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CMS comparison Kirby vs Optimizely CMS

Kirby vs Optimizely CMS

Kirby is a closed-source traditional CMS that you host yourself. Optimizely CMS 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 13.

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  • Kirby Traditional · Closed source · 11 of 28 built in
  • Optimizely CMS Enterprise DXP · Closed source · 22 of 28 built in

Sources checked: Kirby on 29 Sept 2026, Optimizely CMS 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
Kirby vs Optimizely CMS feature comparison. Columns are the two platforms. Rows are features, grouped by area.
Platform
Kirby Traditional
Optimizely CMS Enterprise DXP
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.Optimizely's .NET CMS for rendered and headless sites, hosted on Optimizely's DXP cloud or self-hosted, with Optimizely Graph for delivery.
Edition compared The product and release each column describes. Kirby 5. Kirby 6 is in alpha. Version 5.6.0, released 16 Sept 2026 Optimizely CMS 13 PaaS, the current flagship. CMS SaaS is a separate hosted variant. Version 13.1.3, released 9 Sept 2026
Vendor Content Folder GmbH & Co. KG getkirby.com Optimizely optimizely.com
Licence Closed source Proprietary, source available Closed source Proprietary
Hosting Self-hosting No vendor cloud Self-hosting Vendor cloud Self-hosted installs lose Opti ID features such as Opal and the DAM.
Built with PHP, Vue for the Panel.NET 10, ASP.NET Core
Database Flat files, no database requiredSQL Server, Azure SQL on DXP
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. No free option Pricing 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 Content types as C# classes. 3
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 Content types and properties in Settings. 4
Reusable blocks Editors compose pages from reusable, typed components or blocks, and can reorder them. Built in Blocks and Layout fields. 6 Built in Blocks in content areas and Visual Builder elements.
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 Language branches per content item. 5
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 DXP CDN resizes, crops and converts images by URL parameters. 6
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 Content Delivery API 13 and a management REST API. 12
GraphQL API The vendor or an official module provides a GraphQL API for content. Not available Built in Optimizely Graph, included in the CMS 13 licence. 28
Webhooks The CMS can call an external URL when content is created, changed or published. Not available PHP hooks only. No webhook settings. Limited Graph webhooks fire on sync batches and expired content only. Per-item hooks need code. 72
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 ASP.NET Core MVC and Razor rendering, or headless. 2
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 9
Scheduled publishing An editor can set a future date and time for content to publish or unpublish. Not available Built in 9
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 Visual Builder. 2
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 Approval sequences. 10
Content releases Editors group changes across several entries and publish them together as one release. Not available Built in Projects publish or schedule grouped items together. 11
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 Comments and notifications only. 12
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 Access rights for roles and virtual roles. 13
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 Access rights apply per content item. Not documented per property. 13
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 Opti ID with an external identity provider, or OpenID Connect in code. 2
Audit log The CMS logs who changed what and when across the whole installation, and admins can review the log. Not available Built in Change Log in Settings. 14
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 Several sites and hosts in one installation. 15
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 Shell modules, gadgets and custom editor widgets. 16
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 Optimizely connectors directory and NuGet add-ons. 17
Form builder Editors can build and publish forms and collect submissions without code. Plugin or add-on Paid DreamForm plugin by tobimori. 17 Plugin or add-on Optimizely Forms package. No extra licence. 18
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 Limited Visitor login uses ASP.NET Core authentication set up in code. 2
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 Plugin or add-on Opal, billed through Opal credits. Needs Opti ID on DXP. 219
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 MCP server in the Optimizely.Cms.Opal.Tools package. 20

Considering more platforms? Compare Kirby and Optimizely CMS with the rest of your shortlist in the CMS comparison tool.

Where they differ

Kirby and Optimizely CMS get a different status on 13 of the 28 features and the same status on 15. Kirby has 11 built in on its baseline edition, Optimizely CMS has 22. 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. Optimizely CMS has a vendor-run cloud.

Built in on Optimizely CMS, a different answer on Kirby 11

  • Content model in the UI Kirby: Not available. Optimizely CMS: Built in.
  • GraphQL API Kirby: Not available. Optimizely CMS: Built in.
  • Scheduled publishing Kirby: Not available. Optimizely CMS: Built in.
  • Version history Kirby: Not available. Optimizely CMS: Built in.
  • Visual editing Kirby: Not available. Optimizely CMS: Built in.
  • Approval workflows Kirby: Not available. Optimizely CMS: Built in.
  • Content releases Kirby: Not available. Optimizely CMS: Built in.
  • Single sign-on Kirby: Not available. Optimizely CMS: Built in.
  • Audit log Kirby: Not available. Optimizely CMS: Built in.
  • Multiple sites Kirby: Not available. Optimizely CMS: Built in.
  • Official MCP server Kirby: Not available. Optimizely CMS: Built in.

Built in on neither, with different answers 2

  • Webhooks Kirby: Not available. Optimizely CMS: Limited.
  • AI writing assistant Kirby: Not available. Optimizely CMS: Plugin or add-on.

More comparisons

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

Kirby against other platforms

Optimizely CMS against other platforms

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

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