When it comes to website development, Django vs WordPress is a big dilemma for many. Both content management systems can be used to create quality and feature-rich websites, and yet they’re different in many aspects. The question is, which CMS will better fit your business needs and requirements, and what factors to consider when choosing?
That’s the main topic of today’s article.
In the following paragraphs, we compare Django CMS vs WordPress while discussing their features and differences.
You will learn:
- What is Django?
- Features of Django CMS
- Websites using Django CMS.
- What is WordPress?
- Features of WordPress content management system.
- Websites using WordPress.
- The similarities and differences between Django CMS vs WordPress (side-by-side comparison).
- And finally, what factors you should consider to choose the content management system that best fits your needs.
Hopefully, this information will help you make the right decision.
Without further ado, let’s get started.
What is Django?
To avoid confusion, we must clear something up. When people refer to Django, they usually mean the Django framework. Yes, first of all, Django is an open-source web framework for building backend web applications based on Python.
However, there is also Django CMS—a content management system built on top of this web framework. This article is comparing Django CMS vs WordPress, so keep in mind that when we mention Django, we are talking about the CMS, not the web framework. If that’s clear, let’s move on.
So Django CMS is an open-source content management system written in Python language. Just like WordPress, it features a user-intuitive content editor with a drag-and-drop interface that allows the creation of simple websites with minimal coding knowledge. What gives Django CMS a competitive edge though is that it supports multilingual functionality out of the box. With WordPress, you would have to use a third-party plugin for that.
Another advantage of Django is its lightweight core, which makes it easy to integrate the CMS platform with other tools. What’s also important, it supports the PostgreSQL database engine, unlike WordPress. Given that Django CMS is not as widespread as WordPress CMS and therefore less targeted by hackers, some developers consider it more secure. Besides, the system doesn’t rely heavily on third-party plugins, which also contributes to its security.
Features of Django CMS
- Free open-source content management system based on Python.
- Multilingual support out of the box.
- Easy integration with third-party tools due to a lightweight core.
- User-intuitive content editor with a drag-and-drop interface.
- Support for MySQL and PostgreSQL databases.
- High level of security due to two-factor authentication, password validation, and other features.
Websites Using Django CMS
When it comes to the popularity of Django and WordPress, the latter is an obvious winner. Yet, there are many websites and web applications that prefer the Django CMS over WP. Let's take a quick look at some of them:
- L'Oreal. L'Oreal is a popular cosmetics brand with thousands of fans all over the world. Its website is very stylish and responsive, and it also delivers a personalized user experience, which gives the brand an edge over competitors.
- Bonduelle. Bonduelle owns three websites (including an intranet portal). The Django CMS multisite functionality proved the ideal tool to allow Bonduelle to manage more than one site from a single management platform.
- University of Innsbruck. The University of Innsbruck migrated from its 20-year-old in-house content management system to Django CMS, which allowed it to improve its website performance. The content management system proved to be a great tool to manage multiple content formats and various data types effectively.
- Mint Museum. The Mint Museum is the premier art museum in Charlotte, N.C., and one of the top museums in the southeast United States. Its website relies on Django CMS.
- Carnegie Corporation of New York. Carnegie Corporation's website had the specific architecture of grants, grantees, programs, and other content types, which made Django CMS the best choice.
What is WordPress?
WordPress is an open-source content management system written in PHP. It powers around 43.2% of all websites on the web, which makes it the most popular CMS in the world. WordPress boasts a huge plugin database (there is a plugin for almost anything), thousands of quality themes and templates for web development, an intuitive admin panel with a drag-and-drop user interface, and infinite scalability.
One of the key advantages of WordPress is its Multisite feature that allows you to create and run multiple sites using a single WordPress installation. What also makes WP a go-to CMS is that it’s SEO-friendly out of the box thanks to built-in SEO capabilities such as auto-generation of title tags and meta descriptions.
Given that WordPress is the most popular platform, the majority of third-party tools can be integrated with it. This allows you to dramatically extend your WordPress site’s functionality without having to develop features from scratch. Besides, the CMS boasts a huge community that can help you solve virtually any technical issue.
Features of WordPress
- Free open-source platform based on PHP.
- Huge plugin database featuring over 55,000 paid and free plugins (and this number only continues to grow).
- WordPress Multisite functionality.
- User-intuitive content editor with a drag-and-drop interface.
- Support for MySQL and MariaDB databases.
- Over 31,000 WordPress themes to create a website.
- Built-in SEO tools.
- Support for automatic updates (Django CMS doesn’t support them).
Websites Using WordPress
Due to its multiple plugins and themes along with useful out-of-the-box features, WordPress is used by millions of websites worldwide. Here are some examples of web solutions built with this open-source CMS:
- TechCrunch. The website of the most popular technology blog is built with the WordPress CMS platform. The site is minimalistic in design and well-organized, allowing users to quickly find tech topics and news they're interested in.
- The Rolling Stones. The Rolling Stones band's official website showcases their upcoming events, latest music releases, online store, and more. It’s a unique website with bold colors, interactive elements, and videos.
- Ted Blog. The TED blog features big ideas from the popular TED Talks program. The blog shows new articles, upcoming live events, and live blogging updates from ongoing TED talks.
- Vogue. One of the most well-known fashion and lifestyle magazines is also built on the popular CMS WordPress. The site covers news, materials about beauty, celebrity lifestyle, and more.
- The White House. Government organizations also choose WordPress. The White House site boasts a clean layout and presents the latest bills, legislation, statements, and more.
Django vs WordPress: Side-by-side Comparison
Let’s compare WordPress vs Django side by side so that you can choose the option that best fits your needs.
As you can see in the table above Django CMS and WordPress have lots of similarities:
- They're both open-source systems, allowing a web developer to implement advanced customizability.
- Both content management systems are free to use.
- Both Django and WordPress don't require coding knowledge, allowing you to build simple sites with drag-and-drop editors.
- Both systems allow you to work with MySQL and support REST API.
- WordPress and Django sites can be scaled without limits.
Yet, they're also different in many ways. To better choose a system for your needs, there are multiple factors you should consider. Keep reading to learn more.
Django vs WordPress: Factors to Consider When Choosing a CMS
Now that we compared WordPress and Django, let’s talk about the factors you should consider before opting for any solution.
Don’t like Django and WordPress? Check out this list of the best WordPress alternatives for web development.
#1 Team expertise and development costs
The first question is whether you have your own development team, and if you do, what’s their expertise. Obviously, if you have developers well-versed in building Python solutions, Django CMS should be your choice. Alternatively, if your team is experienced in PHP development, then definitely use WordPress.
If you don’t have a team yet but plan to hire Django developers or WP specialists, consider the cost factor. Python developers are usually more expensive: for instance, the average salary of a Python developer in the US is around $120,024 per year whereas the salary of a PHP developer is $86,017. However, there is no need to look for candidates in the US. You can save thousands of dollars simply by outsourcing your project to a country with cheaper development costs—learn more in our article on hiring developers for startups.
Considering the above, if your budget is relatively low, we would advise you to opt for WordPress. This CMS offers a huge plugin database so you won’t have to develop most of the site’s features from scratch, which will allow you to minimize expenses.
#2 Security
Another factor to consider when trying to solve the Django vs WordPress issue is security.
If it is your main concern, use Django CMS. As noted above, Django CMS is built atop the Django framework—this framework is known for its high-level security, making Django apps highly secure. Apart from supporting various security features out of the box (such as two-factor authentication, password validation, etc.), Django CMS is less reliant on third-party plugins. As you probably know, they may have security vulnerabilities, allowing bad actors to access sensitive data on your website. Even though WordPress plugins go through the moderation process, some of them still contain malicious code. Besides, the huge popularity of WP makes it the number one target of hackers.
Want an even more secure CMS solution? Give up the WordPress vs Django dilemma and consider Drupal 10. It got a big update recently, which made it even better than before.
#3 Documentation and user community
Comparing WordPress vs Django, we can’t say that one has better documentation than the other. Both CMSs provide equally comprehensive documentation, allowing you to install the system and use it with relative ease. The challenges begin when you face issues that are not covered in the docs. In such cases, you naturally seek the help of the user community.
As noted above, WordPress powers around 43.2% of all websites. However, only 0.1% of websites are using Django. While it doesn’t make Django any worse, you should note that the user community of this CMS is very small. Thus, if you face some rare issue, the odds are you will have a hard time solving it. So if you plan to develop a website yourself and rely on the user community, WordPress is better in that regard. Consider this when choosing between Django CMS vs WordPress.
#4 Learning curve
Given that WordPress allows you to dramatically extend your WordPress website’s functionality with third-party plugins, it is much easier to use, especially for those with no coding experience. Django CMS is more complicated in that regard. Of course, its drag-and-drop interface is also good enough for creating generic and simple websites, but in case you need more advanced functionality, you will have to learn how to code in Python to develop a quality Django website.
Or you can simply hire a professional Python development company. AnyforSoft offers a wide range of Python services, from simple websites to enterprise solutions. Visit the link to learn more.
However, don’t get us wrong—it doesn’t mean that the WordPress website doesn’t require coding at all. Sure, you can create a feature-rich WordPress site with plugins, but, firstly, some plugins do require technical knowledge for customization, and secondly, you will have to provide maintenance and support for your site at some point, which is also impossible without programming.
#5 Purpose and content type
Another factor to consider when choosing between WordPress and Django is purpose and content type:
Originally a blogging platform, WordPress is ideal for blogs, content-heavy websites, and small to medium-sized business websites. It's great for content-driven sites where you need to publish and manage articles, multimedia content, and e-commerce.
As for Django CMS, it is a great solution for complex customized web applications. It's suitable for projects where you need extensive custom development.
Django or WordPress? Wrapping Up
We hope this article has helped you solve the Django vs WordPress dilemma. As you learned from it, there is no better or worse content management system. Both WordPress and Django CMS are perfectly fine as long as they meet your business objectives and requirements. Consider the information above and opt for whatever CMS you think will fit your company more.
If you need additional information or assistance, you can always contact our company. Fill in a short website form and tell us more about your project so that we can help you choose the best CMS for web development. We can even develop a custom CMS solution tailored to your specific needs—so don’t hesitate to reach out to us.
Looking forward to working with you!
