Kiln vs MODX
Kiln
kilncms.comMODX
modx.comSide by side
| Figure | Kiln | MODX |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $4.99/mo | $36/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | Yes | — |
| Open source | Yes | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 9 | 8 |
| Spec score · Content Management Systems | 9.0 (#15) | 9.1 (#8) |
| Access control | Owners can invite editors, reviewers and members by Google email and restrict editors to selected pages, sections and tools. | MODX provides attribute-based access controls for content protection and access scenarios. |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Integrations | Kiln works with GitHub repositories and hosts that redeploy on push, including Cloudflare Pages, Netlify, Vercel, and GitHub Pages. | MODX can integrate with services that support an API through JavaScript snippets, MODX Extras, or Zapier, whose MODX Extra provides access to over 500 applications. |
| Security controls | The setup guide says the GitHub App can access only repositories selected during installation, and invited Google-email addresses are the only ones allowed to sign in as editors or members. | MODX Cloud applies critical security patches within 24 hours, high patches within 7 days, uses firewalls and DDoS mitigation, and isolates client environments. |
| Paid from | 4.99 | 90 |
| Support | Self-hosted plans include community support on GitHub, while Fully managed includes priority support. | MODX offers free community support and commercial support from the team that created and maintains MODX CMS. |
Plans
Kiln
- Self-hostedFree
- Kiln Cloud$4.99 a month
- Fully managed$14.99 a month
- Open sourceFree
- Self-hostedFree
- Kiln Cloud$4.99 a month
- Fully managed$14.99 a month
- Concierge setup$399, paid once
- Concierge setup & tagging$399, paid once
MODX
- Pro Site Core$90 a month
- Pro Site Plus$145 a month
- Pro Site Max$225 a month
- FreeFree
- Base$36 a month
- Pro$91 a month
- Business$320 a month
- Enterprise$4,000 a month
In their own words
Kiln
Kiln is an open-source, click-to-edit CMS for static sites. Invited editors change content directly on a site, with edits saved as Git commits in a repository owned by the site owner. Supported content includes text, images, documents, blocks, galleries, events, and calendar items. The publishing workflow includes drafts, scheduled publishing, named versions, history, and restoration. Owners sign in with GitHub, while invited editors and members can use Google sign-in and be scoped to particular pages or sections. Reviewer seats can comment only; suggest mode lets owners approve or decline proposed changes field by field. Kiln works with GitHub repositories and hosts that redeploy on push, including Cloudflare Pages, Netlify, Vercel, and GitHub Pages. A REST API and kiln-mcp support scoped, sanitized edits by scripts and agents; optional AI assistance uses an API key supplied by the user. Site content remains plain HTML in the customer's repository, even after leaving Kiln. Self-hosted costs nothing; Kiln Cloud is $4.99 a month, and Fully managed is $14.99 a month.
MODX
MODX is a content management system and application framework for building custom digital experiences. It can model blogs, landing pages, catalogs, forms, PDFs, CSV downloads, and custom input fields. Reusable Templates, Chunks, Snippets, and Plugins render pages or add functionality and logic. Editorial workflows, custom roles, multilingual content, SEO tools, media libraries, and attribute-based access controls support publishing and content management. Community-made Extras extend it with integrations for areas such as e-commerce, maps, menus, OAuth, social, and SEO. Connections to API-enabled services can use JavaScript snippets, Extras, or Zapier, whose MODX Extra connects to over 500 applications. MODX is available as self-hosted software, through an API, and on the web. The self-hosted Free plan costs nothing. Managed MODX Cloud plans begin at $36 a month billed annually; other listed plans include self-hosted and managed options, with different storage, support, and hosting features. MODX was founded in 2004 and is headquartered in Dallas, Texas.