Drupal Agency: What specialisation really means
A Drupal agency is an agency that works primarily or exclusively with the Drupal CMS. The difference to a web agency that "also does Drupal": specialists know the system's quirks, security-critical configurations, scaling patterns for large platforms, and know where Drupal is not the right choice.
Organisations that look for a Drupal agency usually have requirements that go beyond a simple website: multilingualism, granular editorial permissions, complex content models, integration with existing systems, enterprise security. Exactly here it becomes obvious whether an agency really masters the CMS.
How to recognise a good Drupal agency
Six criteria that make a difference in practice, and that you can check concretely in the first conversation.
arocom: a Drupal agency since 2012
We are not a web agency with a Drupal department. We are a Drupal agency. That shapes every decision, from architecture to support.
What this means in practice:
- We recommend Drupal honestly. If your requirements fit better with WordPress or a static generator, we will say so. A Drupal agency that wants to solve every project with Drupal is suspect.
- Architecture that survives major versions. For d&b audiotechnik we set up the Drupal platform in 2018, today it runs on Drupal 11 without refactoring.
- Drupal as a platform, not just a website. Configurators, member areas, editorial systems, data pipelines. Drupal can do much more than a corporate website.
- Maintenance over years, not just launch. 80 % of our clients have been with us for at least three years. Drupal pays off over time.
When you need a Drupal agency, and when not
Drupal fits when…
- your platform is or will be multilingual
- you need granular editorial permissions (roles, workflows, approvals)
- your content has complex structures (configurators, product data, events, members)
- you need Enterprise Content Management rather than a classic blog CMS
- security is a hard factor (banks, NGOs, public sector)
- you want to access your platform in ten years without licence fees
Drupal is the wrong choice when…
- your project is a blog with three categories
- you have no technical support in your own organisation
- your stack is fully headless/JavaScript-first and needs no editorial backend tools
Co-pitch with design agencies
We regularly work as a technical partner for design agencies. If your agency owns design and concept but lacks Drupal depth, we take over the platform architecture and development in a co-pitch model.
Typical Drupal projects from 14 years
- Publishing platforms for publishers and media houses, see Publishing Platforms.
- Multilingual corporate websites with translation workflows and regional subsites.
- Intranets and portal solutions with granular permissions and SSO connection.
- Configurators and dashboards with complex business logic (e.g. marego, data structures for mobility data).
- NGO and association sites with member areas, donation integration and event management.
- Migrations from Drupal 7/8/9 to current major versions.
How a collaboration with arocom works
1. Initial conversation (free): 30–60 minutes in which we understand your situation. We check whether Drupal fits at all, see Drupal Future Check. 2. Concept and architecture phase: we define content models, roles, integrations and hosting requirements. Result: a binding concept as the basis for an agile fixed-price agreement. 3. Development in iterations: two-week sprints, accessible staging server, code reviews, automated tests. You see progress every week. 4. Launch & hosting: we host Drupal projects ourselves (Hosting & Operations) or accompany the launch in your infrastructure. 5. Long-term support: updates, security patches, continuous development. Drupal needs care, otherwise the platform becomes a security risk after three years.
Common questions for a Drupal agency
What does working with a Drupal agency cost?
Drupal projects start in the five-figure range. A fully new platform with multilingualism, editorial workflows and hosting typically lies between EUR 40,000 and 150,000. What matters is not the hourly rate but architecture quality and long-term maintainability.
How long does a Drupal project take?
From concept to launch typically three to nine months, depending on scope. A complete new build with multilingualism and integrations usually needs six months or more. Migrations from Drupal 7 or 8 are faster because much content is taken over.
What sets a Drupal agency apart from a web agency that offers Drupal?
Specialisation. A Drupal agency works with the system daily, knows security advisories first-hand, has published its own modules and has experience with complex Drupal architectures. A web agency that offers Drupal as one of several CMS usually does not have the same depth.
Do you offer maintenance and support after launch?
Yes. Maintenance is not optional with Drupal but a precondition. We offer maintenance packages with defined SLAs for security updates, backups, monitoring and continuous development, see Hosting & Operations.
Do you also work with other CMS?
No. arocom has specialised exclusively in Drupal since 2012. If your project does not fit Drupal, we say so honestly and recommend suitable alternatives, but we do not build them ourselves.
Can you take over an existing Drupal platform?
Yes. Agency change is a process in its own right, see Agency Switch. We first run a Drupal Future Check to assess the state of the platform, then plan an orderly takeover.
Trust from 160+ Drupal projects
We listen before we advise
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Currently accepting new projects for Q2 2026