The world of content management systems (CMSs) has evolved significantly over the past few decades. In the past, the main concern was simply creating and publishing web pages. Today, companies need to manage complex digital experiences integrated with data, marketing, sales, and multiple communication channels.
This shift gave rise to a new category of software: Digital Experience Platforms (DXPs). More than a CMS, DXPs offer a complete ecosystem to manage content, campaigns, integrations, and user journeys within a single workflow.
Here is where the challenge appears. As complexity increases, governance, security, and performance become real obstacles. This is the context in which Magnolia emerges. Founded in 1997 in Switzerland, the platform began as a CMS designed for demanding projects, since its first client was a Swiss bank. However, since 2015, the company has positioned itself as a DXP, expanding its capabilities and delivering a more robust solution for organizations seeking governance, performance, and scalability.
In Brazil, Dexa has closely followed this evolution. With extensive experience in Drupal and Acquia projects, the company now adds Magnolia to its portfolio of strategic partnerships.
Below, you will learn more about the platform, its features, differentiators, and when it can be the right option for your project.
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How the platform works
Magnolia was designed to meet very different realities. After all, not every company has the same level of digital maturity, the same budget, or the same security requirements. For this reason, the platform is available in three editions, each tailored to a specific scenario.
Community edition: A free and open-source version. It is recommended for proof of concept, training, and local environments, but it has limited features compared to paid versions. It can be used in production, although this is not the most common use.
Enterprise on-premise: Installed in the client’s own environment. It is the choice of companies with strict compliance and security policies that need to maintain full control of their infrastructure.
Magnolia Cloud: The most popular option. It works through a monthly subscription and offers hosting, support, and updates directly from Magnolia, reducing technical and maintenance complexity.
In addition to offering different alternatives, another important point is its headless architecture. Magnolia was designed from the start to work in a decoupled way, allowing the front end to be developed using modern frameworks such as React, Vue, or Angular. This model provides the freedom to create consistent experiences across multiple channels, such as websites, apps, and even third-party devices.
For editors and marketing teams, the platform provides a click-and-edit visual editor, which allows users to adjust components and preview changes in real time. In headless environments, preview configuration requires additional setup, but there are already tools to simplify this process.
With this combination of editions, architectural flexibility, and focus on editorial experience, the platform seeks to balance scale, governance, and autonomy, which are central requirements for companies managing large-scale digital presence.
Native features that make a difference
Anyone who has worked on complex digital projects knows that integration is a challenge. E-commerce on one platform, DAM on another, scattered plugins, APIs constantly breaking. In the end, the technology team spends more time stitching solutions together than innovating, while marketing remains stuck waiting.
Magnolia brings, natively, capabilities that would normally be outside the scope of a CMS. This means less dependence on external integrations and more agility to launch projects.
Integrated e-commerce
Instead of operating on separate platforms, Magnolia already includes e-commerce features in its paid versions. This allows companies to manage corporate websites and online stores within the same environment. For businesses that handle multiple campaigns or different markets, the integration helps reduce rework and keeps everything under the same management flow.
Built-in DAM
Searching for files in disconnected systems can be one of the most time-consuming tasks for marketing teams. Magnolia’s Digital Asset Management (DAM) centralizes this process: images, videos, and documents are accessible within the editorial workflow itself, ensuring consistency and greater control over assets.
Generative AI for content
To support production routines, the platform incorporates Generative Artificial Intelligence tools. The feature assists in creating descriptions, drafts, and text suggestions. It does not replace strategic editorial work but helps speed up day-to-day operational stages.
Extension marketplace
When the need arises to expand the scope, there is also an extension marketplace that brings together relevant integrations to complement projects without overloading development.
Together, these features reflect a proposal focused on simplification: less time fixing integrations and parallel processes, more focus on delivering the digital experience to the end user.
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Market differentiators: where Magnolia stands
When choosing a digital platform, it is not about deciding which one is better or worse, but which one makes the most sense for each company’s context. Each DXP has distinct strengths. Let’s understand how Magnolia positions itself among them.
Market recognition
Magnolia is recognized in international reports such as Gartner’s Magic Quadrant, positioning itself as a visionary among digital experience platforms. Its clients include organizations such as The New York Times, American Express, and Sanofi, which reinforces its presence in various global sectors.
As a visionary, the platform demonstrates great growth potential among leading market brands, with a more measured pace of innovation. For many organizations, this stability can represent predictability and focus on technological maturity.
A brief comparison
Adobe Experience Manager: Recommended for large corporations already integrated into the Adobe ecosystem, with a strong global presence. Its higher cost aligns with the offer of a broad portfolio of integrated tools.
Acquia/Drupal: Combines the strength of an open-source community with Acquia’s enterprise support. It is a reference in flexibility, extensibility, and innovation, widely used by organizations that value autonomy and customization.
Magnolia: Provides a robust set of native features, such as e-commerce and DAM, in a more accessible licensing model. This reduces the need for multiple integrations and is especially suitable for companies seeking simplification without giving up governance.
Costs in perspective
In general, Magnolia positions itself as a more competitive option in terms of price, while Acquia and Adobe stand out in other aspects, either by the depth of their resources or their consolidated ecosystems.
When it makes sense to choose Magnolia
Does my marketing team need autonomy to create campaigns and pages? Magnolia offers native features, such as e-commerce and DAM, that reduce dependence on integrations and speed up the execution of digital strategies.
Does my company operate in a regulated industry and need data control? It makes sense to consider it. The on-premise version of Magnolia allows everything to run within your own infrastructure, meeting compliance and security requirements.
Is my budget limited, but I do not want to give up a complete DXP solution? This is one of its strengths. Magnolia delivers the essential set of DXP capabilities in a more accessible licensing model.
Are we expanding into different countries and brands? Can Magnolia meet that? Yes. The platform offers native support for multiple sites, languages, and brands, helping companies undergoing international expansion maintain governance and consistency.
Dexa and Magnolia partnership
Dexa is a Digital Agency specializing in robust Digital Experiences, with more than 20 years of experience in projects for major brands. The company combines Development, Design, UX, System Architecture, Marketing, and advanced technology to deliver secure, scalable, and results-driven platforms.
In 2025, Dexa became an official Magnolia solution partner, joining the platform’s global network.
“This move expands our portfolio and allows us to offer more technology options to meet different client profiles and demands. Our team is pursuing certifications with this new partner to deepen our expertise on the platform and explore new opportunities for joint collaboration.” (Luiz Petri, Solution Director at Dexa)
The partnership also includes prospecting in Latin America, strengthening Magnolia’s presence in the region, and offering Dexa’s clients a competitive and robust DXP alternative.
Your digital journey deserves a DXP that delivers security and performance. If integration challenges, marketing autonomy, and scalability are part of your routine, discover how Dexa can act as your strategic partner.