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CMS comparison Umbraco vs Wix

Umbraco vs Wix

Umbraco is an open-source traditional CMS that you can host yourself or run on the vendor's cloud. Wix is a closed-source site builder that runs on the vendor's cloud. The table below sets them side by side on 28 features. They get a different status on 12.

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  • Umbraco Traditional · Open source · 18 of 28 built in
  • Wix Site builder · Closed source · 21 of 28 built in

Sources checked: Umbraco on 29 Sept 2026, Wix 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
Umbraco vs Wix feature comparison. Columns are the two platforms. Rows are features, grouped by area.
Platform
Umbraco Traditional
Wix Site builder
Overview
What it is Open-source .NET CMS that renders sites with Razor or serves content headless. Self-hosted or run on Umbraco Cloud.Hosted website builder with a CMS, business apps and hosting, run by Wix.com Ltd. Wix Studio adds an editor and workspace for agencies.
Edition compared The product and release each column describes. Umbraco CMS 17 LTS, open source. Umbraco 18.2.0 is the latest short-term release. Version 17.7.0, released 17 Sept 2026 Wix website builder with Wix CMS, in Wix Editor and Wix Studio SaaS, continuously updated
Vendor Umbraco A/S umbraco.com Wix.com Ltd. wix.com
Licence Open source MIT Closed source Proprietary
Hosting Self-hosting Vendor cloud Forms and Deploy are paid add-ons when self-hosted. Umbraco Cloud includes both. No self-hosting Vendor cloud Wix Headless serves the same content to a frontend you host.
Built with C#, ASP.NET Core on .NET 10, TypeScript backofficeHosted SaaS, JavaScript through the Wix IDE, CLI and SDK
Database SQL Server, SQLiteWix CMS collections, managed by Wix
Pricing Public list prices only. Hosting and implementation are extra everywhere. Free to start Free to self-host. Umbraco Cloud Starter €45, Standard €280, Professional €730 per month. Enterprise on request. Free to start Free plan. Light $17, Core $29, Business $39, Business Elite $159 per month billed yearly in the US.
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. Plugin or add-on Umbraco Deploy saves document types as .uda files in Git. Paid on-premises, included on Umbraco Cloud. 45 Limited Only Wix CLI apps and headless projects define collections in TypeScript files. 13
Content model in the UI Admins can create and change content types and fields in the admin interface without writing code. Built in Document types are built in the backoffice. Built in 20
Reusable blocks Editors compose pages from reusable, typed components or blocks, and can reorder them. Built in Block List and Block Grid editors. 6 Built in Editors add and reorder sections and saved components on the canvas.
Localization Editors translate content per locale inside the CMS, by field or by entry, without a separate site for each language. Built in Culture variants per property. Built in Wix Multilingual, with manual or automatic translation. 14
Image transformations The CMS resizes, crops or converts images on request, through URL parameters or generated sizes, with no external service. Built in ImageSharp crops and resizes images from query string parameters. 9 Built in Resize and crop through image URL parameters. 15
APIs and delivery
REST API A documented REST or JSON HTTP API returns content. Built in Content Delivery API. 7 Built in Data Items REST API. 3
GraphQL API The vendor or an official module provides a GraphQL API for content. Not available No official GraphQL. Community package Nikcio.UHeadless adds one. 20 Built in GraphQL endpoint over the same data as the REST API. 4
Webhooks The CMS can call an external URL when content is created, changed or published. Built in 8 Built in App webhooks, or an HTTP request step in Wix Automations. 16
Renders the website The CMS itself renders and serves the public pages through themes or templates. Headless-only products answer no. Built in Razor templates. Built in
Editorial workflow
Drafts Editors save changes as a draft and publish them later. The live version stays untouched until then. Built in Built in Draft status on CMS items, on by default for new collections. 11
Scheduled publishing An editor can set a future date and time for content to publish or unpublish. Built in 10 Built in Scheduled status changes on CMS items. 11
Version history The CMS keeps earlier versions of an entry, and editors can compare or restore them. Built in Rollback compares and restores earlier versions. 11 Limited CMS keeps weekly and manual collection backups. Restores replace whole collections. 9
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. Not available Built in
Approval workflows Content moves through review stages you configure, such as draft, review and approved, with permissions per stage. Plugin or add-on Umbraco Workflow add-on. Its free version is capped at five approval groups. Full use is paid. 1221 Paid tier Approvals for site changes in the Wix Studio enterprise solution. 8
Content releases Editors group changes across several entries and publish them together as one release. Plugin or add-on Release Sets in a licensed Umbraco Workflow. 13 Limited Release Manager publishes whole site versions and test sites. No grouped item releases. 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 Built in Built into the Studio Editor. 7
Access and governance
Custom roles Admins define their own roles with granular permissions instead of picking from a fixed set. Built in User groups with granular permissions. Built in Not every permission is available to custom roles. 619
Field-level permissions Admins can restrict access to single fields, on top of content types and entries. Limited Per-property read and write limits per user group, enforced in the UI only. 14 Not available CMS permissions apply per collection. 20
Single sign-on Editors can sign in through SAML or OpenID Connect against a company identity provider. Built in OpenID Connect providers such as Entra ID, configured in code. 15 Paid tier OpenID Connect only, with the Wix Studio enterprise solution. 10
Audit log The CMS logs who changed what and when across the whole installation, and admins can review the log. Limited Audit trail per item plus a log viewer. No installation-wide audit screen in core. 16 Not available Not documented publicly.
Platform and extensibility
Multiple sites One installation or account can manage several separate websites or brands with shared users. Built in Several root nodes, each with its own domains. Built in One account or Studio workspace manages many sites, each on its own plan.
Extensible admin UI Developers can add their own components, views or fields to the editing interface. Built in Backoffice extensions. Built in Dashboard extensions add custom pages and widgets. 17
Plugin marketplace The vendor runs an official directory or marketplace of installable extensions. Built in Umbraco Marketplace. Built in Wix App Market.
Form builder Editors can build and publish forms and collect submissions without code. Plugin or add-on Umbraco Forms, paid licence. Included on Umbraco Cloud. 217 Built in Wix Forms.
Site member accounts The platform handles sign-up and login for public site users or members, separate from editors. Built in Members, separate from backoffice users. Built in Members Area handles sign-up and login.
AI writing assistant A first-party AI feature in the editing interface generates, rewrites or translates content. Plugin or add-on Free Umbraco.AI packages add prompts and an editor copilot. 18 Built in AI text creator in the Wix and Studio editors. 18
Official MCP server The vendor publishes a Model Context Protocol server so AI agents can read or write content. Built in Umbraco CMS Developer MCP server. 19 Built in Wix MCP for docs, code and site API calls. 5

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

Wix sources

Checked 29 Sept 2026. Wix website builder with Wix CMS, in Wix Editor and Wix Studio.

  1. Wix plans and pricing
  2. Wix blog: Wix Premium plans (May 2026)
  3. Wix Data Items API
  4. The Wix GraphQL API
  5. The Wix MCP
  6. Wix Help: creating custom roles for collaborators
  7. Wix Help: Studio Editor collaborating on a site
  8. Wix Help: enterprise approvals for site changes
  9. Wix Help: restoring CMS collections with backups
  10. Wix Help: SSO login for your organization
  11. Wix Help: managing collection item statuses
  12. Wix Help: Release Manager
  13. Wix CLI: data collections extension files
  14. Wix Help: Wix Multilingual overview
  15. Wix Media: URL image transformation
  16. Wix Developers: about webhooks
  17. Wix Developers: about dashboard extensions
  18. Wix Help: Studio Editor AI text creator
  19. Wix Help: inviting collaborators
  20. Wix Help: CMS overview

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

Where they differ

Umbraco and Wix get a different status on 12 of the 28 features and the same status on 16. Umbraco has 18 built in on its baseline edition, Wix has 21. 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
Umbraco is open source (MIT). Wix is closed source (Proprietary).
Self-hosting
Umbraco can be self-hosted. Wix cannot be self-hosted.

Built in on Umbraco, a different answer on Wix 2

  • Version history Umbraco: Built in. Wix: Limited.
  • Single sign-on Umbraco: Built in. Wix: Paid tier.

Built in on Wix, a different answer on Umbraco 5

  • GraphQL API Umbraco: Not available. Wix: Built in.
  • Visual editing Umbraco: Not available. Wix: Built in.
  • Real-time co-editing Umbraco: Not available. Wix: Built in.
  • Form builder Umbraco: Plugin or add-on. Wix: Built in.
  • AI writing assistant Umbraco: Plugin or add-on. Wix: Built in.

Built in on neither, with different answers 5

  • Content model in code Umbraco: Plugin or add-on. Wix: Limited.
  • Approval workflows Umbraco: Plugin or add-on. Wix: Paid tier.
  • Content releases Umbraco: Plugin or add-on. Wix: Limited.
  • Field-level permissions Umbraco: Limited. Wix: Not available.
  • Audit log Umbraco: Limited. Wix: Not available.

More comparisons

Umbraco against other platforms

Wix against other platforms

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

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