Acquia vs Drupal: What are the differences?

Acquia and Drupal are both content management systems (CMS) that are widely used in the web development industry. However, there are several key differences between the two platforms that set them apart from each other.

1. Hosting and Support: Acquia is a cloud platform specifically designed for hosting Drupal websites. It provides a managed hosting environment and offers enterprise-level support. On the other hand, Drupal is an open-source CMS that can be hosted on any web server, and support is primarily community-driven. Acquia offers a more robust hosting and support infrastructure for Drupal sites compared to Drupal alone.

2. Enterprise Features: Acquia provides additional enterprise-level features that are not available in the core Drupal platform. These features include built-in scalability, high availability, advanced security measures, and tools for managing multiple websites. These enterprise features make Acquia a more suitable choice for large organizations with complex websites and high traffic volumes.

3. Pricing: Acquia is a commercial platform and offers various pricing plans depending on the size and requirements of the website. The pricing includes the hosting infrastructure, support, and additional enterprise features. On the other hand, Drupal is free to download and use, making it more cost-effective for smaller websites or organizations with limited budgets.

4. Customizability: Drupal provides a high level of customizability and flexibility, allowing developers to create highly tailored websites and applications. It offers a vast array of contributed modules and themes that can be used to extend its functionality. Acquia, on the other hand, provides a more standardized and controlled environment, which may limit the customization options compared to a self-hosted Drupal installation.

5. Security and Compliance: Acquia places a strong emphasis on security and compliance. It offers robust security measures and tools to protect websites from potential vulnerabilities and attacks. Acquia also provides compliance with various industry standards, such as HIPAA and GDPR. While Drupal itself has a strong security track record, Acquia's additional security features and expertise make it a preferred choice for organizations with stringent security and compliance requirements.

6. Scalability and Performance: Acquia is designed to handle high traffic volumes and provides scalable hosting infrastructure to ensure optimal performance. It utilizes technologies like containerization and load balancing to handle traffic spikes efficiently. Drupal, while capable of scaling and performing well, may require additional configuration and optimization to achieve the same level of scalability and performance as an Acquia-hosted website.

In summary, Acquia offers managed hosting, enterprise features, pricing plans, and enhanced security while Drupal provides more customizability, cost-effectiveness for smaller websites, and the need for additional configuration and optimization for scalability and performance.