Drupal vs Google Sites
Drupal
drupal.orgGoogle Sites
sites.google.comSide by side
| Figure | Drupal | Google Sites |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | $7/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | Yes | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | — |
| macOS | Yes | — |
| Linux | Yes | — |
| API | Yes | — |
| Self-hosted | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 1 | 6 |
| Spec score · Website builders | 9.0 (#8) | 8.3 (#36) |
| Founded | 2007 | 2008 |
| Integrations | Drupal can integrate with external services and other applications in an organization’s infrastructure. | Users can add Google Docs, Slides, Sheets, Forms, Charts, YouTube videos, calendars, maps, and Google Drive files to a site. |
| Support | Drupal CMS support is available through its user guide, Drupal Slack’s #drupal-cms-support channel and the project issue queue. | Google says it provides customer support for Sites as a core service, according to the scope of support for each app. |
Plans
Google Sites
- Starter$7 a month
- Google SitesFree
- Google Workspace Business Starter$7 a month
- Google Workspace Business Standard$14 a month
- Google Workspace Business Plus$22 a month
- Google Workspace EnterprisePriced on request
In their own words
Drupal
Drupal is content management software for building websites and applications. Drupal CMS is a ready-to-use platform for marketing teams, content creators, and site builders, built on Drupal 11 core. Included tools cover media management, SEO, AI-driven website building, consent management, analytics, search, and automatic updates. Drupal supports structured content, multilingual publishing, editorial workflows, custom user roles, and APIs for serving web, mobile, and other channels from one source. Thousands of modules, themes, and distributions can extend it, and it can connect with external services and organizational applications. Drupal identifies accessibility, API-first architecture, security, performance, and scalability as core capabilities. The software is free open-source software with no licensing fees, but self-hosting and technical setup are required. Linux or a similar system is recommended for hosting; Windows is supported only for development, not production. Drupal CMS offers temporary browser-based trial sites. After setup, Drupal CMS itself is not updated, although installed modules and themes are updated like other Drupal sites.
Google Sites
Google Sites is a web tool for creating sites for teams, projects, and events without programming skills. Its drag-and-drop editor uses an automatic grid that adapts to different devices, with premade and custom templates. Collaborators can edit together in real time. Pages can include Google Docs, Slides, Sheets, Forms, Charts, YouTube videos, calendars, maps, and Drive files, or embed website sections and HTML, CSS, or JavaScript. Owners publish with a web address and choose who can view the site, including people outside an organisation. Published sites work on computers, phones, and tablets, but editing requires a computer. Google lists Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer, Microsoft Edge, and Safari for viewing. Hosting and custom domains are supported, while sites and embedded content count toward Drive storage. A free offering is listed; Google Workspace Business Starter costs $7 per user/month, Standard 14.00 USD, and Plus 22.00 USD.