.

Unbounce, on the other hand, is a powerful, user-friendly website builder specifically designed for creating custom landing pages, popups, and sticky bars. It is particularly favored for its strong focus on optimizing conversion rates. However, like Drupal, Unbounce does not offer a dedicated mobile editor app, which can be a drawback for users who need to make quick edits or monitor their landing pages while away from their desktop.

In conclusion, while both Drupal and Unbounce offer robust features and capabilities for website and landing page creation, the lack of a dedicated mobile editor app is a significant limitation for both platforms.

7.1

6.6

Overall Result

:

Drupal wins

. Drupal scores 7.1, while Unbounce scores 6.6 in product testing options. Drupal, being an open-source CMS, offers a free version but no trial version or premium features testing. Unbounce, on the other hand, does not have a free version but offers a 14-day free trial with the possibility to test premium features. However, it requires users to enter their billing information for the free trial and does not offer a money-back guarantee.


Free Plan	Yes (open-source software)	No
Trial Duration	No	14 days
Testing Premium Features	No	Yes, during the 14-day free trial
Money Back Guarantee	Not applicable	No

5.7

7.0

Unbounce offers a range of price plans, while Drupal is free but requires separate purchases for domain, hosting, and website builder subscriptions.

	Offerings	Offerings
$90-$100	No offering at this amount.	Build ($99.00/month): Provides tools for building and launching high-converting landing pages, unlimited pages, popups, sticky bars, a form builder, free hosting, AI copywriting, custom scripts, 1,000+ integrations, support for 1 root domain with unlimited subdomains, catering up to 20,000 monthly unique visitors. Value for price: 6.5
$100-$200	No offering at this amount.	Experiment ($149.00/month): Includes everything in the Build plan plus unlimited A/B tests, advanced reporting, dynamic text replacement, support for 2 root domains, and up to 30,000 monthly unique visitors. Value for price: 7.5
$200-$300	No offering at this amount.	Optimize ($249.00/month): Adds to the Experiment plan with AI traffic optimization, visitor behavior insights, advanced targeting, supports 3 root domains, and caters to up to 50,000 monthly unique visitors. Value for price: 8.0
$600+	No offering at this amount.	Concierge (Starting at $649/month): Offers everything in the Optimize plan plus dedicated support, implementation services, client and user management, flexible add-on plans for scaling, starting with 5 root domains and 100,000 monthly unique visitors, with options to scale.

In some cases companies have different prices based on various components like a
location. As a result in rare cases the prices displayed here can differ from the ones you see on their
websites.

3.9

Winner: Unbounce

. Unbounce provides hosting as part of its service, offering a high uptime of 99.96%. Drupal, on the other hand, does not provide hosting directly, leaving the choice of hosting type and provider to the user. This flexibility can be advantageous for experienced developers, but it can also be a challenge for beginners.


Do they offer hosting?	No	Yes
Data Centers:	Depends on hosting provider	Not disclosed
Type of hosting:	Depends on hosting provider	Not specified
Uptime:	Depends on hosting provider	99.96%
Uptime Guarantee:	Depends on hosting provider	No

6.4

5.6

🏆 Winner: Drupal

Both Drupal and Unbounce have their own strategies for website speed optimization. However, Drupal’s open-source nature and extensive guides and tutorials give it an edge over Unbounce.


Focus	Extensive guides and tutorials	Image optimization, Caching, Speed Booster
Performance Tools	Various Drupal modules	Unbounce’s built-in tools
Key Strategies	Users can optimize almost all aspects	Image optimization, Caching, Speed Booster
Load Times	Varies depending on optimization and website complexity	Varies depending on optimization and website complexity
Page Speed Scores Range	Varies depending on optimization and website complexity	Varies depending on optimization and website complexity
Core Web Vitals Improvement	Depends on users	No information provided

Drupal, an open-source CMS, offers numerous guides and tutorials on speed optimization, allowing users to optimize almost all aspects of their website. The load times and PageSpeed scores vary depending on the optimization and website complexity. The Core Web Vital improvements depend on the users.

Unbounce, a website builder, focuses on image optimization, caching, and speed booster for speed optimization. The load times and PageSpeed scores also vary depending on the optimization and website complexity. Unbounce does not provide any information on their Core Web Vital improvements.

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8.6

6.8

🏆 Winner: Drupal.

With a score of 8.6, Drupal outperforms Unbounce, which scores 6.8. Drupal’s extensive range of over 51,000 modules, which are mostly free and open source, gives it a significant edge over Unbounce’s 50+ apps and integrations. Drupal’s modules extend the platform’s capabilities beyond its core features, enabling functionalities like advanced SEO tools, e-commerce solutions, and custom content types and fields.

Unbounce’s integrations, while fewer, also extend its base capabilities significantly, allowing for advanced analytics, enhanced marketing automation, direct e-commerce transactions, and personalized user engagements. However, Drupal’s larger community, greater number of modules, and higher score make it the winner in this category.

Drupal Applications

Drupal modules

Unbounce Applications

Unbounce apps and integrations

8.0

7.4

🏆

Overall Winner: Drupal

. Drupal stands out for its flexibility and extensibility, enabling developers to create complex websites with custom functionalities. Unbounce is strong in creating custom landing pages, popups, and sticky bars, ideal for optimizing conversion rates.


SEO Tools
Email Marketing
Blogging
Social Media Integration
Analytics and Reporting
Ads and Promotions

6.7

7.7

🏆 Winner: Unbounce

. In the Drupal vs Unbounce comparison, Unbounce takes the lead with a higher customer support score of 7.7. Unbounce offers a variety of support options, including live chat, email, and phone support, available Monday to Friday from 6 AM to 6 PM PST. Additionally, users can access 24/7 support through their Help Centre, Community, and Chat Bot, ensuring continuous assistance.

Drupal, with a customer support score of 6.7, provides a comprehensive range of support options, including community support through Drupal.org and professional 24/7 support services via providers like Drupal Connect. While Drupal’s community support is robust, the professional support services are often provided by third-party providers, which may not be as seamless as Unbounce’s integrated support system.

For enterprise-level support, Unbounce excels with its concierge enterprise plan, offering dedicated customer support, personalized training, and optimization sessions. Drupal, on the other hand, does not have a specific enterprise support plan, which may be a limitation for larger organizations seeking tailored assistance.

8.3

8.4

🏆

Winner: Unbounce

. Unbounce slightly edges out Drupal with a security score of 8.4 compared to Drupal’s 8.3. Unbounce’s security measures include achieving PCI Level 4 Merchant status, adhering to GDPR, implementing robust disaster recovery strategies, and undergoing regular external security audits. The platform employs a secure, multi-tenant environment with strict access controls and daily data backups to safeguard customer information.

Drupal, on the other hand, is an open-source CMS that requires users to configure the system securely, including using HTTPS and setting up a private file system. It also emphasizes website security through regular updates for both its core and contributed modules, alongside offering robust configuration options for enhanced protection. Drupal’s proactive security approach is bolstered by a dedicated security team that continuously works on identifying and fixing vulnerabilities.

7.5


AI Builder		Unbounce’s Smart Builder uses AI for landing page creation
AI Ecommerce features	AI-enhanced chatbots, content creation, marketing automation
AI Content Generation	AI Connect module for content generation and SEO optimization	Smart Copy tool for generating various types of content
Additional AI Features	AI-based search enhancements, content personalization	Smart Traffic for visitor direction, Conversion Intelligence Insights for landing page effectiveness

🏆 Winner: Tie

. Both Drupal and Unbounce have a score of 7.5 for their AI capabilities. Drupal’s AI capabilities are integrated across various functionalities, enhancing e-commerce through chatbots, content creation, marketing automation, and cognitive services. Unbounce, on the other hand, uses AI in its Smart Builder to optimize landing page creation and includes AI content generation features and additional AI features like Smart Traffic and Conversion Intelligence Insights.

9.1

7.2

🏆 Winner: Drupal

. Drupal’s flexible permission and role system allows for an unlimited number of users to manage and edit a website, only constrained by server capacity and practical management considerations. Administrators can create various roles, such as “Editor” or “Administrator”, each with customized permissions. There’s no inherent limit in Drupal on the number of users with administrative or editing capabilities, enabling extensive collaboration and content management possibilities.

On the other hand, Unbounce offers one staff account on its basic plan, with the option to expand up to 15 accounts on the premium plan. It also provides customizable permissions, enabling you to restrict or grant access based on roles such as viewer, author, and administrator.

Drupal User Roles and Access Levels:

Role	Description	Access Highlights
Editor	Users responsible for content creation, editing, and publishing.	Can create, edit, delete, and publish content; can also manage comments.
Moderator	Users focused on site moderation, including comment and user management.	Can approve or delete comments, block users, and manage reported content.
Administrator	Users with full access to all administrative features of the site.	Can change site configuration, manage all content, users, permissions, and install modules/themes.

Unbounce User Roles and Access Levels:

Role	Description	Access Highlights
Viewers	Members of your team who want to view and approve pages, popups, or sticky bars before publication.	Can access pages, popups, sticky bars, stats, and leads. Cannot edit/manage pages or access account management, billing details, domains, or add users.
Authors	Designers or copywriters invited to edit landing pages.	Can edit, manage, publish/unpublish pages, popups, sticky bars. Have access to viewing leads and stats. Cannot access account management, billing details, domains, or add users.
Administrators	Manage the Unbounce account, including billing details.	Can edit, manage, publish/unpublish pages, popups, sticky bars. Can access account management, billing details, domains, and add users. Cannot delete leads or remove other Admins.

Additional Features


SSL Certificate
Custom Domain
Free Custom Domain Included
International Domains
Mobile Responsive
Page Speed
Website Builder Mobile App
Convert a Website To An App
Website Analytics
Multilingual Sites
Multiple Users

User Feedback

Drupal

415 reviews

3.8 out of 5 stars

Unbounce

359 reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars

Users appreciate Drupal for its ease of use, security, and flexibility as an open-source CMS, highlighting its ability to scale and support a variety of websites and applications with modern technology tools. The community and documentation are frequently mentioned positives, providing ample support and resources. However, criticisms include a relative lack of plugins and themes compared to competitors like WordPress, the learning curve for customization without coding, and some challenges with installation and updates. The platform is praised for its robust content management capabilities, enabling users to manage content and user access efficiently. Overall, feedback underscores Drupal’s strength in creating secure, customizable, and scalable web solutions, despite some desires for more intuitive UI and easier setup.

The reviews for Unbounce reveal a mixed sentiment among users. On the positive side, many appreciate its user-friendly, drag-and-drop page builder, which facilitates the quick creation and editing of landing pages without the need for technical expertise. Users find it beneficial for A/B testing, integrating with CRMs, and swiftly turning around marketing content. However, there are notable concerns, particularly with a case of unexpected switch to an annual plan without consent and refusal to refund, indicating potential issues with customer service and billing practices. Additionally, some users mention technical limitations, such as responsiveness issues and the absence of global elements for content updates across multiple pages, which can hinder efficiency.

The making of this blog

We followed a clear, step-by-step process to write and research this article.

Our Ranking Criteria

FAQ

What are the main differences between Drupal and Unbounce?

Drupal is an open-source CMS known for its flexibility and extensibility, suitable for creating complex websites with custom functionalities. It’s ideal for users with technical expertise. Unbounce, on the other hand, is a website builder focused on creating custom landing pages, popups, and sticky bars with a strong emphasis on optimizing conversion rates, making it accessible to users without coding skills.

Which platform is better for ecommerce, Drupal or Unbounce?

For comprehensive ecommerce functionality, Drupal is the superior choice due to its extensive customization options and robust ecommerce features through the Drupal Commerce module. Unbounce, while excellent for creating conversion-optimized landing pages, lacks native ecommerce features but can integrate with ecommerce platforms like Shopify for transactional capabilities.

Can I build a content-rich informational website with Unbounce?

While Unbounce is highly effective for landing pages and marketing campaigns, its capabilities are more limited when it comes to building full-fledged informational or business websites. Drupal, with its robustness and flexibility, is better suited for developing comprehensive informational websites.

Is Drupal easy to use for beginners?

Drupal is a powerful platform for building complex websites and applications, but its flexibility comes with a steep learning curve, especially for beginners. In contrast, Unbounce is known for its user-friendly interface and intuitive drag-and-drop builder, making it easier for users without coding skills to design and customize landing pages.

How do Drupal and Unbounce compare in terms of price?

Drupal is free to use as it is open-source software, but it requires separate purchases for domain, hosting, and potentially for premium themes and modules. Unbounce offers a range of paid plans, with pricing that reflects its all-in-one solution for building, testing, and optimizing landing pages, including hosting and access to a suite of marketing tools.

Which platform offers better customer support?

Unbounce takes the lead in customer support with a variety of options including live chat, email, and phone support, along with a dedicated customer support for enterprise-level plans. Drupal offers a comprehensive range of support through its community forums, documentation, and professional services via third-party providers.

Are there any security concerns with using Unbounce or Drupal?

Both platforms prioritize security, but their approaches differ. Unbounce provides robust security measures as part of its hosted service, including PCI compliance and GDPR adherence. Drupal, being self-hosted, requires users to implement security measures themselves, though it offers extensive guidance and has a dedicated security team to address vulnerabilities.