LocalGov Drupal vs Loop Municipal Websites
LocalGov Drupal
localgovdrupal.orgLoop Municipal Websites
looponline.coSide by side
| Figure | LocalGov Drupal | Loop Municipal Websites |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | — |
| Free plan | Yes | — |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | Yes | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | — |
| iOS | — | Yes |
| Android | — | Yes |
| API | Yes | — |
| Self-hosted | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 4 | 2 |
| Spec score · Government Website Builders | 8.9 (#1) | 7.9 (#13) |
| Accessibility | The CMS content and functionality are designed to meet or exceed WCAG 2.1 AA, with the administration interface also targeted at that level. | Loop says it builds websites to WCAG Level AA and trains editors on maintaining accessible content. |
| Audience | The platform is designed for local councils across the UK and Ireland. | The company says it serves over 90 municipalities across North America. |
| Integrations | Drupal REST and JSON:API plus its module ecosystem can connect forms, payments, CRM, case-management, identity, mapping and directory systems. | Loop lets administrators schedule and share website content directly to social media platforms. |
| Licence | The distribution is released under the GNU General Public License version 2.0. | The reviewed official and directory pages do not state an open-source licence or provide source-code distribution terms. |
| Purpose | LocalGov Drupal is an open source publishing platform built and maintained by councils and suppliers for local government. | Loop builds websites and apps for municipalities, with a focus on small and medium-sized communities. |
| What it does | LocalGov Drupal is a Drupal distribution and installation profile for UK councils publishing public-facing websites. | Loop provides municipal websites, a content-management system, and companion mobile apps for towns, cities, villages, and counties. |
Plans
LocalGov Drupal
- LocalGov Drupal CMSFree
- LocalGov Drupal CMSFree
- LocalGov Drupal flying solo£9,999, paid once
- Council subscriptionPrice not published
Loop Municipal Websites
- Custom municipal website/app quotePriced on request
- Scalable annual pricing plansPrice not published
In their own words
LocalGov Drupal
LocalGov Drupal is an open-source publishing platform built and maintained by councils and suppliers for local government. It is designed for local councils in the UK and Ireland, with tools for subsites, news, events, alerts, directories, service pages, guides, step-by-step pages, HTML publications and elections. Publishing features include flexible page components, patterns, styles, callouts, workflows, revisions, service contacts and shareable preview links. Optional workflow tools add roles, permissions, moderation, approval dashboards, scheduled publishing, review dates and revision records. Councils can use LocalGov Drupal Microsites to operate distinct websites from one platform; more than 50 microsites are live. The project supplies a scalable base theme and sample Scarfolk subtheme, along with quick-start installation, modular architecture, automated testing and coding-standards checks. Drupal REST and JSON:API tools and its module ecosystem can connect it with forms, payments, CRM, case management, identity providers, mapping and directories. Content and functionality are designed to meet or exceed WCAG 2.1 AA. The software is free, but installation and preparation require development resources, appropriate hosting and ongoing security updates.
Loop Municipal Websites
Loop Municipal Websites provides municipal websites and resident apps, with a focus on small and medium-sized communities. Loop says it serves over 90 municipalities across North America. Administrators manage website and app content through Loop CMS in one place. Website modules include emergency notices, business directories, polls, tax calculators, online forms and payments, council meetings, waste collection, trail maps, snow removal, and problem reporting. The resident app supports push notifications, news, events, waste reminders, and problem reports, with content shared between the app and website.
Municipalities can select a pre-designed template or work with Loop on a partial or fully custom design. Loop can migrate existing site content. Pre-designed sites typically take about one month; custom projects typically take three to four months. The company says its sites are hosted in a secure private cloud and built to WCAG Level AA standards. Training and ongoing direct support are included at no extra cost. Pricing is on request, and an optional applicant-tracking feature is available for job postings. The service is listed for Android, iOS, and web.