Kirby vs Progress Sitefinity
Kirby is a closed-source traditional CMS that you host yourself. Progress Sitefinity 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
- Progress Sitefinity Enterprise DXP · Closed source · 22 of 28 built in
Sources checked: Kirby on 29 Sept 2026, Progress Sitefinity 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. | Progress's .NET CMS and DXP for websites, run self-hosted or on the Sitefinity Cloud PaaS, with ASP.NET Core and Next.js renderers. |
| Edition compared The product and release each column describes. | Kirby 5. Kirby 6 is in alpha. Version 5.6.0, released 16 Sept 2026 | Sitefinity CMS 15.4 DX edition, self-hosted or on Sitefinity Cloud Version 15.4.8639, released 29 Sept 2026 |
| Vendor | Content Folder GmbH & Co. KG getkirby.com | Progress Software progress.com |
| Licence | Closed source Proprietary, source available | Closed source Proprietary |
| Hosting | Self-hosting No vendor cloud | Self-hosting Vendor cloud |
| Built with | PHP, Vue for the Panel | .NET, ASP.NET Core and Next.js renderers |
| Database | Flat files, no database required | Microsoft SQL Server |
| 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. DX and DX+Enterprise editions, self-hosted or on Sitefinity Cloud. |
| 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 Export for deployment writes module and field changes to files for source control. 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 Module Builder. |
| Reusable blocks Editors compose pages from reusable, typed components or blocks, and can reorder them. | Built in Blocks and Layout fields. 6 | Built in Page editor widgets. |
| 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 Multilingual content per item. |
| 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 Resize through URL parameters and thumbnail profiles. 4 |
| 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 OData REST web services. 5 |
| GraphQL API The vendor or an official module provides a GraphQL API for content. | Not available | Built in GraphQL on the web services layer. 6 |
| 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 Service hooks with a webhook action, available on all licences. 7 |
| 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, Next.js or legacy MVC renderers. 1 |
| 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 Scheduled publish and unpublish per item. 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 Revision history. |
| 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 Page editor with widgets. |
| 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 One or two approval levels, or a custom workflow. 8 |
| Content releases Editors group changes across several entries and publish them together as one release. | Not available | Not available Publishing and scheduling work per item. 9 |
| 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 Pages lock while another user edits them. 10 |
| 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 11 |
| 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 | Limited Module Builder types only, in the classic editing UI. Built-in content types have none. 12 |
| 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 OpenID Connect and external providers such as Azure AD. 13 |
| Audit log The CMS logs who changed what and when across the whole installation, and admins can review the log. | Not available | Paid tier DX + Enterprise includes Audit Trail. Progress sells it as an add-on for DX. 142 |
| 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 Multisite with shared content and per-site permissions. 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 Custom fields, widgets and AdminApp extensions. |
| 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 Sitefinity integrations directory. 16 |
| 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 Forms module with a drag-and-drop builder. |
| 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 Front-end users with registration and login widgets. |
| 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 Sitefinity AI subscription for text generation and agents. 17 |
| 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 | Plugin or add-on Sitefinity MCP Server, 15.4.8633 or later, needs a Sitefinity AI subscription. 18 |
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)
Progress Sitefinity sources
Checked 29 Sept 2026. Sitefinity CMS 15.4 DX edition, self-hosted or on Sitefinity Cloud.
- Sitefinity CMS 15.4.8639 release notes
- Sitefinity packaging and deployment options
- Export and deploy database changes
- Resize images through the URL
- Set up a web service
- Use GraphQL protocol
- Service hooks
- Content lifecycle and workflow
- Manage scheduled tasks
- Unlock pages
- Permissions
- Progress knowledge base: How to set up field permissions in Sitefinity
- Authentication
- Sitefinity Audit Trail
- Multisite
- Sitefinity integrations directory
- Sitefinity AI
- Sitefinity MCP Server
- Sitefinity release history
- Sitefinity Cloud documentation
Considering more platforms? Compare Kirby and Progress Sitefinity with the rest of your shortlist in the CMS comparison tool.
Where they differ
Kirby and Progress Sitefinity 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, Progress Sitefinity 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. Progress Sitefinity has a vendor-run cloud.
Built in on Progress Sitefinity, a different answer on Kirby 11
- Content model in the UI Kirby: Not available. Progress Sitefinity: Built in.
- GraphQL API Kirby: Not available. Progress Sitefinity: Built in.
- Webhooks Kirby: Not available. Progress Sitefinity: Built in.
- Scheduled publishing Kirby: Not available. Progress Sitefinity: Built in.
- Version history Kirby: Not available. Progress Sitefinity: Built in.
- Visual editing Kirby: Not available. Progress Sitefinity: Built in.
- Approval workflows Kirby: Not available. Progress Sitefinity: Built in.
- Single sign-on Kirby: Not available. Progress Sitefinity: Built in.
- Multiple sites Kirby: Not available. Progress Sitefinity: Built in.
- Form builder Kirby: Plugin or add-on. Progress Sitefinity: Built in.
- Site member accounts Kirby: Limited. Progress Sitefinity: Built in.
Built in on neither, with different answers 4
- Field-level permissions Kirby: Not available. Progress Sitefinity: Limited.
- Audit log Kirby: Not available. Progress Sitefinity: Paid tier.
- AI writing assistant Kirby: Not available. Progress Sitefinity: Plugin or add-on.
- Official MCP server Kirby: Not available. Progress Sitefinity: Plugin or add-on.
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Progress Sitefinity against other platforms
- Adobe Experience Manager vs Progress Sitefinity
- Contentful vs Progress Sitefinity
- Contentstack vs Progress Sitefinity
- CoreMedia Content Cloud vs Progress Sitefinity
- Craft CMS vs Progress Sitefinity
- DatoCMS vs Progress Sitefinity
- Decap CMS vs Progress Sitefinity
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- Drupal vs Progress Sitefinity
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- FirstSpirit vs Progress Sitefinity
- Framer vs Progress Sitefinity
- Ghost vs Progress Sitefinity
- HubSpot CMS vs Progress Sitefinity
- Hygraph vs Progress Sitefinity
- Instatic vs Progress Sitefinity
- Joomla vs Progress Sitefinity
- Keystone vs Progress Sitefinity
- Liferay DXP vs Progress Sitefinity
- Optimizely CMS vs Progress Sitefinity
- Progress Sitefinity vs Payload
- Prismic vs Progress Sitefinity
- Sanity vs Progress Sitefinity
- Sitecore vs Progress Sitefinity
- Progress Sitefinity vs Squarespace
- Progress Sitefinity vs Statamic
- Progress Sitefinity vs Storyblok
- Progress Sitefinity vs Strapi
- Progress Sitefinity vs TYPO3
- Progress Sitefinity vs Umbraco
- Progress Sitefinity vs Wagtail
- Progress Sitefinity vs Webflow
- Progress Sitefinity vs Wix
- Progress Sitefinity vs WordPress
- Xperience by Kentico vs Progress Sitefinity
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