Migrating from Sitecore to Umbraco: a strategic choice for your business

When assessing content management platforms, Sitecore and Umbraco often sit at opposite ends of the spectrum. Both have strengths, but selecting the right system can have significant implications for cost, agility and long term digital strategy. At Kayo Digital, we have supported a number of Sitecore clients through successful migrations to Umbraco, helping them achieve better alignment between their CMS and commercial goals.

Why businesses consider moving from Sitecore to Umbraco

For many organisations, Sitecore has been a dependable enterprise platform with strong capabilities around personalisation, analytics and digital experience management. However, its licensing model and ongoing maintenance requirements can introduce considerable cost and complexity.

Umbraco offers a more flexible and commercially attractive alternative while still delivering the robustness required for business critical websites. Its open source foundation and adaptable architecture provide several advantages:

• Reduced total cost of ownership, with no mandatory licence fees and lower ongoing overheads

• Faster delivery and quicker return on investment compared with more complex enterprise platforms

• Greater development flexibility, supported by a large and active .NET community

• A clean and intuitive editing experience that supports faster content publishing

For many commercial teams, this balance of capability and simplicity makes Umbraco an appealing option.

What commercial teams should understand about migration

A CMS migration is a strategic programme rather than a technical swap. To deliver value, it needs careful planning and alignment with wider business objectives. Common considerations include:

• Restructuring content and media from Sitecore into Umbraco document types

• Rebuilding bespoke components and custom functionality

• Reconnecting integrations such as CRM, marketing platforms and search

• Supporting editorial and internal teams through training and onboarding

When managed well, migration can become an opportunity to improve content structure, performance and governance rather than simply replicating what already exists.

Best practice for a successful transition

Based on our experience migrating multiple Sitecore clients to Umbraco, the most successful projects share a few consistent principles:

• A clearly defined roadmap aligned to commercial outcomes

• Early stakeholder involvement to ensure priorities are understood

• A phased or incremental migration approach where appropriate

• Rigorous testing to protect performance, security and SEO

• Partnership with a delivery team experienced in both platforms

At Kayo Digital, we combine strategic discovery with deep technical expertise across both Sitecore and Umbraco. This allows us to reduce risk, protect business continuity and ensure the new platform delivers measurable value.

Is Umbraco the right CMS for your organisation

There is no universal answer. Sitecore remains a strong option for organisations with complex enterprise marketing and personalisation requirements. However, for many commercial organisations seeking greater agility, lower cost and faster time to market, Umbraco represents a highly credible alternative.

If you are reviewing CMS options or exploring a move away from Sitecore, Kayo Digital can help you evaluate the right approach and deliver a smooth, commercially focused transition to Umbraco.