Best CMS Platforms for News Sites
Drupal (Acquia / Thunder) alternatives
8 tools scored in the same category. 8 score higher than Drupal (Acquia / Thunder)'s 3.6/5.
Ranked by independent composite score, not by payment. Nobody on this page paid to be here.
Before you switch — what Drupal (Acquia / Thunder) does well
- Unmatched flexibility and possibility of customization
- Proven scalability for high-traffic enterprise sites
- Highly configurable and secure architecture
And where it was marked down
- Requires high technical skills and large resources
- Higher overall cost of ownership for maintenance
- Steep learning curve for non-technical teams
A modular content experience platform and AI-supported CMS designed for modern digital publishers and media groups.
Scores 0.7 higher than Drupal (Acquia / Thunder)
An AI-powered headless CMS and digital experience platform designed specifically for modern newsrooms and publishers. (Now: Quint Digital Limited acquired the remaining 30% stake in July 2024 to make Quintype a wholly-owned subsidiary; the company also acquired social analytics firm Listen First Media in March 2024.)
Scores 0.6 higher than Drupal (Acquia / Thunder)
AI-boosted headless CMS for media, sports and entertainment
Scores 0.5 higher than Drupal (Acquia / Thunder)
A unified multichannel publishing platform for orchestrating content across print, digital, and mobile channels. (Now: Formerly known as WoodWing Enterprise Aurora; rebranded to WoodWing Studio to align with the company's modular cloud-first strategy.)
Scores 0.4 higher than Drupal (Acquia / Thunder)
The world’s most popular open-source CMS for flexible publishing, full-site editing, and total content ownership.
Scores 0.4 higher than Drupal (Acquia / Thunder)
AI-powered visual CMS for professional newsrooms focusing on automated page layout and journalism
Scores 0.4 higher than Drupal (Acquia / Thunder)
Enterprise headless CMS and digital experience platform for high-volume global media
Scores 0.4 higher than Drupal (Acquia / Thunder)
Enterprise WordPress for newsrooms — editorial workflow, scale and Gutenberg at publisher volume.
Scores 0.3 higher than Drupal (Acquia / Thunder)
Common questions
What is the best alternative to Drupal (Acquia / Thunder)?
On Benchmark Grid's independent scoring, Ring Publishing is the highest-scoring alternative in Best CMS Platforms for News Sites at 4.3/5, against Drupal (Acquia / Thunder) at 3.6/5. Which is right for you depends on your publication's size, revenue model and vertical.
Why would a publisher move away from Drupal (Acquia / Thunder)?
Our editors flagged: Requires high technical skills and large resources; Higher overall cost of ownership for maintenance; Steep learning curve for non-technical teams. Whether those matter depends on your setup — many publishers run Drupal (Acquia / Thunder) successfully despite them.
Are these alternatives ranked by paid placement?
No. Every tool here is ranked by a composite score set by SODP's editorial team across 12 criteria. Vendors cannot pay for inclusion, for a score, or for a position on this page.
