When it comes to selecting a content management system, there’s a common instinct to lean toward the industry giants that appear in the top right corner of analyst quadrants. These platforms are often seen as the safest, most validated options, especially for mid-market to enterprise organizations. But while they may look like a reliable choice on paper, they come with significant costs that go far beyond licensing — and those costs deserve closer examination.

Many of these enterprise CMS platforms carry licensing fees well into six figures annually. That’s just to access the platform itself, before creating any content, building workflows, or connecting the system to other parts of your marketing stack. What’s often overlooked is that mid-market CMS platforms, which are substantially more cost-effective, now offer a feature set that covers the same core needs of complex organizations. Multi-site management, multi-language capabilities, advanced personalization, AI-driven insights, workflow automation, integrations with CRMs and marketing tools, and scalable architectures — all of these are available without the need for a six-figure spend. And, all of these solutions would scale to meet the needs of an enterprise business - so while they fit mid-market, they also scale up nicely to enterprise.

The Opportunity Cost of Overspending on Licensing

The argument isn’t just about licensing fees, though. It’s about total cost of ownership and the opportunity cost of tying up budget in technology that, while powerful, may not actually advance the organization’s goals any faster than more affordable alternatives. When that budget is freed up, it can be redirected toward initiatives that have a more direct impact on growth and maturity. Rather than spending heavily just to maintain access to a platform, companies could invest those resources into improving content strategy, expanding personalization efforts, enhancing data analytics capabilities, or even running more aggressive acquisition campaigns.

The Hidden Costs of Some Enterprise Platforms

What complicates matters further are the hidden costs that often come with some large enterprise platforms. These aren’t always immediately visible during the selection process but can quickly accumulate once the platform is in use. Here’s a closer look at where these hidden costs tend to surface:

These factors often contribute to a long-term scenario where organizations are not only paying substantial licensing fees but also dedicating ongoing internal resources just to keep the platform running smoothly. Over time, this drains both budget and momentum.

Mid-Market Solutions Are Already Powering Enterprise Success

It’s important to recognize that plenty of enterprise organizations are already seeing success with more agile, mid-market CMS platforms. These solutions are more approachable from a budgetary perspective but still offer the technical depth needed for complex, global digital operations. In many cases, they allow companies to avoid over-investing in infrastructure and instead focus their efforts on advancing their digital maturity in meaningful ways.

What Could Be Done with the Budget Freed from Licensing

When organizations no longer commit a significant portion of their budget to licensing alone, they create room to invest in areas that directly elevate their digital presence and customer engagement. These savings could fund the creation of higher-quality, higher-volume content that keeps pace with audience expectations. They could enable deeper personalization strategies, using data and AI to craft experiences that feel truly tailored to each visitor. Teams could invest in more advanced analytics to uncover customer insights that guide smarter decision-making, or in the expansion of marketing automation to scale outreach without scaling headcount. Freed-up budget also allows for greater flexibility to test new channels, run targeted acquisition campaigns, or experiment with emerging technologies — all of which contribute to advancing digital maturity in ways that static platform costs simply do not.

Focus on What Moves the Needle

The core of the decision comes down to this: the CMS itself is not what differentiates a brand. It’s a foundation, not a growth engine. What matters far more is how an organization leverages its resources to create compelling content, deliver personalized experiences, integrate it within its eco-system and stay adaptable in a fast-changing digital landscape. A simpler, more cost-effective platform can enable exactly that — without sacrificing capability or scale. 

By looking beyond the giants in the market that offer many bells and whistles you’ll never use, and will overpay for through the life of your contract, you’ll find plenty of technology-forward mid-market CMS/DXP choices such as Kentico, Sitefinity and Sanity that will deliver everything you need and more (more money back into your budget that is). It’s worth at least taking a look at what they can do. A midmarket solution may be exactly what you need to transform your digital experience while spending less time managing technology, and more time driving meaningful impact.