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Optimizely Content Management System Pros and Cons: Top Advantages and Disadvantages

Quick AI Summary Based on G2 Reviews

Generated from real user reviews

Users find the ease of use in Optimizely CMS impressive, enabling quick updates and management without extensive training. (24 mentions)
Users value the intuitive editor interface of Optimizely CMS, enabling effortless content management for all skill levels. (23 mentions)
Users value the organized and intuitive design of Optimizely CMS, facilitating seamless content management and support. (19 mentions)
Users find the customizability of Optimizely CMS exceptional, enhancing content management for both developers and marketers. (18 mentions)
Users value the flexibility of Optimizely CMS, allowing easy integration and customization for diverse content needs. (17 mentions)
Users value the seamless integrations of Optimizely CMS, enhancing content management with minimal technical effort required. (17 mentions)
Users face a steep learning curve, particularly those without dedicated developers to assist with the system. (15 mentions)
Users find the licensing costs high, making it challenging for smaller projects and clients to afford. (12 mentions)
Users find the steep learning curve challenging, especially for newcomers and smaller teams without dedicated developers. (9 mentions)
Users find the steep learning curve of Optimizely CMS challenging, especially for non-technical individuals. (8 mentions)
Users feel that update issues hinder the efficiency of Optimizely's Content Management System and impact overall performance. (7 mentions)

Top Pros or Advantages of Optimizely Content Management System

1. Ease of Use
Users find the ease of use in Optimizely CMS impressive, enabling quick updates and management without extensive training.
See 24 mentions

See Related User Reviews

Verified User
U

Verified User

Enterprise (> 1000 emp.)

4.5/5

"Straighforward and easy to use"

What do you like about Optimizely Content Management System?

Very user friendly. Can use it without any training. Very intuitive.

Darko M.
DM

Darko M.

Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.)

4.0/5

"A powerful CMS for Medium to large sites. B2B and B2C"

What do you like about Optimizely Content Management System?

Integrated with our ERP API and WIS easily. Allows us to change pages quickly with minimal knowledge of code. Product data options are vast and easy t

2. Features
Users value the intuitive editor interface of Optimizely CMS, enabling effortless content management for all skill levels.
See 23 mentions

See Related User Reviews

Darko M.
DM

Darko M.

Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.)

4.0/5

"A powerful CMS for Medium to large sites. B2B and B2C"

What do you like about Optimizely Content Management System?

Integrated with our ERP API and WIS easily. Allows us to change pages quickly with minimal knowledge of code. Product data options are vast and easy t

Kyron J.
KJ

Kyron J.

Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.)

5.0/5

"The platform works well to ensure global brand management and compliance with a number of assets"

What do you like about Optimizely Content Management System?

The most helpful elements are APMA option, the AI automated review and the history of notifications from approvers

3. Content Management
Users value the organized and intuitive design of Optimizely CMS, facilitating seamless content management and support.
See 19 mentions

See Related User Reviews

Verified User
U

Verified User

Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.)

4.5/5

"Agile and complete CMS platform for Marketers"

What do you like about Optimizely Content Management System?

CMS tool is intuitive and complete for marketers, Open API and flexible system allows any site design, functionality goals and integrations to be achi

KJ

Kevin J.

Enterprise (> 1000 emp.)

4.5/5

"Optimizely CMS, A Developer’s Perspective"

What do you like about Optimizely Content Management System?

It's the most organized and intuitive CMS I've ever used and developed

4. Customizability
Users find the customizability of Optimizely CMS exceptional, enhancing content management for both developers and marketers.
See 18 mentions

See Related User Reviews

Darko M.
DM

Darko M.

Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.)

4.0/5

"A powerful CMS for Medium to large sites. B2B and B2C"

What do you like about Optimizely Content Management System?

Integrated with our ERP API and WIS easily. Allows us to change pages quickly with minimal knowledge of code. Product data options are vast and easy t

Verified User
C

Verified User

Enterprise (> 1000 emp.)

5.0/5

"Balancing Usability and Complexity in Optimizely CMS"

What do you like about Optimizely Content Management System?

The most helpful thing about Optimizely CMS is how easy it makes content management for both developers and marketers. 1. The editor interface is i

5. Flexibility
Users value the flexibility of Optimizely CMS, allowing easy integration and customization for diverse content needs.
See 17 mentions

See Related User Reviews

Verified User
C

Verified User

Enterprise (> 1000 emp.)

5.0/5

"Balancing Usability and Complexity in Optimizely CMS"

What do you like about Optimizely Content Management System?

The most helpful thing about Optimizely CMS is how easy it makes content management for both developers and marketers. 1. The editor interface is i

Verified User
E

Verified User

Enterprise (> 1000 emp.)

4.5/5

"Optimizely CMS Review"

What do you like about Optimizely Content Management System?

It's easy for our team to use, helping us as the technology team enable our business and customer needs. The performance, reliability and flexibility

6. Integrations
Users value the seamless integrations of Optimizely CMS, enhancing content management with minimal technical effort required.
See 17 mentions

See Related User Reviews

Darko M.
DM

Darko M.

Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.)

4.0/5

"A powerful CMS for Medium to large sites. B2B and B2C"

What do you like about Optimizely Content Management System?

Integrated with our ERP API and WIS easily. Allows us to change pages quickly with minimal knowledge of code. Product data options are vast and easy t

Verified User
I

Verified User

Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.)

3.5/5

"Solid CMS with expected features and ease in management"

What do you like about Optimizely Content Management System?

1. Ease in Management - It is a easily navigatable platform with a lag-free interface 2. Features - Big fan of the A/B testing feature which can be d

Top Cons or Disadvantages of Optimizely Content Management System

1. Learning Curve
Users face a steep learning curve, particularly those without dedicated developers to assist with the system.
See 15 mentions

See Related User Reviews

Stephen Y.
SY

Stephen Y.

Enterprise (> 1000 emp.)

4.0/5

"User-Friendly CMS"

What do you dislike about Optimizely Content Management System?

its steep learning curve, especially for new users or smaller teams without dedicated developers.

Verified User
U

Verified User

Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)

4.0/5

"Content management made easy!!!!!"

What do you dislike about Optimizely Content Management System?

Slight learning curve require but the design is very intuitive.

2. Expensive
Users find the licensing costs high, making it challenging for smaller projects and clients to afford.
See 12 mentions

See Related User Reviews

SK

Stelios K.

Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.)

4.5/5

"Very intuitive and easy to use! Make content updating a sinch!"

What do you dislike about Optimizely Content Management System?

Its a pricey service but worth the investment.

Rob F.
RF

Rob F.

Enterprise (> 1000 emp.)

4.0/5

"Highly flexible platform"

What do you dislike about Optimizely Content Management System?

Development of new functionality can be slow and expensive, there are very few out of the box plug ins that can be simply turned on without significan

3. Learning Difficulty
Users find the steep learning curve challenging, especially for newcomers and smaller teams without dedicated developers.
See 9 mentions

See Related User Reviews

Stephen Y.
SY

Stephen Y.

Enterprise (> 1000 emp.)

4.0/5

"User-Friendly CMS"

What do you dislike about Optimizely Content Management System?

its steep learning curve, especially for new users or smaller teams without dedicated developers.

Verified User
C

Verified User

Enterprise (> 1000 emp.)

5.0/5

"Balancing Usability and Complexity in Optimizely CMS"

What do you dislike about Optimizely Content Management System?

1. For developers unfamiliar with .NET, the learning curve is steep—especially when customising or extending functionality. 2. Licensing and infras

4. Complexity
Users find the steep learning curve of Optimizely CMS challenging, especially for non-technical individuals.
See 8 mentions

See Related User Reviews

Verified User
C

Verified User

Enterprise (> 1000 emp.)

5.0/5

"Balancing Usability and Complexity in Optimizely CMS"

What do you dislike about Optimizely Content Management System?

1. For developers unfamiliar with .NET, the learning curve is steep—especially when customising or extending functionality. 2. Licensing and infras

Verified User
A

Verified User

Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)

4.5/5

"Optimizely CMS has been a game-changer for delivering high-quality content efficiently"

What do you dislike about Optimizely Content Management System?

While Optimizely CMS is powerful, the learning curve can be steep for new developers—especially when setting up complex features like custom content t

5. Update Issues
Users feel that update issues hinder the efficiency of Optimizely's Content Management System and impact overall performance.
See 7 mentions

See Related User Reviews

Verified User
U

Verified User

Enterprise (> 1000 emp.)

4.5/5

"Straighforward and easy to use"

What do you dislike about Optimizely Content Management System?

Some of the fields feel repetitive (but issue may be on our side)

Craig T.
CT

Craig T.

Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.)

5.0/5

"Optimizely brings a modern design with a platform that is customizable and a best in class CMS"

What do you dislike about Optimizely Content Management System?

Support knowledge and expertise between product developers and support with latest tools and builds could be stronger. Manual data import and export t

Optimizely Content Management System Reviews (196)

Reviews

Optimizely Content Management System Reviews (196)

4.0
196 reviews
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Ma. Clarizza F.
MF
Digital Marketing Senior Analyst
Enterprise (> 1000 emp.)
"Software review and feedback for Optimizely Content Management System"
What do you like best about Optimizely Content Management System?

The best thing about Optimizely CMS is their customer support; even on the weekend, they are always available. Apart from that, the ease of use is one of the best things about using Optimizely. In our company, aside from the development team, we have a content team that curates the content of our corporate website. They always want to customize some content, and they can easily customize that the way they want using the rich-text and add some custom HTML code, which is a feature of the CMS. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about Optimizely Content Management System?

One thing in Optimizely that is a challenge is integrating other software which they are not yet supported. Hence, software that is big in the market can be easily implemented, such as InRiver and other things, with Optimizely CMS. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Roel Cezar C.
RC
.NET Developer
Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.)
"Optimizely CMS Review 2025"
What do you like best about Optimizely Content Management System?

One thing I've always liked best about EPiServer (since I've been developing on it before the transition to Optimizely) is its versatility and open-source integration with other platforms. As a CMS developer, we are creating a content management solution that our internal authors would use, and Optimizely has its distinct feature to curate content, page layouts, and other public materials on our website. The customer support is very responsive whenever we have an issue with regards to deployment to our different staging environments, aside from production. It can also support having to develop a multisite which will share a layout to have different websites in one. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about Optimizely Content Management System?

The least favorite feature for me is the challenge to upgrade to the latest one, as we do have an issue upgrading our framework as well. Overall, Optimizely is top-notch in its service in terms of Content Management System. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Paul d.
PD
Chief Technology Officer
Enterprise (> 1000 emp.)
"Optimizely CMS, from content management to marketing workflow engine."
What do you like best about Optimizely Content Management System?

I have been using Optimizely CMS from 2006 and have seen it grow through all the years. The last few years its effectiveness has increased due to being part of the Optimizely One product, integrated with AI and workflow. This has really leveraged the product to go from Content Management System (CMS) to Digital Experience Platform (DXP) to Marketing Operating System (Marketing OS). It is not a place to do tasks anymore, but to check up on the final content of your workflow on every channel and in every language. It has become really easy to use. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about Optimizely Content Management System?

The real power of the Optimizely CMS is leveraged in the newest version, which requires an upgrade for many existing users to a different format. Looking at long-term strategy, you would need to do that anyways, but this could hurt user adoption on the short-term. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Alyssa G.
AG
Web Development Specialist
Enterprise (> 1000 emp.)
"Easy to use with lots of customization opportunities"
What do you like best about Optimizely Content Management System?

I find the CMS easy to navigate while also having many customizable features to enhance the usage of the system. As a web developer, not only is the CMS interface easy to work with, but so is the code. There has been many opportunities to add our own customization and it's pretty easy to integrate any add-ons and apps. The CMS works well with 3rd party implementations as well as Optimizely's own library of apps. I feel the opportunities are kind of endless with what you can do with the platform which is always a plus. Their customer service has also been top notch with detailed reports and fast responses. 9 times out of 10, their customer support will have a solution ready for whatever problem we happen to encounter weather it be on the code side or within the CMS itself. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about Optimizely Content Management System?

I do feel that the developer documentation could be a little more detailed. I find that whenever I need to look into the documentation, i'm still left with a few questions. But on the bright side the forums will almost always have an answer within them. And also i do end up finding answers on google from independent blogs/forums and customer support usually can help fill in any missing info as well. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

MH
Web and Digital Marketing Manager
Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.)
"Easy content editing and custom functionality"
What do you like best about Optimizely Content Management System?

Optimizely is easy for a variety of content editors to make changes - with permission restrictions it's simple to grant team members access to manage their content contributions. The ability to develop custom functionality has been beneficial for our team and has allowed for unique user experiences to help set our brand apart from peers. The ease of integrating other 3rd party solutions into the CMS has been seamless. I've had great customer service from Optimizely over the years where they are quick to respond to tickets and helpful with requests that are less common. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about Optimizely Content Management System?

The out of box forms are a little limiting and require custom development in order to style them and/or create custom workflows. It would be great if the A/B testing capability was available outside of their ODP package. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Brian L.
BL
Senior Director, CRM and Web Integration
Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.)
"Optimizely is a robust CMS with a rich feature set for organizations of all sizes."
What do you like best about Optimizely Content Management System?

The Optimizely CMS is intuitive and easy to use. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about Optimizely Content Management System?

The system is expensive and could be cost-prohibitive for smaller organizations. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Jonathan O.
JO
Manager of Web Development Services
Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.)
"A great CMS for developers"
What do you like best about Optimizely Content Management System?

As a developer and technical admin for the Opti CMS, I find it very easy to do whatever I need. Things work as expected and We've had nearly zero downtime since using the platform. Although the ease of use for editors depends greatly on choices made during implementation, we've found the experience to be positive. The CMS is easy to use and our customer support team at Optimizely are very supportive and take great care of us. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about Optimizely Content Management System?

I don't really dislike anything but there are some minor annoyances over some things in the CMS.

Recently we've needed to find a document stored in the CMS based on its public URL but, because it was stored inside of a "for this block" that was likely stored in another "for this block" or "for this page" folder, it became nearly impossible to find. Some additional internal reporting and management utilities would be helpful. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

RF
Backend developer
Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.)
"Excellent product and easy to use as a developer"
What do you like best about Optimizely Content Management System?

Ease of use, as a developer to code-first approach to CMS is very useful.

Plenty of training materials available and an active community forum.

I use this every day and alongside other CMS offerings and find Opti to always provide the best environment to implement a fully functional website using a mix of Opti features and standard .NET practices.

Very extendable and lots of 3rd party plugins available to use and simple to create your own and integrate into a CMS website.

Customer support available for reporting issues and assistance using cloud services. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about Optimizely Content Management System?

Since upgrade to .NET core some features have not yet been implemented (DDS admin)

Upgrading from .NET framework to core can be complicated and time consuming. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Verified User in Information Technology and Services
AI
Enterprise (> 1000 emp.)
"User friendly CMS"
What do you like best about Optimizely Content Management System?

User friendly CMS, there’s a lot of features like personalization of block , Built in SEO mogul for setting up page redirect , easy access you can login in different devices without using any vpn , responsive support when you have questions or challenges they provided solutions on time , like executing queries on database prod for data collection Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about Optimizely Content Management System?

Currenlty our version of CMS is not in latest which lack of new features. theres an error everytime when we tried to update the global link translation. it requires a latest version of CMS and other nugget packages Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Verified User in Information Technology and Services
AI
Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.)
"Reliable and Developer-Friendly CMS for Enterprise Web Solutions"
What do you like best about Optimizely Content Management System?

Optimizely CMS strikes a solid balance between flexibility for developers and ease of use for content authors. The UI is intuitive, making it easy for our content team to manage and publish updates without needing technical intervention. As developers, we benefit from its strong integration capabilities with ASP.NET and C#, allowing us to create custom blocks, APIs, and features with minimal friction.

Implementation is relatively smooth if you're already familiar with .NET, and the modular design encourages clean, maintainable code. We use the platform frequently across multiple global pages and campaigns, and it scales well with our enterprise needs. The CMS also offers a wide set of features, from versioning to localization and user permissions, that are critical for managing large, content-rich sites.

Support from Optimizely has been responsive and helpful whenever we've reached out with questions or run into issues, which adds confidence to our day-to-day operations. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about Optimizely Content Management System?

The initial learning curve can be steep for developers who are new to the platform, especially when dealing with complex configurations or legacy projects. Some aspects of the documentation can be inconsistent or lacking detail, especially when dealing with version-specific features or upgrades. Additionally, performance can occasionally lag on large-scale content-heavy pages unless optimization is proactively managed. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

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