Umbraco vs. Kentico
Compare Kentico and Umbraco if you're planning your next CMS move before Xperience 13 end-of-support
With Kentico Xperience 13 reaching end-of-support in late 2026, many teams are deciding whether to move deeper into a bundled DXP model or choose a more flexible CMS foundation. Umbraco gives you an open-source .NET CMS with strong editor experience, integration freedom, and capabilities like cloud, personalization, commerce, forms, and workflow when they fit your strategy.
Talk to an Umbraco expert
Control your intelligence, own your data
Kentico’s AI capabilities are delivered as part of the Kentico platform roadmap. Umbraco takes a more flexible approach: AI can be added where it creates value, with room to shape models, governance, workflows, and data handling around your organization’s needs.
Explore Umbraco AIWhy Teams Choose Umbraco Instead Of Kentico
What customers tell us makes the difference.
Strategic financial control
Optimize your budget by moving away from foundational platform fees. Umbraco’s open-source foundation allows you to prioritize investments in custom functionality that drive ROI.Eliminate bundled redundancy
Kentico’s suite approach can mean paying for capabilities you may not need from day one. Umbraco lets you start with the CMS foundation and add advanced capabilities when you need them.Best-of-breed integration
Keep the freedom to choose best-of-breed tools. Umbraco is designed to integrate with systems like CRM, PIM, CDP, commerce, analytics, and marketing automation platforms.True digital sovereignty
Keep more control over hosting, data, code, integrations, and long-term platform direction.Faster time to value
Umbraco implementations are typically completed in months, enabling teams to launch quickly and scale their solution incrementally.Community-powered reliability
Use an open-source CMS backed by Umbraco HQ, an active global community, documentation, packages, partners, and commercial support options.
A modular alternative to the all-in-one suite
Kentico’s all-in-one model can be convenient when a team wants a unified suite. But for organizations that already have preferred tools for CRM, commerce, analytics, search, or personalization, a bundled platform can add cost and complexity. Umbraco gives teams a flexible CMS foundation that integrates with the stack they choose.
We are a 15-year-old organization. We tried other CMSs like Sitecore and Kentico, but in the end, we ended up with Umbraco. Because all the things you can build with other CMSs, you can also build with Umbraco, and Umbraco is open source. It’s a lot cheaper than the other CMSs. We appreciate the flexibility with Umbraco.
Bundled suite or flexible CMS foundation?
Kentico brings content and marketing capabilities together in a unified platform. Umbraco gives you a more open CMS foundation that can connect to the tools, data, and workflows you already use. The right choice depends on whether your team wants a bundled DXP path or more control over the stack around the CMS.
Plan your move from Kentico
Secure your team's expertise
You’ve invested heavily in your team’s skills - let’s protect that value. Migrate to Umbraco, and we’ll match your training: We will match your team's current Kentico certification levels with equivalent Umbraco training for up to 3 developers and we make sure to handle the transition details so your team can hit the ground running without missing a beat.
Talk to an Umbraco expertKey Differences Between Kentico and Umbraco
Umbraco is the better choice for teams wanting enterprise-grade content management without the cost, complexity, and lock-in.
Feature | Umbraco | Kentico |
|---|---|---|
Vendor Lock-in | Open architecture built on .NET. You control hosting, integrations, and extensions, allowing you to evolve your stack over time. | A proprietary SaaS platform built on .NET, with infrastructure and long-term platform direction managed by the vendor. |
AI Strategy | AI is optional and configurable, letting you enable and extend it where it adds value while keeping control over behavior, governance, and data. | AI capabilities are delivered as built-in features aligned with the platform’s roadmap and release cycle. |
Platform Approach | A composable, best-of-breed platform that integrates seamlessly with existing tools and lets teams add capabilities as needed. | A SaaS digital experience platform combining content management and marketing capabilities in a unified solution. |
Total Cost of Ownership | You pay for what you need. Start with the core CMS and add capabilities as your strategy grows. | Pricing reflects bundled digital experience capabilities delivered as part of the SaaS platform. |
Skills & Extensibility | Built on standard .NET. Developers can extend the platform using familiar tools and modern frameworks, including customizing the backoffice experience. | Built on standard .NET, with customization following the platform’s defined extension patterns. |
Integrations | API-first and integration-friendly by design. Works naturally with CRM, PIM, CDP, commerce, and marketing automation tools of your choice. | Supports integrations, with many capabilities available natively within the broader platform. |
Editor Experience | A clean, intuitive editing interface focused on content clarity, governance, and usability, helping teams publish confidently without navigating unnecessary complexity. | A feature-dense interface that combines content management and marketing capabilities in one environment. |
Time to Market | Projects typically go live in around 4 months, with the flexibility to add advanced features as your needs grow. | Implementation timelines depend on the scope and configuration of the broader platform capabilities. Moving from Xperience 13 to the SaaS platform typically involves reimplementation rather than a direct upgrade. |
Upgrades | Predictable release cycles mean you know what’s coming and when, so you can plan upgrades with confidence. On Umbraco Cloud, updates are managed for you. | Delivered on a vendor-defined release cycle, with updates requiring implementation and planning. |
Personalization | Personalization is available through Umbraco Engage and can be added when it aligns with your strategy. | Personalization is included in the broader digital experience platform. |
Data Governance | Flexible hosting options let you align data residency and compliance with your internal requirements. | Delivered as SaaS, with infrastructure and hosting environments managed by the vendor. |
Ecosystem & Support | Built on an open-source foundation with a strong global community that contributes ideas, extensions, and innovation. | A proprietary platform where product direction and innovation are driven by the vendor’s roadmap. |
Maximizing ROI through efficiency
Umbraco delivers a faster return on investment by eliminating redundant licensing overhead. Instead of paying for a bundled suite of features you may never use, you invest directly in the specialized tools that drive your business. With shorter implementation cycles and lower maintenance, Umbraco ensures your budget is spent on customer value rather than platform fees.
With Umbraco, you get faster time to value today and lower operational risk over time.
Still Unsure? See What Real Users Say on G2
Our Users Say It Best
Independent reviews on G2 consistently highlight Umbraco's ease of use and flexibility compared to suite DXPs. With legacy Kentico 13 reaching end-of-support in late 2026, many organizations are choosing the freedom of Umbraco to reclaim control over their roadmap. See why teams praise Umbraco's intuitive editing experience and faster path to ROI.
See how we compare