{"id":7778,"date":"2023-04-26T23:02:42","date_gmt":"2023-04-27T03:02:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.jitendrazaa.com\/blog\/?p=7778"},"modified":"2023-04-29T21:53:42","modified_gmt":"2023-04-30T01:53:42","slug":"when-to-use-multiple-experience-cloud-vs-audience","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.jitendrazaa.com\/blog\/salesforce\/when-to-use-multiple-experience-cloud-vs-audience\/","title":{"rendered":"When to use Multiple Experience Cloud vs Audience"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Salesforce experience cloud came a long way in the last few years from Visualforce-based template to aura to LWR and increasing limit of high volume customer community users from 20M to 100M+<\/a>. All these changes show this product is extensively used and loved by customers. Some of the examples where experience cloud is used are the USCIS website for visa appointments, Frito-Lay, and many more companies in S&P500<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As this product is getting more mature, I heard rumors that Salesforce might bring B2C Commerce to experience cloud from demand ware (safe harbor). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I want to discuss one particular scenario and share my point of view on comparison & solution in this blog post. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There could be a situation where we would have different types of users accessing your experience cloud portal, and you could control security and visibility using a profile, permission set, sharing set, sharing rule (for customer community plus & partner community licenses), etc. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, even after all these controls are in place – you could have two options for user segmentation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  1. Either using the Audience feature<\/a> or<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Separate Experience Cloud <\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    Let’s compare both options<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

    1. Cost<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

    Both options have similar costs, as licensing is primarily determined by the number of users, not the number of portals within the same Salesforce org.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    2. Maintainability<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

    The maintenance cost can be higher for multiple Experience Cloud portals because each portal may have its own set of customizations, components, and configurations. This can lead to a higher effort in keeping all portals up-to-date and managing changes across them. For example, if you update a component or a template, you may need to apply this change across all portals, whereas with the Audience feature, you only need to make updates in a single portal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    3. Implementation<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

    Implementation can be more time-consuming for multiple Experience Cloud portals because you need to develop and configure each portal individually. This includes creating separate navigation structures, page layouts, and components for each portal. With the Audience feature, you can configure a single portal and use audience targeting to show or hide specific content based on user profiles, reducing the overall development effort.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    4. Consistency<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

    Maintaining consistency can be more challenging with multiple Experience Cloud portals, as you need to ensure that each portal adheres to the same branding, design guidelines, and user experience. This may require additional effort in coordinating updates, templates, and styles across all portals. The concern about the impact on other users is valid, but the Audience feature allows you to manage different user experiences within the same portal without affecting other users. This approach can help maintain consistency across different user segments, while still providing a tailored experience for each audience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    5. Data Access and Sharing Rules<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

    When you have multiple portals, you may need to configure data access and sharing rules for each portal separately to ensure that users only see the data relevant to them. This can involve setting up multiple sharing rules, permission sets, or even Apex sharing for custom objects, which may increase the complexity of data sharing and access management. (Check point 9 )<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    6. Performance and Scalability<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

    Both options have similar performance and scalability capabilities, with no significant impact on either.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    7. User Segmentation<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

    Multiple Experience Cloud portals separate user segments into different portals, while the Audience feature segments users within a single portal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    8. Distinct Branding and Design<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

    If you have different brands or sub-brands within your organization that require separate visual identities, distinct designs, or branding, multiple Experience Cloud portals can help you maintain unique brand experiences for each.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    9. Varied User Roles and Permissions<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

    If your user segments have significantly different roles, permissions, or access requirements, having separate portals can help you better manage data access and security by ensuring that each portal is tailored to the specific needs of its audience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    10. Complex Customizations<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

    When you need to provide highly customized experiences with unique features, components, or integrations for each user segment, multiple portals can provide the flexibility to build and manage these customizations more effectively.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    11. Isolated Environments<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

    If you want to maintain separate environments for different user segments to minimize the impact of changes or updates on other user segments, multiple portals can help you achieve this isolation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    12. Independent Release Cycles<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

    In cases where each portal has its own development and release cycles, having separate portals can allow you to manage updates and releases independently without affecting other user segments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    13. Different Portal Objectives<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

    If your portals serve distinct purposes, such as a partner portal, customer support portal, and learning portal, having separate portals can help you manage each portal’s specific objectives more effectively.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    As you can see, there is no clear winner on which option to use; however, it would give you some thought and things to consider. Overall if the target user type is the same with minor updates in look and feel, you can use audience; however, if target audience capabilities would be different, it’s better to go with multiple experience cloud even though maintaining multiple experience clouds would take more time & effort. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Feel free to share your perspective, lessons learned, etc, on this topic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    What to use for user segmentation in Salesforce – multiple Experience Cloud vs Audience <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7782,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"jz_research_post":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[9],"tags":[344,546,348,544],"class_list":["post-7778","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-salesforce","tag-architect","tag-audience","tag-best-practices","tag-experience-cloud"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.jitendrazaa.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Salesforce-experieince-cloud.png?fit=2240%2C1260&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":30625,"url":"https:\/\/www.jitendrazaa.com\/blog\/salesforce\/salesforce-lwr-experience-cloud-a-candid-architects-guide\/","url_meta":{"origin":7778,"position":0},"title":"Salesforce LWR Experience Cloud: A Candid Architect’s Guide","author":"Jitendra Zaa","date":"December 16, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"An honest, in-depth analysis of Salesforce Lightning Web Runtime (LWR) for Experience Cloud. Learn about real-world limitations, migration challenges, and when LWR is the right choice.","rel":"","context":"In "Experience"","block_context":{"text":"Experience","link":"https:\/\/www.jitendrazaa.com\/blog\/category\/experience\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Salesforce LWR Experience Cloud","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.jitendrazaa.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Salesforce-LWR-Experience-Cloud.png?fit=1200%2C290&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.jitendrazaa.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Salesforce-LWR-Experience-Cloud.png?fit=1200%2C290&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.jitendrazaa.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Salesforce-LWR-Experience-Cloud.png?fit=1200%2C290&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.jitendrazaa.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Salesforce-LWR-Experience-Cloud.png?fit=1200%2C290&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.jitendrazaa.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Salesforce-LWR-Experience-Cloud.png?fit=1200%2C290&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":7286,"url":"https:\/\/www.jitendrazaa.com\/blog\/salesforce\/point-click-based-integration-between-facebook-messenger-and-salesforce-in-5-minutes\/","url_meta":{"origin":7778,"position":1},"title":"Point & Click Based Integration Between Facebook Messenger And Salesforce In 5 Minutes","author":"Jitendra","date":"August 29, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"How to setup Facebook Messenger and Service Cloud in Salesforce within 5 Minutes Using Digital Engagement & No Code Approach","rel":"","context":"In "Salesforce"","block_context":{"text":"Salesforce","link":"https:\/\/www.jitendrazaa.com\/blog\/category\/salesforce\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Salesforce & Facebook Messenger Integration","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.jitendrazaa.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Salesforce-Facebook-Messenger-Integration-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.jitendrazaa.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Salesforce-Facebook-Messenger-Integration-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.jitendrazaa.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Salesforce-Facebook-Messenger-Integration-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.jitendrazaa.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Salesforce-Facebook-Messenger-Integration-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.jitendrazaa.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Salesforce-Facebook-Messenger-Integration-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":7784,"url":"https:\/\/www.jitendrazaa.com\/blog\/salesforce\/7-ways-to-secure-experience-cloud\/","url_meta":{"origin":7778,"position":2},"title":"7 Ways to Secure Experience Cloud","author":"Jitendra","date":"April 29, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Experience cloud is a powerful feature on the Salesforce platform where you can expose a subset of data and capabilities for external users as well as some capabilities for unauthenticated public users. This extremely powerful capability comes with huge responsibility, which is setting up the right security. By this time,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Salesforce"","block_context":{"text":"Salesforce","link":"https:\/\/www.jitendrazaa.com\/blog\/category\/salesforce\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"7 Ways to Secure Experience Cloud","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.jitendrazaa.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/7-Ways-to-Secure-Experience-Cloud.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.jitendrazaa.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/7-Ways-to-Secure-Experience-Cloud.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.jitendrazaa.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/7-Ways-to-Secure-Experience-Cloud.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.jitendrazaa.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/7-Ways-to-Secure-Experience-Cloud.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.jitendrazaa.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/7-Ways-to-Secure-Experience-Cloud.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":5231,"url":"https:\/\/www.jitendrazaa.com\/blog\/salesforce\/salesforce-analytics-cloud-basics-video\/","url_meta":{"origin":7778,"position":3},"title":"Salesforce Analytics Cloud Basics – Video","author":"Jitendra","date":"January 18, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Salesforce Analytics Cloud is new Business Intelligence tool from Salesforce on Wave platform. How Wave Works We can import millions of data into wave from external systems like Salesforce, SAP, BOOMI, CSV, Informatica etc. Imported data in Wave is known as Dataset. Multiple lenses can be created on those Datasets\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Salesforce"","block_context":{"text":"Salesforce","link":"https:\/\/www.jitendrazaa.com\/blog\/category\/salesforce\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Salesforce Wave Analytics Cloud","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.jitendrazaa.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/Salesforce-Wave-300x79.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":30924,"url":"https:\/\/www.jitendrazaa.com\/blog\/salesforce\/salesforce-energy-utilities-cloud-complete-admin-guide\/","url_meta":{"origin":7778,"position":4},"title":"Ultimate Guide to Salesforce Energy & Utilities Cloud for Admins","author":"Jitendra Zaa","date":"January 1, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Master Salesforce Energy & Utilities Cloud with this comprehensive guide. Learn about the Vlocity-to-Salesforce Industries evolution, data model architecture with Shivanya persona walkthrough, OmniStudio capabilities, Agentforce AI integration, and real-world success stories from ENGIE and British Gas.","rel":"","context":"In "Salesforce"","block_context":{"text":"Salesforce","link":"https:\/\/www.jitendrazaa.com\/blog\/category\/salesforce\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Salesforce Energy & Utilities Cloud Complete Admin Guide - Featured Image","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.jitendrazaa.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/salesforce-energy-utilities-cloud-featured.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.jitendrazaa.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/salesforce-energy-utilities-cloud-featured.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.jitendrazaa.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/salesforce-energy-utilities-cloud-featured.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.jitendrazaa.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/salesforce-energy-utilities-cloud-featured.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.jitendrazaa.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/salesforce-energy-utilities-cloud-featured.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":30732,"url":"https:\/\/www.jitendrazaa.com\/blog\/salesforce\/salesforce-b2c-commerce-cloud-complete-guide\/","url_meta":{"origin":7778,"position":5},"title":"Salesforce B2C Commerce Cloud Complete Guide","author":"Jitendra Zaa","date":"December 19, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Master Salesforce B2C Commerce Cloud with this comprehensive guide. Learn about Demandware's evolution, SFRA vs Headless architecture, Einstein AI capabilities, Cyber Week performance data (2020-2025), implementation best practices, and real-world customer success stories from Adidas, Puma, and L'Or\u00e9al.","rel":"","context":"In "Mulesoft"","block_context":{"text":"Mulesoft","link":"https:\/\/www.jitendrazaa.com\/blog\/category\/integration\/mulesoft\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.jitendrazaa.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Salesforce-B2C-Commerce-Cloud-Complete-Guide-featured.png?fit=1200%2C630&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.jitendrazaa.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Salesforce-B2C-Commerce-Cloud-Complete-Guide-featured.png?fit=1200%2C630&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.jitendrazaa.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Salesforce-B2C-Commerce-Cloud-Complete-Guide-featured.png?fit=1200%2C630&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.jitendrazaa.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Salesforce-B2C-Commerce-Cloud-Complete-Guide-featured.png?fit=1200%2C630&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.jitendrazaa.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Salesforce-B2C-Commerce-Cloud-Complete-Guide-featured.png?fit=1200%2C630&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jitendrazaa.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7778","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jitendrazaa.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jitendrazaa.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jitendrazaa.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jitendrazaa.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7778"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.jitendrazaa.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7778\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7781,"href":"https:\/\/www.jitendrazaa.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7778\/revisions\/7781"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jitendrazaa.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7782"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jitendrazaa.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7778"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jitendrazaa.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7778"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jitendrazaa.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7778"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}