The DXP Scorecard
Compare 24 enterprise DXP and CMS platforms across the dimensions that actually matter — capability, cost-to-feature ratio, build complexity, and maintenance burden. Scored on hands-on implementation experience across hundreds of enterprise engagements. Not vendor briefings. Not pay-to-play quadrants.
Why the DXP Scorecard Exists
If you’re a CTO, VP of Digital, or Marketing Director evaluating DXP platforms, you’ve probably already seen the Gartner Magic Quadrant and Forrester Wave. You may have noticed something missing from both: honest cost data, real-world implementation complexity, and what happens after the contract is signed.
The DXP Scorecard was built by HT Blue’s engineering team to fill that gap. We evaluate platforms based on what we see in production — not what vendors tell analysts in briefing rooms. Every score reflects real implementation timelines, actual total cost of ownership, and the maintenance reality organizations face 12 months after launch.
Explore the full interactive experience at dxpscorecard.com — our methodology is open and our scoring rubric is published. No paywalls, no gated PDFs, no sales pitch required.
Four Dimensions That Actually Matter
Traditional analyst reports measure vision and ability to execute. We measure what enterprise IT and marketing teams actually need to know before committing millions in licensing and implementation.
Capability Score
A composite score covering content management, personalization, commerce integration, search, analytics, multi-channel delivery, and workflow automation. Weighted by use case — because what matters for a marketing site is different from an intranet or multi-brand portfolio.
Shifts dynamically by use case filter
Cost-to-Feature Ratio
Total cost of ownership — licensing, hosting, implementation, and ongoing operations — inverted against a normalized feature score. Higher means better value. This is the dimension Gartner and Forrester systematically avoid because their revenue model depends on not quantifying it.
Includes Migration Tax toggle for lock-in penalty
Build Complexity
Estimated effort from zero to production. Factors in developer ecosystem size, learning curve, availability of certified talent, and typical project timelines from real enterprise engagements — not vendor-supplied benchmarks.
Visualized as bubble size in the interactive chart
Maintenance Burden
The ongoing operational reality including upgrades, security patching, content model evolution, and vendor-forced migration paths. This is the metric that separates a good platform decision from a regrettable one 18 months after launch.
Color-coded from green to red in the chart
The Decision Maker: Best-in-Class for Every Use Case
No single platform wins every scenario. The Decision Maker inside the DXP Scorecard lets you toggle between use cases — enterprise marketing site, commerce, intranet, and multi-brand portfolio — and instantly see which platforms lead, which ones charge enterprise tax for capabilities you may not need, and which deliver best-in-class value for your specific requirements.
Flip on the Migration Tax toggle to see what happens to your cost efficiency when you factor in the cost of eventually leaving each platform. Some vendors look competitive until you account for vendor lock-in, proprietary frameworks, and the exit penalty they’ve engineered into their architecture.
This is how platform decisions should be made — with transparent data, open methodology, and zero vendor sponsorship influencing the results.
The DXP Scorecard in Action
Interactive Bubble Chart
Multi-Dimensional Analysis
Four dimensions visible simultaneously — capability, cost efficiency, build complexity, and maintenance burden.
The Decision Maker
Use Case Filtering
Toggle between marketing, commerce, intranet, and multi-brand to see which platforms lead each use case.
Comprehensive Scorecard
Lock-In Analysis
Scores across over 100 criteria to assist CIOs and CMOs in hard decision making.
Platform Deep Dive
Expert Assessment
Click any platform for the full scorecard breakdown with HT Blue’s assessment notes from real engagements.
14 Platforms Evaluated
From monolithic enterprise DXPs to headless CMS platforms and open-source alternatives — every major option scored with the same methodology.
Sitecore XM Cloud
Enterprise DXP with strong personalization. Forced migration from XP/XM creates hidden costs the scorecard quantifies.
Optimizely SaaS CMS
Experimentation heritage meets modern SaaS CMS. Cost-to-feature improving as they modernize beyond Episerver.
Adobe Experience Manager
Maximum capability, maximum complexity. Our scores show why organizations migrate away despite Gartner positioning.
Sanity
Best-in-class content modeling flexibility with real-time collaboration. Strong cost-to-feature ratio across use cases.
Contentful
Headless market leader with increasingly aggressive pricing. Content model migrations remain painful at scale.
Contentstack
Enterprise headless with strong workflow automation. Growing marketplace ecosystem closing the gap.
Kontent.ai
Clean developer experience with thoughtfully integrated AI. Smaller ecosystem is a real constraint.
Strapi
Open-source headless with strong developer adoption. Enterprise governance features still maturing.
Storyblok
Visual editing that actually works. Strong for marketing teams who need autonomy without developer bottlenecks.
Hygraph
GraphQL-native content federation. Unique architecture for complex content supply chains.
WordPress VIP
Enterprise WordPress with managed infrastructure. The scorecard shows where the plugin ceiling hits.
Drupal
Open-source powerhouse with deep government and higher-ed adoption. Build complexity varies wildly by use case.
How to Use The DXP Scorecard
Whether you’re in the early stages of platform selection or building the business case for a migration, the Scorecard gives you data-driven ammunition to make informed decisions.
Select Your Use Case
Start with your primary use case — enterprise marketing site, commerce, intranet, or multi-brand portfolio. Platform rankings shift dramatically by scenario.
Compare the Landscape
The interactive bubble chart plots all 14 platforms across four dimensions simultaneously. Identify where your current platform sits and where alternatives stack up.
Toggle Migration Tax
Flip on the Migration Tax to see how vendor lock-in impacts cost efficiency. This is the metric most analyst reports won’t show you — and it changes the picture significantly.
Deep Dive Platform Details
Click any platform bubble for the full scorecard breakdown — including HT Blue’s candid assessment notes from real-world enterprise implementations.
Build Your Business Case
Use the data to support your platform selection or migration business case. Our methodology is open — share it with your stakeholders and procurement team.
Open Methodology — No Paywalls, No Vendor Funding
Every scoring criterion, every weight, and every data source behind the DXP Scorecard is published openly. This is the fundamental difference from Gartner and Forrester — they sell access to opaque methodology. We give it away because transparent data builds trust, and trust generates the right kind of client relationships.
No vendor paid for placement. No analyst briefing influenced a score. No platform received preferential treatment. The DXP Scorecard exists because IT leaders and marketing directors deserve better data than what’s currently available — and because we believe the best way to earn your business is to prove we know these platforms better than anyone.
See the full methodology and explore the interactive tool at dxpscorecard.com.
DXP Scorecard FAQ
What platforms are included in the DXP Scorecard?
The DXP Scorecard evaluates 14 major enterprise platforms: Sitecore XM Cloud, Optimizely SaaS CMS, Adobe Experience Manager, Sanity, Contentful, Contentstack, Kontent.ai, Strapi, Storyblok, Hygraph, WordPress VIP, Drupal, Magnolia, and Bloomreach. Platforms are categorized as Traditional DXP, Headless CMS, or Open Source.
How is the DXP Scorecard different from the Gartner Magic Quadrant?
The Gartner Magic Quadrant measures vision and ability to execute — criteria that favor large vendors with marketing budgets. The DXP Scorecard measures four dimensions that matter to buyers: capability depth, cost-to-feature ratio, build complexity, and maintenance burden. Our scoring is based on hands-on implementation experience, our methodology is published openly, and no vendor paid for inclusion or positioning.
What is the Migration Tax and why does it matter?
The Migration Tax is a cost penalty applied to each platform’s score based on how difficult and expensive it is to migrate away from that platform. Some vendors engineer lock-in through proprietary frameworks, non-standard content models, and restrictive data export capabilities. Toggling on the Migration Tax shows you the true long-term cost — not just what it costs to get in, but what it costs to get out.
What is The Decision Maker feature?
The Decision Maker lets you filter the scorecard by specific use cases — enterprise marketing site, commerce, intranet, or multi-brand portfolio. Platform rankings shift dramatically depending on the use case. A platform that leads for commerce may underperform for intranet. The Decision Maker shows you the best-in-class platform for your specific requirements.
Who is this tool for?
The DXP Scorecard is built for IT leaders, CTOs, VPs of Digital, Marketing Directors, and enterprise architects who are evaluating, selecting, or building the business case for a DXP or CMS platform investment. Whether you’re selecting your first enterprise platform or building the case to migrate from a legacy system, the Scorecard provides transparent, implementation-based data.
How often is the scorecard updated?
The DXP Scorecard is updated as platforms release significant changes — major version releases, pricing changes, new feature sets, and shifts in the competitive landscape. Unlike annual analyst reports that capture a snapshot in time, our scoring reflects the current state of each platform based on ongoing implementation work.
Can I use the DXP Scorecard data in my platform selection business case?
Yes. The methodology is open and the data is free to use with attribution. We built the DXP Scorecard specifically to give IT and marketing leaders credible, independent data for internal decision-making. Share it with your stakeholders, procurement team, and executive sponsors.
Does HT Blue implement all the platforms on the scorecard?
HT Blue specializes in Sitecore XM Cloud, Optimizely, and Sanity implementations. However, we evaluate all 14 platforms because our clients need informed decisions across the full landscape — not just the platforms we implement. Assessments of platforms outside our primary specialization are based on migration evaluations, competitive analysis, and deep technical research.
Need Help Interpreting the Data?
The DXP Scorecard gives you the data. Our team gives you the strategy. If you’re evaluating platforms or building a migration business case, let’s talk about what the numbers mean for your specific organization.
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