Compare Digital Experience Platforms.

From monolithic to composable. We compare Sitecore, Optimizely, Adobe Experience Manager and Umbraco based on practical experience – for enterprise, mid-market and everything in between.

Comparison Table

Sitecore

Architecture: .NET / Composable
Headless: XM Cloud
Personalization: Excellent
Expertise: Specialists
Price: €60k–€300k+/year

Optimizely

Architecture: .NET / Cloud-native
Headless: CMS (SaaS)
Personalization: Market leader A/B
Expertise: .NET devs
Price: €40k–€200k+/year

Adobe Experience Manager

Architecture: Java / Cloud
Headless: Edge Delivery
Personalization: Adobe Target
Expertise: Scarce
Price: €30k–€100k+/year

Umbraco

Architecture: .NET / Open-source
Headless: Delivery API
Personalization: Engage add-on
Expertise: Standard
Price: Free–€900/mo

Brief Summaries

Sitecore

Market leader in enterprise DXP since 2001. Transforming from monolithic .NET platform to composable cloud solution. Strong personalization capabilities. High license costs and limited number of certified partners. Choose Sitecore if personalization and enterprise-grade features are top priority.

Optimizely

Evolved from Episerver, now a complete DXP with the best A/B testing tools on the market. Cloud-native with good developer experience. Dutch roots (Episerver). Strong choice for .NET teams that take data-driven work and experimentation seriously.

Adobe Experience Manager

Enterprise CMS as part of Adobe Experience Cloud. Seamless integration with Adobe Creative Cloud, Analytics and Target. High complexity but unmatched synergy in a full Adobe ecosystem. Edge Delivery Services is the modern headless approach.

Umbraco

Danish open-source CMS, a pragmatic alternative to the enterprise DXP giants. Flexible, developer-friendly, with commercial cloud options. No native personalization but extensible via add-ons. Ideal for mid-market organizations that want enterprise features without enterprise costs.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a Digital Experience Platform (DXP)?
A DXP is an integrated suite of technologies for managing, delivering and optimizing digital experiences. It typically combines CMS, personalization, analytics, DAM and marketing automation in one platform. DXPs are designed for organizations that want to deliver consistent experiences across all digital touchpoints – from website to app to in-store displays.
What's the difference between a DXP and a headless CMS?
A headless CMS focuses purely on content management and delivers content via APIs – you choose your own frontend and other tools (analytics, personalization, DAM). A DXP offers a complete suite including personalization, analytics and marketing automation. Headless is more flexible, cheaper and faster to implement. DXP offers more out-of-the-box features but is more complex and expensive. The trend: DXPs are becoming increasingly 'composable', blurring the lines.
Is a DXP still future-proof with the rise of composable?
Yes, provided you choose the right platform. Modern DXPs like Sitecore and Optimizely are actively evolving towards composable/MACH architectures. You no longer need to use the entire suite – you can combine modules with best-of-breed tools. Legacy DXPs without headless options or API-first architecture are falling behind. Critically evaluate whether your vendor is investing in modern architecture before signing long-term contracts.

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