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Umbraco alternatives: 5 apps ranked by verified data

Facts checked Oct 25, 2026AppBreakup editorialHow we rank

Common reasons people leave Umbraco: requires .NET developers for builds and upgrades, and smaller package ecosystem than PHP CMSs. We ranked 5 alternatives by how directly each one replaces Umbraco, then by reviews, real visits and how recently each app's facts were checked against its own website. Drupal currently ranks first.

Quick comparison

#AppPricingOpen sourcePlatformsVerified factsScore
1Drupal logoDrupalOpen sourceYesSelf-hosted, Web3 of 366.5
2TYPO3 logoTYPO3Open sourceYesSelf-hosted, Web4 of 457.2
3Squidex logoSquidexOpen sourceYesSelf-hosted, Web5 of 555.3
  1. Drupal logo

    1. DrupalTop pick

    Best for: Organisations with complex content, many editors and in-house or agency developers

    Open sourceSelf-hostableSelf-hosted, Web

    66.5

    score / 100

    Why switch from Umbraco

    Open-source CMS with similar structure and a much larger community, on PHP.

    Pros

    • Strong content modelling, permissions and multilingual support in core
    • Thousands of contributed modules and a large professional community
    • Works as a traditional CMS or a headless API backend

    Cons

    • Steeper learning curve than WordPress for site builders
    • Major upgrades and custom modules need experienced developers
    • Overkill for small brochure sites
    Visit Drupal Details and reviews
    How this score is calculated
    Editorial fit ×0.3100
    Reviews ×0.363
    Clicks (90 days) ×0.150
    Freshness ×0.1585
    Votes ×0.150

    0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula

    Is Drupal a good Umbraco alternative?

    Verified facts

    3 of 3 verified
    License
    GPL
    Checked Oct 25, 2026drupal.org(opens source in a new tab)
    Open source
    Yes
    Checked Oct 25, 2026drupal.org(opens source in a new tab)
    Price
    Free
    Checked Oct 25, 2026drupal.org(opens source in a new tab)
  2. TYPO3 logo

    2. TYPO3

    Best for: European enterprises and institutions running many multilingual sites from one install

    Open sourceSelf-hostableSelf-hosted, Web

    57.2

    score / 100

    Why switch from Umbraco

    Open-source enterprise CMS with long-term support releases, on PHP.

    Pros

    • Multi-site and multilingual handling built for large organisations
    • Long-term support releases with years of security updates
    • Workspaces and fine-grained editor permissions

    Cons

    • Steep learning curve and its own configuration language
    • Small community and talent pool outside Europe
    • Heavy for simple websites
    Visit TYPO3 Details and reviews
    How this score is calculated
    Editorial fit ×0.369
    Reviews ×0.363
    Clicks (90 days) ×0.150
    Freshness ×0.1585
    Votes ×0.150

    0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula

    Is TYPO3 a good Umbraco alternative?

    Verified facts

    4 of 4 verified
    First released
    1997
    Checked Oct 25, 2026typo3.org(opens source in a new tab)
    Latest LTS
    TYPO3 v14 LTS
    Checked Oct 25, 2026typo3.org(opens source in a new tab)
    License
    GPL
    Checked Oct 25, 2026typo3.org(opens source in a new tab)
    Positioning
    Open-source enterprise CMS
    Checked Oct 25, 2026typo3.org(opens source in a new tab)
  3. Squidex logo

    3. Squidex

    Best for: .NET teams and European organisations wanting a self-hostable, API-first CMS

    Open sourceSelf-hostableSelf-hosted, Web

    55.3

    score / 100

    Why switch from Umbraco

    Open-source headless CMS also built on .NET, for API-first projects.

    Pros

    • MIT-licensed and free to self-host
    • Workflows, versioning and rules built in
    • Cloud hosting in Europe

    Cons

    • Small community and ecosystem
    • Interface feels dated next to newer CMSs
    • Requires MongoDB
    Visit Squidex Details and reviews
    How this score is calculated
    Editorial fit ×0.363
    Reviews ×0.363
    Clicks (90 days) ×0.150
    Freshness ×0.1585
    Votes ×0.150

    0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula

    Is Squidex a good Umbraco alternative?

    Verified facts

    5 of 5 verified
    License
    MIT
    Checked Oct 25, 2026squidex.io(opens source in a new tab)
    Cloud free plan
    Starter, free (label required)
    Checked Oct 25, 2026squidex.io(opens source in a new tab)
    Cloud Basic plan
    €19/month
    Checked Oct 25, 2026squidex.io(opens source in a new tab)
    API
    GraphQL endpoint
    Checked Oct 25, 2026squidex.io(opens source in a new tab)
    Self-hosting
    Free under MIT, Docker and Kubernetes files provided
    Checked Oct 25, 2026squidex.io(opens source in a new tab)

The best Umbraco alternative for…

The highest-ranked app in this list for each need.

Drupal logo

Best Umbraco alternative for most people

Drupal

Open-source CMS with similar structure and a much larger community, on PHP.

TYPO3 logo

Best Umbraco alternative for a free option

TYPO3

Open-source enterprise CMS with long-term support releases, on PHP.

Contentful logo

Best Umbraco alternative for a free plan you can upgrade

Contentful

Hosted headless CMS that removes server upkeep for multi-channel content.

Squidex logo

Best Umbraco alternative for open source

Squidex

Open-source headless CMS also built on .NET, for API-first projects.

Drupal logo

Best Umbraco alternative for self-hosting

Drupal

Open-source CMS with similar structure and a much larger community, on PHP.

Sitecore logo

Best Umbraco alternative for working in the browser

Sitecore

Commercial .NET-heritage enterprise platform with built-in personalisation.

Umbraco alternatives: common questions

What is the best alternative to Umbraco?

Drupal ranks first right now. Open-source CMS with similar structure and a much larger community, on PHP. Sitecore and TYPO3 follow it in our ranking.

Is there a free alternative to Umbraco?

Yes. Drupal (open source), TYPO3 (open source), Squidex (open source) and Contentful (free plan + paid) have a free option. Check each app's verified facts for current plan limits.

Is there an open-source alternative to Umbraco?

Yes: Drupal, TYPO3 and Squidex. Drupal, TYPO3 and Squidex can also be self-hosted.

Why do people switch from Umbraco?

The complaints we hear most: requires .NET developers for builds and upgrades; smaller package ecosystem than PHP CMSs; useful extras like forms and cloud hosting are paid.

How is this list ranked?

Every app is scored with the same published formula: how directly it replaces Umbraco, reviews (weighted by verification), visits from AppBreakup, how recently its facts were checked against its own website, and reader votes.