Oil and Acrylic

The main characteristics of oil paint and acrylic are their opacity and the impasto effects they permit. But that is as far as the comparison goes. Acrylic is water soluble whereas oil paint requires solvents. Acrylic dries fast, whereas oil is particularly slow.
Oil painting is undoubtedly still the most noble, academic technique, but acrylic is more recent and accessible with increasing numbers of enthusiats, both among amateurs and professionals.