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CMS comparison CoreMedia Content Cloud vs Kirby

CoreMedia Content Cloud vs Kirby

CoreMedia Content Cloud is a closed-source enterprise DXP that you can host yourself or run on the vendor's cloud. Kirby is a closed-source traditional CMS that you host yourself. The table below sets them side by side on 28 features. They get a different status on 13.

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  • CoreMedia Content Cloud Enterprise DXP · Closed source · 18 of 28 built in
  • Kirby Traditional · Closed source · 11 of 28 built in

Sources checked: CoreMedia Content Cloud on 29 Sept 2026, Kirby on 29 Sept 2026. Plans and releases can change after those dates.

WAYF is an official Payload partner and top contributor. Every platform in the table is classified by the same published definitions, and each answer lists the vendor page it came from.

Feature comparison

Built inPaid tierPlugin or add-onLimitedNot available
CoreMedia Content Cloud vs Kirby feature comparison. Columns are the two platforms. Rows are features, grouped by area.
Platform
CoreMedia Content Cloud Enterprise DXP
Kirby Traditional
Overview
What it is Java-based enterprise CMS with a Studio editor, a template engine and a GraphQL headless server. Runs on-premises or as CoreMedia's cloud service.File-based PHP CMS with a configurable editing Panel. Content lives in text files on your own server, under a paid per-site licence.
Edition compared The product and release each column describes. CoreMedia Content Cloud v13, or CMCC 13 Version 2512.1.1, released 10 Aug 2026 Kirby 5. Kirby 6 is in alpha. Version 5.6.0, released 16 Sept 2026
Vendor CoreMedia GmbH coremedia.com Content Folder GmbH & Co. KG getkirby.com
Licence Closed source Proprietary Closed source Proprietary, source available
Hosting Self-hosting Vendor cloud Event Hub webhooks are an add-on for the CoreMedia cloud service only. Self-hosting No vendor cloud
Built with Java, Spring Boot, TypeScript for StudioPHP, Vue for the Panel
Database Relational database: PostgreSQL, MySQL, Oracle, SQL ServerFlat files, no database required
Pricing Public list prices only. Hosting and implementation are extra everywhere. No free option Pricing on request. No free option Basic €99 per site if revenue is under €1M. Enterprise €349 per site. Both include 3 years of updates.
Content modelling
Content model in code You define content types in files in your repository, review them like any other code and apply them from there. Imperative migration scripts alone count as limited. Built in XML files in the project workspace define content types. 3 Built in Blueprints are YAML files in site/blueprints. 5
Content model in the UI Admins can create and change content types and fields in the admin interface without writing code. Not available Content type changes need a developer and a deployment. 3 Not available You edit blueprints as files. The Panel has no schema editor. 5
Reusable blocks Editors compose pages from reusable, typed components or blocks, and can reorder them. Built in Page grid placements hold reusable content items. 4 Built in Blocks and Layout fields. 6
Localization Editors translate content per locale inside the CMS, by field or by entry, without a separate site for each language. Limited Each locale is a derived site linked to a master site, with a translation workflow. 5 Built in Multi-language content is built in. 7
Image transformations The CMS resizes, crops or converts images on request, through URL parameters or generated sizes, with no external service. Built in Named image variants and crops in the CAE and Headless Server. 6 Built in Thumbs with resize, crop and format conversion. 8
APIs and delivery
REST API A documented REST or JSON HTTP API returns content. Built in REST endpoints mapped from persisted GraphQL queries. 7 Built in Authenticated REST API. The official KQL plugin serves headless queries. 910
GraphQL API The vendor or an official module provides a GraphQL API for content. Built in Headless Server. 7 Not available
Webhooks The CMS can call an external URL when content is created, changed or published. Plugin or add-on Event Hub add-on service for cloud service subscribers. 89 Not available PHP hooks only. No webhook settings.
Renders the website The CMS itself renders and serves the public pages through themes or templates. Headless-only products answer no. Built in Content Application Engine with FreeMarker templates. 1 Built in PHP templates and snippets.
Editorial workflow
Drafts Editors save changes as a draft and publish them later. The live version stays untouched until then. Built in Built in Page drafts. Kirby 5 stores unsaved changes apart from the live version. 4
Scheduled publishing An editor can set a future date and time for content to publish or unpublish. Built in Valid-from and valid-to dates plus a scheduled publication workflow. 11 Not available
Version history The CMS keeps earlier versions of an entry, and editors can compare or restore them. Built in Not available Kirby 5 keeps the live version and one set of changes. No revision history. 4
Preview Editors can see unpublished content rendered as it will appear on the site before publishing. Built in Built in Preview view renders unsaved changes, with shareable links. 4
Visual editing Editors can click on the rendered page and edit content in place or in a side panel next to it. Built in In-preview editing in Studio, also for headless frontends. 10 Not available Preview view compares versions. No click-to-edit. 4
Approval workflows Content moves through review stages you configure, such as draft, review and approved, with permissions per stage. Built in Workflow Server with configurable publication workflows. 1113 Not available Fixed page statuses: draft, unlisted, listed. 11
Content releases Editors group changes across several entries and publish them together as one release. Limited Projects group content. A publication set carries linked items along. 1213 Not available
Real-time co-editing Two or more editors can work on the same entry at once and see each other's changes live. Not available Not available Content locking stops two editors changing one page at once. 320
Access and governance
Custom roles Admins define their own roles with granular permissions instead of picking from a fixed set. Built in Rights rules per group, folder and content type. 14 Built in Roles are user blueprints with permissions. 12
Field-level permissions Admins can restrict access to single fields, on top of content types and entries. Not available Rights apply per folder and content type. 14 Not available Only by loading different blueprints per role in custom code. 13
Single sign-on Editors can sign in through SAML or OpenID Connect against a company identity provider. Built in Studio login runs on Spring Security. A project swaps in a redirect-based SSO provider. 1516 Not available No first-party SSO. Community OAuth plugins exist.
Audit log The CMS logs who changed what and when across the whole installation, and admins can review the log. Built in Records who changed what and when; supports reversions. Retention, export and edition limits are not public: confirm in the contract. 16 Not available
Platform and extensibility
Multiple sites One installation or account can manage several separate websites or brands with shared users. Built in Not available One site per installation.
Extensible admin UI Developers can add their own components, views or fields to the editing interface. Built in Studio plugins. Built in Panel plugins add fields, sections, views and areas. 15
Plugin marketplace The vendor runs an official directory or marketplace of installable extensions. Built in CoreMedia Marketplace. 17 Built in Official plugin directory at plugins.getkirby.com. 16
Form builder Editors can build and publish forms and collect submissions without code. Plugin or add-on Formcentric for CoreMedia, a partner product from the Marketplace. 18 Plugin or add-on Paid DreamForm plugin by tobimori. 17
Site member accounts The platform handles sign-up and login for public site users or members, separate from editors. Plugin or add-on Elastic Social module manages site users and comments. 19 Limited Frontend login is built in. Sign-up needs custom code. 14
AI writing assistant A first-party AI feature in the editing interface generates, rewrites or translates content. Plugin or add-on KIO Co-Pilot needs a licence with KIO enabled. 20 Not available No first-party AI. Kirby Copilot is a paid third-party plugin. 18
Official MCP server The vendor publishes a Model Context Protocol server so AI agents can read or write content. Not available None for content. The only official MCP server covers Engagement Cloud analytics. 20 Not available Third-party Kirby MCP plugin by Bruno Meilick. 19

CoreMedia Content Cloud sources

Checked 29 Sept 2026. CoreMedia Content Cloud v13, or CMCC 13.

  1. CoreMedia release notes: 2512.1.1
  2. CoreMedia Content Management System
  3. Content Server Manual: Structure of content type definitions
  4. Studio User Manual: Editing a page grid
  5. Studio User Manual: Translation to derived sites
  6. CAE Developer Manual: Image Transformation API
  7. Headless Server Developer Manual: Mapping REST access
  8. Introduction to the Event Hub Service
  9. Service description: Event Hub
  10. Introducing in-preview editing for CoreMedia Content Cloud
  11. Scheduled publication workflow
  12. How to use projects in Studio (CMCC 13)
  13. Publication steps and best practices
  14. Studio User Manual: Permissions and rights
  15. Studio Developer Manual 2512.1: Single Sign On Integration
  16. CoreMedia: security, access control and audit trails
  17. CoreMedia Marketplace
  18. Formcentric Form Manager on CoreMedia Marketplace
  19. Studio User Manual 2512.0: Elastic Social
  20. Introduction to KIO Co-Pilot

Kirby sources

Checked 29 Sept 2026. Kirby 5. Kirby 6 is in alpha..

  1. Kirby pricing
  2. Kirby releases
  3. Kirby 5 release overview
  4. Kirby 5: Preview your changes
  5. Kirby docs: Blueprints
  6. Kirby docs: Blocks field
  7. Kirby docs: Languages
  8. Kirby docs: $file->thumb()
  9. Kirby docs: REST API
  10. Kirby Query Language (KQL) plugin
  11. Kirby docs: Publishing workflow
  12. Kirby docs: Permissions
  13. Kirby cookbook: Extending permissions
  14. Kirby docs: Frontend login
  15. Kirby docs: Plugin extensions
  16. Kirby plugin directory
  17. DreamForm plugin
  18. Kirby Copilot plugin
  19. Kirby MCP plugin by Bruno Meilick
  20. Kirby docs: Content options (locking)

Considering more platforms? Compare CoreMedia Content Cloud and Kirby with the rest of your shortlist in the CMS comparison tool.

Where they differ

CoreMedia Content Cloud and Kirby get a different status on 13 of the 28 features and the same status on 15. CoreMedia Content Cloud has 18 built in on its baseline edition, Kirby has 11. Two matching statuses can still name different paid tiers or limits, so read the notes in the table before treating a row as equal.

Vendor cloud
CoreMedia Content Cloud has a vendor-run cloud. Kirby has no vendor-run cloud.

Built in on CoreMedia Content Cloud, a different answer on Kirby 8

  • GraphQL API CoreMedia Content Cloud: Built in. Kirby: Not available.
  • Scheduled publishing CoreMedia Content Cloud: Built in. Kirby: Not available.
  • Version history CoreMedia Content Cloud: Built in. Kirby: Not available.
  • Visual editing CoreMedia Content Cloud: Built in. Kirby: Not available.
  • Approval workflows CoreMedia Content Cloud: Built in. Kirby: Not available.
  • Single sign-on CoreMedia Content Cloud: Built in. Kirby: Not available.
  • Audit log CoreMedia Content Cloud: Built in. Kirby: Not available.
  • Multiple sites CoreMedia Content Cloud: Built in. Kirby: Not available.

Built in on Kirby, a different answer on CoreMedia Content Cloud 1

  • Localization CoreMedia Content Cloud: Limited. Kirby: Built in.

Built in on neither, with different answers 4

  • Webhooks CoreMedia Content Cloud: Plugin or add-on. Kirby: Not available.
  • Content releases CoreMedia Content Cloud: Limited. Kirby: Not available.
  • Site member accounts CoreMedia Content Cloud: Plugin or add-on. Kirby: Limited.
  • AI writing assistant CoreMedia Content Cloud: Plugin or add-on. Kirby: Not available.

More comparisons

CoreMedia Content Cloud against other platforms

Kirby against other platforms

Open the CMS comparison tool to put up to six platforms in one table.

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