Umbraco vs Wagtail
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?
Umbraco
Friendly open-source .NET content management system
VS
Wagtail
Developer-friendly Django CMS with a great editor experience
| Feature | Umbraco | Wagtail |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Content Management Systems | Content Management Systems |
| License | MIT | BSD-3-Clause |
| Language | C# | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, source | docker, bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 5,224 | ★ 20,433 |
| First released | 2005 | 2014 |
| Replaces | Sitecore, Kentico | Adobe Experience Manager, WordPress |
Why pick each one
Frequently asked questions
Is Umbraco or Wagtail better?
Neither is universally better. Wagtail has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Umbraco and Wagtail free and open-source?
Yes. Umbraco is licensed under MIT and Wagtail under BSD-3-Clause. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Umbraco and Wagtail with Docker?
Umbraco: yes. Wagtail: yes.