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CMS comparison Decap CMS vs Xperience by Kentico

Decap CMS vs Xperience by Kentico

Decap CMS is an open-source headless CMS that you can host yourself or run 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 19.

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  • Decap CMS Headless · Open source · 6 of 28 built in
  • Xperience by Kentico Enterprise DXP · Closed source · 19 of 28 built in

Sources checked: Decap CMS 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
Decap CMS vs Xperience by Kentico feature comparison. Columns are the two platforms. Rows are features, grouped by area.
Platform
Decap CMS Headless
Xperience by Kentico Enterprise DXP
Overview
What it is Open-source Git-based CMS. A React admin app added to your site edits Markdown, YAML or JSON files and commits them to your repository.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. Decap CMS 3, open source. Decap Turbo hosted backend is in public preview. Version 3.16.3, released 22 Sept 2026 Xperience by Kentico Version 31.9.0, released 24 Sept 2026
Vendor Decap CMS project (formerly Netlify CMS), maintained in Europe decapcms.org Kentico kentico.com
Licence Open source MIT Closed source Proprietary
Hosting Self-hosting Vendor cloud Decap Turbo, a hosted backend for login and Git access, is in public preview. Self-hosting Vendor cloud
Built with JavaScript, React.NET, ASP.NET Core
Database Your Git repository on GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket, Gitea or AzureMicrosoft SQL Server
Pricing Public list prices only. Hosting and implementation are extra everywhere. Free to start Free and open source. The Decap Turbo hosted backend, in public preview, has a Free plan and Pro at €19 per month. 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. Built in Collections and fields are defined in config.yml. 6 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. Not available 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 List widget with variable types. 7 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 Side-by-side editing per locale, stored per folder, file or field. 8 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. Not available Media goes to the repo or an external media library. Built in Image variants with configured crops and sizes. 4
APIs and delivery
REST API A documented REST or JSON HTTP API returns content. Not available Content is files in Git. Read them through the Git host API. 2 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. Not available Paid tier Headless channels need the Advanced tier. 6
Webhooks The CMS can call an external URL when content is created, changed or published. Not available Use the Git host's webhooks on commit. 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 Pairs with a static site generator. 2 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 Editorial workflow keeps drafts on a branch until merged. 9 Built in 8
Scheduled publishing An editor can set a future date and time for content to publish or unpublish. Not available Built in Schedule publish and unpublish. 8
Version history The CMS keeps earlier versions of an entry, and editors can compare or restore them. Not available History lives in Git. The CMS has no revision view. 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 Preview pane with custom templates and styles. 10 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. Limited Preview pane beside the form. No click-to-edit on the live page. 10 Built in Page Builder.
Approval workflows Content moves through review stages you configure, such as draft, review and approved, with permissions per stage. Limited Fixed Drafts, In review and Ready stages. No per-stage permissions. 9 Built in Custom workflow steps with role permissions. 10
Content releases Editors group changes across several entries and publish them together as one release. Not available 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 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. Plugin or add-on Decap Turbo, in public preview, has a custom roles add-on at €19 per month on Pro. Core uses Git access. 1214 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 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. Limited Sign-in runs through the Git host or Turbo. SAML only where the Git host enforces it. 413 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. Plugin or add-on Decap Turbo, in public preview, has an activity log on its Free plan. Core has Git history only. 12 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. Plugin or add-on Decap Turbo organizations share members across sites. Turbo is in public preview. Extra sites €10/month. 1412 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 Custom widgets, preview templates and editor components. 1110 Built in Custom React UI pages and form components. 16
Plugin marketplace The vendor runs an official directory or marketplace of installable extensions. Not available No official extension directory. 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. Not available 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. Not available Limited Management MCP server works on local development instances only. 205

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

Where they differ

Decap CMS and Xperience by Kentico get a different status on 19 of the 28 features and the same status on 9. Decap CMS has 6 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.

Licence
Decap CMS is open source (MIT). Xperience by Kentico is closed source (Proprietary).
Free option
Decap CMS has a free option. Xperience by Kentico has no free option.

Built in on Xperience by Kentico, a different answer on Decap CMS 13

  • Content model in the UI Decap CMS: Not available. Xperience by Kentico: Built in.
  • Image transformations Decap CMS: Not available. Xperience by Kentico: Built in.
  • Renders the website Decap CMS: Not available. Xperience by Kentico: Built in.
  • Scheduled publishing Decap CMS: Not available. Xperience by Kentico: Built in.
  • Version history Decap CMS: Not available. Xperience by Kentico: Built in.
  • Visual editing Decap CMS: Limited. Xperience by Kentico: Built in.
  • Approval workflows Decap CMS: Limited. Xperience by Kentico: Built in.
  • Custom roles Decap CMS: Plugin or add-on. Xperience by Kentico: Built in.
  • Single sign-on Decap CMS: Limited. Xperience by Kentico: Built in.
  • Plugin marketplace Decap CMS: Not available. Xperience by Kentico: Built in.
  • Form builder Decap CMS: Not available. Xperience by Kentico: Built in.
  • Site member accounts Decap CMS: Not available. Xperience by Kentico: Built in.
  • AI writing assistant Decap CMS: Not available. Xperience by Kentico: Built in.

Built in on neither, with different answers 6

  • REST API Decap CMS: Not available. Xperience by Kentico: Limited.
  • GraphQL API Decap CMS: Not available. Xperience by Kentico: Paid tier.
  • Content releases Decap CMS: Not available. Xperience by Kentico: Limited.
  • Audit log Decap CMS: Plugin or add-on. Xperience by Kentico: Limited.
  • Multiple sites Decap CMS: Plugin or add-on. Xperience by Kentico: Paid tier.
  • Official MCP server Decap CMS: Not available. Xperience by Kentico: Limited.

More comparisons

Decap CMS 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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