Comparison of Top 3 .NET CMS – Sitefinity CMS Development, Kentico CMS Development, and Sitecore CMS Development

A website is an indispensable necessity for any organization. However, coding and understanding how to alter the website’s code may not be for everyone. While content creators may imagine a beautiful website for their content, learning code to manage and publish content on a website is not always plausible. 

Here is where a Content Management System (CMS) pitches in to bridge the gap between the content creator, the website, and the other teams that handle the content.

Using CMS software, users can publish new content and edit previous works on the website, with minimal knowledge of coding. Hence, CMS is quite popular for organizations where website content needs to be altered frequently.

With CMS being a popular tool for organizations, there is no surprise that several CMS software has emerged in the market. However, there are some distinct similarities as well as differences between them. Reviewing the top CMS helps organizations identify which software they should pick and why.

Understanding Different CMS

The .NET platform can be employed as both a CMS, as well as an application development platform. Hence, it is simple to use this framework to edit and deploy interactive websites; many people prefer .NET CMS for their organization for this reason.

Sitecore CMS

Sitecore, established in 2002, doubles as a CMS (content marketing system) and a DMS (digital marketing system). With this software, users can review how visitors use and view their websites, which links are frequented, and generally, for most visitors to visit their website. 

Users can then tailor the visitors’ experience and find ways to enhance their experience with the website.

Since its inception, Sitecore uses the .NET framework, which is on par with top companies such as Canon and Toshiba. Hence, the expandible features and tools are easily accessible. 

The software layout is similar to a basic Windows screen, besides it is highly customizable. Adept users can overwrite or include additional benefits to pre-existing features.

While it is an excellent software to personalize features and helps you give your visitors a tailored view of your website, it lacks the e-commerce department. 

E-commerce is only a small portion of this software’s capabilities, and users can use it to sell small quantities of products rather than maintaining an itinerary of large stocks. Mainly, users agree that its best feature is its high customizability.

Pros:

• Highly customizable
• Accessible tools and features
• Personalized pages for visitors
• Decent eCommerce platform

Cons:

• It is expensive, although it offers a large variety of features
• Ecommerce is not as well-integrated as other CMS

Kentico CMS

When your organization is on a budget, Kentico CMS is your best bet. With this software, you get the functionality, but none of the frills.

While Kentico is useful for those organizations that need basic CMS software, it does not match the Sitecore standards. However, it is priced lower as well, which may justify this lack of fancy features.

While the software may be basic, it has an excellent eCommerce platform integrated with it. The eCommerce platform has been a part of Kentico for 12 years, and it is extremely easy to use. It offers tailored pricing, can include custom product cots such as including the delivery fee at the time of check out. 

Hence, users can easily incorporate an online retail system into their website and offer visitors an excellent eCommerce experience.

Kentico has a few customization options that work well but do not match up to Sitecore’s standards. It runs smoothly but is known to be fickle at times. While this software may not be the most sophisticated, it is the tool to use when you are on a budget.

Pros:

• Budget-friendly CMS is useful for organizations that have a low budget
• Ecommerce feature is well-integrated
• Offers features on par with other higher-end CMS

Cons:

• Offers little customization ability
• May lack some features compared to other CMS

Sitefinity CMS

Sitefinity CMS is known for its ease of use, with its drag-and-drop layouts and custom themes. With this CMS, it is easy to build a site even without any knowledge of coding. Content created on the CMS is stored and can be viewed and edited by other authorized personnel. Creators have a lot of control over the page layout; they can either use custom templates or even dynamic elements that are personalized. Once a layout is finalized, it is easy to add more content to the website.

Sitefinity is excellent when creators need to collaborate to create content. It is easy to build and customize and has a decent eCommerce platform as well. Sitefinity allows users to personalize pages for different visitors, which aids marketing strategies.

Sitefinity has a multilingual page and content layout, and users can use it to manage multiple websites with shared content. Widgets make adding dynamic elements to the website easier and make the content more attractive. Sitefinity can be synchronized with other CMS and other platforms as well to allow a seamless workflow.

Pros:

• It is budget-friendly
• Easy to collaborate with teams
• Offers personalized pages for different visitors
• Easy to build and content
• Offers an excellent eCommerce integration

Cons:

• Some features are offered as add-ons and may cost extra

Comparing Sitecore vs. Kentico vs. Sitefinity

Deciding between the top .NET CMS software can be challenging. This software is tailored to serve most organization’s needs and is a great contender. However, learning more about each software can help organizations make informed decisions. 

Some of the popular and sought-after features and whether or not the CMS provides them have been listed below:

Which one should you choose?

When comparing different .NET CMS, the similarities are far more than their differences. In general, most CMS seems to be on par with each other. However, one may offer a few extra features than the other. Depending on your requirements, purpose, and budget, choosing one CMS over the other will vary. To understand which CMS will work best for your organization, it is wise to request the company to send you a demo highlighting features that will help your organization. Alternatively, you can test out CMS with a free trial version, although most of them are too short for you to comprehensively experience what working with each CMS is like. Nonetheless, it can be an excellent way that can help you decide which CMS suits your organizational needs perfectly.