Pimcore and Akeneo compared on licence, hosting, price, scope, data standards and APIs, with a decision matrix for B2B manufacturers. Facts as of 9 November 2026.
On this page 8 sections
Pimcore vs Akeneo in short
Pimcore and Akeneo are the two PIM systems most often shortlisted by European manufacturers and distributors. Both manage product data for many channels and languages. They differ in what they are: Pimcore is a data platform you host yourself or as PaaS, with PIM, MDM, DAM and CMS on one core. Akeneo is a PIM delivered as a cloud service (Akeneo Product Cloud), with a free self-hosted Community Edition.
Choose Pimcore when product data is only one part of the job: when you also need customer or supplier master data, a product portal, a very specific data model or full control over hosting. Choose Akeneo when a product content team needs a ready SaaS with a fixed scope, quick onboarding and syndication to retailers and marketplaces.
Disclosure: LemonMind is a Pimcore Platinum partner and an Ergonode partner. LemonMind also implements Akeneo but is not an Akeneo partner. This comparison uses only public vendor sources, listed at the end, checked on 9 November 2026.
Comparison table: Pimcore vs Akeneo
Criterion | Pimcore | Akeneo |
|---|---|---|
Vendor | Pimcore GmbH, Salzburg, Austria | Akeneo SAS, founded 2013 in Nantes, France |
What it is | Data platform: PIM, MDM, DAM and CMS (DXP) on one core | PIM with DAM and add-on modules in Akeneo Product Cloud |
Delivery | Own servers, any cloud or Pimcore PaaS; Pimcore says it is not SaaS | SaaS packages (Growth, Advanced, Premium); Community Edition on your own server |
Free edition | Community Edition under the Pimcore Open Core License (POCL), free for companies below EUR 5 million revenue, non-production use, academia and non-profits | Community Edition, open source (OSL-3.0), self-hosted, community support |
Paid licence (list price) | Professional USD 9,900 a year, Enterprise USD 29,900 a year, PaaS on request | Growth listed from USD 0 a year with a 14-day trial; Advanced and Premium on request |
Data model | Freely defined classes, objects, relations and classification store | Families, attributes, variants and categories in a fixed PIM structure |
Supplier data | Data import and Datahub; supplier portals built on the platform | Supplier Data Manager (paid add-on) |
Channels and syndication | Datahub exports, APIs, Productsup integration for syndication | Activation (500+ retailers and marketplaces according to Akeneo), App Store connectors |
ETIM, ECLASS, BMEcat | ETIM supported according to Pimcore; ECLASS through the classification store; BMEcat through an add-on or a project export | Through third-party App Store apps (for example ETIM, ECLASS and BMEcat apps); not built into the core |
APIs | REST and GraphQL (Datahub), webhooks | REST and GraphQL APIs, Events API, apps with OAuth |
Technology | PHP 8.4+, Symfony 7.4, MySQL or MariaDB, OpenSearch | PHP and Symfony; in the cloud the vendor runs the stack |
Latest release | Pimcore 2026.3 (patch 2026.3.4, November 2026) | Community Edition v2026.5 (October 2026); SaaS updated continuously |
Prices are list prices from pimcore.com and akeneo.com as of 9 November 2026, without implementation. Pimcore shows its prices in dollars.
Decision matrix for a B2B manufacturer
The matrix shows which system usually fits better for typical needs of manufacturers and distributors. It is a starting point for a workshop, not a verdict: one requirement that does not fit can change the choice.
Your situation | Usually fits better | Why |
|---|---|---|
You also need customer, supplier or location master data (MDM) | Pimcore | MDM runs on the same core as PIM |
You want a product portal or B2B site from the same data | Pimcore | CMS and Portal Engine are part of the platform |
Technical products with ETIM or ECLASS classes and BMEcat exports for wholesalers | Pimcore | Classification store and project exports; Akeneo needs third-party apps |
Data must stay on your servers or in your own cloud | Pimcore | Self-hosting is the standard model; Akeneo Community Edition is the only self-hosted Akeneo |
A content team should start fast on a ready SaaS | Akeneo | SaaS packages with a fixed scope and vendor-run updates |
Many retailers and marketplaces with their own data formats | Akeneo | Activation module for retailer and marketplace syndication |
Many suppliers send product data you must collect | Both | Akeneo Supplier Data Manager (add-on) or a supplier portal on Pimcore |
Small catalogue, one shop, tight budget | Both, or Ergonode | Free editions exist for both; Ergonode publishes cloud prices |
Choose Pimcore if
- product data must live together with customer, supplier or asset data in one system;
- your data model is unusual: configurable products, technical attributes, many relations;
- you work with ETIM, ECLASS or BMEcat and supply wholesalers in electrical, building or HVAC;
- you want full control over hosting, data location and upgrade timing;
- you plan a product portal, catalogue site or B2B shop on the same data.
Choose Akeneo if
- your main need is product content for marketing and sales channels;
- you prefer SaaS with vendor-run hosting and updates;
- you publish to many retailers and marketplaces and want a ready syndication module;
- your team wants a fixed, guided PIM structure rather than a platform to model;
- you accept that standards such as ETIM or BMEcat come from App Store apps.
ETIM, ECLASS and BMEcat in Pimcore and Akeneo
For manufacturers that supply wholesalers, classification standards often decide the choice. ETIM describes technical features of products in classes, ECLASS is a similar cross-industry standard, and BMEcat is the XML format for exchanging catalogue data. More in our guides: What is ETIM, What is ECLASS and What is BMEcat.
Pimcore states that it supports ETIM, and ETIM or ECLASS classes can be held in its classification store. In the GTV project LemonMind extended Pimcore with an ETIM Mapper that assigns product categories to ETIM classes and with a BMEcat XML export for distributors.
In Akeneo these standards come from apps in the Akeneo App Store made by third parties, for example an ETIM app and a B2B data hub app that covers ETIM, ECLASS and BMEcat. Check the app, its vendor and its price before you decide, because the core product does not include them.
Costs: licence is only part of the budget
Licence: Pimcore Community is free under POCL conditions, Professional costs USD 9,900 and Enterprise USD 29,900 a year (licence comparison). Akeneo Community Edition is free; Akeneo lists Growth from USD 0 a year and prices Advanced and Premium on request, and some modules such as Supplier Data Manager are paid add-ons.
Implementation is a separate budget in both cases. It depends most on the number of integrations (ERP, shop, marketplaces), the size and quality of the source data, and the number of languages and channels.
How we prepared this comparison
We read the vendor pages for pricing, editions, modules, data standards, APIs and release notes on 9 November 2026 and linked every source below. We describe only what the vendors publish and do not rate implementation quality. If a fact has changed, write to hello@lemonmind.com and we will update the page.
Not sure which fits? See Pimcore, Akeneo and Ergonode side by side, or compare Ergonode vs Akeneo.
Sources
- Pimcore pricing · Pimcore
- Pimcore Community Edition and POCL · Pimcore
- Pimcore editions and modules · Pimcore
- Pimcore and ETIM · Pimcore
- Pimcore releases · Pimcore on GitHub
- Akeneo packages compared · Akeneo
- Akeneo Product Cloud · Akeneo
- Akeneo Community Edition · Akeneo
- Akeneo API reference · Akeneo
- Akeneo App Store · Akeneo
