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CMS comparison Adobe Experience Manager vs Drupal

Adobe Experience Manager vs Drupal

Adobe Experience Manager is a closed-source enterprise DXP that runs on the vendor's cloud. Drupal is an open-source traditional CMS that you host yourself. The table below sets them side by side on 28 features. They get a different status on 13.

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  • Adobe Experience Manager Enterprise DXP · Closed source · 25 of 28 built in
  • Drupal Traditional · Open source · 16 of 28 built in

Sources checked: Adobe Experience Manager on 29 Sept 2026, Drupal on 29 Sept 2026. Plans and releases can change after those dates.

WAYF is an official Payload partner and top contributor. Every platform in the table is classified by the same published definitions, and each answer lists the vendor page it came from.

Feature comparison

Built inPaid tierPlugin or add-onLimitedNot available
Adobe Experience Manager vs Drupal feature comparison. Columns are the two platforms. Rows are features, grouped by area.
Platform
Adobe Experience Manager Enterprise DXP
Drupal Traditional
Overview
What it is Adobe's enterprise CMS for websites and headless content, run by Adobe as a cloud service with page, fragment and document-based authoring.Open-source PHP CMS with fieldable content types, core JSON:API and multilingual modules. Teams self-host it or use Drupal hosting platforms.
Edition compared The product and release each column describes. Adobe Experience Manager Sites as a Cloud Service Version 2026.9.0, released 24 Sept 2026 Drupal 11 core. Drupal CMS 2 bundles core with selected contrib modules. Version 11.4.8, released 26 Sept 2026
Vendor Adobe business.adobe.com Drupal community, supported by the Drupal Association drupal.org
Licence Closed source Proprietary Open source GPL-2.0-or-later
Hosting No self-hosting Vendor cloud Cloud Service runs only on Adobe's cloud. AEM 6.5 LTS is the separate self-hosted edition. Self-hosting No vendor cloud Acquia, Pantheon and other companies sell managed Drupal hosting.
Built with Java, Apache Sling, OSGi, HTLPHP, Symfony, Twig
Database Apache Jackrabbit Oak repository, managed by AdobeMySQL, MariaDB, PostgreSQL, SQLite
Pricing Public list prices only. Hosting and implementation are extra everywhere. No free option Pricing on request. Free to start Free and open source. Hosting, support and contrib services cost extra.
Content modelling
Content model in code You define content types in files in your repository, review them like any other code and apply them from there. Imperative migration scripts alone count as limited. Built in Components, dialogs and Universal Editor models live in the project repository. 2 Built in Content types and fields export to YAML config files.
Content model in the UI Admins can create and change content types and fields in the admin interface without writing code. Built in Content Fragment Model editor. 3 Built in Field UI in core.
Reusable blocks Editors compose pages from reusable, typed components or blocks, and can reorder them. Built in 29 Built in Layout Builder in core. Paragraphs and Drupal Canvas are contrib. 910
Localization Editors translate content per locale inside the CMS, by field or by entry, without a separate site for each language. Built in Language copies with translation projects and connectors. 4 Built in Field-level content translation in core. 7
Image transformations The CMS resizes, crops or converts images on request, through URL parameters or generated sizes, with no external service. Built in Web-optimized image delivery resizes, crops and converts DAM images to WebP. 5 Built in Image styles scale, crop and convert images. 8
APIs and delivery
REST API A documented REST or JSON HTTP API returns content. Built in Content Fragment Delivery with OpenAPI. 6 Built in JSON:API and REST modules in core. 3
GraphQL API The vendor or an official module provides a GraphQL API for content. Built in GraphQL for Content Fragments. 6 Plugin or add-on GraphQL contrib module. Developers build the schema. 4
Webhooks The CMS can call an external URL when content is created, changed or published. Built in AEM Eventing delivers events through Adobe I/O Events. 7 Plugin or add-on Webhooks contrib module. Core has no outgoing webhooks. 18
Renders the website The CMS itself renders and serves the public pages through themes or templates. Headless-only products answer no. Built in HTL page rendering or Edge Delivery Services. 10 Built in Twig themes.
Editorial workflow
Drafts Editors save changes as a draft and publish them later. The live version stays untouched until then. Built in Edits stay on the author tier until published. 11 Built in Drafts of published content need the core Content Moderation module. 5
Scheduled publishing An editor can set a future date and time for content to publish or unpublish. Built in Publish later and unpublish later. 11 Plugin or add-on Scheduler contrib module. 11
Version history The CMS keeps earlier versions of an entry, and editors can compare or restore them. Built in Built in Revert in core. Side-by-side compare needs the Diff contrib module.
Preview Editors can see unpublished content rendered as it will appear on the site before publishing. Built in Separate preview tier. Built in Preview button on the edit form.
Visual editing Editors can click on the rendered page and edit content in place or in a side panel next to it. Built in Universal Editor and Page Editor. 9 Limited Layout Builder edits blocks on a rendered preview. Drupal Canvas is contrib. 910
Approval workflows Content moves through review stages you configure, such as draft, review and approved, with permissions per stage. Built in Built in Workflows and Content Moderation modules in core. 5
Content releases Editors group changes across several entries and publish them together as one release. Built in Launches group changes across pages and promote them together. 8 Built in Workspaces module, stable in core since 10.3. 6
Real-time co-editing Two or more editors can work on the same entry at once and see each other's changes live. Limited Only with document authoring in Word or Google Docs. The Universal Editor has no co-editing. 10 Not available
Access and governance
Custom roles Admins define their own roles with granular permissions instead of picking from a fixed set. Built in AEM groups with repository permissions. 12 Built in
Field-level permissions Admins can restrict access to single fields, on top of content types and entries. Limited Repository ACL restrictions can target named properties. No per-field setting in the editors. 12 Plugin or add-on Field Permissions contrib module. 12
Single sign-on Editors can sign in through SAML or OpenID Connect against a company identity provider. Built in SAML or OIDC federation through Adobe Admin Console. 13 Plugin or add-on OpenID Connect or SAML Authentication contrib modules. 13
Audit log The CMS logs who changed what and when across the whole installation, and admins can review the log. Built in Page, replication and DAM audit logs. 14 Limited Database Logging records content events by user. It caps and prunes entries. 20
Platform and extensibility
Multiple sites One installation or account can manage several separate websites or brands with shared users. Built in Multi Site Manager with live copies. 15 Plugin or add-on Domain contrib module. Core multisite shares only the codebase. 14
Extensible admin UI Developers can add their own components, views or fields to the editing interface. Built in UI extensions built with App Builder. 16 Built in Custom field widgets, forms and admin routes.
Plugin marketplace The vendor runs an official directory or marketplace of installable extensions. Built in Extension Manager catalogue of Adobe and partner extensions. 16 Built in drupal.org module directory.
Form builder Editors can build and publish forms and collect submissions without code. Built in Core Components form container emails, posts or stores submissions. 17 Plugin or add-on Webform contrib module. Core Contact is deprecated in 11.4. 152
Site member accounts The platform handles sign-up and login for public site users or members, separate from editors. Limited Publish-tier login via SAML or OIDC. Sign-up flows need custom code and user sync. 1813 Built in
AI writing assistant A first-party AI feature in the editing interface generates, rewrites or translates content. Built in Generate Variations needs AEM Cloud Service with Edge Delivery entitlement. Licence includes an action allowance; extra actions cost more. 19 Plugin or add-on AI module from the Drupal AI Initiative, bundled with Drupal CMS. 1619
Official MCP server The vendor publishes a Model Context Protocol server so AI agents can read or write content. Built in AEM MCP Server for pages, fragments and assets. 20 Not available Community contrib only, e.g. the MCP Server module by Lullabot and Omedia. 17

Considering more platforms? Compare Adobe Experience Manager and Drupal with the rest of your shortlist in the CMS comparison tool.

Where they differ

Adobe Experience Manager and Drupal get a different status on 13 of the 28 features and the same status on 15. Adobe Experience Manager has 25 built in on its baseline edition, Drupal has 16. Two matching statuses can still name different paid tiers or limits, so read the notes in the table before treating a row as equal.

Licence
Adobe Experience Manager is closed source (Proprietary). Drupal is open source (GPL-2.0-or-later).
Self-hosting
Adobe Experience Manager cannot be self-hosted. Drupal can be self-hosted.
Vendor cloud
Adobe Experience Manager has a vendor-run cloud. Drupal has no vendor-run cloud.
Free option
Adobe Experience Manager has no free option. Drupal has a free option.

Built in on Adobe Experience Manager, a different answer on Drupal 10

  • GraphQL API Adobe Experience Manager: Built in. Drupal: Plugin or add-on.
  • Webhooks Adobe Experience Manager: Built in. Drupal: Plugin or add-on.
  • Scheduled publishing Adobe Experience Manager: Built in. Drupal: Plugin or add-on.
  • Visual editing Adobe Experience Manager: Built in. Drupal: Limited.
  • Single sign-on Adobe Experience Manager: Built in. Drupal: Plugin or add-on.
  • Audit log Adobe Experience Manager: Built in. Drupal: Limited.
  • Multiple sites Adobe Experience Manager: Built in. Drupal: Plugin or add-on.
  • Form builder Adobe Experience Manager: Built in. Drupal: Plugin or add-on.
  • AI writing assistant Adobe Experience Manager: Built in. Drupal: Plugin or add-on.
  • Official MCP server Adobe Experience Manager: Built in. Drupal: Not available.

Built in on Drupal, a different answer on Adobe Experience Manager 1

  • Site member accounts Adobe Experience Manager: Limited. Drupal: Built in.

Built in on neither, with different answers 2

  • Real-time co-editing Adobe Experience Manager: Limited. Drupal: Not available.
  • Field-level permissions Adobe Experience Manager: Limited. Drupal: Plugin or add-on.

More comparisons

Full write-ups with worked examples and costs: Adobe Experience Manager vs Payload and Drupal vs Payload.

Adobe Experience Manager against other platforms

Drupal against other platforms

Open the CMS comparison tool to put up to six platforms in one table.

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