Choosing the Right CMS for Government: WordPress, Drupal & the Security Realities Behind Modern Municipal Websites

Modern government websites do more than publish information—they shape how a community experiences its city. For residents, the website is often the first point of contact. For staff, it’s a mission-critical tool that needs to be reliable, secure, and easy to manage.

That’s why choosing the right content management system (CMS) isn’t a technical decision—it’s a strategic one.

At Planeteria, we work exclusively with public agencies navigating this choice. WordPress and Drupal stand out as the two most powerful open-source platforms available today, and both consistently outperform proprietary systems in flexibility, transparency, and long-term sustainability.

But they excel in different ways.

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WordPress vs. Drupal: Two Leaders, Two Strengths

Across the public sector, WordPress and Drupal have become the CMS platforms of choice for cities, counties, agencies, and regional authorities. Both are secure, open-source, and capable of supporting large-scale government operations. Yet the strengths of each platform align with different organizational needs.

Drupal: Built for Complex Governance

Drupal shines when a project requires:

• Strict multi-level permissions
• Complex content models
• Advanced editorial workflows
• Deep integrations with enterprise systems

It’s a powerhouse for larger organizations that need intense structure and control baked into every layer of the CMS.

WordPress: Built for Speed, Usability & Sustainability

WordPress leads the world in adoption for good reason:

• Fast deployment
• Low learning curve for staff
• Clean, modern editorial experience
• Seamless integration with third-party systems
• Lower long-term ownership cost

For agencies prioritizing ease of use, staff autonomy, and long-term sustainability, WordPress delivers unmatched value—especially when implemented through a structured, accessibility-first, municipal-grade development approach like ours.

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The Security Framework That Actually Matters

Security is one of the most important topics for any public agency evaluating a CMS. But there’s often confusion about where real vulnerabilities come from.

Security Is About Architecture, Not Brand Names

Across thousands of municipal projects nationwide, the biggest security risks almost never come from the CMS itself. They come from:

• Outdated infrastructure
• Outdated plugins
• Weak passwords
• Lack of ongoing patching
• Exposed admin interfaces

A secure site isn’t about choosing the “right” logo—it’s about choosing the right architecture and maintaining it consistently.

Planeteria’s approach includes:

• Locked-down hosting environments
• MFA-enabled admin access
• Continuous security patching
• Automated vulnerability scanning
• Firewalls, WAF, and CDN controls
• Structured governance to prevent accidental exposure

Regardless of CMS, security starts with process, not platform.

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The Myth: “Open Source Is Less Secure”

One of the most persistent misconceptions in government technology is the fear that open source is inherently less secure.

The opposite is true.

The Data Is Clear

• Sites running the latest CMS version are four times less likely to be compromised.
• 96% of WordPress vulnerabilities come from outdated plugins, not the CMS itself.
• WordPress core accounts for just 0.1% of documented security issues.
• Drupal’s security team publishes transparent, rapid-response advisories that often outperform proprietary vendors.

Open source doesn’t create risk—neglect creates risk.

And that’s exactly why ongoing hosting, maintenance, and governance matter so much. With the right update cadence and support model, open-source solutions are among the most secure options available to government.

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Why Headless Architecture Is Becoming the Gold Standard

Security doesn’t stop at the CMS. Increasingly, public agencies are turning to headless architecture as a way to further reduce risk while increasing performance and flexibility.

Why Headless Is Inherently More Secure

A traditional CMS exposes both the content and the public-facing website in one system. If an attacker reaches one layer, they can often reach everything.

Headless separates the two:

• The CMS lives in a private, secure environment
• The public site is a static or decoupled front-end with no direct database connection

This dramatically reduces the attack surface.

Other Benefits of Going Headless

• Faster performance
• Better scalability
• Independence between the front end and the CMS
• Cleaner integration with modern frameworks like React or Next.js

For public agencies facing rising expectations and complex digital demands, headless offers a future-proof foundation.

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The Bottom Line: Your CMS Should Empower Your Mission

Whether your agency chooses Drupal or WordPress, open-source solutions provide:

• True ownership
• No vendor lock-in
• Unlimited integrations
• Long-term sustainability
• Full transparency
• Lower overall cost
• A safer, more governable architecture

And when paired with a secure hosting environment, proper maintenance, and the option for headless architecture, these platforms give public agencies the freedom, resilience, and control they need to serve their communities better.

Planeteria’s role is to help agencies make the right decision—and then support them through every phase of building, launching, and sustaining a digital platform that can grow for years to come.