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CMS comparison Optimizely CMS vs Umbraco

Optimizely CMS vs Umbraco

Optimizely CMS 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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  • Optimizely CMS Enterprise DXP · Closed source · 22 of 28 built in
  • Umbraco Traditional · Open source · 18 of 28 built in

Sources checked: Optimizely CMS 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
Optimizely CMS vs Umbraco feature comparison. Columns are the two platforms. Rows are features, grouped by area.
Platform
Optimizely CMS Enterprise DXP
Umbraco Traditional
Overview
What it is Optimizely's .NET CMS for rendered and headless sites, hosted on Optimizely's DXP cloud or self-hosted, with Optimizely Graph for delivery.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. Optimizely CMS 13 PaaS, the current flagship. CMS SaaS is a separate hosted variant. Version 13.1.3, released 9 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 Optimizely optimizely.com Umbraco A/S umbraco.com
Licence Closed source Proprietary Open source MIT
Hosting Self-hosting Vendor cloud Self-hosted installs lose Opti ID features such as Opal and the DAM. Self-hosting Vendor cloud Forms and Deploy are paid add-ons when self-hosted. Umbraco Cloud includes both.
Built with .NET 10, ASP.NET CoreC#, ASP.NET Core on .NET 10, TypeScript backoffice
Database SQL Server, Azure SQL on DXPSQL Server, SQLite
Pricing Public list prices only. Hosting and implementation are extra everywhere. No free option Pricing 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 Content types as C# classes. 3 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 Content types and properties in Settings. 4 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 Blocks in content areas and Visual Builder elements. 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 Language branches per content item. 5 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 DXP CDN resizes, crops and converts images by URL parameters. 6 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 Content Delivery API 13 and a management REST API. 12 Built in Content Delivery API. 7
GraphQL API The vendor or an official module provides a GraphQL API for content. Built in Optimizely Graph, included in the CMS 13 licence. 28 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. Limited Graph webhooks fire on sync batches and expired content only. Per-item hooks need code. 72 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 ASP.NET Core MVC and Razor rendering, or headless. 2 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 9 Built in
Scheduled publishing An editor can set a future date and time for content to publish or unpublish. Built in 9 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 Visual Builder. 2 Not available
Approval workflows Content moves through review stages you configure, such as draft, review and approved, with permissions per stage. Built in Approval sequences. 10 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 Projects publish or schedule grouped items together. 11 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 Comments and notifications only. 12 Not available
Access and governance
Custom roles Admins define their own roles with granular permissions instead of picking from a fixed set. Built in Access rights for roles and virtual roles. 13 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 Access rights apply per content item. Not documented per property. 13 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 Opti ID with an external identity provider, or OpenID Connect in code. 2 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 Change Log in Settings. 14 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 Several sites and hosts in one installation. 15 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 Shell modules, gadgets and custom editor widgets. 16 Built in Backoffice extensions.
Plugin marketplace The vendor runs an official directory or marketplace of installable extensions. Built in Optimizely connectors directory and NuGet add-ons. 17 Built in Umbraco Marketplace.
Form builder Editors can build and publish forms and collect submissions without code. Plugin or add-on Optimizely Forms package. No extra licence. 18 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. Limited Visitor login uses ASP.NET Core authentication set up in code. 2 Built in Members, separate from backoffice users.
AI writing assistant A first-party AI feature in the editing interface generates, rewrites or translates content. Plugin or add-on Opal, billed through Opal credits. Needs Opti ID on DXP. 219 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 MCP server in the Optimizely.Cms.Opal.Tools package. 20 Built in Umbraco CMS Developer MCP server. 19

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

Where they differ

Optimizely CMS and Umbraco get a different status on 9 of the 28 features and the same status on 19. Optimizely CMS has 22 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
Optimizely CMS is closed source (Proprietary). Umbraco is open source (MIT).
Free option
Optimizely CMS has no free option. Umbraco has a free option.

Built in on Optimizely CMS, a different answer on Umbraco 6

  • Content model in code Optimizely CMS: Built in. Umbraco: Plugin or add-on.
  • GraphQL API Optimizely CMS: Built in. Umbraco: Not available.
  • Visual editing Optimizely CMS: Built in. Umbraco: Not available.
  • Approval workflows Optimizely CMS: Built in. Umbraco: Plugin or add-on.
  • Content releases Optimizely CMS: Built in. Umbraco: Plugin or add-on.
  • Audit log Optimizely CMS: Built in. Umbraco: Limited.

Built in on Umbraco, a different answer on Optimizely CMS 2

  • Webhooks Optimizely CMS: Limited. Umbraco: Built in.
  • Site member accounts Optimizely CMS: Limited. Umbraco: Built in.

Built in on neither, with different answers 1

  • Field-level permissions Optimizely CMS: Not available. Umbraco: Limited.

More comparisons

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

Optimizely CMS 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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