Xperience by Kentico vs Wagtail
Xperience by Kentico is a closed-source enterprise DXP that you can host yourself or run on the vendor's cloud. Wagtail is an open-source traditional CMS that you host yourself. The table below sets them side by side on 28 features. They get a different status on 11.
- Xperience by Kentico Enterprise DXP · Closed source · 19 of 28 built in
- Wagtail Traditional · Open source · 18 of 28 built in
Sources checked: Xperience by Kentico on 29 Sept 2026, Wagtail 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 | Kentico's .NET digital experience platform for websites, email and headless channels, sold as Kentico-hosted SaaS or a private-cloud licence. | Open-source CMS built on Django. Content types are Python models, and you host it yourself on any Python stack. |
| Edition compared The product and release each column describes. | Xperience by Kentico Version 31.9.0, released 24 Sept 2026 | Wagtail 8, open source Version 8.0, released 25 Aug 2026 |
| Vendor | Kentico kentico.com | Wagtail core team (created by Torchbox) wagtail.org |
| Licence | Closed source Proprietary | Open source BSD-3-Clause |
| Hosting | Self-hosting Vendor cloud | Self-hosting No vendor cloud The Wagtail project runs no managed hosting. Deploy it like any Django app. |
| Built with | .NET, ASP.NET Core | Python, Django |
| Database | Microsoft SQL Server | PostgreSQL, 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 Free and open source. No licence fee. |
| 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 Page and snippet types are Django models. 2 |
| 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. | Not available Developers define content types in Python only. |
| 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 StreamField blocks. 2 |
| 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 Core i18n with simple_translation. The wagtail-localize package adds a translation workflow. 3 |
| 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 Renditions with resize, crop and format filters. 4 |
| 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 Read-only v2 API. Writable v3 API in preview since 8.0. 51 |
| 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 wagtail-grapple, maintained by Torchbox. 6 |
| 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 | Not available Django signals such as page_published. No webhook settings. 18 |
| 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. | Built in |
| 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 | Built in Go-live and expiry dates. 7 |
| 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 | Built in Editors can compare and revert revisions. 11 |
| 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 20 |
| 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. | Limited Preview panel beside the edit form. No click-to-edit on the page. 20 |
| 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 | Built in Moderation workflows with tasks assigned to groups. 8 |
| 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 | Not available |
| 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 Concurrent editing notifications warn editors. No live co-editing. 12 |
| 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 Groups with page, collection and model permissions. 9 |
| 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 Set in code with the permission argument on panels. 10 |
| 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 | Plugin or add-on django-allauth supports SAML and OpenID Connect. 19 |
| 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 | Built in Site-wide history report of logged actions. 11 |
| 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 Several sites in one installation with shared users. 9 |
| 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 Hooks, viewsets and custom panels. |
| 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 Wagtail packages directory on wagtail.org. 17 |
| Form builder Editors can build and publish forms and collect submissions without code. | Built in Form Builder. | Built in wagtail.contrib.forms form builder. 13 |
| 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 | Limited Login for private pages is built in. Public sign-up needs a package such as django-allauth. 14 |
| 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 | Plugin or add-on Wagtail AI, an officially supported package. 15 |
| 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 | Limited Experimental wagtail-mcp package, announced September 2026. 16 |
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
Wagtail sources
Checked 29 Sept 2026. Wagtail 8, open source.
- Wagtail 8.0 release notes
- How to use StreamField for mixed content
- Wagtail docs: Internationalization
- Wagtail docs: Images
- Wagtail API v2 usage guide
- wagtail-grapple on GitHub
- Wagtail guide: Scheduled publishing
- Wagtail guide: Configure workflows for moderation
- Wagtail docs: Permissions
- Wagtail docs: Panels reference
- Wagtail docs: Audit log
- Wagtail 6.2: content metrics and concurrent editing
- Wagtail docs: Form builder
- Wagtail docs: Private pages
- Wagtail AI
- Experiments with MCP in Wagtail
- Wagtail docs: Packages
- Wagtail docs: Signals
- django-allauth: SAML provider
- Wagtail 4.0 release notes: live preview panel
Considering more platforms? Compare Xperience by Kentico and Wagtail with the rest of your shortlist in the CMS comparison tool.
Where they differ
Xperience by Kentico and Wagtail get a different status on 11 of the 28 features and the same status on 17. Xperience by Kentico has 19 built in on its baseline edition, Wagtail has 18. 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). Wagtail is open source (BSD-3-Clause).
- Vendor cloud
- Xperience by Kentico has a vendor-run cloud. Wagtail has no vendor-run cloud.
- Free option
- Xperience by Kentico has no free option. Wagtail has a free option.
Built in on Xperience by Kentico, a different answer on Wagtail 5
- Content model in the UI Xperience by Kentico: Built in. Wagtail: Not available.
- Visual editing Xperience by Kentico: Built in. Wagtail: Limited.
- Single sign-on Xperience by Kentico: Built in. Wagtail: Plugin or add-on.
- Site member accounts Xperience by Kentico: Built in. Wagtail: Limited.
- AI writing assistant Xperience by Kentico: Built in. Wagtail: Plugin or add-on.
Built in on Wagtail, a different answer on Xperience by Kentico 4
- REST API Xperience by Kentico: Limited. Wagtail: Built in.
- Field-level permissions Xperience by Kentico: Not available. Wagtail: Built in.
- Audit log Xperience by Kentico: Limited. Wagtail: Built in.
- Multiple sites Xperience by Kentico: Paid tier. Wagtail: Built in.
Built in on neither, with different answers 2
- GraphQL API Xperience by Kentico: Paid tier. Wagtail: Plugin or add-on.
- Content releases Xperience by Kentico: Limited. Wagtail: Not available.
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Wagtail against other platforms
- Adobe Experience Manager vs Wagtail
- Contentful vs Wagtail
- Contentstack vs Wagtail
- CoreMedia Content Cloud vs Wagtail
- Craft CMS vs Wagtail
- DatoCMS vs Wagtail
- Decap CMS vs Wagtail
- Directus vs Wagtail
- Drupal vs Wagtail
- EmDash vs Wagtail
- FirstSpirit vs Wagtail
- Framer vs Wagtail
- Ghost vs Wagtail
- HubSpot CMS vs Wagtail
- Hygraph vs Wagtail
- Instatic vs Wagtail
- Joomla vs Wagtail
- Keystone vs Wagtail
- Kirby vs Wagtail
- Liferay DXP vs Wagtail
- Optimizely CMS vs Wagtail
- Wagtail vs Payload
- Prismic vs Wagtail
- Progress Sitefinity vs Wagtail
- Sanity vs Wagtail
- Sitecore vs Wagtail
- Squarespace vs Wagtail
- Statamic vs Wagtail
- Storyblok vs Wagtail
- Strapi vs Wagtail
- TYPO3 vs Wagtail
- Umbraco vs Wagtail
- Wagtail vs Webflow
- Wagtail vs Wix
- Wagtail vs WordPress
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