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Migrate from Adobe AEM to Astro

Complete guide to migrating your Adobe AEM website to Astro. Leave Adobe AEM's most expensive cms on the market ($250k+/year) behind and get ships zero js to the client by default (islands architecture). Free migration tool included.

1-3 hours
Advanced
100% Free
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TL;DR

You can migrate from Adobe AEM to Astro for free using LeaveWP. Enter your site URL, choose Astro as the destination, and download your content — posts, pages, and media — in minutes. No API keys, passwords, or CLI tools required. Difficulty: Advanced. Estimated time: 1-3 hours.

Official docs: Astro Documentation

Why Teams Leave Adobe AEM

Adobe's enterprise content management platform. Global enterprises in the Adobe ecosystem needing DAM integration, but these limitations push teams toward modern alternatives.

Most expensive CMS on the market ($250K+/year)

This is the most common reason teams migrate away from Adobe AEM. Astro eliminates this issue entirely.

Requires specialized AEM developers (Java/OSGi expertise)

With Astro, ships zero js to the client by default (islands architecture).

Extremely complex architecture and steep learning curve

Modern architectures like Astro are designed to avoid this from the ground up.

Over-engineered for anything below Fortune 1000 scale

After migrating, you'll no longer need to worry about this — Astro takes a fundamentally different approach.

What Astro Brings to the Table

Content-focused framework that ships zero JavaScript by default. Built with JavaScript/TypeScript (framework-agnostic), it's content-heavy websites that need maximum performance with minimal javascript.

Ships zero JS to the client by default (Islands Architecture)

Use React, Vue, Svelte, or any framework in the same project

Content collections with type-safe Markdown/MDX

Purpose-built for content sites — blogs, docs, marketing pages

Astro is open-source and free to use. You own your code and data with no vendor lock-in. Deploy to any host that supports JavaScript/TypeScript, or use managed platforms like Vercel and Netlify for zero-config deployments.

Adobe AEM vs Astro at a Glance

Side-by-side comparison based on real platform characteristics

MetricAdobe AEMAstro
Ease of Use⭐⭐ 2/5⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4/5
Performance⭐⭐⭐ 3/5⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5/5
Flexibility⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4/5⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4/5
Cost 1/5⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5/5
Scalability⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5/5⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4/5
Ecosystem⭐⭐⭐ 3/5⭐⭐⭐ 3/5
LanguageJava (OSGi)JavaScript/TypeScript (framework-agnostic)
PricingPaid ($250K+/year)Free (open-source)
Open SourceNoYes

Ratings are based on publicly available data, documentation, and community consensus as of 2026. Individual experience may vary.

What Gets Migrated

A detailed breakdown of how your Adobe AEM content maps to Astro

Content Types from Adobe AEM

  • pages
  • content fragments
  • experience fragments
  • assets
  • forms

Technical Details

Export Method
Content Services API or AEM GraphQL
Source Language
Java (OSGi)
Destination Format
Markdown/MDX files with frontmatter, organized by content type
URL Handling
301 redirect map generated automatically to preserve SEO equity

What may need manual attention

Custom server-side logic, third-party integrations, and platform-specific plugins will need equivalent solutions in Astro. The core content (text, images, metadata) transfers cleanly.

How It Works

Migrate your content in three simple steps

1

Connect

Enter your Adobe AEM site URL — LeaveWP connects automatically.

2

Configure

Select Astro as destination and choose content options.

3

Export

Download your migrated content or preview it in your browser.

Is Adobe AEM to Astro the Right Move for You?

Migrating from Adobe AEM to Astro makes the most sense if you're experiencing most expensive cms on the market ($250k+/year) or outgrowing Adobe AEM's architecture. Astro is best for content-heavy websites that need maximum performance with minimal javascript.

You should migrate if: your Adobe AEM site is slow, your hosting costs are climbing, you need developer flexibility, or you want to adopt a modern JAMstack architecture.

You might want to stay if: your Adobe AEM site benefits from deep integration with the entire adobe creative cloud suite and you don't have JavaScript/TypeScript developers on your team.

The migration itself is straightforward with LeaveWP — enter your Adobe AEM URL, select Astro, and download your content. The more important question is whether Astro's architecture fits your team's skills and your project's long-term needs.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does it take to migrate from Adobe AEM to Astro?
Adobe AEM migrations are more complex due to its enterprise architecture. Expect 1-3 hours for a typical site. Simpler sites finish faster, while large sites with custom functionality may need additional configuration.
Will I lose my SEO rankings when migrating from Adobe AEM?
No. We help you set up proper 301 redirects from your old Adobe AEM URLs to preserve search rankings. Astro actually tends to improve Core Web Vitals scores, which can boost rankings over time.
What Adobe AEM content can be migrated to Astro?
Adobe AEM content types like pages, content fragments, experience fragments, assets are all migrated to Astro. Content is converted to Markdown/MDX files or structured for your chosen headless CMS.
Do I need JavaScript/TypeScript experience to migrate?
No coding experience is required for the migration itself — LeaveWP handles the export and conversion automatically. However, customizing your Astro site afterward will benefit from JavaScript/TypeScript (framework-agnostic) knowledge. For teams without that expertise, the generated code is well-structured and documented, making it approachable for developers of any level.
How much does it cost to host a Astro site after migrating from Adobe AEM?
Astro sites can be deployed to Vercel, Netlify, Cloudflare Pages, or any Node.js host — often on generous free tiers. Compared to Adobe AEM's Paid ($250K+/year) pricing, static Astro sites can be hosted for free on Vercel or Netlify (up to generous bandwidth limits), which is significantly cheaper than running a Adobe AEM instance.
Can I migrate Adobe AEM custom fields and metadata to Astro?
Yes. Custom fields, metadata, and taxonomies from Adobe AEM are preserved during migration. In Astro, these become frontmatter fields in your Markdown/MDX files, which you can extend or restructure to fit your content model.

Related Migration Guides

Explore more migration paths from Adobe AEM or to Astro

Adobe AEM to Astro Guides

In-depth guides and tutorials to help with your migration

Ready to Migrate?

Start your free migration from Adobe AEM to Astro today.

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