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CMS comparison CoreMedia Content Cloud vs Umbraco

CoreMedia Content Cloud vs Umbraco

CoreMedia Content Cloud is a closed-source enterprise DXP that you can host yourself or run on the vendor's cloud. Umbraco is an open-source traditional CMS that you can host yourself or run on the vendor's cloud. The table below sets them side by side on 28 features. They get a different status on 12.

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  • CoreMedia Content Cloud Enterprise DXP · Closed source · 18 of 28 built in
  • Umbraco Traditional · Open source · 18 of 28 built in

Sources checked: CoreMedia Content Cloud on 29 Sept 2026, Umbraco 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 Umbraco feature comparison. Columns are the two platforms. Rows are features, grouped by area.
Platform
CoreMedia Content Cloud Enterprise DXP
Umbraco 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.Open-source .NET CMS that renders sites with Razor or serves content headless. Self-hosted or run on Umbraco Cloud.
Edition compared The product and release each column describes. CoreMedia Content Cloud v13, or CMCC 13 Version 2512.1.1, released 10 Aug 2026 Umbraco CMS 17 LTS, open source. Umbraco 18.2.0 is the latest short-term release. Version 17.7.0, released 17 Sept 2026
Vendor CoreMedia GmbH coremedia.com Umbraco A/S umbraco.com
Licence Closed source Proprietary Open source MIT
Hosting Self-hosting Vendor cloud Event Hub webhooks are an add-on for the CoreMedia cloud service only. Self-hosting Vendor cloud Forms and Deploy are paid add-ons when self-hosted. Umbraco Cloud includes both.
Built with Java, Spring Boot, TypeScript for StudioC#, ASP.NET Core on .NET 10, TypeScript backoffice
Database Relational database: PostgreSQL, MySQL, Oracle, SQL ServerSQL Server, SQLite
Pricing Public list prices only. Hosting and implementation are extra everywhere. No free option Pricing on request. Free to start Free to self-host. Umbraco Cloud Starter €45, Standard €280, Professional €730 per month. Enterprise on request.
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 Plugin or add-on Umbraco Deploy saves document types as .uda files in Git. Paid on-premises, included on Umbraco Cloud. 45
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 Built in Document types are built in the backoffice.
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 Block List and Block Grid editors. 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 Culture variants per property.
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 ImageSharp crops and resizes images from query string parameters. 9
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 Content Delivery API. 7
GraphQL API The vendor or an official module provides a GraphQL API for content. Built in Headless Server. 7 Not available No official GraphQL. Community package Nikcio.UHeadless adds one. 20
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 Built in 8
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 Razor templates.
Editorial workflow
Drafts Editors save changes as a draft and publish them later. The live version stays untouched until then. Built in Built in
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 Built in 10
Version history The CMS keeps earlier versions of an entry, and editors can compare or restore them. Built in Built in Rollback compares and restores earlier versions. 11
Preview Editors can see unpublished content rendered as it will appear on the site before publishing. Built in Built in
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
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 Plugin or add-on Umbraco Workflow add-on. Its free version is capped at five approval groups. Full use is paid. 1221
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 Plugin or add-on Release Sets in a licensed Umbraco Workflow. 13
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
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 User groups with granular permissions.
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 Limited Per-property read and write limits per user group, enforced in the UI only. 14
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 Built in OpenID Connect providers such as Entra ID, configured in code. 15
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 Limited Audit trail per item plus a log viewer. No installation-wide audit screen in core. 16
Platform and extensibility
Multiple sites One installation or account can manage several separate websites or brands with shared users. Built in Built in Several root nodes, each with its own domains.
Extensible admin UI Developers can add their own components, views or fields to the editing interface. Built in Studio plugins. Built in Backoffice extensions.
Plugin marketplace The vendor runs an official directory or marketplace of installable extensions. Built in CoreMedia Marketplace. 17 Built in Umbraco Marketplace.
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 Umbraco Forms, paid licence. Included on Umbraco Cloud. 217
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 Built in Members, separate from backoffice users.
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 Plugin or add-on Free Umbraco.AI packages add prompts and an editor copilot. 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 Built in Umbraco CMS Developer MCP server. 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

Umbraco sources

Checked 29 Sept 2026. Umbraco CMS 17 LTS, open source. Umbraco 18.2.0 is the latest short-term release..

  1. Umbraco releases
  2. Umbraco pricing
  3. Umbraco 18 release
  4. Umbraco Deploy licensing
  5. Umbraco Cloud: UDA files
  6. Umbraco docs: Block Grid
  7. Umbraco docs: Content Delivery API
  8. Umbraco docs: Webhooks
  9. Umbraco docs: Image Cropper
  10. Umbraco docs: Scheduled Publishing
  11. Umbraco docs: Rollback to a previous version
  12. Umbraco Workflow
  13. Umbraco Workflow docs: Release Sets
  14. Umbraco docs: Property Level UI Permissions
  15. Umbraco docs: External Login Providers
  16. Umbraco docs: Log Viewer
  17. Umbraco Forms licensing
  18. Umbraco.AI on GitHub
  19. Umbraco MCP on GitHub
  20. Nikcio.UHeadless on Umbraco Marketplace
  21. Umbraco Workflow docs: Licensing

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

Where they differ

CoreMedia Content Cloud and Umbraco get a different status on 12 of the 28 features and the same status on 16. CoreMedia Content Cloud has 18 built in on its baseline edition, Umbraco has 18. Two matching statuses can still name different paid tiers or limits, so read the notes in the table before treating a row as equal.

Licence
CoreMedia Content Cloud is closed source (Proprietary). Umbraco is open source (MIT).
Free option
CoreMedia Content Cloud has no free option. Umbraco has a free option.

Built in on CoreMedia Content Cloud, a different answer on Umbraco 5

  • Content model in code CoreMedia Content Cloud: Built in. Umbraco: Plugin or add-on.
  • GraphQL API CoreMedia Content Cloud: Built in. Umbraco: Not available.
  • Visual editing CoreMedia Content Cloud: Built in. Umbraco: Not available.
  • Approval workflows CoreMedia Content Cloud: Built in. Umbraco: Plugin or add-on.
  • Audit log CoreMedia Content Cloud: Built in. Umbraco: Limited.

Built in on Umbraco, a different answer on CoreMedia Content Cloud 5

  • Content model in the UI CoreMedia Content Cloud: Not available. Umbraco: Built in.
  • Localization CoreMedia Content Cloud: Limited. Umbraco: Built in.
  • Webhooks CoreMedia Content Cloud: Plugin or add-on. Umbraco: Built in.
  • Site member accounts CoreMedia Content Cloud: Plugin or add-on. Umbraco: Built in.
  • Official MCP server CoreMedia Content Cloud: Not available. Umbraco: Built in.

Built in on neither, with different answers 2

  • Content releases CoreMedia Content Cloud: Limited. Umbraco: Plugin or add-on.
  • Field-level permissions CoreMedia Content Cloud: Not available. Umbraco: Limited.

More comparisons

CoreMedia Content Cloud against other platforms

Umbraco against other platforms

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

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