Why reports show that Umbraco has lower user stats...
Posted by Natalie Mayes this week
...and why that's misleading.
When comparing content management systems (CMS), statistics often show WordPress dominating the market while Umbraco barely registers. So, why does such a powerful and flexible CMS like Umbraco seem so underrepresented in user stats?
The answer lies less in reality and more in how those stats are gathered - and in the intentional design and marketing philosophies of the platforms themselves.
1. Umbraco doesn’t shout about itself
One of the primary reasons Umbraco appears in fewer reports is that, unlike WordPress, it doesn’t advertise or include visible footprints in the websites it powers. WordPress often comes with obvious markers in the code or URL structure (such as /wp-admin/ or /wp-content/) that make it easy for tools like BuiltWith.com to identify. Umbraco, on the other hand, encourages developers to remove or obscure identifying features for security and branding reasons. It is built with privacy and customisation in mind.
In fact, Umbraco’s own best practices recommend not revealing it is an Umbraco site - partly to reduce the risk of automated hacking attempts. As a result, many Umbraco sites simply do not show up in scanning tools or platform usage reports.
2. Built for quality, not quantity
WordPress thrives in the mass market - freelancers, hobbyists, and small businesses setting up sites with little to no technical input. There is nothing wrong with that, but it naturally results in millions of lower budget, template driven websites.
Umbraco is built for a different audience. It is often chosen for high end, enterprise grade websites that demand flexibility, security, and long term maintainability. These kinds of projects are fewer in number, but much larger in scope. Think government sites, large charities, universities, or corporate intranets - many of which may not even be publicly visible.
At mohunky, we scale Umbraco down for smaller businesses too, which is where it really starts to shine. You get enterprise level architecture, tailored user experience, and clean, fast, accessible websites without the bloat.
3. No advertising, no noise
Unlike WordPress, which is backed by a wide ecosystem of plugin vendors and hosting companies with a vested interest in inflating market share, Umbraco does not spam the web with adverts, affiliate links, or sales focused blog content. Its marketing is more community driven and developer focused, which doesn’t translate into flashy numbers - but it does translate into trust and quality.
4. The Stats are misleading anyway
Tools like BuiltWith.com and W3Techs rely on detectable patterns to identify CMS's. If a CMS does not leave an obvious signature, it may go uncounted. A significant percentage of Umbraco powered websites are invisible to these tools because they follow best practices: no obvious URLs, no tell tale code, and often sitting behind secure login walls (especially for intranet or portal projects).
So when the reports say "low usage", it is often just low detectability.
For those sites that are visible, here's how the industry and country of origin breaks down:
5. Who’s using Umbraco?
According to Apps Run the World, Umbraco powers websites for organisations across over 50 countries and a wide range of industries - from finance and education to healthcare and retail. The UK is one of Umbraco’s strongest markets, where it’s trusted by both public sector institutions and major brands.
Here are some well known UK brands and companies that use Umbraco:
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Tesco – Retail giant using Umbraco for digital content management.
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ASDA Money – Financial services arm of the supermarket, improved organic traffic via Umbraco.
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Legal & General – Trusted for managing high security content across platforms.
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YoungMinds – Mental health charity with a user first digital experience.
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Sport England – Government funded sports development organisation.
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Westminster Abbey – Historic site using Umbraco to support tourism and education.
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Speedo UK – Manages branded campaigns and content using Umbraco.
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Durex UK – Supporting product education and eCommerce integration.
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Take That – The band’s official site is run on Umbraco for fan engagement.
- Shawbrook Bank – Digital-first banking powered by Umbraco CMS.
The bottom line
Umbraco might not have the market share of WordPress on paper - but in the real world, it is trusted by organisations who prioritise performance, scalability, and security. It quietly powers high value websites without the fanfare. And when you look beyond the surface level numbers, it becomes clear that Umbraco is not a small player - it is just playing a different game.
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