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CMS comparison Liferay DXP vs Umbraco

Liferay DXP vs Umbraco

Liferay DXP is a closed-source enterprise DXP that you can host yourself or run on the vendor's cloud. Umbraco is an open-source traditional 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 9.

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  • Liferay DXP Enterprise DXP · Closed source · 26 of 28 built in
  • Umbraco Traditional · Open source · 18 of 28 built in

Sources checked: Liferay DXP on 29 Sept 2026, Umbraco 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
Liferay DXP vs Umbraco feature comparison. Columns are the two platforms. Rows are features, grouped by area.
Platform
Liferay DXP Enterprise DXP
Umbraco Traditional
Overview
What it is Java platform for websites, portals and commerce, with a new object-based CMS. Self-hosted or run by Liferay as PaaS or SaaS.Open-source .NET CMS that renders sites with Razor or serves content headless. Self-hosted or run on Umbraco Cloud.
Edition compared The product and release each column describes. Liferay DXP 2026.Q3, Enterprise Subscription. The Free Tier replaced Liferay Portal CE from 2026.Q1. Version 2026.q3.5, released 25 Sept 2026 Umbraco CMS 17 LTS, open source. Umbraco 18.2.0 is the latest short-term release. Version 17.7.0, released 17 Sept 2026
Vendor Liferay, Inc. liferay.com Umbraco A/S umbraco.com
Licence Closed source Proprietary, under the Liferay EULA. Free Tier activation key at no cost Open source MIT
Hosting Self-hosting Vendor cloud Free Tier suits smaller-scale use and gets no security patches, SAML or AI Hub. Self-hosting Vendor cloud Forms and Deploy are paid add-ons when self-hosted. Umbraco Cloud includes both.
Built with Java, OSGi, ReactC#, ASP.NET Core on .NET 10, TypeScript backoffice
Database MySQL, MariaDB, PostgreSQL, Oracle, SQL Server, IBM Db2SQL Server, SQLite
Pricing Public list prices only. Hosting and implementation are extra everywhere. Free to start Free Tier at no cost for smaller-scale use. Enterprise Subscription per server instance, price on request. Free to start Free to self-host. Umbraco Cloud Starter €45, Standard €280, Professional €730 per month. Enterprise 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 Definitions export to JSON and deploy from the repo as batch client extensions. 7 Plugin or add-on Umbraco Deploy saves document types as .uda files in Git. Paid on-premises, included on Umbraco Cloud. 45
Content model in the UI Admins can create and change content types and fields in the admin interface without writing code. Built in Objects and web content structures. 6 Built in Document types are built in the backoffice.
Reusable blocks Editors compose pages from reusable, typed components or blocks, and can reorder them. Built in Fragments on content pages. 11 Built in Block List and Block Grid editors. 6
Localization Editors translate content per locale inside the CMS, by field or by entry, without a separate site for each language. Built in Built in Culture variants per property.
Image transformations The CMS resizes, crops or converts images on request, through URL parameters or generated sizes, with no external service. Built in Adaptive Media generates set image resolutions. 8 Built in ImageSharp crops and resizes images from query string parameters. 9
APIs and delivery
REST API A documented REST or JSON HTTP API returns content. Built in Headless REST APIs. 9 Built in Content Delivery API. 7
GraphQL API The vendor or an official module provides a GraphQL API for content. Built in 9 Not available No official GraphQL. Community package Nikcio.UHeadless adds one. 20
Webhooks The CMS can call an external URL when content is created, changed or published. Built in Object actions call a webhook on add, update or delete. 10 Built in 8
Renders the website The CMS itself renders and serves the public pages through themes or templates. Headless-only products answer no. Built in Built in Razor templates.
Editorial workflow
Drafts Editors save changes as a draft and publish them later. The live version stays untouched until then. Built in Built in
Scheduled publishing An editor can set a future date and time for content to publish or unpublish. Built in Display and expiration dates. Built in 10
Version history The CMS keeps earlier versions of an entry, and editors can compare or restore them. Built in Built in Rollback compares and restores earlier versions. 11
Preview Editors can see unpublished content rendered as it will appear on the site before publishing. Built in Built in
Visual editing Editors can click on the rendered page and edit content in place or in a side panel next to it. Built in Inline editing in the content page editor. 11 Not available
Approval workflows Content moves through review stages you configure, such as draft, review and approved, with permissions per stage. Built in Kaleo workflow, also included in the Free Tier. 3 Plugin or add-on Umbraco Workflow add-on. Its free version is capped at five approval groups. Full use is paid. 1221
Content releases Editors group changes across several entries and publish them together as one release. Built in Publications group changes and publish them together. 12 Plugin or add-on Release Sets in a licensed Umbraco Workflow. 13
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 A page locks while one editor has it open. 13 Not available
Access and governance
Custom roles Admins define their own roles with granular permissions instead of picking from a fixed set. Built in Built in User groups with granular permissions.
Field-level permissions Admins can restrict access to single fields, on top of content types and entries. Not available Permissions apply per object, entry or asset. 14 Limited Per-property read and write limits per user group, enforced in the UI only. 14
Single sign-on Editors can sign in through SAML or OpenID Connect against a company identity provider. Built in SAML and OpenID Connect. The Free Tier lacks SAML. 315 Built in OpenID Connect providers such as Entra ID, configured in code. 15
Audit log The CMS logs who changed what and when across the whole installation, and admins can review the log. Built in Audit framework with search and export of events. 16 Limited Audit trail per item plus a log viewer. No installation-wide audit screen in core. 16
Platform and extensibility
Multiple sites One installation or account can manage several separate websites or brands with shared users. Built in Built in Several root nodes, each with its own domains.
Extensible admin UI Developers can add their own components, views or fields to the editing interface. Built in Client extensions. 7 Built in Backoffice extensions.
Plugin marketplace The vendor runs an official directory or marketplace of installable extensions. Built in Liferay Marketplace. 17 Built in Umbraco Marketplace.
Form builder Editors can build and publish forms and collect submissions without code. Built in Liferay Forms. Plugin or add-on Umbraco Forms, paid licence. Included on Umbraco Cloud. 217
Site member accounts The platform handles sign-up and login for public site users or members, separate from editors. Built in Built in Members, separate from backoffice users.
AI writing assistant A first-party AI feature in the editing interface generates, rewrites or translates content. Built in AI Hub writing tools in the new CMS. Not in the Free Tier. 418 Plugin or add-on Free Umbraco.AI packages add prompts and an editor copilot. 18
Official MCP server The vendor publishes a Model Context Protocol server so AI agents can read or write content. Built in Built-in MCP server released in 2026.Q3, switched on by feature flag. 19 Built in Umbraco CMS Developer MCP server. 19

Liferay DXP sources

Checked 29 Sept 2026. Liferay DXP 2026.Q3, Enterprise Subscription. The Free Tier replaced Liferay Portal CE from 2026.Q1..

  1. Liferay DXP 2026.q3.5 release files
  2. Now available: Liferay DXP Quarterly Release 2026.Q3
  3. Liferay DXP Free Tier (Liferay Learn)
  4. Liferay DXP Free Tier: what it is, how to get it, and when to upgrade
  5. CE is sunsetted. What's your next move?
  6. Liferay Learn: Content Management System
  7. Liferay Learn: Client Extensions
  8. Liferay Learn: Using Adaptive Media
  9. Liferay Learn: Consuming GraphQL APIs
  10. Liferay Learn: Object actions
  11. Liferay Learn: Using Content Pages
  12. Liferay Learn: Publications
  13. Liferay Learn: Configuring Locked Pages
  14. Liferay Learn: Objects permissions framework integration
  15. Liferay Learn: Using OpenID Connect
  16. Liferay Learn: Audit Framework
  17. Liferay Marketplace
  18. Liferay AI Hub
  19. Liferay Learn: Using Liferay as an MCP Server
  20. Liferay Learn: Cloud

Umbraco sources

Checked 29 Sept 2026. Umbraco CMS 17 LTS, open source. Umbraco 18.2.0 is the latest short-term release..

  1. Umbraco releases
  2. Umbraco pricing
  3. Umbraco 18 release
  4. Umbraco Deploy licensing
  5. Umbraco Cloud: UDA files
  6. Umbraco docs: Block Grid
  7. Umbraco docs: Content Delivery API
  8. Umbraco docs: Webhooks
  9. Umbraco docs: Image Cropper
  10. Umbraco docs: Scheduled Publishing
  11. Umbraco docs: Rollback to a previous version
  12. Umbraco Workflow
  13. Umbraco Workflow docs: Release Sets
  14. Umbraco docs: Property Level UI Permissions
  15. Umbraco docs: External Login Providers
  16. Umbraco docs: Log Viewer
  17. Umbraco Forms licensing
  18. Umbraco.AI on GitHub
  19. Umbraco MCP on GitHub
  20. Nikcio.UHeadless on Umbraco Marketplace
  21. Umbraco Workflow docs: Licensing

Considering more platforms? Compare Liferay DXP and Umbraco with the rest of your shortlist in the CMS comparison tool.

Where they differ

Liferay DXP and Umbraco get a different status on 9 of the 28 features and the same status on 19. Liferay DXP has 26 built in on its baseline edition, Umbraco 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
Liferay DXP is closed source (Proprietary, under the Liferay EULA. Free Tier activation key at no cost). Umbraco is open source (MIT).

Built in on Liferay DXP, a different answer on Umbraco 8

  • Content model in code Liferay DXP: Built in. Umbraco: Plugin or add-on.
  • GraphQL API Liferay DXP: Built in. Umbraco: Not available.
  • Visual editing Liferay DXP: Built in. Umbraco: Not available.
  • Approval workflows Liferay DXP: Built in. Umbraco: Plugin or add-on.
  • Content releases Liferay DXP: Built in. Umbraco: Plugin or add-on.
  • Audit log Liferay DXP: Built in. Umbraco: Limited.
  • Form builder Liferay DXP: Built in. Umbraco: Plugin or add-on.
  • AI writing assistant Liferay DXP: Built in. Umbraco: Plugin or add-on.

Built in on neither, with different answers 1

  • Field-level permissions Liferay DXP: Not available. Umbraco: Limited.

More comparisons

Liferay DXP against other platforms

Umbraco against other platforms

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

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