Composable comes of age in the Gartner DXP Magic Quadrant

^{Author: Mark Demeny, Technology Analyst - MACH Alliance}

Composable comes of age in the Gartner DXP Magic Quadrant

Gartner recently released their 2025 Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for Digital Experience Platforms (DXP MQ) report which highlighted several trends around composability that the MACH Alliance has advocated for years.

It is worth noting that four out of five vendors new to the report are MACH Alliance members - and this is not surprising given the overall trend towards composability.

These include:

While these vendors are not new, it is only recently that the DXP criteria has included composability as a key requirement. The report itself notes:

“By 2026, at least 70% of organizations will be mandated to acquire composable DXP technology, as opposed to monolithic DXP suites, compared to 50% in 2023.”

And as a result, one of the new mandatory capabilities for inclusion is:

“A composable architecture for modular and API-first approaches, with a set (or sets) of discrete, task-oriented and independently deployable packaged business capabilities (PBCs).”

In practice, assembling a digital experience platform has typically been portrayed as a binary “build vs. buy” choice - you either buy one off the shelf that has everything you need, or you build/assemble one yourself. The DXP MQ typically favored vendors that provided comprehensive solutions, as many standalone options lacked key MACH principles - especially in terms of API breadth and depth. As a result, these standalone vendors were often harder for enterprises to integrate and were subsequently overlooked by the buyers that Gartner caters to.

In 2025, composability has become a mandatory requirement. Suite vendors are more API-centric, making it (sometimes) easier for end-users to purchase individual platform elements. Meanwhile, smaller technology vendors are building or acquiring more of these platform components themselves (with Contentful acquiring Ninetailed and Contentstack acquiring CDP vendor, Lytics).

While past DXP MQ reports often highlighted vendors with similar functionality and approaches, this year's edition showcases a much wider variety of solutions and strategies. Vendors may share some common criteria, but their approaches to building a digital experience platform can vary considerably. This diversity is one of the more intriguing aspects of the current DXP market landscape.

The traditional content management suite vendors typically offer a range of capabilities, including content creation, hosting, personalization, and digital asset management. However, we're also seeing some vendors take quite different approaches. Some, like Contentful and Contentstack, prioritize core content management functions, while others, such as Uniform and Builder.io, focus more on assembling content and components into a cohesive digital experience.

Choosing a composable approach validates a core MACH principle - that varied business needs often drive this decision. Even when assembling common functions like content management, personalization, and page layout, your organizational priorities will determine which vendor solutions are "anchor" applications central to your implementation strategy, versus those that are adjacent or "good enough" as part of a bundled offering.

The ease with which technology vendors can collaborate is a key indicator of "true" composability - a core requirement for MACH Alliance membership. Alliance members must demonstrate their ability to seamlessly work together. It's one thing to claim that a 'core function' can be handed off to another vendor, such as a CMS integrating with a DAM or personalization engine. But the true test is whether members have repeatedly proven their capacity for such smooth, effortless integration.

Given the importance around composability, the MACH Alliance has an information hub around Interoperability which provides resources around understanding composable approaches - including an overview to the topic, but also whitepapers on how to evaluate and integrate composable solutions (PDF), as well as understanding the key architectural concepts and patterns (PDF).

You can download a free copy of the report via MACH Alliance members Uniform and Contentstack