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CMS comparison DatoCMS vs Xperience by Kentico

DatoCMS vs Xperience by Kentico

DatoCMS is a closed-source headless CMS that runs on the vendor's cloud. Xperience by Kentico is a closed-source enterprise DXP 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 14.

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  • DatoCMS Headless · Closed source · 16 of 28 built in
  • Xperience by Kentico Enterprise DXP · Closed source · 19 of 28 built in

Sources checked: DatoCMS on 29 Sept 2026, Xperience by Kentico 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
DatoCMS vs Xperience by Kentico feature comparison. Columns are the two platforms. Rows are features, grouped by area.
Platform
DatoCMS Headless
Xperience by Kentico Enterprise DXP
Overview
What it is Hosted headless CMS run by DatoCMS. It delivers content over a GraphQL API, with a REST API for content management.Kentico's .NET digital experience platform for websites, email and headless channels, sold as Kentico-hosted SaaS or a private-cloud licence.
Edition compared The product and release each column describes. DatoCMS SaaS, Free, Professional and Enterprise plans SaaS, continuously updated Xperience by Kentico Version 31.9.0, released 24 Sept 2026
Vendor DatoCMS datocms.com Kentico kentico.com
Licence Closed source Proprietary Closed source Proprietary
Hosting No self-hosting Vendor cloud Self-hosting Vendor cloud
Built with Hosted SaaS with GraphQL delivery and REST management APIs, TypeScript client.NET, ASP.NET Core
Database Managed by DatoCMSMicrosoft SQL Server
Pricing Public list prices only. Hosting and implementation are extra everywhere. Free to start Free plan. Professional €149 per month billed annually, or €199 monthly. Enterprise on request. No free option Pricing on request. Licensed per channel in Standard and Advanced tiers, plus AIRA credit packages.
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. Limited Migration scripts run by the DatoCMS CLI, auto-generated from environment diffs. 12 Built in Continuous Integration serializes content types to files in the repository. 3
Content model in the UI Admins can create and change content types and fields in the admin interface without writing code. Built in 1 Built in Field editor in the Content types application.
Reusable blocks Editors compose pages from reusable, typed components or blocks, and can reorder them. Built in Block library used in modular content and Structured Text fields. 1 Built in Page Builder widgets and sections, plus reusable content items.
Localization Editors translate content per locale inside the CMS, by field or by entry, without a separate site for each language. Built in Field-level locales, 5 included and up to 10 with paid add-ons. 1 Built in Language variants per page and content item.
Image transformations The CMS resizes, crops or converts images on request, through URL parameters or generated sizes, with no external service. Built in Images API with imgix URL parameters. 3 Built in Image variants with configured crops and sizes. 4
APIs and delivery
REST API A documented REST or JSON HTTP API returns content. Built in REST Content Management API reads records. Delivery is GraphQL. 111 Limited The Management REST API is for local development only. Headless delivery is GraphQL. 56
GraphQL API The vendor or an official module provides a GraphQL API for content. Built in 1 Paid tier Headless channels need the Advanced tier. 6
Webhooks The CMS can call an external URL when content is created, changed or published. Built in 1 Not available No outgoing webhooks. Content events need custom handler code. 7
Renders the website The CMS itself renders and serves the public pages through themes or templates. Headless-only products answer no. Not available Built in ASP.NET Core website channels.
Editorial workflow
Drafts Editors save changes as a draft and publish them later. The live version stays untouched until then. Built in 1 Built in 8
Scheduled publishing An editor can set a future date and time for content to publish or unpublish. Built in 1 Built in Schedule publish and unpublish. 8
Version history The CMS keeps earlier versions of an entry, and editors can compare or restore them. Limited History kept 3 days on Free, 60 days on Professional. 1 Built in View and restore previously published versions. 9
Preview Editors can see unpublished content rendered as it will appear on the site before publishing. Built in 17 Built in Preview mode and shareable preview URLs.
Visual editing Editors can click on the rendered page and edit content in place or in a side panel next to it. Built in Click-to-edit overlays on the site in draft mode. 17 Built in Page Builder.
Approval workflows Content moves through review stages you configure, such as draft, review and approved, with permissions per stage. Paid tier Editorial workflows with stage permissions on Enterprise. 16 Built in Custom workflow steps with role permissions. 10
Content releases Editors group changes across several entries and publish them together as one release. Limited Publishing a record can also publish its linked records. No standalone releases. 1 Limited Cascade publishing sends linked items with the parent. No standalone release bundles. 11
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 Presence and live updates, but a record locks while one editor edits it. 4 Not available Content locking lets one user edit an item at a time. 12
Access and governance
Custom roles Admins define their own roles with granular permissions instead of picking from a fixed set. Built in Projects include Admin and Editor roles and can create additional roles. The Free plan is limited to 2 editor seats. 15 Built in Roles with application, workspace and page permissions. 13
Field-level permissions Admins can restrict access to single fields, on top of content types and entries. Not available Rules apply per model, creator, locale and workflow stage. Locale rules need Enterprise. 5 Not available Permissions stop at application, workspace and page level. 13
Single sign-on Editors can sign in through SAML or OpenID Connect against a company identity provider. Paid tier Enterprise, with SCIM provisioning. 1 Built in OpenID Connect for the administration, for example Microsoft Entra ID. 14
Audit log The CMS logs who changed what and when across the whole installation, and admins can review the log. Paid tier Enterprise. 1 Limited Event log records system events. Version history shows who changed versioned items. 159
Platform and extensibility
Multiple sites One installation or account can manage several separate websites or brands with shared users. Built in Separate projects per site. 3 on Free, extra projects €39 a month on Professional. 1 Paid tier Several main website channels need the Advanced tier. Standard adds only microchannels. 2
Extensible admin UI Developers can add their own components, views or fields to the editing interface. Built in Plugin SDK for field editors, sidebars and custom pages. 1 Built in Custom React UI pages and form components. 16
Plugin marketplace The vendor runs an official directory or marketplace of installable extensions. Built in DatoCMS Marketplace. 19 Built in Integrations directory on the Kentico Community portal. 17
Form builder Editors can build and publish forms and collect submissions without code. Not available Built in Form Builder.
Site member accounts The platform handles sign-up and login for public site users or members, separate from editors. Not available Built in Members with registration, login and member roles. 18
AI writing assistant A first-party AI feature in the editing interface generates, rewrites or translates content. Plugin or add-on Official AI Translations plugin with your own OpenAI, Gemini, Claude or DeepL key. 89 Built in AIRA text generation and translation on both tiers. Licences include 200,000 credits a year. 219
Official MCP server The vendor publishes a Model Context Protocol server so AI agents can read or write content. Built in Remote MCP server at mcp.datocms.com. 10 Limited Management MCP server works on local development instances only. 205

Considering more platforms? Compare DatoCMS and Xperience by Kentico with the rest of your shortlist in the CMS comparison tool.

Where they differ

DatoCMS and Xperience by Kentico get a different status on 14 of the 28 features and the same status on 14. DatoCMS has 16 built in on its baseline edition, Xperience by Kentico has 19. Two matching statuses can still name different paid tiers or limits, so read the notes in the table before treating a row as equal.

Self-hosting
DatoCMS cannot be self-hosted. Xperience by Kentico can be self-hosted.
Free option
DatoCMS has a free option. Xperience by Kentico has no free option.

Built in on DatoCMS, a different answer on Xperience by Kentico 5

  • REST API DatoCMS: Built in. Xperience by Kentico: Limited.
  • GraphQL API DatoCMS: Built in. Xperience by Kentico: Paid tier.
  • Webhooks DatoCMS: Built in. Xperience by Kentico: Not available.
  • Multiple sites DatoCMS: Built in. Xperience by Kentico: Paid tier.
  • Official MCP server DatoCMS: Built in. Xperience by Kentico: Limited.

Built in on Xperience by Kentico, a different answer on DatoCMS 8

  • Content model in code DatoCMS: Limited. Xperience by Kentico: Built in.
  • Renders the website DatoCMS: Not available. Xperience by Kentico: Built in.
  • Version history DatoCMS: Limited. Xperience by Kentico: Built in.
  • Approval workflows DatoCMS: Paid tier. Xperience by Kentico: Built in.
  • Single sign-on DatoCMS: Paid tier. Xperience by Kentico: Built in.
  • Form builder DatoCMS: Not available. Xperience by Kentico: Built in.
  • Site member accounts DatoCMS: Not available. Xperience by Kentico: Built in.
  • AI writing assistant DatoCMS: Plugin or add-on. Xperience by Kentico: Built in.

Built in on neither, with different answers 1

  • Audit log DatoCMS: Paid tier. Xperience by Kentico: Limited.

More comparisons

Full write-ups with worked examples and costs: DatoCMS vs Payload.

DatoCMS against other platforms

Xperience by Kentico against other platforms

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

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