Olivero vs Gin Admin Theme: Which Is Best for Your Editorial Team?
May 20, 2025
When it comes to managing your Drupal site, the look and feel of the admin interface can have a real impact on your team’s productivity. If your editors, marketers, and admins are struggling to find what they need, that frustration slows everything down. That’s why choosing the right admin theme matters.
Two popular options in the Drupal world—Olivero and Gin Admin Theme—offer different experiences. So, which one is right for your business?
What is Olivero?
Olivero is the new default front-end theme introduced in Drupal 9. It’s clean, modern, and accessibility-focused. While it's not built for the admin interface, some sites do use it site-wide, including the admin backend. It’s visually appealing and easy to work with but minimal in terms of admin tools.
What is Gin Admin Theme?
Gin is purpose-built for Drupal’s administrative side. It gives the backend a sleek, modern look with better navigation, an optional dark mode, collapsible menus, and a user-friendly layout. It’s designed for content-heavy websites where multiple people regularly work in the backend.
Choosing the Right Theme for Your Editorial Workflow
If your editorial team is in and out of the admin interface daily, Gin makes everything feel faster and more intuitive. It offers more feedback, cleaner navigation, and easier content editing. On the other hand, if your team rarely interacts with the backend and you want consistency across the entire site, Olivero might be enough.
In short:
Use Olivero if your site is content-light or you’re sticking close to the default front-end design.
Use Gin if your team works extensively in the backend and values a streamlined experience.
Need Help Setting It Up?
Choosing the right theme isn’t just about aesthetics—it’s about productivity. At Drupalify, we help businesses configure Drupal in ways that align with their actual workflows. If your editorial process feels clunky or inefficient, we can help fix that.
Book a consultation with our tech team today to make your backend work smarter not harder.
FAQs
Can I use Gin with Olivero?
Yes, you can use Olivero for your site’s front-end and Gin for the admin backend. They work well together.
Is Gin safe for live production sites?
Absolutely. Gin is a stable and widely used admin theme across many production Drupal websites.
Does Gin slow down my backend?
While Gin includes more visual enhancements, it’s optimized for performance and doesn’t noticeably slow down your workflow.
