How much does a WordPress to Drupal migration cost in Canada?

Based on our migration cost model, a mid-size site of about 150 pages typically runs CA$25,000–$50,000, including a design refresh, redirects and QA. Small sites start around CA$19,000. You get a fixed-price scope after a free audit.

How long does it take to move from WordPress to Drupal?

Most projects take 6–10 weeks. Page count, the number of content types and integrations, and how much design changes are the main drivers.

Will we lose our Google rankings?

Not if redirects and metadata are handled properly. We map every indexed WordPress URL to its new Drupal URL, carry over titles and descriptions, submit the new sitemap to Google Search Console and monitor for 30 days.

Can our WordPress content be moved automatically?

Mostly. WordPress content comes out through WXR XML export, REST API (/wp-json), direct MySQL access and WP-CLI, and we import it into Drupal with scripts. Complex layouts and embedded shortcodes need manual review.

Will the site stay live during the migration?

Yes. Your WordPress site stays live while we build on staging. The switch happens with a DNS change in a low-traffic window, usually with no downtime.

Is Drupal the right choice for us?

Drupal suits universities, governments and health organisations and large editorial teams with approval workflows. It is a weaker fit for small brochure sites with one editor. If the audit shows another platform fits better, we will say so.

CMS migration plan

WordPress to Drupal Migration: the complete plan

Short answer

To migrate from WordPress to Drupal, export your content through WXR XML export, map it to the Drupal content model, import it with repeatable scripts, and 301-redirect every old URL before switching DNS. For a mid-size site this takes 6–10 weeks and typically costs CA$25,000–$50,000. DoodleWeb Canada plans and runs the whole move from Surrey, BC.

Get a free plan: WordPress to Drupal Migration

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How the migration works

Five stages take your site from WordPress to Drupal without downtime or lost search traffic.

Every DoodleWeb migration follows the same five-stage path, with a live staging site from the build stage.

Why teams move from WordPress to Drupal

Teams usually leave WordPress because of plugin overhead, security patching or scaling limits.
Granular roles, approval workflows and audit trails for large teams
Native English/French multilingual publishing
Structured content that feeds multiple sites from one platform
A strong base for WCAG 2.2 AA and AODA compliance

Key considerations before you migrate

These are the questions that decide scope, cost and risk. We answer each one in the free audit.

Getting the content out

On WordPress, content leaves through WXR XML export, REST API (/wp-json), direct MySQL access and WP-CLI. We script the extraction so it can be re-run for a final delta just before launch.

Getting the content in

On Drupal, we load content with Drupal Migrate API (migrate_plus, migrate_tools) with YAML mappings and rollback. Scripts are idempotent, so we can wipe and re-import on staging as often as needed.

Content model differences

WordPress stores content as posts, pages, custom post types, taxonomies and custom fields (acf or native meta). Drupal uses content types, fields, paragraphs, taxonomy vocabularies, media entities and entity references. The gap between the two decides how much transformation and manual clean-up is needed.

URLs and SEO

WordPress URLs typically follow /%postname%/ or /blog/%postname%/ permalinks, category and tag archives, while Drupal uses /node/123 system paths aliased by pathauto patterns. Metatag, Pathauto, Redirect and Simple XML Sitemap modules hold SEO data; the redirect table must be preserved.

Features and extensions

WordPress relies on 60,000+ plugins in the wordpress.org directory; Drupal offers 50,000+ contributed modules. Each feature in use is listed, then mapped to a native feature, an app or custom code, or retired.

Running cost after launch

Expect CA$100–$2,500/month hosting depending on scale on Drupal, compared with CA$30–$600/month hosting plus plugin licences on WordPress. We include this in the scope so the business case is complete.

Accessibility and bilingual content

We rebuild templates to WCAG 2.2 AA and, for Canadian organisations with French content, plan language switching and hreflang before import.

Content mapping

How each part of your WordPress site lands in Drupal.

WordPress to Drupal content mapping
WordPress	Drupal	How we handle it
Pages and posts	Content types, fields and paragraphs	Each source type is mapped field by field in a signed-off content model before any data moves.
Categories and tags	Taxonomies	Terms are de-duplicated and merged where the old site accumulated near-identical tags.
Media library and images	Media library	Files are downloaded, renamed, compressed and re-linked, with alt text carried over or written.
SEO titles, descriptions and schema	Drupal SEO fields and JSON-LD	Titles, descriptions and schema usually live in Yoast or Rank Math meta fields, which must be extracted separately from post content.
URLs	/node/123 system paths aliased by Pathauto patterns	Every indexed URL gets a one-to-one 301 redirect; pattern rules cover the long tail.
Forms and integrations	Native forms or CRM embeds	CRM, email and analytics connections are rebuilt and tested with real submissions.
Users and roles	Drupal roles and permissions	Editor accounts are recreated and permissions reviewed rather than copied blindly.

The step-by-step plan

1. Discovery and audit
Crawl the WordPress site, export analytics and Search Console data, and inventory every template, feature and integration.
- URL inventory with traffic
- Feature and plugin map
- Fixed-price scope
2. Content model and design
Design the Drupal content model and templates, then approve designs for each page type.
- Field-level mapping sheet
- Approved designs
- Redirect strategy
3. Build and scripted migration
Build Drupal templates and run repeatable import scripts onto staging, checking counts and spot-checking content.
- Staging site
- Migration scripts and logs
- Content parity report
4. QA, redirects and training
Test accessibility, speed, forms and integrations; validate every redirect; train editors.
- WCAG 2.2 AA report
- Redirect test results
- Editor training session
5. Launch and 30-day monitoring
Final delta import, DNS cutover in a quiet window, sitemap submission and daily Search Console checks for 30 days.
- Launch checklist
- Search Console sitemap submitted
- 30-day performance report

Indicative timeline (weeks, mid-size site)

Discovery and audit
Content model and design
Build and scripted migration
QA, redirects and training
Launch and 30-day monitoring

Week 0 → 17

WordPress to Drupal migration cost in Canada

Ranges come from our migration cost calculator and include a design refresh, redirects, accessibility QA and launch monitoring. Your fixed price follows the audit.

Estimated migration costs in Canadian dollars
Site size	Approx. pages	Cost (CAD)	Timeline
Small site	30	CA$19,000–$37,500	5–8 weeks
Mid-size site	150	CA$25,000–$50,000	6–10 weeks
Large site	600	CA$41,000–$82,000	10–16 weeks

Try the migration cost calculator for your own numbers.

Risks and how we remove them

Migration risk register
Risk	Impact	Mitigation
Lost rankings from broken URLs	High	One-to-one 301 map for every indexed URL, tested with a crawler before and after launch.
Content lost or mangled in transit	Medium	Scripted imports with record counts, rollback and side-by-side parity checks.
Missing features after launch	Medium	Feature map signed off during discovery, so nothing is dropped by surprise.

Frequently asked questions

Platform guides

Other moves to Drupal

Ready to plan your WordPress to Drupal move?

A senior engineer reviews your site and replies within one working day. DoodleWeb Canada · Surrey, BC · +1-425-359-0168

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