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For most buyers, Craft CMS is our best overall pick: it supports structured content and custom authoring workflows, though its listing shows a $279 starting price and a free plan. Umbraco is a stronger fit for .NET teams and also has a free option, while Hashnode is a low-cost choice for hosted blogging. The other tools target narrower needs: MODX for custom marketing sites, Kentico and Sitefinity for broader enterprise marketing work, and Acquia for organizations committed to Drupal. Enterprise pricing is not published for several options, so request quotes before comparing costs.
Quick picksThe shortlist
Craft CMSCraft CMSBest overall · $279/mo
Umbraco CMSUmbraco CMSBest for .NET teams · €45/mo
MODXMODXBest for custom marketing sites · $90/mo
HashnodeHashnodeBest for hosted blogging · $5/mo
KenticoKenticoBest for multichannel campaigns · Custom
Progress SitefinityProgress SitefinityBest for enterprise headless · Custom
AcquiaAcquiaBest for Drupal teams · Custom
01Compared at a glance
| Tool | Score | From | Free plan | Trial |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Craft CMSCraft CMS | 7.3 | $279/mo | Yes | — |
| Umbraco CMSUmbraco CMS | 7.0 | €45/mo | Yes | — |
| MODXMODX | 6.3 | $90/mo | No | — |
| HashnodeHashnode | 6.3 | $5/mo | Yes | — |
| KenticoKentico | 6.8 | Custom | No | 14 days |
| Progress SitefinityProgress Sitefinity | 6.2 | Custom | No | 30 days |
| AcquiaAcquia | 6.0 | Custom | No | — |
02The picks, in detail
- Best overallCraft CMSCraft CMS
Craft is our best overall fit for teams that need structured content and custom authoring workflows, provided they have Craft development support. The listing shows a free plan and a $279 starting price; confirm which applies to your setup before budgeting. Editors should test the workflow before switching, since flexibility matters only if the publishing process works for the people who will use it.
What works
- Free Solo plan for personal sites and learning
- Unlimited content types and locales on Solo
- Customizable back end and content structures
What doesn't
- Team costs $279 per project, not per month
- Pro costs $399 per project
- Updates cost $99/year after the included first year
- Best for .NET teamsUmbraco CMSUmbraco CMS
Umbraco suits .NET teams that want a customizable CMS, and self-hosters can start with its free option. The listing also shows a $45 starting price. Before switching, check the managed-plan caps and add-on prices: the headline starting price may not reflect the setup your team needs. Its multilingual content tools make it worth considering for teams with that requirement.
What works
- Free self-hosted plan includes authoring and media management
- Free plan includes user management and multilingual setup
- Headless APIs and webhooks included on Free
What doesn't
- Starter limits media storage to 5 GB and bandwidth to 50 GB monthly
- Standard costs €280/month; Professional costs €730/month
- Several add-on prices are not published
- Best for custom marketing sitesMODXMODX
MODX is a fit for marketing sites that need custom templates, managed hosting, staging or rollback. Its listed starting price is $90, which narrows its appeal when lower-cost options meet the same needs. We’d compare the annual starting cost with the value of the specific hosting and workflow requirements you need, rather than choosing it just for customization.
What works
- Flexible templates support custom markup, CSS, and JavaScript
- Built-in caching supports faster websites
- Stage, preview, publish, and roll back changes
What doesn't
- Pro Site Core starts at $90/month billed annually
- No free plan is listed
- Standalone monthly rates are not published
- Best for hosted bloggingHashnodeHashnode
Hashnode is a low-cost option for developers starting a blog, writers who want hosted publishing, or teams tracking AI citations. Its listing shows a free plan and a $5 starting price. That price is compelling for a focused publishing need, but it is not a general-purpose fit for every CMS buyer. Users have also reported trust concerns, so weigh those against the low entry cost.
What works
- Free plan includes unlimited posts
- Markdown editor supports code, LaTeX and Mermaid
- Pro includes a custom domain and SSL
What doesn't
- Free blogs use a hashnode.dev address
- Pro is billed per seat, not per publication
- Growth costs $34 per publication monthly
- Best for multichannel campaignsKenticoKentico
Kentico is worth considering for teams managing content across channels, coordinating campaigns and assets, or using audience personalization. Its pricing is not published, so a reliable value comparison is not possible from the public starting price alone. Get a detailed quote and compare it with your actual channel and campaign needs before putting it ahead of a lower-cost CMS.
What works
- AIRA tools cover content reviews, search optimization, journeys, and campaigns
- Advanced includes web, email, and headless channels
- Listed plans have no administrative-user limit
What doesn't
- No published starting price or recurring rates
- Pricing is custom-quoted by channel
- Standard includes only one web channel
- Best for enterprise headlessProgress SitefinityProgress Sitefinity
Progress Sitefinity is aimed at organizations with enterprise CMS needs, including teams delivering headless content and marketers who need personalization and insights. The available information does not publish pricing, so buyers cannot judge its value from a public starting price. Request a detailed quote and check that its delivery and marketing capabilities match your requirements before comparing it with other enterprise options.
What works
- Structured fields, reusable components and built-in workflows
- AI search uses Agentic RAG for governed, multilingual answers
- Headless delivery supports ASP.NET Core and Next.js
What doesn't
- Monthly and annual prices are not published
- Overage costs are not published
- DX limits concurrent backend users to 10
- Best for Drupal teamsAcquiaAcquia
Acquia makes the most sense for organizations already committed to Drupal, especially those needing governed content workflows or managed Drupal hosting. Its pricing is not published, so get a detailed quote before committing or comparing costs. For teams without a Drupal requirement, that lack of public pricing makes it harder to assess value against more transparent alternatives.
What works
- Combines content management and digital asset management
- Includes brand reviews and governance features
- AI workflows can build pages and create content
What doesn't
- Starting price and billing terms are not published
- Standard plan is limited to one Drupal application
- Standard includes only 2 advisory hours
03How we chose
We weigh published pricing and plan limits, documentation, and Reddit sentiment, with particular attention to details that can change the cost or difficulty of switching. We also look for evidence about content modeling, publishing workflows, integrations, hosting, and migration when published material provides it. The published material names Acquia, Craft CMS, Umbraco CMS, Kentico, Progress Sitefinity, Hashnode, and MODX, but includes no pricing tables, plan limits, documentation excerpts, or Reddit posts. We leave product-specific claims unasserted rather than guess.
04Choose a CMS around your publishing workflow
Start with the work your team needs the CMS to handle: what kinds of content you publish, who creates and approves it, and how often it changes. Then map the workflow from draft to publication, including any review steps and the channels where content needs to appear. Ask vendors to show how their product supports those requirements in their documentation; don’t treat a feature list as proof that it fits your process.
Compare Acquia, Craft CMS, Umbraco CMS, Kentico, Progress Sitefinity, Hashnode, and MODX against the same checklist. Check which requirements are documented, which need clarification, and which would depend on custom work. The published published material does not establish product-specific capabilities for these tools, so verify those details directly before shortlisting. A CMS that fits your actual workflow is a better choice than one with features your team won’t use.
05Compare total cost and switching effort
Don’t compare CMS options on a starting price alone. Check the published price, what each plan includes, and any stated usage or feature limits. Then estimate the costs your team would still need to account for, such as implementation, hosting, integrations, content migration, and ongoing maintenance. If a vendor does not publish a price or limit, treat it as unknown and ask for the detail in writing rather than assuming it is included.
Before switching, inventory your existing content, URLs, workflows, and integrations. Ask how each item would move and what would need rebuilding; verify the answers in product documentation or with the vendor. The published material does not provide current pricing, plan caps, or migration details for Acquia, Craft CMS, Umbraco CMS, Kentico, Progress Sitefinity, Hashnode, or MODX. Confirm those points before making a budget or transition plan.
Questions people ask
How much does content management software cost?
Pricing depends on the product and plan. The published published material does not include current prices or plan limits for the seven tools on this page, so we can’t give a reliable cost comparison here. Check each vendor’s pricing page and confirm any usage caps or costs not listed publicly.
What should we check before switching CMS platforms?
List your content, URLs, workflows, integrations, and approval steps, then ask how each will transfer or need rebuilding. Confirm migration requirements in vendor documentation or directly with the provider. The published material does not establish migration details for the products covered.
How do we decide which CMS is right for our team?
Write down your publishing requirements, team roles, budget, and technical constraints before comparing vendors. Check each requirement against product documentation and ask about anything unclear. The available published material does not provide enough product-specific detail to recommend one of the seven tools for a particular use case.
Are the listed CMS platforms suitable for every business?
The published material identifies these products as the tools covered, but does not document their individual features, limitations, or ideal customer types. Suitability depends on your workflow, budget, and implementation needs. Verify those details with the vendors rather than treating the list as a recommendation for every business.