Choose Kentico if
Fast, complete, simpler
You run one to a few sites, your team is .NET, and rule-based personalization and built-in email cover your needs.
Kentico vs Sitecore:what you gain and what you give up
Both platforms grew up on .NET and both now sell themselves as AI-ready DXPs. The resemblance stops there. Xperience by Kentico is one ASP.NET Core application with content, page building, email and marketing built in. SitecoreAI, launched in November 2025 as the evolution of XM Cloud, is a composable SaaS suite with a separate front-end application, CDP and personalization, search and an agent studio.
Written by a 2x Sitecore MVP team and an official partner of both Kentico and Sitecore. We earn our living on both platforms, so we have no reason to push one.
vs
TL;DR
The honest short answer
Kentico fits most mid-market organizations with a few websites, a .NET team and marketers who want to publish without waiting on developers. It launches faster, has fewer moving parts, and its rule-based personalization covers what most teams actually use.
Sitecore fits large organizations running many brands or sites, with a dedicated development team and a real plan to use real-time personalization, CDP data and AI agents at scale. Many companies buy that capability and end up using basic segments. Be honest about which group you are in.
Choose Sitecore if
Scale and depth
You manage many brands or sites, have a dedicated dev team, and will staff advanced personalization and AI programs.
12-dimension matrix
| Dimension | Kentico | Sitecore |
|---|---|---|
| Architecture | One ASP.NET Core application with hybrid headless delivery through GraphQL | Composable SaaS (SitecoreAI) with a separate front-end app, usually Next.js on the Content SDK |
| Licensing | Channel-based (website, email, headless) in Standard or Advanced tiers. SaaS or private cloud. Quote-based | SitecoreAI bundles content, Content Hub, CDP and Personalize, and Search entitlements, with one metric per capability. Quote-based |
| Canadian hosting | WinnerSaaS lists Canada Central and Canada East Azure regions | SaaS on Azure. Confirm the Canadian region for your contract with Sitecore |
| Developer skills | Winner.NET and ASP.NET Core, one codebase | .NET for the platform plus Next.js, React and GraphQL for the front end |
| Editor experience | WinnerPage Builder with widgets and sections, short learning curve | Visual page editing plus several connected tools to learn |
| Time to launch | WinnerShorter, with fewer systems to set up | Longer, with more capabilities to configure |
| Personalization | Rule-based with contact groups and activity data, built in | WinnerReal-time personalization and experimentation driven by CDP data |
| AI and agents | AIRA agentic marketing suite for content, translation and campaign tasks | WinnerAgentic Studio with 20 pre-built agents at launch, plus Sitecore Stream for XP and XM |
| Site search | Integrations with external search engines | WinnerSitecore Search entitlement included in SitecoreAI |
| Multi-brand scale | Several website channels in one instance, each licensed | WinnerDesigned for large multi-brand, multi-region portfolios |
| Email marketing | WinnerEmail channel built into the platform | Usually handled by a separate tool |
| Migration tooling | Kentico Migration Tool from Kentico Xperience 13 and from other platforms such as Sitecore | SitecoreAI Pathway to move XP and XM solutions to SaaS |
When to choose each
Choose Kentico
If you want a complete platform your team can run
- You run one to three sites, or a few brands with shared content
- Your developers are .NET and you do not want to add a separate front-end stack
- Marketers need to build pages and send email from the same tool
- Rule-based personalization covers your real use cases
- You want to launch in months, not quarters
- You need Canadian hosting confirmed on a standard SaaS plan
- You are on Kentico Xperience 13 and want a supported path before its end of support
Choose Sitecore
If scale and personalization depth justify the footprint
- You manage five or more sites, brands or regions
- You have a dedicated development team, or a long-term partner, with Next.js skills
- You have staff and data to run real-time personalization and experimentation
- You want CDP, search and content under one vendor contract
- You plan to put AI agents into marketing workflows across teams
- You run Sitecore XP or XM today and Pathway reduces the move to SaaS
If you need to switch
From Sitecore to Kentico
Simplifying the stack
- Audit what you actually use in Sitecore: personalization rules, forms, integrations
- Map Sitecore templates and renderings to Kentico content types and Page Builder widgets
- Use the Kentico Migration Tool for content, then adjust code by hand
- Rebuild personalization as contact groups and rules
- Replace Sitecore Search or CDP features with Kentico features or integrations
- Plan redirects and SEO checks before cutover
Main effort driver: the number of sites, languages and Sitecore-specific personalization rules to rebuild
From Kentico to Sitecore
Adding scale and personalization depth
- Define the personalization and AI use cases that justify the move, with owners
- Model content in SitecoreAI and plan the Next.js front end on the Content SDK
- Migrate content with scripts or import tools
- Set up CDP and Personalize with your data sources
- Train editors on the new tools and workflows
- Plan redirects and SEO checks before cutover
Main effort driver: the number of sites and languages, and the personalization and AI you plan to staff
Common questions
Is Kentico cheaper than Sitecore?
Neither vendor publishes final prices. Kentico licenses by channel and tier (Kentico how to buy), while SitecoreAI uses one metric per capability across a broader bundle (SitecoreAI FAQ). For most mid-market projects Kentico costs less over time because there is one application to host and one skill set to staff. Ask both vendors for a three-year quote on the same scope.
Is Kentico's personalization enough?
For most teams, yes. Rule-based personalization with contact groups covers common cases: returning visitors, regions, campaigns and known accounts. If you need real-time decisions on CDP data across channels, and you have people to run it, Sitecore goes further.
We run Sitecore XP. Should we move to SitecoreAI or to Kentico?
Sitecore still supports XP and XM, and SitecoreAI Pathway helps move them to SaaS. The real question is whether you use enough of Sitecore to justify it. Our pre-migration checklist helps you answer that, and a Sitecore audit gives you the facts.
We are on Kentico Xperience 13. What now?
Kentico Xperience 13 reaches end of support on December 31, 2026, with no hotfixes after that (Kentico upgrade). Upgrading to Xperience by Kentico uses the Kentico Migration Tool. It is also a natural moment to check whether another platform fits better. Start with a Kentico audit.
Can both run headless?
Yes. Kentico offers hybrid headless delivery through GraphQL, so you can keep Page Builder for websites and serve other channels as headless. SitecoreAI is headless by design, with a Next.js front end. If you are weighing headless in general, our headless audit covers it.
Which handles bilingual French and English sites better?
Both manage multilingual content natively, and both now offer AI help with translation. The difference is in setup and editing workflow rather than capability. Test your translation workflow during the demo, including how French and English versions stay in sync.
Still not sure which platform fits?
We implement both. Tell us about your sites, team and goals, and we will give you a straight answer and an honest effort range.
