Contentful vs Sitefinity

Last Updated:

Our analysts compared Contentful vs Sitefinity based on data from our 400+ point analysis of CMS Software, user reviews and our own crowdsourced data from our free software selection platform.

Contentful Software Tool
Sitefinity Software Tool

Product Basics

Contentful is a cloud-native API-first platform that allows users to create, manage and distribute content to virtually any digital channel, all from a single hub. It stores and distributes a wide range of content that includes text, video, images, music, structured documents and more. Coupled with a headless architecture, native integrations apps and powerful webhooks make it flexible and extensible. Its web app allows creatives to create rich text content with headlines, quotes, lists, visual formatting and media.

Editors can create landing pages, fine-tune product descriptions, tweak forms and publish content all from a unified interface. Robust REST and GraphQL APIs enable content delivery to multiple channels like iOS, Android and Windows mobile apps, and websites. It provides separate workspaces and role-based permissions for data governance.
read more...
Sitefinity is a marketing solution that helps enterprises manage digital content and websites, as well as e-commerce, all from a unified interface. Developers can build and clone websites, pages and templates with robust APIs and out-of-the-box RESTful endpoints. It enables digital asset management with bulk operations and advanced media search by library, category, tag and URL. In addition to a content staging environment, it provides an inline editor to create and edit content directly on the webpage. It offers powerful forms, with marketing outreach optimization through A/B testing.

It comes with built-in SEO attributes like easy-to-understand URLs, meta tags, titles, description optimizers and more. Businesses can glean customer insights from multiple channels for real-time analysis through ML-based recommendations. The vendor offers a free trial.
read more...
$300 Monthly, Freemium
Get a free price quote
Tailored to your specific needs
Undisclosed
Get a free price quote
Tailored to your specific needs
Small 
i
Medium 
i
Large 
i
Small 
i
Medium 
i
Large 
i
Windows
Mac
Linux
Android
Chromebook
Windows
Mac
Linux
Android
Chromebook
Cloud
On-Premise
Mobile
Cloud
On-Premise
Mobile

Product Assistance

Documentation
In Person
Live Online
Videos
Webinars
Documentation
In Person
Live Online
Videos
Webinars
Email
Phone
Chat
FAQ
Forum
Knowledge Base
24/7 Live Support
Email
Phone
Chat
FAQ
Forum
Knowledge Base
24/7 Live Support

Product Insights

  • Streamlined Content Management: Contentful simplifies the process of creating, managing, and distributing content across multiple platforms, enabling teams to publish content faster and more efficiently than traditional CMS platforms.
  • Enhanced Collaboration: With its cloud-based architecture, Contentful allows team members to collaborate in real-time, regardless of their location. This ensures that content updates and approvals can happen swiftly, keeping projects on track.
  • Flexible Integration: Contentful offers robust APIs that enable seamless integration with various tools and systems, such as analytics, marketing, and e-commerce platforms. This flexibility allows businesses to tailor their tech stack to their specific needs.
  • Scalability: Designed to handle the demands of both small projects and large-scale operations, Contentful can scale alongside your business. This means you won't have to migrate to another platform as your content needs grow.
  • Improved Content Delivery: Contentful utilizes a content delivery network (CDN) to ensure that your content is delivered quickly and reliably to users around the world, enhancing the user experience and engagement.
  • Content Model Flexibility: Unlike traditional CMS platforms that often force content into predefined templates, Contentful allows users to define their own content models. This flexibility supports a more structured and efficient approach to content management, catering to diverse content types and structures.
  • Enhanced Security: Contentful prioritizes security with features like two-factor authentication, role-based access control, and regular security audits. This helps protect your content and user data from unauthorized access and potential breaches.
  • Cost Efficiency: By streamlining content operations and reducing the need for custom development, Contentful can help businesses save on operational and development costs. Its cloud-based nature also eliminates the need for expensive server maintenance.
  • Future-Proof Technology: Contentful is built on modern technology standards and is continuously updated, ensuring that your content management system remains cutting-edge. This helps safeguard your investment and keeps you ahead of digital trends.
  • Global Reach: With its CDN and multilingual content management capabilities, Contentful enables businesses to easily reach and engage global audiences, breaking down geographical and language barriers.
  • Personalized User Experiences: Contentful supports dynamic content personalization, allowing businesses to tailor content based on user behavior and preferences. This leads to more engaging and relevant user experiences, boosting conversion rates and customer loyalty.
  • Comprehensive Analytics: Integration with analytics tools allows Contentful users to track content performance and user engagement in real-time. This data-driven approach enables continuous optimization of content strategies for better results.
read more...
  • Experience Management: Increase conversions and generate more leads with 1:1 conversations with your customers. Create, preview and deliver personalized experiences at a massive scale with amazingly easy to use tools. Analyze and optimize the experience with the help of contextual analytics and A/B testing solutions.

  • Digital Commerce: Boost the revenue using an enhanced and personalized experience between the website and the online store. Manage price lists, shopping carts, product catalogs and the checkout process seamlessly. Access specific and actual tax and shipping prices. Enhance and automate inventory management, order attainment and overall customer support.

  • Digital Experience Channels: Connect with your customers and deliver consistent experiences across the web, email, mobile and social media. Make the most out of a multichannel, mobile-first world to win and retain customers who may start their journey on a mobile device, reading an email that leads them to a responsive landing page on your website.
read more...
  • API: JSON payloads provide complete programmatic control over CMS features such as assets, translations and more. Delivers API payloads in the sub-100 ms range utilizing caching strategies and external CDNs. 
  • Toolbox: Customizable UX allows editors to easily create content of all forms, such as rich text, locations, JSON snippets and more. Choose and add fields to customizable content types. Publish in multiple languages and time zones to ensure viewers across the world can view content at the same time. Safeguard content with roles and permissions tools. 
  • Recordkeep: The ISO 27001-compliant cloud platform creates a safe space for all data and information to be held while being monitored 24/7, ensuring 99.99% uptime. 
  • Security: Keep information secure with SAML 2.0, 2FA and SCIM integration allowing for SSO (Single Sign-on). The vendor's security program is monitored by the Information Systems Management System (ISMS) which is continuously up-to-date with the ISO 27001:2013 international standards. 
  • Editing: Includes built-in real-time markdown editing. An embedded media library prevents broken public links. 
  • Customize: Prototype easily with SDKs available in multiple languages. Integrate with any API service by utilizing natively joined apps and third-party software. Personalize how content is created, managed and consumed through open source field editors, the Forma 360 design system and UI extensions. 
  • Mobile Apps: Update content across platforms with flexible APIs and interfaces. Developers can manage multiple digital interfaces using a single content backend. Selective sync, image auto-compression and support for offline persistence delivers a seamless mobile device experience. 
  • Open Source Libraries: Forma 360 design software and field editors allow editors to create an interface that implements custom behaviors, without having to recreate components. 
read more...
  • Quality Content: Create and manage content that helps deliver highly engaging digital experiences using a feature-rich user interface. Help the development teams build, integrate and employ high-quality solutions. 
  • Design Security: Make use of SSO (Single Sign-On), HTTP security headers, cookie protection and granular permission by user and role. 
  • Omnichannel: Manage multilingual content from a single location and deliver digital experiences across different devices and platforms. Measure and collect customer data across various channels and obtain intelligence on cross-channel behaviors, thus enhancing the marketing processes. 
  • Easy Interface: Manage multiple sites from one place and efficiently create new design layouts using the drag-and-drop option. Empower users to create and update content on the fly. 
  • Decoupled CMS: Take the content that powers a website to any medium no matter what the front-end tech stack. Use a stand-alone application separated from the backend and content management for the presentation. 
  • Cloud CMS: Empower developers to create, test and release new functionalities with built-in CI/CD capabilities. Eliminate data silos and successfully deliver more effective marketing programs. Review code and collaborate with members. Gain high visibility into the development process via detailed reports centered around essential information. 
  • Data Protection: Enable highly secure data backups and allow the locating and deleting of personal data. Use secure APIs for integrated solutions and ask for customer consent before accessing customer data. 
  • E-Commerce: Provide unique customer experiences and forge customer relationships. Manage day-to-day operations seamlessly and efficiently handle complex orders using a built-in order management system, flow management and pricing and discount management. Enhance customer engagement across channels, streamline business processes and smoothly integrate the online store with any back-office system. 
  • Insight: Consolidate cross-channel visitor data to create 360-degree profiles of the visitors and scrutinize important touchpoints in the journey to identify personalization and optimization more effectively. Obtain smart insights via analytic reports and execute a marketing strategy that helps achieve business KPIs. 
read more...

Product Ranking

#29

among all
CMS Software

#71

among all
CMS Software

Find out who the leaders are

User Sentiment Summary

Great User Sentiment 283 reviews
Great User Sentiment 551 reviews
87%
of users recommend this product

Contentful has a 'great' User Satisfaction Rating of 87% when considering 283 user reviews from 6 recognized software review sites.

80%
of users recommend this product

Sitefinity has a 'great' User Satisfaction Rating of 80% when considering 551 user reviews from 6 recognized software review sites.

4.3 (15)
4.8 (15)
4.3 (98)
3.9 (365)
4.42 (52)
3.45 (29)
4.5 (42)
3.4 (25)
4.4 (71)
4.7 (3)
3.9 (5)
4.5 (114)

Synopsis of User Ratings and Reviews

Structured Content: Contentful's structured content approach separates content from its presentation, offering flexibility and reusability across various platforms and channels. This means content can be easily adapted for different devices and applications without the need to recreate it from scratch.
API-first Approach: Contentful's API-first design allows for seamless integration with other tools and services, enabling developers to build custom workflows and automate content delivery. This can streamline content management processes and improve efficiency.
Collaboration Features: Contentful provides features that facilitate collaboration among team members, such as roles and permissions, version history, and content scheduling. These features can help teams work together more effectively and ensure content consistency.
Scalability and Performance: Contentful is designed to handle large volumes of content and traffic, making it suitable for businesses of all sizes. Its cloud-based infrastructure ensures high availability and performance, even during peak usage periods.
Show more
Intuitive Interface: Many users highlight Sitefinity's user-friendly interface, making it easy to navigate and manage website content without extensive technical expertise.
Customization Options: Sitefinity's flexible framework allows for extensive customization, enabling users to tailor the platform to their specific needs and preferences.
Strong Support: Users appreciate the responsive and helpful support provided by Sitefinity, ensuring they can get assistance when needed.
Show more
Content Modeling Challenges: Contentful's content modeling can be complex and time-consuming, especially for users accustomed to traditional CMS platforms. The learning curve can be steep, requiring users to invest significant effort in understanding and implementing content types and relationships effectively.
Preview Limitations: The platform's preview functionality may not always accurately reflect the final published content, leading to potential discrepancies and requiring additional verification steps before publishing.
Search Function Shortcomings: Contentful's search capabilities have been reported as less than optimal, making it challenging for users to efficiently locate specific content within their projects, especially as the content library grows.
Show more
Steep Learning Curve: Sitefinity's interface can be overwhelming for beginners due to its complexity and numerous features. Mastering the platform often requires extensive training and experience.
Performance Issues: Some users report slow loading times and performance issues, especially with large or complex websites. Optimizations and caching strategies may be necessary to ensure smooth operation.
Cost: Sitefinity is a premium CMS with a higher price tag compared to some open-source alternatives. The licensing fees and potential additional costs for support and modules can be a significant investment for businesses.
Limited Community Support: While Sitefinity offers official support channels, the community and available resources are smaller compared to more widely used CMS platforms. Finding solutions or troubleshooting issues may require more effort.
Show more

Feeling a little content-less? Contentful might just be the CMS remedy you need Contentful has garnered a reputation for its user-friendly interface, making it a breeze for folks without a tech background to navigate the platform. The extensive range of templates empowers users to craft visually appealing and engaging content, while seamless integration with popular marketing tools streamlines content management across various platforms. However, some users have expressed concerns about the pricing structure, which may pose a challenge for smaller businesses or those with tighter budgets. Additionally, the absence of certain features could be a dealbreaker for businesses with specific requirements. What truly sets Contentful apart is its headless architecture, providing unparalleled flexibility and customization compared to traditional CMS platforms. This means businesses can tailor the platform to their exact needs, integrating it with any front-end technology or framework. This adaptability makes Contentful an excellent choice for businesses with diverse content requirements or those seeking to deliver content across multiple channels, such as websites, mobile apps, and smart devices. In a nutshell, Contentful is best suited for businesses that prioritize flexibility, scalability, and a user-friendly experience. It's particularly well-suited for organizations with complex content needs or those looking to deliver content across multiple platforms. However, businesses with budget constraints or requiring specific features may need to explore alternative options. Keep in mind that the software landscape is constantly evolving, so it's always a good idea to check for the latest updates and user reviews before making a decision.

Show more

Sitefinity has garnered a reputation as a user-friendly and versatile platform, empowering businesses to effortlessly craft and manage their online presence. Users frequently highlight its intuitive interface, making it a breeze to navigate even for those with limited technical expertise. The platform's flexibility shines through its ability to accommodate diverse content types, from simple web pages to multimedia-rich experiences and interactive forms. Sitefinity's scalability ensures it can grow alongside your business, adapting to evolving needs without breaking a sweat. However, some users point out that Sitefinity's extensive feature set can come at a premium price point, potentially posing a challenge for smaller businesses or startups with tighter budgets. Additionally, while Sitefinity offers a robust set of features, it may not boast the same level of depth in certain specialized areas as some of its competitors, such as those focusing solely on e-commerce or marketing automation. Sitefinity's sweet spot lies with mid-sized to large businesses seeking a comprehensive solution to manage their web presence effectively. Its user-friendly nature, scalability, and flexibility make it an ideal choice for organizations with diverse content needs and a desire for a platform that can evolve alongside their growth.

Show more

Screenshots

Top Alternatives in CMS Software


Alfresco

Box

Confluence

DocuShare

DocuWare

Egnyte

Epicor ECM

Laserfiche

M-Files

Nuxeo

OmniDocs

OnBase

OpenText ECM

Oracle WebCenter Content

Revver

Related Categories

WE DISTILL IT INTO REAL REQUIREMENTS, COMPARISON REPORTS, PRICE GUIDES and more...

Compare products
Comparison Report
Just drag this link to the bookmark bar.
?
Table settings