The Drupal Site Template Marketplace MVP proposal is now live for community review through 13 July 2025 in the Innovation Issue Queue.
After hundreds of community voices contributed through surveys, Slack, and Real-Time Collaboration sessions, this MVP reflects what we’ve heard: a trusted, flexible, and contributor-friendly ecosystem is possible—if we design it thoughtfully.
What’s in the MVP?
This Minimum Valuable Product (MVP) is a structured experiment targeted for launch at DrupalCon Chicago 2026. Key features include:
- Up to 15 curated DrupalCMS Site Templates (free and paid), listed on Drupal.org
- Initial participation limited to Drupal Certified Partners (DCPs) to streamline quality and feedback (expansion beyond DCPs may occur post-MVP)
- Makers set their own prices and sell directly to users (off-platform)
- A 10% revenue share from paid template sales and upsell services is directed to the Drupal Association
- Submission fee: $395 per new listing, with a $250 annual review fee
- Baseline standards for all templates include:
- Accessibility (WCAG 2.2 AA)
- Security and licensing compliance
- Self-certified GDPR readiness (if applicable)
- Documentation, maintenance commitments, and user support expectations
- Regular feedback collection
- Discoverability features including tags, badges, and demo previews
- Templates must be built for DrupalCMS, using the Recipes schema, demo content, and XB-compatible themes
- Templates will undergo automated and manual reviews, conducted by DA Staff (or contractors), with badges and trust indicators displayed where applicable
- Governance and policy oversight by Drupal Association staff during the MVP; future transitions to community-hybrid models are planned
What the MVP Is Designed to Test
This isn’t just a launch—it’s a test-and-learn cycle designed to validate whether a Site Template Marketplace is desirable, feasible, and sustainable. The MVP will help us understand:
- What types of templates people adopt—and what makes them valuable
- Whether direct sales by makers are viable, and what pricing models emerge
- What kinds of support, trust signals, and governance policies matter most
- Whether the DA can sustainably operate and review templates at scale
- How to balance monetization with fairness, contributor credit, and open source values
We’ll use this data to decide whether to expand, adapt, or stop the Marketplace after a 3-6 month MVP.
Submission Fee and Revenue Model
To help fund reviews and platform operations, the MVP includes:
- $395 USD per new site template listing
- $250 USD for annual review and revalidation
Site Template Makers:
- Set their own pricing for paid templates
- Transact directly with users (outside of Drupal.org infrastructure)
- Report anonymized data quarterly (downloads, revenue, support volumes)
- Keep 90% of revenue, while contributing 10% to the Drupal Association based on completed transactions quarterly
Why This MVP Matters
We’ve heard the same call again and again: make it easier to get started with Drupal—without compromising quality or community values. This MVP is a first attempt to meet that need, grounded in clear standards, shared incentives, and real-world feedback.
Let’s test it together—with care, clarity, and Drupal’s best interests at heart.
What’s Next?
- Public comment period is open through 13 July 2025
- Marketplace Working Group meets 15 July 2025 to review input and finalize its recommendation
- The Drupal Association Board will vote 24 July on whether to move forward with implementation
How You Can Help
Your voice is essential to shaping a Marketplace that works for the community. Here’s how to get involved:
- Read the full MVP proposal
- Give feedback in
#drupal-cms-marketplaceon Slack, anonymously through the Feedback Form or via the public issue queue - Share this with your team or clients—especially those who create or use starter templates
Let’s build something that’s good for contributors, great for users, and unmistakably Drupal.