AEM alternative : why developers and architects should consider Jahia
Jahia: A good alternative to AEM (Adobe Experience Manager)
Adobe Experience Manager is used today by a good number of sizable organizations. If you’re an AEM architect or developer looking for alternatives, this is where to start. You’ll see that Jahia is also a Java CMS that shares several key open-source components with AEM, allowing any AEM developer to quickly find their way around our software.
This comparison remains high level as we’re not AEM experts, but feel free to contact us to learn more about our product.
AEM VS Jahia CMS : Architecture comparison
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Adobe AEM |
Jahia |
|
|
Main platform language |
Java |
Java |
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Packaging |
OSGi bundles |
Jahia modules (OSGi bundles) Javascript modules (npm packages transformed to OSGi bundles on deployment) |
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Modularity |
OSGi Felix |
OSGi Karaf |
|
Templating |
HTL |
JSX in JavaScript modules JSP in Java modules |
|
Build management |
Maven |
Maven for Java modules Yarn for JavaScript modules |
|
Configuration |
Json OSGi files |
cfg OSGi files |
|
API |
REST with Sling GraphQL |
GraphQL on top of JCR |
|
Data model |
Cnd files |
Cnd |
|
Building the form to edit content items |
Unknown to us |
Directly from cnd + json overrides when needed |
|
Caching |
Unknown to us |
CDN + custom HTML caches + JCR internal caching |
|
Storage |
JCR - Oak |
JCR Jackrabbit |
|
Application UI |
Unknown to us |
Full extensible in React.js |
|
Server Architecture / Topology |
Dispatcher + publisher |
The same servers are often used for authoring purposes and live traffic. Splitting authoring and live is also possible. One processing server runs every async operation (jobs). |
Other DXP components Adobe Experience Platform (AEP) comparison
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Cloud provider |
Adobe cloud |
AWS or OVH |
|
AB Testing / Personalization |
Adobe Target |
Jahia jExperience Including server-side rendering, deeply integrating in Jahia CMS caching layer |
|
Customer data |
Adobe Real-Time CDP |
Jahia jExperience, heavily using the Apache Unomi project (open-source Customer Data Platform) |
|
Customer data integrations |
Unknown |
Stackconnect: OEM partnership with Workato |
|
Full-text search |
Solr integration |
Augmented Search: Deep integration with Elasticsearch, extending ou GraphQL schema |
|
Analytics |
Adobe Analytics |
Partly covered by Kibana dashboards based on Apache Unomi data. We also recommend customers 3rd party analytics solutions: Google Analytics, Adobe Analytics, Piwik Pro, MS Clarity or anything else |
Working with Jahia vs working with Adobe
|
Support |
Unknown |
Our support engineers are amazing; they’ve been with us for several years and can help with simple and complex issues |
|
Pricing |
Unknown |
Our cloud offering is usage-based (mostly page views). Our customers typically find our pricing cheaper than Adobe’s, typically from -40% to -80%. |
Conclusion
While Adobe and Jahia share a similar foundation as Java-based CMS platforms with open-source components, Jahia stands out as a compelling alternative for organizations seeking flexibility, cost efficiency, and a strong open-source ethos.
Jahia’s modularity, modern development tools, and deep integrations with technologies like GraphQL, React JSX and Elasticsearch provide a robust, developer-friendly environment. Additionally, its usage-based pricing model and customer-focused support make it an attractive option for those looking to reduce costs without sacrificing quality. Whether you are migrating from AEM or starting a new project, Jahia offers a feature-rich platform capable of meeting diverse digital experience needs.
