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CMS comparison Xperience by Kentico vs Strapi

Xperience by Kentico vs Strapi

Xperience by Kentico is a closed-source enterprise DXP that you can host yourself or run on the vendor's cloud. Strapi is an open-source headless 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 16.

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  • Xperience by Kentico Enterprise DXP · Closed source · 19 of 28 built in
  • Strapi Headless · Open source · 15 of 28 built in

Sources checked: Xperience by Kentico on 29 Sept 2026, Strapi 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 Strapi feature comparison. Columns are the two platforms. Rows are features, grouped by area.
Platform
Xperience by Kentico Enterprise DXP
Strapi 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.Open-source Node.js headless CMS with a visual content-type builder, self-hosted or run on Strapi Cloud. Paid plans add governance features.
Edition compared The product and release each column describes. Xperience by Kentico Version 31.9.0, released 24 Sept 2026 Strapi 5 CMS, free Community edition with paid Growth and Enterprise plans for self-hosted projects Version 5.55.1, released 24 Sept 2026
Vendor Kentico kentico.com Strapi strapi.io
Licence Closed source Proprietary Open source MIT
Hosting Self-hosting Vendor cloud Self-hosting Vendor cloud Strapi Cloud removed its free plan in 2026. Hosting starts at the Starter plan.
Built with .NET, ASP.NET CoreTypeScript, Node.js, React
Database Microsoft SQL ServerPostgreSQL, MySQL, MariaDB, SQLite
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 Community free. Growth $45 per month with 3 seats, then $15 per seat. Cloud from $35 per project per month.
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 Content types are schema.json files in the project. 19
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 Content-type Builder works in development mode only. 16
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 Components and dynamic zones. 216
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
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 Generates small, medium and large sizes on upload. No crops on request. 15
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 2
GraphQL API The vendor or an official module provides a GraphQL API for content. Paid tier Headless channels need the Advanced tier. 6 Plugin or add-on Official GraphQL plugin. 14
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 218
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 Draft & Publish. 2
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 Growth plan, by scheduling a Release. 6
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 Paid tier Content History keeps 14 days on Growth, 30 to 90 days on Enterprise. 7
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 Basic preview is free. Side-by-side Live Preview needs Growth. 5
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. Paid tier On Growth, editors double-click content in Live Preview to edit it. 5
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 Review Workflows on Enterprise. 9
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 Releases on Growth and Enterprise. 6
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
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 Built in Unlimited admin roles on Community. 28
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 Built in 8
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 Enterprise, or a $150 per month add-on on Growth. 211
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 Paid tier Enterprise plan. 10
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 Not available
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 20
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 Strapi Marketplace. 2
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 Built in Users & Permissions feature for end users. 17
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 Paid tier AI translation and image alt text on Growth. Not yet available on Enterprise. 212
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 Built in. Developers switch it on in the server config. 13

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

Where they differ

Xperience by Kentico and Strapi get a different status on 16 of the 28 features and the same status on 12. Xperience by Kentico has 19 built in on its baseline edition, Strapi 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.

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

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

  • Renders the website Xperience by Kentico: Built in. Strapi: Not available.
  • Scheduled publishing Xperience by Kentico: Built in. Strapi: Paid tier.
  • Version history Xperience by Kentico: Built in. Strapi: Paid tier.
  • Visual editing Xperience by Kentico: Built in. Strapi: Paid tier.
  • Approval workflows Xperience by Kentico: Built in. Strapi: Paid tier.
  • Single sign-on Xperience by Kentico: Built in. Strapi: Paid tier.
  • Form builder Xperience by Kentico: Built in. Strapi: Not available.
  • AI writing assistant Xperience by Kentico: Built in. Strapi: Paid tier.

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

  • REST API Xperience by Kentico: Limited. Strapi: Built in.
  • Webhooks Xperience by Kentico: Not available. Strapi: Built in.
  • Field-level permissions Xperience by Kentico: Not available. Strapi: Built in.
  • Official MCP server Xperience by Kentico: Limited. Strapi: Built in.

Built in on neither, with different answers 4

  • GraphQL API Xperience by Kentico: Paid tier. Strapi: Plugin or add-on.
  • Content releases Xperience by Kentico: Limited. Strapi: Paid tier.
  • Audit log Xperience by Kentico: Limited. Strapi: Paid tier.
  • Multiple sites Xperience by Kentico: Paid tier. Strapi: Not available.

More comparisons

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

Xperience by Kentico against other platforms

Strapi against other platforms

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

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