Drupal End-of-Life Dates (and Alternatives)
It’s not unusual for a software developer to stop supporting older versions. For website content management system developers, Drupal, however, the drum beats a little faster. With Drupal 12 set for mid-2026, legacy versions are hitting their end-of-life dates at a steady clip. For brands built on soon-to-sunset versions; it’s time to explore Drupal alternatives that don’t have such a short shelf life.
What Is Drupal?
Drupal is an open-sourced CMS designed to serve as a foundation for websites and related web applications. It’s known for its flexibility, complexity, and the support of experienced developers who know the system inside and out. Drupal developers have created a massive library of modules (Drupal’s term for plugins) designed for ecommerce, social media integrations, and other use cases.
Drupal’s Sunset Cycle
Drupal’s end-of-life cycle is designed to prioritize and protect current users for the long haul at the expense (literally) of more casual users. The company has a steady product refresh cycle based on the release of major and minor versions.
| Major Versions | Minor Versions |
| – Released every two years – Supported for four years (two years of active support, two years of maintenance and security support) | – Released every six months – Supportied for one year (six months of active support, six months of security fixes) |
These version updates address a few key priorities, primarily focused on security and innovation.
Vulnerabilities – Older versions of Drupal often have known security vulnerabilities and require ongoing support. Websites on older, unsupported versions are at higher risk of hacking, malware, and data breaches.
Innovation – Retiring older versions encourages (i.e., forces) users to upgrade to newer, more secure versions with new features and performance enhancements.
Efficiency – Pushing users to the most recent versions allows Drupal developers to focus on the most recent versions rather than trying to juggle dozens of major and minor versions. This maximizes the community’s resources and keeps the Drupal CMS competitive.
Drupal End-of-Life Dates
Every new version has a shelf life, which at least makes it easy for brands built on Drupal to plan ahead. Here’s a quick look at every Drupal version’s end-of-life date, past, present, and future.
| Drupal Version | Sunset Date |
| Drupal 7 | January 5, 2025 |
| Drupal 8 | November 1, 2021 |
| Drupal 9 | November 1, 2023 |
| Drupal 10 | November 1, 2026 |
| Drupal 11 | November 1, 2028 |
| Drupal 12* (expected release 2026) | November 1, 2032 |
The Best Drupal Alternatives
Content management systems like Drupal are a dime-a-dozen, but some platforms are better candidates for Drupal users migrating to a new platform. Our pick: WordPress.
Drupal vs. WordPress
WordPress is typically more user-friendly, scalable, and accessible than Drupal. As experienced WordPress developers, Oneupweb has helped dozens of clients transition from Drupal and other CMS over the years, and we’ve created a detailed process to make switching easy.
Drupal does have one advantage over WordPress: security. WordPress’s reliance on plugins, many of which require regular updates or maintenance, can introduce security vulnerabilities.
Other alternatives to Drupal include:
- Squarespace
- Wix
- Shopify
And we just so happened to have compared them all for you:
If you’re ready to switch, our Drupal development services will make migration a breeze.
End-of-Life Is Just the Beginning
At Oneupweb, we firmly believe you should own your website. From quick changes to theme updates and content implementation to favicons, our goal is to provide strategy and support—but you’re always in the driver’s seat. You’ll work with a hand-picked team of marketing experts to bring your brand to life. See what exceptional customer service and industry-specific expertise can do; get in touch or call (231) 922-9977 today. (Tomorrow works well, too.)
