Umbraco CMS vs Contao

UCUmbraco CMS8.4Visit Contao8.2Visit

Higher score UC Umbraco CMS #8 in Content Management Systems 8.4/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 6 of 6 features Visit Umbraco

vs

Contao #10 in Content Management Systems 8.2/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 6 of 6 features Visit Contao

• Umbraco CMS fits best

  Teams needing managed commercial CMS options

• Contao fits best

  SEO-focused multilingual business websites

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Side by side

Feature	UCUmbraco CMS 8.4/10 Visit ↗	Contao 8.2/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	8.4	8.2
Ranking	#8 in Content Management Systems	#10 in Content Management Systems
Best for	Teams needing managed commercial CMS options	SEO-focused multilingual business websites
Pricing model	Free plan + paid	Free
Starting price	€45/mo	Free plan
Free plan	✓	✓
Free trial	—	—
Deployment	Cloud, Self-hosted	Cloud, Self-hosted
Platforms	Web, Windows, macOS, Linux	Web
Support	Community, Docs	Community, Docs
Built for	Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise	Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features Umbraco CMS 6/6 · Contao 6/6
Editorial workflows	✓	✓
Custom user roles	✓	✓
Multilingual content	✓	✓
SEO tools	✓	✓
Media library	✓	✓
Custom content types	✓	✓
Specs
Platform type	Hybrid	Self_hosted
Our review
Pros	Free open-source core with self-hosting and headless delivery Structured content, workflows, versioning, and multilingual permissions Extensible .NET architecture with APIs, webhooks, and add-ons	Granular permissions and configurable editorial workflows Multilingual structures with language fallback Built-in SEO, media, forms, news, and calendar features
Cons	Managed cloud pricing starts at €45 per month Advanced support and hosting features require higher tiers Enterprise support and usage terms are customized	Self-hosted deployment requires a PHP and MySQL-compatible environment Hosting, implementation, and support may require separate providers Extensions and custom content structures may require additional setup
Our verdict	Umbraco CMS is an open-source content management system built on Microsoft .NET. It suits organizations, agencies, developers, and enterprise teams managing structured, multilingual digital content across web and headless channels. Content… Read the review →	Contao is a free, open-source content management system for agencies, companies, and organizations building professional websites and scalable web applications. It is designed for structured page and article management, multilingual sites,… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• Umbraco CMS — where it wins

  • Free open-source core with self-hosting and headless delivery
  • Structured content, workflows, versioning, and multilingual permissions
  • Extensible .NET architecture with APIs, webhooks, and add-ons

  Where it doesn't

  • Managed cloud pricing starts at €45 per month
  • Advanced support and hosting features require higher tiers
  • Enterprise support and usage terms are customized

• Contao — where it wins

  • Granular permissions and configurable editorial workflows
  • Multilingual structures with language fallback
  • Built-in SEO, media, forms, news, and calendar features

  Where it doesn't

  • Self-hosted deployment requires a PHP and MySQL-compatible environment
  • Hosting, implementation, and support may require separate providers
  • Extensions and custom content structures may require additional setup

• UCUmbraco CMS8.4/10 · Free plan

  A flexible CMS with a free core and managed cloud plans for growing teams.

  Visit UmbracoFull verdict →
• Contao8.2/10 · Free plan

  A free, self-hosted CMS with strong multilingual, workflow, and SEO controls.

  Visit ContaoFull verdict →