Now booking enterprise content platform builds for 2026. Contact us

Join us
Contact us

What we build

Who it's for

How we engage

Case studies

Industries

Partnerships

About

Writing

Tools

For startups Join us
Contact us
CMS comparison Adobe Experience Manager vs Statamic

Adobe Experience Manager vs Statamic

Adobe Experience Manager is a closed-source enterprise DXP that runs on the vendor's cloud. Statamic is a closed-source traditional CMS that you host yourself. The table below sets them side by side on 28 features. They get a different status on 20.

Book a call
  • Adobe Experience Manager Enterprise DXP · Closed source · 25 of 28 built in
  • Statamic Traditional · Closed source · 8 of 28 built in

Sources checked: Adobe Experience Manager on 29 Sept 2026, Statamic on 29 Sept 2026. Plans and releases can change after those dates.

WAYF is an official Payload partner and top contributor. Every platform in the table is classified by the same published definitions, and each answer lists the vendor page it came from.

Feature comparison

Built inPaid tierPlugin or add-onLimitedNot available
Adobe Experience Manager vs Statamic feature comparison. Columns are the two platforms. Rows are features, grouped by area.
Platform
Adobe Experience Manager Enterprise DXP
Statamic Traditional
Overview
What it is Adobe's enterprise CMS for websites and headless content, run by Adobe as a cloud service with page, fragment and document-based authoring.Laravel-based PHP CMS that stores content in flat files by default. Free Core edition. Pro adds users, APIs and multi-site. You host it.
Edition compared The product and release each column describes. Adobe Experience Manager Sites as a Cloud Service Version 2026.9.0, released 24 Sept 2026 Statamic 6, Core and Pro Version 6.34.1, released 23 Sept 2026
Vendor Adobe business.adobe.com Statamic, LLC statamic.com
Licence Closed source Proprietary Closed source Proprietary, source available. Core is free to use.
Hosting No self-hosting Vendor cloud Cloud Service runs only on Adobe's cloud. AEM 6.5 LTS is the separate self-hosted edition. Self-hosting No vendor cloud
Built with Java, Apache Sling, OSGi, HTLPHP, Laravel, Vue
Database Apache Jackrabbit Oak repository, managed by AdobeFlat files by default, SQL databases via the Eloquent Driver
Pricing Public list prices only. Hosting and implementation are extra everywhere. No free option Pricing on request. Free to start Core free for one admin user. Pro $349 per site, then $99 per year for updates. Enterprise from $10k per year.
Content modelling
Content model in code You define content types in files in your repository, review them like any other code and apply them from there. Imperative migration scripts alone count as limited. Built in Components, dialogs and Universal Editor models live in the project repository. 2 Built in Blueprints and fieldsets are YAML files in the project. 4
Content model in the UI Admins can create and change content types and fields in the admin interface without writing code. Built in Content Fragment Model editor. 3 Built in Blueprint builder in the Control Panel. 4
Reusable blocks Editors compose pages from reusable, typed components or blocks, and can reorder them. Built in 29 Built in Replicator and Bard sets. 5
Localization Editors translate content per locale inside the CMS, by field or by entry, without a separate site for each language. Built in Language copies with translation projects and connectors. 4 Paid tier Multi-site and multilingual content need Pro. 61
Image transformations The CMS resizes, crops or converts images on request, through URL parameters or generated sizes, with no external service. Built in Web-optimized image delivery resizes, crops and converts DAM images to WebP. 5 Built in Glide resizes and crops on request. 7
APIs and delivery
REST API A documented REST or JSON HTTP API returns content. Built in Content Fragment Delivery with OpenAPI. 6 Paid tier Read-only REST API on Pro. 8
GraphQL API The vendor or an official module provides a GraphQL API for content. Built in GraphQL for Content Fragments. 6 Paid tier Read-only GraphQL API on Pro. 9
Webhooks The CMS can call an external URL when content is created, changed or published. Built in AEM Eventing delivers events through Adobe I/O Events. 7 Not available Laravel events only. No webhook settings in core.
Renders the website The CMS itself renders and serves the public pages through themes or templates. Headless-only products answer no. Built in HTL page rendering or Edge Delivery Services. 10 Built in Antlers or Blade templates.
Editorial workflow
Drafts Editors save changes as a draft and publish them later. The live version stays untouched until then. Built in Edits stay on the author tier until published. 11 Paid tier Working copies of live entries need Revisions on Pro. Core has unpublished entries. 101
Scheduled publishing An editor can set a future date and time for content to publish or unpublish. Built in Publish later and unpublish later. 11 Limited Future-dated entries stay private until their date. Set per collection. 11
Version history The CMS keeps earlier versions of an entry, and editors can compare or restore them. Built in Paid tier Revisions on Pro. 10
Preview Editors can see unpublished content rendered as it will appear on the site before publishing. Built in Separate preview tier. Built in 121
Visual editing Editors can click on the rendered page and edit content in place or in a side panel next to it. Built in Universal Editor and Page Editor. 9 Limited Live Preview shows the edit form beside the page. No click-to-edit. 12
Approval workflows Content moves through review stages you configure, such as draft, review and approved, with permissions per stage. Built in Not available Approval workflows are on the roadmap as planned. 19
Content releases Editors group changes across several entries and publish them together as one release. Built in Launches group changes across pages and promote them together. 8 Not available
Real-time co-editing Two or more editors can work on the same entry at once and see each other's changes live. Limited Only with document authoring in Word or Google Docs. The Universal Editor has no co-editing. 10 Plugin or add-on Free first-party Collaboration addon. Requires Pro. 18
Access and governance
Custom roles Admins define their own roles with granular permissions instead of picking from a fixed set. Built in AEM groups with repository permissions. 12 Paid tier Roles and permissions need Pro. 131
Field-level permissions Admins can restrict access to single fields, on top of content types and entries. Limited Repository ACL restrictions can target named properties. No per-field setting in the editors. 12 Not available Field conditions depend on field values. User roles can't drive them. 4
Single sign-on Editors can sign in through SAML or OpenID Connect against a company identity provider. Built in SAML or OIDC federation through Adobe Admin Console. 13 Paid tier Pro via Laravel Socialite providers such as SAML2. Enterprise tier lists SSO. 1521
Audit log The CMS logs who changed what and when across the whole installation, and admins can review the log. Built in Page, replication and DAM audit logs. 14 Paid tier Enterprise tier, from $10k per year, lists audit logging. 121
Platform and extensibility
Multiple sites One installation or account can manage several separate websites or brands with shared users. Built in Multi Site Manager with live copies. 15 Paid tier Pro. 61
Extensible admin UI Developers can add their own components, views or fields to the editing interface. Built in UI extensions built with App Builder. 16 Built in Custom fieldtypes, widgets and Control Panel pages. 17
Plugin marketplace The vendor runs an official directory or marketplace of installable extensions. Built in Extension Manager catalogue of Adobe and partner extensions. 16 Built in Statamic Marketplace for addons. 18
Form builder Editors can build and publish forms and collect submissions without code. Built in Core Components form container emails, posts or stores submissions. 17 Limited Core allows one form. Pro removes the limit. 116
Site member accounts The platform handles sign-up and login for public site users or members, separate from editors. Limited Publish-tier login via SAML or OIDC. Sign-up flows need custom code and user sync. 1813 Paid tier Member accounts, registration and login tags need Pro. 1416
AI writing assistant A first-party AI feature in the editing interface generates, rewrites or translates content. Built in Generate Variations needs AEM Cloud Service with Edge Delivery entitlement. Licence includes an action allowance; extra actions cost more. 19 Not available
Official MCP server The vendor publishes a Model Context Protocol server so AI agents can read or write content. Built in AEM MCP Server for pages, fragments and assets. 20 Not available Third-party addons only, such as MCP Server for Statamic by Cbox. 20

Considering more platforms? Compare Adobe Experience Manager and Statamic with the rest of your shortlist in the CMS comparison tool.

Where they differ

Adobe Experience Manager and Statamic get a different status on 20 of the 28 features and the same status on 8. Adobe Experience Manager has 25 built in on its baseline edition, Statamic has 8. Two matching statuses can still name different paid tiers or limits, so read the notes in the table before treating a row as equal.

Self-hosting
Adobe Experience Manager cannot be self-hosted. Statamic can be self-hosted.
Vendor cloud
Adobe Experience Manager has a vendor-run cloud. Statamic has no vendor-run cloud.
Free option
Adobe Experience Manager has no free option. Statamic has a free option.

Built in on Adobe Experience Manager, a different answer on Statamic 17

  • Localization Adobe Experience Manager: Built in. Statamic: Paid tier.
  • REST API Adobe Experience Manager: Built in. Statamic: Paid tier.
  • GraphQL API Adobe Experience Manager: Built in. Statamic: Paid tier.
  • Webhooks Adobe Experience Manager: Built in. Statamic: Not available.
  • Drafts Adobe Experience Manager: Built in. Statamic: Paid tier.
  • Scheduled publishing Adobe Experience Manager: Built in. Statamic: Limited.
  • Version history Adobe Experience Manager: Built in. Statamic: Paid tier.
  • Visual editing Adobe Experience Manager: Built in. Statamic: Limited.
  • Approval workflows Adobe Experience Manager: Built in. Statamic: Not available.
  • Content releases Adobe Experience Manager: Built in. Statamic: Not available.
  • Custom roles Adobe Experience Manager: Built in. Statamic: Paid tier.
  • Single sign-on Adobe Experience Manager: Built in. Statamic: Paid tier.
  • Audit log Adobe Experience Manager: Built in. Statamic: Paid tier.
  • Multiple sites Adobe Experience Manager: Built in. Statamic: Paid tier.
  • Form builder Adobe Experience Manager: Built in. Statamic: Limited.
  • AI writing assistant Adobe Experience Manager: Built in. Statamic: Not available.
  • Official MCP server Adobe Experience Manager: Built in. Statamic: Not available.

Built in on neither, with different answers 3

  • Real-time co-editing Adobe Experience Manager: Limited. Statamic: Plugin or add-on.
  • Field-level permissions Adobe Experience Manager: Limited. Statamic: Not available.
  • Site member accounts Adobe Experience Manager: Limited. Statamic: Paid tier.

More comparisons

Full write-ups with worked examples and costs: Adobe Experience Manager vs Payload.

Adobe Experience Manager against other platforms

Statamic against other platforms

Open the CMS comparison tool to put up to six platforms in one table.

We're booking content platform
engagements for 2026.

Twenty-five minutes to walk through the work and decide if we're the right team for it. Scoping and a fixed price come after.

Book a 25-min call Or email us instead