Hi Charlie,
I visited Aruba and Curacao and in my option they are very different.
For me Aruba is the perfect island to visit. The people are very friendly, Aruba has beautiful beaches (Eagle beach is named the third best beach in the world by tripadvisor users) and they are all public, Aruba has a wide variety of restaurants, nightlife, shopping, land activities and water activities.
Best way to find out the difference is to visit both islands