Kentico vs. Acquia: Why Leading Brands Are Making The Switch
With Xperience by Kentico, you get everything you need built-in: content management, AI tools, marketing automation, personalization, and more, all in one easy-to-use platform. No clunky interfaces or hidden fees. While platforms like Acquia can be complicated, costly, and tough to tailor to your needs, Kentico makes marketing effortless. One platform, no surprises, and a smooth experience your team will actually enjoy.
Ten Reasons Teams Are Choosing Xperience by Kentico Over Acquia.
With continuous updates, rapid onboarding, predictable pricing, and top-tier support, your team can focus on creating real business impact. Here are ten reasons why Kentico stands out as a popular alternative to Acquia.
Unified CMS, Marketing & Commerce with AI
Get everything in one, unified DXP. Xperience by Kentico brings together content management, marketing, and commerce; all from a single vendor with a consistent UX and UI. Platforms like Acquia require multiple products for a full solution, each with their own configuration and pricing. G2 confirms our advantage with higher scores in Meets Requirements 93%, showing the power of consolidation.
Flexible .NET Architecture That Adapts to You
Kentico’s modern .NET architecture updates automatically without disruptive version jumps or rebuilds, helping teams stay focused and reduce risk. Unlike Acquia, which depends on Drupal’s complex upgrade cycles, Kentico offers a smoother path forward, especially for organizations aligned with Microsoft technologies.
Launch Faster, With Simplified Workflows
Teams can launch faster with built-in marketing and commerce tools, a single interface for marketers, and updates that don’t disrupt integrations. With Xperience by Kentico, there’s no need for complex setup or multiple products. Compared to Acquia’s more involved implementations, Kentico reduces friction and drives stronger adoption, reflected in a higher user adoption score (64% vs. 58%).
Lower Costs, Higher Value
Keep costs predictable with one license, built-in tools, and no need for ongoing reintegration or specialist resources. Teams move faster with fewer dependencies and less maintenance. Compared to Acquia’s multi-product model, Kentico delivers faster ROI, reflected in stronger G2 scores for payback period (12 months vs. 19).
Built for Marketers and Developers
Marketers can run personalized, multi-channel campaigns using intuitive tools that don’t require developer help. Developers enjoy a clean .NET codebase and flexible hybrid headless setup. Acquia takes a different approach, splitting marketing across separate tools like CDP, Campaign Studio, and Personalization, which adds complexity.
No-Surprise Pricing
Teams get clear pricing and built-in value with Xperience by Kentico’s licensing approach. All core features are included upfront, with no surprise costs or hidden maintenance fees. It’s a predictable, cost-effective choice backed by strong G2 scores like a 92% Likelihood to Recommend. In comparison, Acquia’s pricing model involves multiple products and a partner-heavy delivery that can quickly stretch budgets.
Evergreen Updates With No Downtime
Teams stay current without disruption thanks to Xperience by Kentico’s evergreen approach with weekly updates, and no need for major-version migrations or replatforming. No need to worry about hidden maintenance headaches or surprise rebuilds. Acquia users, by contrast, remain tied to Drupal’s version cycles and EOL deadlines, often leading to costly rewrites and delays.
24/7 Dedicated Support From Kentico Experts
Kentico customers get reliable support from the source, 24/7 access to in-house experts at no extra cost. There's no need to manage third-party vendors or wait on external partners. Acquia users often rely on Drupal-specialized agencies for support. G2 ratings reflect the gap: Kentico scores 91% for Quality of Support, compared to Acquia’s 85%.
Built-In Security & Future-Proof Stability
A unified platform, single security model, and evergreen updates keep operations smooth and predictable. Kentico’s seven-day bug-fix policy helps minimize code issues and build long-term confidence. Acquia’s approach, which involves multiple products and follows Drupal’s release cycle, introduces added complexity and planning considerations.
Proven Success Across Industries
Xperience by Kentico offers enterprise-grade capabilities without added cost or complexity. Trusted by organizations across industries, the platform unifies CMS, digital marketing, commerce, and AI, helping teams manage content and drive engagement across channels. G2 users rate Kentico higher than Acquia in key areas like User Adoption and Meets Requirements.
All your tools, one powerful platform.
Deliver personalized experiences at every touchpoint. Harness the power of AI, streamline complex customer journeys, and centralize content management. Do it all with a single, integrated, and scalable solution. With seamless updates, clear pricing, quick setup, and top-tier support, your team can focus on what matters: growing your business. Choose Xperience by Kentico’s flexible hybrid-headless CMS for faster results, less complexity, and better ROI.
| Benefits | Xperience by Kentico | Acquia |
|---|---|---|
| Seamless & consistent | Unified CMS and marketing tools from a single vendor with a consistent UI. | Requires assembly from modules for full capabilities. |
| Faster time to market | Launch faster with a streamlined setup that accelerates timelines. | Extended development and QA timelines slow implementation. |
| Lower total cost of ownership | Transparent and predictable pricing with no hidden fees. | Pricing is modular and varies by service level. |
| Marketer-friendly | No-code tools such as the Page Builder and Content Hub are built for marketers and non-technical teams. | Developer oriented with a learning curve for marketers. |
| Effortless scaling | Grows with your business, no disruptive upgrades needed. | Costly upgrades and version cycles often create scaling limitations and friction. |
| Automatic upgrades | Evergreen approach with convenient monthly auto-updates. | Upgrades are manual and run the risk of breaking modules. |
| Enterprise-grade security | Secure foundation with built-in compliance with CCPA, DORA, GDPR, ISO/IEC 27001 SoA, and SOC 2. | Security compliance depends on module maintenance. |
| Reliable 24/7 support | 24/7 expert support included. | Support is tiered and may be slow for non-enterprise users. |
Real Companies, Real Results With Kentico
Ease of use
Rated higher on usability by G2 users 5 years in a row.
Faster ROI
Kentico customers report ROI within months rather than years.
Customer satisfaction
Consistently high customer satisfaction scores on the G2 Grid Report.
Save time with the free Universal Migration Toolkit.
With our free Universal Migration Toolkit, you can automatically migrate large volumes of data, whether it's training documents, product details, media, annual reports or language versions. The migration toolkit is fully customizable to your needs and can save you weeks of manual work.
The easy-to-use, cost-effective choice for digital growth.
Discover how Kentico can empower your business.
FAQ
Xperience by Kentico is one of the strongest alternatives to Acquia for organizations that want a unified, easy-to-manage digital experience platform. Kentico delivers CMS, digital marketing, commerce, and native AI in one product, removing the complexity of Acquia’s multi-product Drupal-based ecosystem.
Acquia can be challenging because its capabilities span multiple separate tools such as Drupal CMS, Campaign Studio, Personalization, and Acquia CDP. Each product has its own interface and configuration. Kentico offers one consistent UI across CMS, marketing, commerce, and AI, making it significantly easier for marketers and editors to work efficiently.