Kirby vs Liferay DXP
Kirby is a closed-source traditional CMS that you host yourself. Liferay DXP 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 15.
- Kirby Traditional · Closed source · 11 of 28 built in
- Liferay DXP Enterprise DXP · Closed source · 26 of 28 built in
Sources checked: Kirby on 29 Sept 2026, Liferay DXP 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 | File-based PHP CMS with a configurable editing Panel. Content lives in text files on your own server, under a paid per-site licence. | Java platform for websites, portals and commerce, with a new object-based CMS. Self-hosted or run by Liferay as PaaS or SaaS. |
| Edition compared The product and release each column describes. | Kirby 5. Kirby 6 is in alpha. Version 5.6.0, released 16 Sept 2026 | Liferay DXP 2026.Q3, Enterprise Subscription. The Free Tier replaced Liferay Portal CE from 2026.Q1. Version 2026.q3.5, released 25 Sept 2026 |
| Vendor | Content Folder GmbH & Co. KG getkirby.com | Liferay, Inc. liferay.com |
| Licence | Closed source Proprietary, source available | Closed source Proprietary, under the Liferay EULA. Free Tier activation key at no cost |
| Hosting | Self-hosting No vendor cloud | Self-hosting Vendor cloud Free Tier suits smaller-scale use and gets no security patches, SAML or AI Hub. |
| Built with | PHP, Vue for the Panel | Java, OSGi, React |
| Database | Flat files, no database required | MySQL, MariaDB, PostgreSQL, Oracle, SQL Server, IBM Db2 |
| Pricing Public list prices only. Hosting and implementation are extra everywhere. | No free option Basic €99 per site if revenue is under €1M. Enterprise €349 per site. Both include 3 years of updates. | Free to start Free Tier at no cost for smaller-scale use. Enterprise Subscription per server instance, price 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 Blueprints are YAML files in site/blueprints. 5 | Built in Definitions export to JSON and deploy from the repo as batch client extensions. 7 |
| Content model in the UI Admins can create and change content types and fields in the admin interface without writing code. | Not available You edit blueprints as files. The Panel has no schema editor. 5 | Built in Objects and web content structures. 6 |
| Reusable blocks Editors compose pages from reusable, typed components or blocks, and can reorder them. | Built in Blocks and Layout fields. 6 | Built in Fragments on content pages. 11 |
| Localization Editors translate content per locale inside the CMS, by field or by entry, without a separate site for each language. | Built in Multi-language content is built in. 7 | 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 Thumbs with resize, crop and format conversion. 8 | Built in Adaptive Media generates set image resolutions. 8 |
| APIs and delivery | ||
| REST API A documented REST or JSON HTTP API returns content. | Built in Authenticated REST API. The official KQL plugin serves headless queries. 910 | Built in Headless REST APIs. 9 |
| GraphQL API The vendor or an official module provides a GraphQL API for content. | Not available | Built in 9 |
| Webhooks The CMS can call an external URL when content is created, changed or published. | Not available PHP hooks only. No webhook settings. | Built in Object actions call a webhook on add, update or delete. 10 |
| Renders the website The CMS itself renders and serves the public pages through themes or templates. Headless-only products answer no. | Built in PHP templates and snippets. | Built in |
| Editorial workflow | ||
| Drafts Editors save changes as a draft and publish them later. The live version stays untouched until then. | Built in Page drafts. Kirby 5 stores unsaved changes apart from the live version. 4 | Built in |
| Scheduled publishing An editor can set a future date and time for content to publish or unpublish. | Not available | Built in Display and expiration dates. |
| Version history The CMS keeps earlier versions of an entry, and editors can compare or restore them. | Not available Kirby 5 keeps the live version and one set of changes. No revision history. 4 | Built in |
| Preview Editors can see unpublished content rendered as it will appear on the site before publishing. | Built in Preview view renders unsaved changes, with shareable links. 4 | Built in |
| Visual editing Editors can click on the rendered page and edit content in place or in a side panel next to it. | Not available Preview view compares versions. No click-to-edit. 4 | Built in Inline editing in the content page editor. 11 |
| Approval workflows Content moves through review stages you configure, such as draft, review and approved, with permissions per stage. | Not available Fixed page statuses: draft, unlisted, listed. 11 | Built in Kaleo workflow, also included in the Free Tier. 3 |
| Content releases Editors group changes across several entries and publish them together as one release. | Not available | Built in Publications group changes and publish them together. 12 |
| 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 stops two editors changing one page at once. 320 | Not available A page locks while one editor has it open. 13 |
| Access and governance | ||
| Custom roles Admins define their own roles with granular permissions instead of picking from a fixed set. | Built in Roles are user blueprints with permissions. 12 | Built in |
| Field-level permissions Admins can restrict access to single fields, on top of content types and entries. | Not available Only by loading different blueprints per role in custom code. 13 | Not available Permissions apply per object, entry or asset. 14 |
| Single sign-on Editors can sign in through SAML or OpenID Connect against a company identity provider. | Not available No first-party SSO. Community OAuth plugins exist. | Built in SAML and OpenID Connect. The Free Tier lacks SAML. 315 |
| Audit log The CMS logs who changed what and when across the whole installation, and admins can review the log. | Not available | Built in Audit framework with search and export of events. 16 |
| 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. | Built in |
| Extensible admin UI Developers can add their own components, views or fields to the editing interface. | Built in Panel plugins add fields, sections, views and areas. 15 | Built in Client extensions. 7 |
| Plugin marketplace The vendor runs an official directory or marketplace of installable extensions. | Built in Official plugin directory at plugins.getkirby.com. 16 | Built in Liferay Marketplace. 17 |
| Form builder Editors can build and publish forms and collect submissions without code. | Plugin or add-on Paid DreamForm plugin by tobimori. 17 | Built in Liferay Forms. |
| Site member accounts The platform handles sign-up and login for public site users or members, separate from editors. | Limited Frontend login is built in. Sign-up needs custom code. 14 | Built in |
| AI writing assistant A first-party AI feature in the editing interface generates, rewrites or translates content. | Not available No first-party AI. Kirby Copilot is a paid third-party plugin. 18 | Built in AI Hub writing tools in the new CMS. Not in the Free Tier. 418 |
| Official MCP server The vendor publishes a Model Context Protocol server so AI agents can read or write content. | Not available Third-party Kirby MCP plugin by Bruno Meilick. 19 | Built in Built-in MCP server released in 2026.Q3, switched on by feature flag. 19 |
Kirby sources
Checked 29 Sept 2026. Kirby 5. Kirby 6 is in alpha..
- Kirby pricing
- Kirby releases
- Kirby 5 release overview
- Kirby 5: Preview your changes
- Kirby docs: Blueprints
- Kirby docs: Blocks field
- Kirby docs: Languages
- Kirby docs: $file->thumb()
- Kirby docs: REST API
- Kirby Query Language (KQL) plugin
- Kirby docs: Publishing workflow
- Kirby docs: Permissions
- Kirby cookbook: Extending permissions
- Kirby docs: Frontend login
- Kirby docs: Plugin extensions
- Kirby plugin directory
- DreamForm plugin
- Kirby Copilot plugin
- Kirby MCP plugin by Bruno Meilick
- Kirby docs: Content options (locking)
Liferay DXP sources
Checked 29 Sept 2026. Liferay DXP 2026.Q3, Enterprise Subscription. The Free Tier replaced Liferay Portal CE from 2026.Q1..
- Liferay DXP 2026.q3.5 release files
- Now available: Liferay DXP Quarterly Release 2026.Q3
- Liferay DXP Free Tier (Liferay Learn)
- Liferay DXP Free Tier: what it is, how to get it, and when to upgrade
- CE is sunsetted. What's your next move?
- Liferay Learn: Content Management System
- Liferay Learn: Client Extensions
- Liferay Learn: Using Adaptive Media
- Liferay Learn: Consuming GraphQL APIs
- Liferay Learn: Object actions
- Liferay Learn: Using Content Pages
- Liferay Learn: Publications
- Liferay Learn: Configuring Locked Pages
- Liferay Learn: Objects permissions framework integration
- Liferay Learn: Using OpenID Connect
- Liferay Learn: Audit Framework
- Liferay Marketplace
- Liferay AI Hub
- Liferay Learn: Using Liferay as an MCP Server
- Liferay Learn: Cloud
Considering more platforms? Compare Kirby and Liferay DXP with the rest of your shortlist in the CMS comparison tool.
Where they differ
Kirby and Liferay DXP get a different status on 15 of the 28 features and the same status on 13. Kirby has 11 built in on its baseline edition, Liferay DXP has 26. Two matching statuses can still name different paid tiers or limits, so read the notes in the table before treating a row as equal.
- Vendor cloud
- Kirby has no vendor-run cloud. Liferay DXP has a vendor-run cloud.
- Free option
- Kirby has no free option. Liferay DXP has a free option.
Built in on Liferay DXP, a different answer on Kirby 15
- Content model in the UI Kirby: Not available. Liferay DXP: Built in.
- GraphQL API Kirby: Not available. Liferay DXP: Built in.
- Webhooks Kirby: Not available. Liferay DXP: Built in.
- Scheduled publishing Kirby: Not available. Liferay DXP: Built in.
- Version history Kirby: Not available. Liferay DXP: Built in.
- Visual editing Kirby: Not available. Liferay DXP: Built in.
- Approval workflows Kirby: Not available. Liferay DXP: Built in.
- Content releases Kirby: Not available. Liferay DXP: Built in.
- Single sign-on Kirby: Not available. Liferay DXP: Built in.
- Audit log Kirby: Not available. Liferay DXP: Built in.
- Multiple sites Kirby: Not available. Liferay DXP: Built in.
- Form builder Kirby: Plugin or add-on. Liferay DXP: Built in.
- Site member accounts Kirby: Limited. Liferay DXP: Built in.
- AI writing assistant Kirby: Not available. Liferay DXP: Built in.
- Official MCP server Kirby: Not available. Liferay DXP: Built in.
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Liferay DXP against other platforms
- Adobe Experience Manager vs Liferay DXP
- Contentful vs Liferay DXP
- Contentstack vs Liferay DXP
- CoreMedia Content Cloud vs Liferay DXP
- Craft CMS vs Liferay DXP
- DatoCMS vs Liferay DXP
- Decap CMS vs Liferay DXP
- Directus vs Liferay DXP
- Drupal vs Liferay DXP
- EmDash vs Liferay DXP
- FirstSpirit vs Liferay DXP
- Framer vs Liferay DXP
- Ghost vs Liferay DXP
- HubSpot CMS vs Liferay DXP
- Hygraph vs Liferay DXP
- Instatic vs Liferay DXP
- Joomla vs Liferay DXP
- Keystone vs Liferay DXP
- Liferay DXP vs Optimizely CMS
- Liferay DXP vs Payload
- Liferay DXP vs Prismic
- Liferay DXP vs Progress Sitefinity
- Liferay DXP vs Sanity
- Liferay DXP vs Sitecore
- Liferay DXP vs Squarespace
- Liferay DXP vs Statamic
- Liferay DXP vs Storyblok
- Liferay DXP vs Strapi
- Liferay DXP vs TYPO3
- Liferay DXP vs Umbraco
- Liferay DXP vs Wagtail
- Liferay DXP vs Webflow
- Liferay DXP vs Wix
- Liferay DXP vs WordPress
- Xperience by Kentico vs Liferay DXP
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