Xperience by Kentico: Features, Pricing and Migration (2026)

If your company uses Kentico to run its website, you've probably heard that a change is coming. Kentico's older platform, Kentico Xperience 13, is being phased out — and Kentico wants everyone to move to its newer platform, Xperience by Kentico.

If you're not a developer, this can sound more complicated than it needs to be. This guide breaks it down in plain language: what Xperience by Kentico actually is, why the timing matters, what's genuinely different about it, roughly what it costs, and how to think about moving over — whether that means upgrading from Kentico 13 or migrating from another platform entirely.

What Is Xperience by Kentico?

In simple terms, Xperience by Kentico is a single platform that brings your website, marketing, and online store together in one place.

Instead of using separate tools for content, email campaigns, personalization, and your online store — and then spending time and money connecting them all — Xperience by Kentico gives your team one connected system. Your team can build web pages, run marketing campaigns, personalize what different visitors see, and manage products for sale, all from the same place.

The platform also comes with built-in AI tools (Kentico calls this AIRA) that help your marketing and content teams move faster — from writing and improving page copy to planning campaigns — without hiring outside specialists or bolting on another piece of software.

Put simply: your content and customer information live on one foundation, so your team spends less time stitching systems together and more time actually running your website and your marketing.

Why Should You Care Right Now?

Here's the part that actually creates urgency: Kentico Xperience 13 is reaching End of Support on December 31, 2026.

To be clear about what that means — your current website won't shut off, and nothing breaks overnight. But after that date, Kentico stops releasing security patches, bug fixes, and new updates for Kentico 13. Your site keeps running, just on software that no longer gets protected or improved. Over time, that becomes a real security and compliance risk, especially for any business handling customer data or online payments.

Because of this, most businesses currently on Kentico 13 are already planning their move to Xperience by Kentico. Kentico itself has built an official migration tool to make this move easier, so you're not starting from a blank page.

Kentico 13 vs. Xperience by Kentico: What's Actually Different

Here's a simple side-by-side of what changes when you move over.

The biggest everyday difference is this: Kentico 13 was built as one website tool. Xperience by Kentico was built so the same content can show up on your website, in emails, and in apps — without your team rebuilding it each time.

What Makes Xperience by Kentico Different

A few things genuinely stand out for business decision-makers, not just developers:

• Built-in AI assistant (AIRA): Helps write and refine content, plan campaigns, and even flags where your pages could rank better in search and AI tools like ChatGPT — without needing a separate AI subscription.
• One place for everything: Content, email marketing, personalization, and online store are part of the same platform, so your team isn't juggling five different logins and re-entering the same information.
• No-code/low-code tools for marketers: Your marketing team can launch and update campaigns and pages without waiting on a developer for every small change.
• Fully managed cloud option: If you choose the SaaS version, Kentico handles hosting, security, and updates for you — no IT team required to keep the lights on.
• Grows with your business: You can start with what you need now and add more channels, storage, or traffic capacity later, instead of committing to everything upfront.

How Much Does Xperience by Kentico Cost?

There's no single flat price — cost depends on how big your business is, how much traffic your site gets, and whether you want Kentico to manage the hosting for you or not. Here's a simple breakdown based on Kentico's official 2026 pricing.

These are starting prices for the entry-level plan. If your business needs more traffic capacity, more storage, extra channels (like email or a mobile app), or more AI usage, the price goes up from there — but Kentico builds it to scale with you, so you're not paying for capacity you don't need yet.

On top of the license, most businesses also budget for setup, moving their existing content over, and training their team — this is usually where the bigger chunk of your first-year cost goes, not the license itself. All in, a full first-year investment for a mid-size business typically falls somewhere between the tens of thousands and low hundreds of thousands of dollars, depending on how much customization your site needs.

The only way to know your exact number is to get a quote based on your actual website — which is exactly what a Kentico development company can do for you.

Upgrade or Migrate? Which One Applies to You

These two words get used interchangeably, but they mean different things for your project:

• Upgrading applies if you're already on Kentico Xperience 13. Kentico provides an official tool that carries over most of your existing content and setup automatically, which usually makes this the faster, more affordable path.
• Migrating applies if you're moving from a completely different website platform, or if your current Kentico 13 site has enough custom work that it makes more sense to rebuild cleanly rather than carry old code forward.

Either way, a good implementation partner will start with a review of your current site, plan out what moves over and what gets rebuilt, and test everything thoroughly before your new site goes live — so your visitors never notice a disruption.

If you're on Kentico 13 today, our Xperience by Kentico upgrade services are built around Kentico's official upgrade tooling to keep the move fast and low-risk. If you're coming from a different platform, our Kentico migration services handle the full move, including content transfer and integrations with your other business tools.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Xperience by Kentico?

It's Kentico's all-in-one platform for managing your website, email marketing, personalization, and online store together, with built-in AI tools to help your team work faster. It replaces the need for separate, disconnected tools for each of those jobs.

Is my current Kentico 13 website going to stop working?

No. Kentico Xperience 13 is reaching End of Support, not being switched off. Your website keeps running after December 31, 2026 — but Kentico will no longer provide security updates, bug fixes, or support for it, which increases risk the longer you stay on it.

Do I have to rebuild my whole website to move to Xperience by Kentico?

Not necessarily. If you're coming from Kentico 13, Kentico's official migration tool carries over most of your existing content and setup automatically. If you're coming from a different platform, a fuller rebuild is usually needed.

Is Xperience by Kentico only built for big enterprises?

No. Kentico offers plans scaled for smaller businesses with simpler websites, as well as larger plans for growing and high-traffic organizations, so the platform fits a wide range of business sizes and budgets.

Do I need a developer to manage day-to-day content and campaigns?

Not for most tasks. Xperience by Kentico includes low-code and no-code tools, so your marketing team can update pages and launch campaigns without waiting on a developer for every change. Developers are still useful for custom integrations and more advanced setup.

How much does Xperience by Kentico actually cost?

Starting prices begin around $990/month for the self-managed version or $1,990/month for the fully managed cloud version, but your real cost depends on your traffic, number of channels, and how much of the site needs to be built or migrated. Most businesses get a specific, scoped quote rather than relying on the starting price alone.

Next Steps

Whether you're planning a straightforward upgrade from Kentico 13 or a full migration from another platform, the best time to start planning is now — before every implementation partner's calendar fills up closer to the December 2026 deadline. As an experienced Kentico development company, DotStark can review your current website, recommend the right plan for your business size and budget, and manage the move with minimal disruption to your live site and campaigns.