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CMS comparison Xperience by Kentico vs Storyblok

Xperience by Kentico vs Storyblok

Xperience by Kentico is a closed-source enterprise DXP that you can host yourself or run on the vendor's cloud. Storyblok is a closed-source headless CMS that runs 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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  • Xperience by Kentico Enterprise DXP · Closed source · 19 of 28 built in
  • Storyblok Headless · Closed source · 15 of 28 built in

Sources checked: Xperience by Kentico on 29 Sept 2026, Storyblok 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
Xperience by Kentico vs Storyblok feature comparison. Columns are the two platforms. Rows are features, grouped by area.
Platform
Xperience by Kentico Enterprise DXP
Storyblok Headless
Overview
What it is Kentico's .NET digital experience platform for websites, email and headless channels, sold as Kentico-hosted SaaS or a private-cloud licence.Hosted headless CMS with a Visual Editor where editors compose pages from developer-defined blocks. Run by Storyblok GmbH.
Edition compared The product and release each column describes. Xperience by Kentico Version 31.9.0, released 24 Sept 2026 Storyblok SaaS, Starter to Elite plans SaaS, continuously updated
Vendor Kentico kentico.com Storyblok GmbH storyblok.com
Licence Closed source Proprietary Closed source Proprietary
Hosting Self-hosting Vendor cloud No self-hosting Vendor cloud Spaces run in Storyblok's EU, US, Canada or Australia regions.
Built with .NET, ASP.NET CoreSaaS, JavaScript SDKs and CLI
Database Microsoft SQL ServerManaged by Storyblok
Pricing Public list prices only. Hosting and implementation are extra everywhere. No free option Pricing on request. Licensed per channel in Standard and Advanced tiers, plus AIRA credit packages. Free to start Starter free. Growth $99, Growth Plus $349 per space per month. Premium and Elite 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 Continuous Integration serializes content types to files in the repository. 3 Built in The CLI pulls and pushes JSON component schemas. Typed @storyblok/schema is in preview. 234
Content model in the UI Admins can create and change content types and fields in the admin interface without writing code. Built in Field editor in the Content types application. Built in 1
Reusable blocks Editors compose pages from reusable, typed components or blocks, and can reorder them. Built in Page Builder widgets and sections, plus reusable content items. Built in Nestable blocks inside stories. 1
Localization Editors translate content per locale inside the CMS, by field or by entry, without a separate site for each language. Built in Language variants per page and content item. Built in Starter includes 2 locales. Growth adds locales at $20 each per month. 1
Image transformations The CMS resizes, crops or converts images on request, through URL parameters or generated sizes, with no external service. Built in Image variants with configured crops and sizes. 4 Built in Image Optimization Service on all plans. 1
APIs and delivery
REST API A documented REST or JSON HTTP API returns content. Limited The Management REST API is for local development only. Headless delivery is GraphQL. 56 Built in Content Delivery API and Management API. 1
GraphQL API The vendor or an official module provides a GraphQL API for content. Paid tier Headless channels need the Advanced tier. 6 Paid tier GraphQL Content Delivery API on Premium and Elite. 1
Webhooks The CMS can call an external URL when content is created, changed or published. Not available No outgoing webhooks. Content events need custom handler code. 7 Built in 3 webhooks on Starter, 5 on Growth, 15 on Premium. 1
Renders the website The CMS itself renders and serves the public pages through themes or templates. Headless-only products answer no. Built in ASP.NET Core website channels. Not available
Editorial workflow
Drafts Editors save changes as a draft and publish them later. The live version stays untouched until then. Built in 8 Built in
Scheduled publishing An editor can set a future date and time for content to publish or unpublish. Built in Schedule publish and unpublish. 8 Paid tier Single story scheduling from Growth. Growth allows 2 scheduled stories, Premium 100. 1
Version history The CMS keeps earlier versions of an entry, and editors can compare or restore them. Built in View and restore previously published versions. 9 Limited Starter keeps 1 day of versions. Growth 30 days, Premium 180, Elite unlimited. 1
Preview Editors can see unpublished content rendered as it will appear on the site before publishing. Built in Preview mode and shareable preview URLs. Built in 1
Visual editing Editors can click on the rendered page and edit content in place or in a side panel next to it. Built in Page Builder. Built in Visual Editor on all plans. 1
Approval workflows Content moves through review stages you configure, such as draft, review and approved, with permissions per stage. Built in Custom workflow steps with role permissions. 10 Paid tier Custom workflows and stages on Premium and Elite. Lower plans get fixed default stages. 1
Content releases Editors group changes across several entries and publish them together as one release. Limited Cascade publishing sends linked items with the parent. No standalone release bundles. 11 Paid tier 20 releases on Premium, unlimited on Elite. 1
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 Content locking lets one user edit an item at a time. 12 Not available Comments and content locking. No simultaneous editing of one story. 110
Access and governance
Custom roles Admins define their own roles with granular permissions instead of picking from a fixed set. Built in Roles with application, workspace and page permissions. 13 Paid tier 10 custom roles on Premium, unlimited on Elite. 15
Field-level permissions Admins can restrict access to single fields, on top of content types and entries. Not available Permissions stop at application, workspace and page level. 13 Paid tier Field permissions come with custom roles on Premium and Elite. 15
Single sign-on Editors can sign in through SAML or OpenID Connect against a company identity provider. Built in OpenID Connect for the administration, for example Microsoft Entra ID. 14 Paid tier Premium and Elite. 1
Audit log The CMS logs who changed what and when across the whole installation, and admins can review the log. Limited Event log records system events. Version history shows who changed versioned items. 159 Limited Activity log on all plans. Starter keeps 1 day, Growth 30 days, Elite unlimited. 1
Platform and extensibility
Multiple sites One installation or account can manage several separate websites or brands with shared users. Paid tier Several main website channels need the Advanced tier. Standard adds only microchannels. 2 Built in One account can own many spaces, each on its own plan. 6
Extensible admin UI Developers can add their own components, views or fields to the editing interface. Built in Custom React UI pages and form components. 16 Built in Field plugins on all plans. Tool and space plugins on Premium and Elite. 17
Plugin marketplace The vendor runs an official directory or marketplace of installable extensions. Built in Integrations directory on the Kentico Community portal. 17 Built in Storyblok App Directory. 8
Form builder Editors can build and publish forms and collect submissions without code. Built in Form Builder. Not available
Site member accounts The platform handles sign-up and login for public site users or members, separate from editors. Built in Members with registration, login and member roles. 18 Not available
AI writing assistant A first-party AI feature in the editing interface generates, rewrites or translates content. Built in AIRA text generation and translation on both tiers. Licences include 200,000 credits a year. 219 Built in AI content generation and translation on all plans, metered by AI credits. 1
Official MCP server The vendor publishes a Model Context Protocol server so AI agents can read or write content. Limited Management MCP server works on local development instances only. 205 Built in Hosted server over the Management API. 9

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

Where they differ

Xperience by Kentico and Storyblok get a different status on 14 of the 28 features and the same status on 14. Xperience by Kentico has 19 built in on its baseline edition, Storyblok has 15. 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
Xperience by Kentico can be self-hosted. Storyblok cannot be self-hosted.
Free option
Xperience by Kentico has no free option. Storyblok has a free option.

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

  • Renders the website Xperience by Kentico: Built in. Storyblok: Not available.
  • Scheduled publishing Xperience by Kentico: Built in. Storyblok: Paid tier.
  • Version history Xperience by Kentico: Built in. Storyblok: Limited.
  • Approval workflows Xperience by Kentico: Built in. Storyblok: Paid tier.
  • Custom roles Xperience by Kentico: Built in. Storyblok: Paid tier.
  • Single sign-on Xperience by Kentico: Built in. Storyblok: Paid tier.
  • Form builder Xperience by Kentico: Built in. Storyblok: Not available.
  • Site member accounts Xperience by Kentico: Built in. Storyblok: Not available.

Built in on Storyblok, a different answer on Xperience by Kentico 4

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

Built in on neither, with different answers 2

  • Content releases Xperience by Kentico: Limited. Storyblok: Paid tier.
  • Field-level permissions Xperience by Kentico: Not available. Storyblok: Paid tier.

More comparisons

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

Xperience by Kentico against other platforms

Storyblok against other platforms

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

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