Type: FAQ
Category: Umbraco Cloud > Getting Started
Tags: Umbraco CMS, Umbraco Cloud, what is Umbraco, difference between CMS and Cloud, managed hosting, self-hosting, open source .NET CMS, getting started
Product: Umbraco CMS, Umbraco Cloud
Version: All versions
Summary
Umbraco CMS and Umbraco Cloud are two different things that work together: the CMS is the product you build your website with, and Cloud is the managed platform you can run it on. This article explains what each one does and how to decide between self-hosting and Umbraco Cloud.
Umbraco CMS
Umbraco CMS is an open-source content management system built on .NET. It is designed to be flexible for developers and straightforward for content editors.
It does not impose a fixed content structure, so it scales from a simple website to complex multi-site and multi-language solutions. You can host it wherever you like, on your own infrastructure or with any hosting provider.
Umbraco Cloud
Umbraco Cloud is the managed platform built specifically for Umbraco CMS. It removes the need to run and maintain your own infrastructure, and adds:
Managed hosting and databases — hosted on Microsoft Azure, with a managed SQL database, automatic backups, and point-in-time restore.
Automatic upgrades and security patches — applied for you, so your project stays current without manual maintenance work.
Environments and deployment — Development, Staging, and Live environments with Umbraco Deploy included, so you can move code, schema, and content between them.
Team collaboration — the Umbraco Cloud Portal, where you manage projects, invite team members, and assign access levels.
In short
Umbraco CMS is what you build with.
Umbraco Cloud is how you run, scale, and maintain it, with less operational overhead.
Choosing between self-hosting and Umbraco Cloud
Which one fits depends on your team, your hosting requirements, and how much infrastructure work you want to own. Available features and services differ by Cloud plan, so check the current plan details before deciding.
For plans and what each one includes, see Umbraco Cloud.
If you are chatting with Umboto right now, type "talk to human" and we will connect you with someone who can help you decide.
If you are reading this article on its own, contact us and we will get back to you.
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Last updated on August 26, 2026