Instatic vs Xperience by Kentico
Instatic is an open-source site builder that you host yourself. 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 11.
- Instatic Site builder · Open source · 15 of 28 built in
- Xperience by Kentico Enterprise DXP · Closed source · 19 of 28 built in
Sources checked: Instatic on 30 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
| Platform | |  |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||
| What it is | Open-source, self-hosted CMS with a visual canvas editor. One Bun server runs the editor, content store and publisher, and publishing writes plain HTML files to disk. | 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. | Instatic 0.0.20, open source Version 0.0.20, released 13 Sept 2026 | Xperience by Kentico Version 31.9.0, released 24 Sept 2026 |
| Vendor | CoreBunch instatic.com | Kentico kentico.com |
| Licence | Open source MIT | Closed source Proprietary |
| Hosting | Self-hosting No vendor cloud No managed hosting. You deploy the Docker image to your own server, or use the Railway and Render templates. | Self-hosting Vendor cloud |
| Built with | TypeScript, Bun, React admin | .NET, ASP.NET Core |
| Database | SQLite, PostgreSQL | Microsoft SQL Server |
| Pricing Public list prices only. Hosting and implementation are extra everywhere. | Free to start Free and open source, with no paid tiers. You pay only for hosting. | 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. | Not available Tables and fields live in the database and change in the Data workspace. Plugins can create tables through the SDK. 610 | 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 Custom post types and data tables in the Data workspace. 616 | 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 Visual Components with typed parameters and named slots, placed and reordered on the canvas. 72 | 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. | Not available One site-wide language setting. No per-locale fields or entries. 21 | 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 Uploads get a set of WebP sizes, and the publisher writes srcset and sizes from the layout. 81 | Built in Image variants with configured crops and sizes. 4 |
| APIs and delivery | ||
| REST API A documented REST or JSON HTTP API returns content. | Limited The JSON API under /admin/api/cms serves the admin behind a session cookie. No token-based content API outside MCP. 920 | 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 No built-in webhooks. A plugin with network access can call a URL from content hooks. 10 | 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. | Built in Publishing renders every page to static HTML on the server's disk. 11 | 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 51 | Built in 8 |
| Scheduled publishing An editor can set a future date and time for content to publish or unpublish. | Built in Per page and per post-type entry. 5 | Built in Schedule publish and unpublish. 8 |
| Version history The CMS keeps earlier versions of an entry, and editors can compare or restore them. | Built in Published versions of pages and entries, restorable into the draft. Added in 0.0.20. 124 | 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 The canvas renders drafts in the site design. Branch preview links work without an account. 122 | 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 Editing happens on the rendered page canvas, with a live mode for the full-size page. 214 | Built in Page Builder. |
| Approval workflows Content moves through review stages you configure, such as draft, review and approved, with permissions per stage. | Limited Branch merge requests with a review page and comments. No configurable review stages. 12 | 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 Publish ships all draft pages at once. Branches group edits across pages and entries, but entries still publish one by one. 125 | 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. | Limited Live co-editing of pages, components and layouts in the Site editor. Content workspace entries save separately. 13144 | 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 The Owner builds roles from a fixed list of capabilities. 1516 | 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 Capabilities apply per table type and edit category, not per field. 16 | 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. | Not available Email and password with optional TOTP two-factor. 15 | 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. | Built in Append-only log of logins, content changes, role edits and plugin actions. 17 | 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. | Not available One site per installation. 2 | 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 Plugins add admin pages, editor extensions, dashboard widgets and canvas modules. 10 | 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 Plugins install as uploaded zip packages. No official directory. 10 | Built in Integrations directory on the Kentico Community portal. 17 |
| Form builder Editors can build and publish forms and collect submissions without code. | Built in Forms are built on the canvas and submissions land in a data table. 18 | 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. | Built in Built-in agent in the Site and Content workspaces, with your own Claude, OpenAI, OpenRouter or Ollama key. 19 | 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 Built in at /_instatic/mcp, with OAuth or scoped personal access tokens. 20 | Limited Management MCP server works on local development instances only. 205 |
Instatic sources
Checked 30 Sept 2026. Instatic 0.0.20, open source.
- Instatic homepage
- Instatic repository on GitHub
- Instatic 0.0.20 release
- Instatic changelog
- Instatic docs: Content storage
- Instatic docs: Data workspace
- Instatic docs: Visual Components
- Instatic docs: Media
- Instatic docs: Server
- Instatic docs: Plugin system
- Instatic docs: Publisher
- Instatic docs: Site branches
- Instatic docs: Site shell and real-time co-editing
- Instatic docs: Content workspace
- Instatic docs: Auth and access
- Instatic docs: Capabilities
- Instatic docs: Audit log
- Instatic docs: CMS-native forms
- Instatic docs: AI agent
- Instatic docs: MCP connectors
- Instatic docs: Editor
Xperience by Kentico sources
Checked 29 Sept 2026. Xperience by Kentico.
- Xperience by Kentico changelog (Refresh 31.9.0, 24 September 2026)
- How to buy Xperience by Kentico
- Continuous Integration
- Content item assets and image variants
- Configure the Management MCP and management API
- Headless channel management
- Handle content events
- Edit and publish pages
- Content versioning
- Workflows
- Content items and cascade publishing
- Content locking configuration
- Role management
- Administration external authentication
- Event log
- Extend the administration interface
- Kentico Community integrations
- Registration and authentication for members
- AIRA pricing, usage and policies
- Management MCP server
Considering more platforms? Compare Instatic and Xperience by Kentico with the rest of your shortlist in the CMS comparison tool.
Where they differ
Instatic and Xperience by Kentico get a different status on 11 of the 28 features and the same status on 17. Instatic has 15 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
- Instatic is open source (MIT). Xperience by Kentico is closed source (Proprietary).
- Vendor cloud
- Instatic has no vendor-run cloud. Xperience by Kentico has a vendor-run cloud.
- Free option
- Instatic has a free option. Xperience by Kentico has no free option.
Built in on Instatic, a different answer on Xperience by Kentico 2
- Audit log Instatic: Built in. Xperience by Kentico: Limited.
- Official MCP server Instatic: Built in. Xperience by Kentico: Limited.
Built in on Xperience by Kentico, a different answer on Instatic 6
- Content model in code Instatic: Not available. Xperience by Kentico: Built in.
- Localization Instatic: Not available. Xperience by Kentico: Built in.
- Approval workflows Instatic: Limited. Xperience by Kentico: Built in.
- Single sign-on Instatic: Not available. Xperience by Kentico: Built in.
- Plugin marketplace Instatic: Not available. Xperience by Kentico: Built in.
- Site member accounts Instatic: Not available. Xperience by Kentico: Built in.
Built in on neither, with different answers 3
- GraphQL API Instatic: Not available. Xperience by Kentico: Paid tier.
- Real-time co-editing Instatic: Limited. Xperience by Kentico: Not available.
- Multiple sites Instatic: Not available. Xperience by Kentico: Paid tier.
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Xperience by Kentico against other platforms
- Adobe Experience Manager vs Xperience by Kentico
- Contentful vs Xperience by Kentico
- Contentstack vs Xperience by Kentico
- CoreMedia Content Cloud vs Xperience by Kentico
- Craft CMS vs Xperience by Kentico
- DatoCMS vs Xperience by Kentico
- Decap CMS vs Xperience by Kentico
- Directus vs Xperience by Kentico
- Drupal vs Xperience by Kentico
- EmDash vs Xperience by Kentico
- FirstSpirit vs Xperience by Kentico
- Framer vs Xperience by Kentico
- Ghost vs Xperience by Kentico
- HubSpot CMS vs Xperience by Kentico
- Hygraph vs Xperience by Kentico
- Joomla vs Xperience by Kentico
- Xperience by Kentico vs Keystone
- Xperience by Kentico vs Kirby
- Xperience by Kentico vs Liferay DXP
- Xperience by Kentico vs Optimizely CMS
- Xperience by Kentico vs Payload
- Xperience by Kentico vs Prismic
- Xperience by Kentico vs Progress Sitefinity
- Xperience by Kentico vs Sanity
- Xperience by Kentico vs Sitecore
- Xperience by Kentico vs Squarespace
- Xperience by Kentico vs Statamic
- Xperience by Kentico vs Storyblok
- Xperience by Kentico vs Strapi
- Xperience by Kentico vs TYPO3
- Xperience by Kentico vs Umbraco
- Xperience by Kentico vs Wagtail
- Xperience by Kentico vs Webflow
- Xperience by Kentico vs Wix
- Xperience by Kentico vs WordPress
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