CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE · KENTICO
One platform for content, marketing and commerce
Kentico CMS is a content management system and digital experience platform for websites, digital marketing and ecommerce. Its current version, Xperience by Kentico, is evergreen: it updates continuously, so there is no big version upgrade every few years. It includes built-in AI (AIRA) and suits mid-sized and enterprise organisations that want marketers to run the site without waiting on developers.
Key takeaways
- Kentico CMS today means Xperience by Kentico, a full rebuild of the older Kentico Xperience 13, not a new version of it.
- It combines content management, digital marketing, personalisation, email and ecommerce in one platform.
- AIRA, Kentico's built-in AI, writes and translates content, handles images and alt text, and runs specialist agents that your team approves.
- Kentico doesn't publish a price list. Licences are Standard or Advanced, priced by channel, and run as Kentico-managed SaaS or in your own private cloud.
- Kentico 13 support ends on 31 December 2026, so Kentico 13 sites need a migration plan now.
We think Kentico CMS is one of the strongest platforms for organisations that want content management and digital marketing in one place, with room to scale. Dapth is a Kentico Gold Partner in Perth, so this guide draws on hands-on delivery, not just product documentation.
What Is Kentico CMS?
Kentico is an all-in-one platform for building dynamic websites, running digital marketing campaigns and driving customer engagement. Whether you're managing a small website or a complex enterprise site, Kentico gives you the flexibility to grow and scale.
With integrated marketing tools, built-in ecommerce support and personalisation, Kentico helps organisations run their digital operations without stitching together a long list of separate tools and third-party plug-ins.
What is Kentico used for?
Organisations use the Kentico platform to run their main website and the marketing around it from one place. Typical uses include:
- Corporate, government and membership websites with many editors and strict publishing approvals
- Personalised content and marketing automation based on what each visitor does
- Email campaigns sent from the same platform as the website
- Headless content delivered to apps and other channels through an API
- Online stores that share content and customer data with the main site
Kentico vs Xperience by Kentico, what's the difference?
Xperience by Kentico is Kentico's current, evergreen digital experience platform. It's a full rearchitecture on the latest .NET, not a version of the older Kentico Xperience 13. Kentico 13 support ends on 31 December 2026: the software keeps running, but security patches and updates stop. Xperience by Kentico adds a central Content Hub, hybrid-headless delivery through a GraphQL API, and built-in AI (AIRA) that Kentico 13 never had. If you're on Kentico 13, our Kentico 13 migration guide explains the move.
Key Features of Kentico CMS
Here is a quick look at the features most teams choose Kentico for:
User-Friendly Interface
Kentico is designed with non-technical users in mind. Editors create, edit and publish content without coding, using drag-and-drop page building and reusable templates.
Enhanced Security
Kentico CMS is built with role-based access control, data encryption and regular security updates. Xperience by Kentico is ISO 27001 certified and SOC 2 Type II audited, and its SaaS version runs each customer in an isolated tenant.
Integration with External Systems
Kentico has a lot built in, but it is also designed to connect. You can integrate your CRM, ERP or marketing automation tools, so data flows between your website and the systems your business runs on.
How much does Kentico cost?
Kentico doesn't publish Kentico CMS pricing, so the honest answer is that it depends on three things:
- Licence: Standard is a single-channel licence for core content management. Advanced is multi-channel, so you can add websites, email or headless channels as you grow.
- Channels: pricing is based on main channels (web, email, headless) and smaller microchannels. Add-on channels cost less when bought with the platform licence.
- Hosting: Kentico-managed SaaS includes hosting and automatic updates. Private Cloud means you host it yourself and choose when updates apply.
On top of the licence comes the build or migration, which is scoped from your content, integrations and design needs, and AIRA usage, which runs on credit-based packages. For a Kentico 13 site, start with a free migration audit to get a tailored estimate.
What is AIRA in Kentico?
AIRA is the AI built into Xperience by Kentico. It writes and refines content, translates pages, tags images and writes alt text. Its Agentic Marketing Suite adds four agents (Content Strategist, Customer Journey Optimization Specialist, SEO & GEO Specialist and Campaign Manager) that carry out tasks for your team to approve. Read more in what AIRA does in practice
Looking to build or migrate a Kentico site?
This guide explains what Kentico is. If you're ready to scope a project, see Dapth's Kentico CMS development services in Perth
Talk to an Expert
Recommended Reading: Kentico vs Sitecore
Customer Engagement with Kentico
Kentico CMS is built to improve customer engagement by creating highly personalised and interactive digital experiences. Here is how Kentico achieves that:
Personalised Content Delivery
One of Kentico's unique capabilities is its ability to deliver personalised content to different user personas. You can track visitor behaviour and preferences through the platform and customise content for different user personas, so they can only receive information based on their interests or previous interactions with your site. This level of personalisation improves the user experience and drives conversions and customer loyalty by delivering the right message to the right people at the right time.
Marketing Automation Tools
Kentico CMS comes with built-in marketing automation tools that connect your paid marketing tools to your website so you can gain in-depth insights on your user’s behaviours. It allows easy ways to set up automated email campaigns and manage customer journeys. These automations reduce manual labour, help in delivering timely follow-ups, and driving engagement without overwhelming your team with repetitive tasks.
Comprehensive Digital Experience Platform
Xperience by Kentico connects content management and digital marketing, so you can manage several digital channels from one platform. Its Content Hub stores content once and reuses it across websites, email and headless channels, so an update in one place shows everywhere.
View our case study: Banks & Bloom
E-commerce Capabilities of Kentico
Kentico has in-built features for ecommerce, which makes it ideal for an improved shopping experience for your users.
Comprehensive E-commerce Solutions
Kentico comes packed with a range of e-com tools that simplify the day-to-day management of online stores. It has inventory management, payment gateways, product catalogue creation and discount management. It also supports multi-currency and multilingual stores, which makes it an excellent choice for businesses with international customers.
Enhancing Online Store Performance
Performance is key to running a successful online store, and Kentico has features designed to support every step of the shopping experience: product catalogues, inventory, an optimised checkout and fewer steps for customers between choosing a product and paying for it.
Kentico Analytics and Reporting
Powerful analytics and reporting tools help you to track customer interactions and website performance in real-time.
Real-time Insights
Kentico offers real-time analytics so you can monitor customer behaviour in real time and learn how visitors are navigating your site, what content they’re engaging with, and where they might be dropping off. You can also track page views, conversion rates, or traffic sources. These easy-to-access analytics help you improve your existing content and website structure so it is better suited for your customers.
Performance Metrics and Reporting
Kentico also provides detailed performance metrics that help you measure metrics like site traffic, campaign success, bounce rates, conversion rates, and user demographics. These metrics can help you understand your audience better and understand their journey on your website. If something feels off, you can always make data-driven decisions to improve your site’s functionality, optimise marketing efforts, and ultimately increase sales.
Customisation and Scalability of Kentico
The customisation options and scalability features of Kentico makes it suitable for different business sizes and types.
Custom Web Solutions
From design, features, plugins, and development elements, Kentico’s customisation options help create websites that are optimised for each business’ specific requirements. It has custom templates, modules and bespoke integrations with third-party tools, so you get full control over how your website looks and functions.
Scalable Architecture
As your business grows, Kentico can grow with you. Its scalable architecture supports increasing traffic, expanding content, and additional functionalities without compromising on performance. It can help you in managing high-traffic spikes and to scale across multiple regions or markets.
Not sure where your digital experience sits?
Take the Kentico Digital Advantage Assessment. Answer a few questions about your current platform, content and goals, and get an instant read on your digital maturity and where migrating to Xperience by Kentico would make the biggest difference.
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View our case study: City of Belmont
Bottomline: Kentico CMS Overview
Kentico is a powerful and flexible platform for content management and digital marketing. It has a user-friendly interface, strong security, open integration and built-in ecommerce, with analytics, personalisation and AI in the same place. If you're planning a new site or moving from Kentico 13, start with our Xperience by Kentico services in Perth.
About Dapth
Dapth is your Perth digital consultancy, building connected digital systems from websites and intranets to applications, software, ERP and AI tools. For more than 15 years we have helped WA businesses, government agencies and organisations unlock advantages like streamlined workflows, increased efficiency, cost savings, new revenue and more powerful marketing.
We start with your organisation, not the technology: your users, your operations and your objectives. Then we connect everything across four areas:
- Digital Consultancy: Digital strategy, service design and UI and UX design that map how your customers, people and systems should work together, before anything is built.
- Customer Experience: Websites and digital experience platforms on Xperience by Kentico (Kentico Gold Partner), Sitefinity, Umbraco and Payload CMS, plus ecommerce.
- Employee Experience: Intranets and employee portals on Microsoft SharePoint, and workflow automation that takes the double handling out of everyday work.
- Operational Systems: ERP with Odoo as our primary platform (we are an Odoo partner), plus custom software, apps and the integrations that connect them.
See Xperience by Kentico running a real website in a free 30-minute demo.
Book a live demoFrequently asked questions
Is Kentico free or open source?
No. Kentico is a commercial platform sold under a licence, unlike open-source systems such as WordPress or Umbraco. Licences are Standard or Advanced and priced by channel. Kentico doesn't publish a price list, so you get a quote from Kentico or a partner based on your channels and hosting.
Does Kentico have a CRM?
Kentico isn't a full CRM. Xperience by Kentico keeps contact records and activity for its marketing automation and personalisation, and AIRA can tag contacts automatically. For sales pipelines and account management, Kentico connects to CRM systems such as Salesforce and Microsoft Dynamics.
How does Kentico CMS enhance customer engagement?
Kentico improves customer engagement through its built-in digital marketing features: personalised content, marketing automation, segmentation and A/B testing. You can track visitor behaviour across channels and use those insights to refine your content and campaigns, all from the same platform your editors publish in.
Can Kentico CMS support multiple online stores?
Yes. With an Advanced licence you can run several websites, or channels, from one Xperience by Kentico platform, each with its own content, design and functionality, while sharing content from the Content Hub where it makes sense.
How secure is Kentico CMS?
Kentico has built-in authentication, role-based access control, encryption and activity logging. Xperience by Kentico is ISO 27001 certified and SOC 2 Type II audited, its SaaS version runs each customer in an isolated tenant, and security fixes ship continuously rather than in occasional big upgrades.
How does Kentico CMS handle scalability?
Kentico scales with your organisation through a flexible architecture and a channel-based licence: you add websites, email or headless channels as you grow. On Kentico-managed SaaS, resource levels can be upgraded as traffic grows; on Private Cloud you scale your own hosting.
What's the difference between Kentico 13 and Xperience by Kentico?
Kentico Xperience 13 is the previous, version-based product, and its support ends on 31 December 2026. Xperience by Kentico is a full rebuild on the latest .NET: evergreen, with a Content Hub, hybrid-headless delivery and built-in AI. Moving from Kentico 13 is a migration project, not a one-click upgrade.
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