SHSelfHostIndex

Orchard Core vs Umbraco

A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted content management systems options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.

Not the right match-up?
OR Orchard Core Modular, multi-tenant CMS built on ASP.NET Core VS UM Umbraco Friendly open-source .NET content management system
FeatureOrchard CoreUmbraco
Deploy effortUnder-an-hour setupUnder-an-hour setup
Health score92 · Excellent90 · Excellent
CategoryContent Management SystemsContent Management Systems
LicenseBSD-3-ClauseMIT
LanguageC#C#
Setup difficultyHardMedium
Min. RAM1,024 MB1,024 MB
Deploymentdocker, bare-metal, sourcedocker, bare-metal, source
GitHub stars★ 8,187★ 5,255
First released20182005
ReplacesSitecore, WordPressSitecore, Kentico

What are Orchard Core and Umbraco?

Orchard Core

Orchard Core is an open-source, modular, and multi-tenant application framework and CMS built on ASP.NET Core. It enables building content-driven sites and SaaS-style multi-site setups.

  • Multi-tenant by design
  • Modular architecture
  • GraphQL API
  • Decoupled and headless modes

Read the full Orchard Core guide →

Umbraco

Umbraco is a popular open-source CMS built on ASP.NET Core, known for its flexible content modeling and editor-friendly backoffice. It is widely used for corporate and marketing websites on the Microsoft stack.

  • Flexible document types
  • Editor-friendly backoffice
  • Headless delivery API
  • Strong .NET integration

Read the full Umbraco guide →

Orchard Core vs Umbraco: key differences

Both projects are written in C#. Licensing differs — BSD-3-Clause for Orchard Core versus MIT for Umbraco. Umbraco is the more established project (first released 2005), while Orchard Core arrived in 2018.

Why pick each one

Choose Orchard Core if…

  • Powerful multi-tenancy
  • Modern .NET architecture

Watch out for

  • Steep learning curve
  • Smaller ecosystem than Umbraco
Orchard Core details

Choose Umbraco if…

  • Great choice on the .NET stack
  • Polished editor experience

Watch out for

  • Requires Windows or .NET hosting knowledge
  • Cloud add-ons are paid
Umbraco details

Frequently asked questions

Is Orchard Core or Umbraco better?

Neither is universally better. Orchard Core has the larger community, while Umbraco is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.

Are Orchard Core and Umbraco free and open-source?

Yes. Orchard Core is licensed under BSD-3-Clause and Umbraco under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run Orchard Core and Umbraco with Docker?

Orchard Core: yes. Umbraco: yes.

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