What is a DXP? How Does It Differ from a CMS?

Given the amount of crossover in functionality, it’s understandable to confuse a DXP with a CMS. Foundationally, they aren’t dissimilar. However, A DXP is so much more.

First, let’s start with a history lesson: Adobe Experience Cloud was one of the first DXPs on the market. It was revolutionary by integrating personalization, content, data, reporting, and channel distribution (SMS, websites, push notifications and content authoring) all in one platform.

It allowed marketers to ingest data from other third-party platforms and build persona segments, creating personalized experiences for each one. Adobe Experience Cloud gave marketers the exact line of sight into how content is going to be surfaced and presented to a prospect.

In simpler terms, it took the concept of a CMS and dialed it up to 11. This gave birth to the concept of DXPs that we know today.

A CMS, at its core, is for managing website content. A CMS allows teams to create, edit, and publish digital content. WordPress and Shopify are popular examples of CMSs.

A DXP, on the other hand, is an enterprise-level CMS with additional tools to enhance digital experiences across multiple channels. Think of it as a CMS after eating the super mushroom from Super Mario. They’re bigger, stronger, and more versatile.

A DXP offers:

The 3 types of DXPs: which one makes sense for you?

If you’re diving headfirst into the world of DXPs, it can be hard knowing where to start.

The ideal first step is understanding the different options available. There are 3 common types that serve different purposes depending on your budget and the needs of your business: headless & composable platforms, enterprise DXP suites, and core DXPs.

Headless & composable platforms

This type of DXP separates the back end and the front end, allowing marketers and developers to work separately. It also provides a completely modular, plug-and-play experience so you can build the tech stack that works best for your business.

Examples: Contentful, Storyblok, and Contentstack

Pros

• Highly flexible and scalable
• Works well with modern microservices and API-driven architectures

Cons

• Ownership is distributed between different licenses (although the cost is not extremely high)
• Requires some technical expertise to set up and maintain

Best for: companies with strong engineering/development teams, ecommerce companies, and businesses looking for a fully composable stack that integrates with their existing tools.

Enterprise DXP suites (all-in-one platforms)

Enterprise DXP suites are full-service DXPs that include a CMS, personalization tools, A/B testing, analytics, automation, and customer journey tools - all housed within one platform.

Examples: Adobe Experience Manager and Optimizely

Pros

• A comprehensive feature set that allows you to do everything from one platform
• Mature ecosystem with trained developers available
• Built-in AI-driven personalization and automation
• Data integration, content orchestration, channel activation and extensive reporting are all under one roof

Cons

• Complex and expensive (and price tends to increase as you scale)
• You’re locked to a specific vendor, meaning less flexibility and potentially requiring existing tools and proprietary solutions
• The feature complexity results in a steep learning curve

Best for: enterprise companies with large marketing teams that can fully leverage an all-in-one solution and have a budget for high-cost licensing and implementation.

Core DXPs (flexible and cost-effective)

These platforms offer a balanced approach, providing DXP features without forcing vendor lock-in. They come with hundreds of pre-built integrations to connect with existing marketing, CRM, and automation tools, so you don’t need to reinvent the wheel with your tech stack.

Examples: Uniform, Magnolia, Liferay, Kentico, and Bloomreach

Pros

• More affordable than enterprise suites
• Flexible deployment options (SaaS, on-premise, Java, .NET, etc.)
• Works with your existing tech stack instead of replacing it

DXP in action: Uniform allows companies to create content experiences that reference content from across multiple CMSs or other DXPs to create a seamless experience. For example, if you have a homepage banner and want to show multiple offers in a carousel, you can pull one in from Contentful and a persona-based one in Contentstack. This way, you don’t have to migrate all of your platforms when moving to your new DXP!

Cons

• More variation between platforms (some are more marketing-friendly while others may require more IT support)
• Because of the many variations, fewer developers are available compared to Adobe/Sitecore ecosystems

Best for: Companies looking for a cost-effective, flexible DXP that won’t require replacing their entire tech stack during migration. Core DXPs work well for businesses that want the benefits of a DXP without high costs or vendor lock-in.

Considerations when choosing a DXP

So how do you determine which type works best for you? There are a few considerations to keep in mind when selecting the DXP type that will suit your business best.

Licensing

Firstly, you need to understand the licensing gaps between the different types of solutions (such as Adobe Experience Manager vs Sitecore). These gaps are massive, as are the differences when comparing solutions like Sitecore and Optimizely.

Pricing

You’ll want to understand pricing early on, too.

There are large variations in price depending on the type of DXP and what you want to get out of it. For most medium to large businesses, many of the options that have been discussed can work.

Recently, there’s been a shift from organizations using Sitecore and Adobe Experience Manager to more cost-effective solutions such as Magnolia and Sitefinity. Understand which platform makes sense for you from a total cost ownership perspective and ensure you’re thinking both short-term and long-term.

Cost-effectiveness

Tying into pricing, you’ll want to consider how cost-effective it is to develop on the platform on an ongoing basis.

Every business is unique - enterprise CMSs can be tailored to adapt to an organization’s structure and objectives. It's crucial to understand how quickly you can access competency in the technology itself and how easily your team can grasp how to use it.

You don't want anything too complex, though - you don’t want to be handcuffed to expensive specialist resources when you need support.

Usability

The next thing you’ll need to consider is usability. You’ll want a CMS that your marketers love to use, so seek out proof of that or case studies surrounding marketers using the CMS.

Ask potential vendors to provide examples where they have effectively helped enable marketing teams similar to yours and get them to show you around the platform in its out-of-the-box state.

Be wary of demos - many enterprise vendors build demos designed to sell you on the platform that don’t resemble the out-of-the-box experience.

Delivery

Finally, delivery is an important consideration. Is the vendor able to offer you competitively priced cloud infrastructure that meets all the regulatory standards you need to adhere to (i.e. HIPAA or SOC 2)?

You also need to think about hosting and infrastructure performance. Can you quickly and efficiently serve content in the geographic regions you want to connect with at an acceptable speed? Content delivery networks are incredibly important but often forgotten about in the consideration phase.

What are you waiting for?

At the end of the day, DXPs aren’t defined by how little developer involvement they require and how well they unify content, personalization, and analytics across your stack to unlock your full online potential.

A modern DXP doesn’t have to be a bloated, all-in-one monolith that is hard for everyone to use - it can be a composable, flexible system that is tailored to your tech stack and your needs.

If you want to ensure you pick the right one for your business, we can help you get started. We’ll support you with selection, strategy, and implementation to make sure that you are able to take full advantage of your DXP and take your online marketing strategy into your own hands. Reach out to us to get started.