Reading time: 13 min read
SitecoreAI Pricing and Packaging
A deep-dive look at how Sitecore is changing it's go-to-market to lead the market.
SitecoreAI pricing TL;DR
What's Changed:
- No more buying Sitecore products individually. Everything is now packaged under SitecoreAI.
- Production-level access to all modules out of the box.
- CMS/DXP (formerly XM Cloud), Unified Data Layer, and Agentic Studio included in base.
- Search, Personalization, and DAM come with Essentials tiers for base-level consumption.
- This is transformational packaging and delivery of the Sitecore’s technology.
How It's Priced:
- Core SitecoreAI is visits-based.
- Modules like DAM use their own metrics (user-based, not visits).
- Essentials tier gives you real access to experiment—not a crippled trial.
How Fishtank Helps:
- Our TIDAL framework covers content migration, OOTB components, and vertical-specific features, AI-powered migration and acceleration.
- It removes many costs associated with traditional projects so we can focus on what matters.
- Need to make the business case? We have an ROI framework that's quick to execute.
- We can put together your 5-year ROI in no time.
You really should contact Fishtank about making the move to SitecoreAI. From helping organizations work through the adoption of new tech, to making the case for how it solves real challenges and to finally making the investment make sense with a real ROI - our goal is to be a truly helpful, transformational SitecoreAI partner.
Now for a more detailed look, please take a look at the full article below.
Sitecore’s transformative pricing and packaging
Remember when Sitecore went on that acquisition spree? CDP, Personalize, Content Hub, Search—they bought best-of-breed tools to build a composable ecosystem. The strategy was solid: give customers specialized power across the entire digital stack.
But even within the Sitecore family, each product had its own procurement process, its own pricing conversation, its own sales motion. Want to add Personalize to your XM Cloud setup? That's a separate discussion. Want CDP capabilities? Another conversation. Sometimes it took real effort just to get a new product added to the stack—and once you're paying for it, your organization might not even get a chance to fully use it before the next renewal.
That's changing.
Sitecore has rebranded and restructured everything under a single banner: SitecoreAI. A unified, integrated platform where the pricing is simplified and designed to change how you operate. One license, unlimited AI, and a clear path to value.
Let's get into what this actually means for you.
Five core packaging principles of SitecoreAI
Sitecore is bringing SitecoreAI to market with five core ideas in mind. These principles shape how the platform is packaged, priced, and positioned—and they're worth understanding.
| Principle | What It Means | Customer Benefit |
|---|---|---|
| All in One Package | Single SitecoreAI license covers CMS, search, data layer, personalization, DAM, and AI | No more juggling separate contracts and vendors—one relationship, one renewal, fully integrated from day one |
| CMS at the Heart | CMS is required and serves as the foundation; visits-based pricing | Predictable costs that scale with your actual site traffic, not arbitrary infrastructure metrics |
| Encourage AI Adoption | Unlimited AI features included at all tiers | Use AI as much as you want without watching a meter—no consumption anxiety, just experimentation and adoption |
| Meaningful Experimentation | Essentials tier offers fully functional versions of all products, with limited usage on the free essentials tier | Run actual POCs with real traffic, use real products for real challenges, prove value before committing to higher tiers |
| Value-Based Pricing | Metrics tied to outcomes (visits, interactions, users) | Your costs align with the business value you're getting—easier to justify ROI and plan budgets |
The essentials tier and module structure
With everything combined into SitecoreAI, many more features are available out of the box. Here's how it's organized:
Essentials Tier: All of these unified products are accessible through what Sitecore calls the Essentials tier. Instead of buying separate products and hoping you'll use them, you get access to the full platform from day one—with different provisions based on each module's usage metrics.
Module Structure: SitecoreAI is organized into modules—different areas of functionality. The CMS (formerly XM Cloud) is a module. DAM is a module. Conversion Optimization is a module. Agentic Studio is a module. Each has its own usage limits within the Essentials tier, with room to scale up as your needs grow.
Product migration mapping into SitecoreAI
If you're an existing Sitecore customer, here's how your current products map into SitecoreAI.
Here's a look in a little more detail. Maybe it's easier for some to understand how the current products are being repackaged and new products are being added in table format.
| Legacy Product | Maps To (SitecoreAI) | Key Changes | Packaging |
|---|---|---|---|
| XM Cloud | CMS Module (Core) | Same amazing product. You'll benefit from the Unified Data Layer and increased AI capabilities throughout. | Core |
| CDP | Unified Data Layer (Core) | No separate purchase required. Just there to use. | Included in core, no limits |
| Stream | Unified Data Layer (Core) | Connects your brand and voice across all modules inside SitecoreAI. | Included in core, no limits |
| N/A | Agentic Studio | Completely new product for building custom AI agents. | Included, no limits |
| Search | Conversion Optimization | Retired as separate product. Integrated with Personalization, priced around Experience Interactions. | Included with Essentials entitlements |
| Personalize | Conversion Optimization | Experience Interactions-based pricing. Packaged with Search. | Included with Essentials entitlements |
| Content Hub | DAM Module | Access to an enterprise DAM as part of the base tier. | Included with Essentials entitlements |
SitecoreAI features and modules
Now let's look at the core features and modules within SitecoreAI—how they're packaged, what's included out of the box, and what usage you get through the Essentials tier.
The SitecoreAI foundation: CMS + AI + unified data layer
This is what everyone gets. The core offering includes your CMS (formerly XM Cloud), unlimited AI capabilities, and the Unified Data Layer—all working together as an integrated foundation.
| Component | What's Included | Add-Ons Available |
|---|---|---|
| Environments | 1 Production + 2 Non-Production | Additional environments |
| Asset Storage | 1 TB | Additional TB increments |
| CDN Bandwidth | 1 TB/month | Additional bandwidth |
| AI Features | Unlimited | — |
| Unified Data Layer | Unlimited profiles & events | — |
| Strategy (Brief & Orchestrate) | Full access | — |
| Sitecore Connect | — | Available as add-on |
Conversion optimization module
This module combines what was previously Sitecore Search and Sitecore Personalize into a single offering. Worth noting: base personalization is still available within the CMS platform itself—it just won't draw from long-term customer data stored in the Unified Data Layer. That in-CMS personalization is based on the current visit and interaction, not historical profile data.
The Conversion Optimization module is priced around a concept called Experience Interactions.
What's an Experience Interaction?
This is a new metric. At the Essentials tier, only instances that actually return content count as Experience Interactions. At higher tiers, every instance counts whether or not content is returned. This distinction lets you configure usage rules and manage consumption within your Essentials entitlements.
| Tier | Experience Interactions/Year | Counting Rule |
|---|---|---|
| Essentials | 20,000 | Only instances returning content are counted |
| Higher Tiers | Contact Sitecore | Every instance counted, whether content returned or not |
Beyond Essentials, subsequent tiers are available—talk to Sitecore for specifics on volumes and pricing.
DAM module (formerly Content Hub)
Having an enterprise DAM included in the Essentials tier is genuinely generous. This is a powerful asset management platform, and getting access to it out of the box is a real value-add.
The DAM uses a user-based model with two types:
Power Users can manage and modify assets, content, campaigns, collections, and metadata. They can create, update, delete, publish, archive—the full set of authoring capabilities. They also get access to operations tools: projects, workflows, tasks. If you have permission to do any of these activities, you're a Power User.
Consumer Users can view, download, and share assets. They can make approvals within workflow tasks and add comments. This is for people who need access to assets but aren't managing the system—sales teams, partners, agencies pulling creative for campaigns.
| User Type | Essentials Included | Typical Use Case |
|---|---|---|
| Power Users | 5 | Digital team members managing assets, workflows, metadata |
| Consumer Users | 50 | Broader org access for viewing, downloading, sharing assets |
The Essentials tier is probably well-suited for digital teams, but larger organizations with broader DAM needs across departments may need to scale up. Additional add-ons are available for Content Hub Operations capabilities—check Sitecore documentation for details on the CI Hub connector and other extensions.
Agentic Studio
This is probably the most powerful and exciting piece of the new packaging.
Agentic Studio lets you build custom AI agents—Sitecore calls them "skills"—and combine them into flows that integrate into the day-to-day work of people maintaining websites and using Sitecore. The potential here is tremendous.
What’s very generous, is everyone with access to SitecoreAI can use deployed agents as much as they need. It's not consumption-based. Having this level of integrated AI available at scale, without worrying about per-use costs, is a real differentiator.
How Sitecore charges is through builder seats—these are the people who can actually create new agents, build new skills, and design flows for the business to use.
| Component | Essentials Included | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Builder Seats | 5 | People who can create agents, skills, and flows |
| Deployed Agents | Unlimited | No consumption limits on agent usage |
| Additional Builder Seats | — | Available as add-on |
Further available add-ons
While SitecoreAI includes a lot out of the box, a few capabilities remain separate purchases:
Sitecore Connect
Integration platform (iPaaS) powered by Workato. This isn't a Sitecore-built product—it's a partnership. Sitecore Connect enables pre-built connectors and workflow automation between SitecoreAI and external systems (CRMs, ERPs, marketing tools). If you need robust integration orchestration beyond basic API connections, this is the path.
Content Hub Operations
Unlocks advanced DAM capabilities: full project management, marketing resource management (MRM), workflow orchestration, and campaign planning. The Essentials DAM gives you solid asset management—Content Hub Operations expands it into a full creative operations platform.
CI Hub Connector
Enables direct integration between your DAM and creative tools like Adobe Creative Cloud, allowing designers to access and update assets without leaving their workflow. Learn more about CI Hub Connector.
Scaling Add-Ons
Standard capacity increases are available: additional environments, storage (TB increments), CDN bandwidth, Agentic Studio builder seats, and higher-tier entitlements for Conversion Optimization and DAM users.
The customer benefit to the SitecoreAI model
Here's how the new pricing model compares to the old approach, and what it means for your organization.
| Aspect | Old Model | New Model | Customer Benefit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Structure | Separate licenses per product | Single unified package + modules | One contract, simplified budgeting & procurement |
| AI Features | Separate AI pricing or consumption-based | Unlimited AI included, includes new Agentic Studio | No usage anxiety, full AI experimentation |
| CDP / Unified Data Layer | Separate CDP license | Included in Essentials tier | Unified data layer, integrated across modules OOTB |
| DAM/Content Hub | Separate product, separate license | Integrated, available in Essentials tier | Everyone gets access to a high-end DAM out of the box |
| Search + Personalize | Two separate products | Combined into Conversion Optimization | Unified metric, integrated experience |
| Entry Point | Buy-first, then try the product. Limited trial for XM Cloud only. | All products / modules included out of the box in the essentials tier | Explore the tools, find the benefits, real-world POCs, confident scaling decisions |
Additional costs & transformation considerations for SitecoreAI
SitecoreAI licensing covers the platform, but it doesn't cover everything. Here's what else to factor into your total cost of ownership.
Implementation services
For a shift like this, working with an experienced partner makes a real difference. At Fishtank, we're a Platinum Partner and have done extensive work in the SitecoreAI space.
We've built an accelerator called TIDAL that dramatically speeds up SitecoreAI migrations through key capabilities:
- Component framework: ~40 pre-built, accessible components ready to adopt your brand styling. Common challenges like search, multilingual, and authentication are already solved.
- Vertical-specific features: Complete features for healthcare, financial services, associations—news centers, events, location finders, and more.
- Structured migration: Automated one-to-one migration of your existing site pages into SitecoreAI. Zero reauthoring required.
- AI code conversion: AI models tuned to convert your existing components to SitecoreAI-compatible code, accelerating the development process.
- Agentic tasks (at scale): Generative AI workflows that accomplish specific migration activities at scale—like re-authoring content across hundreds of pages or transforming data structures in bulk.
Depending on site complexity, expect a low-to-mid six-figure implementation investment. Costs scale with the complexity and number of sites.
Integration complexity
If you're not already running a primarily SaaS-based stack, integration work can move the needle on cost and some existing solutions may need additional architecting to make them made cloud-friendly. Some things to look out for:
- Back-office systems (ERP, CRM)
- Customer identity and access management
- Backend sync jobs or scheduled integrations
- Any database or process your site stores additional information in
- Custom applications that have been built into your website
The reason why we have TIDAL is so we can save money and time on projects, allowing us to handle this type of integration work and still keep the overall cost reasonable.
Front-end hosting
SitecoreAI is headless—you need a separate hosting solution for your front-end application. This needs to run Next.js and support its latest features.
Vercel is our typical recommendation:
- Starts around $35,000 USD/year at the Enterprise tier
- All-encompassing platform: builds, deployments, DevOps, releases, CDN, WAF
- Serverless architecture takes operational burden off your team
- Pro tier available for lower-traffic sites (~25% of Enterprise cost, priced per developer seat)
Custom Solutions (Azure, AWS):
- Run Next.js on an App Service or similar
- Potentially cheaper, especially for smaller sites
- But you lose the operational benefits—no built-in CI/CD, CDN, or serverless scaling
- More infrastructure management on your side
| Option | Starting Cost | Best For | Trade-offs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vercel Enterprise | ~$35,000/year | Enterprise scale companies | Higher cost, but fully managed platform with lots of value |
| Vercel Pro | ~$8,000–10,000/year | Lower-traffic sites, smaller teams | Per-developer pricing, fewer enterprise features |
| Custom (Azure/AWS) | Varies | Organizations needing network control or have security requirements | Cheaper hosting, but more operational responsibility |
Summarizing the real costs of moving to SitecoreAI
So what's the real cost? You're probably wondering.
Like any true enterprise product, Sitecore controls the pricing—not Fishtank. I've tried to share how it's structured and what it consists of, but for actual numbers, you'll need to talk to Sitecore directly.
What I can say: Sitecore is pricing SitecoreAI very competitively. When you factor in the transformational value of things like Agentic Studio and having an enterprise DAM included out of the box, it's genuinely strong value.
For planning purposes, expect:
- SitecoreAI licensing: Contact Sitecore for pricing based on your visits and module needs
- Implementation: Low-to-mid six figures, scaling with site complexity
- Front-end hosting: $8,000–$35,000/year depending on Vercel tier or custom solution
Sitecore can also incorporate front-end hosting into the package under their paperwork if that simplifies your procurement.
Determining your ROI for SitecoreAI
Fishtank has done extensive work helping organizations understand the true ROI of investing in SitecoreAI and making the migration. It's personally some of my favorite work—helping organizations see the full picture.
We have calculators and methodologies already built that factor in:
- Licensing and operational costs
- Development and execution costs
- Cost to ramp up new projects
- Operational savings over time
- Time-to-market improvements
This doesn't require a huge investment of time from your organization. We'd love to work together to help put this picture together for you. Please reach out.
Final thoughts on SitecoreAI pricing
Honestly - composable is nice in theory. It really means your products do less individually—but hopefully they're more focused and better developed. You're buying high-end, specialized versions of exactly what you need. The problem? You're also buying complexity. Multiple contracts. Multiple integrations. Multiple vendors to manage.
Sitecore has built high-end offerings across all of these needs—CMS, data layer, personalization, search, DAM, and now AI agent building—and combining them into one platform, one contract, one integrated experience is a tremendous advantage.
What makes this significant:
- Unlimited AI included at every tier, including the new Agentic Studio
- Production-level access to all modules through the Essentials tier
- A clear migration path from legacy Sitecore products
I think this is a brilliant move from Sitecore.
If you're considering SitecoreAI — whether you're migrating from Sitecore or a competitive CMS — Fishtank can help. We're a Sitecore Platinum Partner with deep experience in this space. Our TIDAL framework accelerates migrations and keeps costs predictable. And if you need to build the business case, we have ROI tools that can map out your 5-year picture quickly.
Let's talk about making your transformation to SitecoreAI. 🙏
