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CMS comparison Contentful vs Framer

Contentful vs Framer

Contentful is a closed-source headless CMS that runs on the vendor's cloud. Framer is a closed-source site builder that runs on the vendor's cloud. The table below sets them side by side on 28 features. They get a different status on 17.

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  • Contentful Headless · Closed source · 14 of 28 built in
  • Framer Site builder · Closed source · 14 of 28 built in

Sources checked: Contentful on 29 Sept 2026, Framer 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
Contentful vs Framer feature comparison. Columns are the two platforms. Rows are features, grouped by area.
Platform
Contentful Headless
Framer Site builder
Overview
What it is Hosted headless CMS run by Contentful. Contentful stores content in its cloud and delivers it over REST and GraphQL APIs.Hosted visual site builder with a CMS, hosting and AI agents. Designers build pages on a canvas. Run by Framer.
Edition compared The product and release each column describes. Contentful Platform SaaS, Free, Lite and Enterprise plans SaaS, continuously updated Framer 3.0 site plans, Free to Enterprise SaaS, continuously updated
Vendor Salesforce (acquired Contentful in September 2026) contentful.com Framer B.V. framer.com
Licence Closed source Proprietary Closed source Proprietary
Hosting No self-hosting Vendor cloud Runs only in Contentful's cloud. The local MCP server and SDKs are open source. No self-hosting Vendor cloud A paid plan is required to connect a custom domain.
Built with Hosted SaaS with REST and GraphQL APIs, SDKs for JavaScript and other languagesHosted SaaS with React code components
Database Managed by ContentfulManaged by Framer
Pricing Public list prices only. Hosting and implementation are extra everywhere. Free to start Free plan. Lite $300 per month. Extra Lite Space $850 per month. Enterprise on request. Free to start Free plan. Basic $10, Pro $30 per site per month billed yearly. Extra editors $20 per month.
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. Limited Migration scripts run by the Contentful CLI change the model. No declarative schema files. 3 Not available You build collections in the editor or sync them through the Plugin and Server APIs. 313
Content model in the UI Admins can create and change content types and fields in the admin interface without writing code. Built in 1 Built in 13
Reusable blocks Editors compose pages from reusable, typed components or blocks, and can reorder them. Built in Reorderable reference fields to typed entries. Studio page building is Enterprise. 1 Built in Components with properties that content editors can change on-page. 14
Localization Editors translate content per locale inside the CMS, by field or by entry, without a separate site for each language. Built in 2 locales on Free, 3 on Lite, custom on Enterprise. 1 Plugin or add-on Translation locales add-on, $20 per locale per month. One free locale to try. 117
Image transformations The CMS resizes, crops or converts images on request, through URL parameters or generated sizes, with no external service. Built in Images API resizes, crops and converts by URL parameter. 4 Built in Generates 512 to 4096 px variants served through srcset. 8
APIs and delivery
REST API A documented REST or JSON HTTP API returns content. Built in 1 Limited Server API in open beta, through the framer-api package over WebSocket. No plain REST. 23
GraphQL API The vendor or an official module provides a GraphQL API for content. Built in 5 Not available
Webhooks The CMS can call an external URL when content is created, changed or published. Built in 1 Not available Webhooks cover form submissions only. 10
Renders the website The CMS itself renders and serves the public pages through themes or templates. Headless-only products answer no. Not available Built in
Editorial workflow
Drafts Editors save changes as a draft and publish them later. The live version stays untouched until then. Built in 1 Built in CMS items can stay in draft. 13
Scheduled publishing An editor can set a future date and time for content to publish or unpublish. Paid tier Scheduled publishing on Lite and Enterprise. 1 Not available No native scheduling. Third-party Marketplace plugins add it. 18
Version history The CMS keeps earlier versions of an entry, and editors can compare or restore them. Built in 1 Built in Version history and rollback of published versions. 67
Preview Editors can see unpublished content rendered as it will appear on the site before publishing. Built in 6 Built in
Visual editing Editors can click on the rendered page and edit content in place or in a side panel next to it. Built in Live preview inspector mode opens the field next to the page. Needs the live preview SDK. 6 Built in Canvas editing and on-page editing of the live site. 14
Approval workflows Content moves through review stages you configure, such as draft, review and approved, with permissions per stage. Paid tier Not on the Starter Space. Up to 5 on a Lite Space at $850 a month, custom on Enterprise. 1 Limited Editors review and merge Pro branches. Only Deploy permission publishes. No stages. 45
Content releases Editors group changes across several entries and publish them together as one release. Plugin or add-on Launch is available on Lite and Enterprise plan families, but requires Contentful admin support to purchase and install. 78 Paid tier Branching on Pro groups changes and ships them in one merge. 15
Real-time co-editing Two or more editors can work on the same entry at once and see each other's changes live. Paid tier Live collaboration on Lite and Enterprise, with per-field presence avatars. 113 Built in Free workspaces allow up to three editors. 1
Access and governance
Custom roles Admins define their own roles with granular permissions instead of picking from a fixed set. Paid tier Premium plans, sold as Enterprise. Free has 2 fixed roles, Lite 3. 19 Limited Fixed roles plus Design, Content and Deploy permissions per project. No role builder. 4
Field-level permissions Admins can restrict access to single fields, on top of content types and entries. Paid tier Field and locale rules in custom roles. Premium plans only, sold as Enterprise. 10 Not available
Single sign-on Editors can sign in through SAML or OpenID Connect against a company identity provider. Paid tier SAML 2.0 SSO on Premium plans, sold as Enterprise. 11 Paid tier Enterprise. 116
Audit log The CMS logs who changed what and when across the whole installation, and admins can review the log. Paid tier Audit logs on selected Enterprise plans, by sales agreement. 12 Not available Not documented publicly.
Platform and extensibility
Multiple sites One installation or account can manage several separate websites or brands with shared users. Paid tier One Starter Space on Free and Lite, plus one paid Lite Space. Multiple spaces on Enterprise. 1 Built in A workspace holds many site projects, each on its own plan. 4
Extensible admin UI Developers can add their own components, views or fields to the editing interface. Built in App Framework for custom field, sidebar, entry and page apps. 14 Built in Plugins add custom panels and tools to the editor. 11
Plugin marketplace The vendor runs an official directory or marketplace of installable extensions. Built in Contentful Marketplace. 15 Built in Framer Marketplace. 12
Form builder Editors can build and publish forms and collect submissions without code. Not available Built in Native forms. Submissions can also go to a webhook. 10
Site member accounts The platform handles sign-up and login for public site users or members, separate from editors. Not available Not available
AI writing assistant A first-party AI feature in the editing interface generates, rewrites or translates content. Plugin or add-on Official AI Content Generator app with your own OpenAI key. AI Actions need Enterprise. 115 Built in Agents write, rewrite and translate content. AI credits meter usage. 115
Official MCP server The vendor publishes a Model Context Protocol server so AI agents can read or write content. Built in Hosted beta server at mcp.contentful.com and an open-source local server. 16 Not available No MCP server. External Agents, in preview, link AI tools through a CLI and skills. 9

Contentful sources

Checked 29 Sept 2026. Contentful Platform SaaS, Free, Lite and Enterprise plans.

  1. Contentful pricing
  2. Salesforce signs definitive agreement to acquire Contentful
  3. contentful-migration on GitHub
  4. Contentful docs: Images
  5. Contentful docs: GraphQL Content API
  6. Contentful docs: Live preview
  7. Contentful Marketplace: Launch
  8. Contentful Help Center: Launch
  9. Contentful Help Center: Create a custom role
  10. Contentful Help Center: Content permissions
  11. Contentful Help Center: Single sign-on (SSO)
  12. Contentful docs: Set up audit logs
  13. Contentful Help Center: The entry editor
  14. Contentful docs: Create a custom app
  15. Contentful Marketplace: AI Content Generator
  16. Contentful docs: MCP server
  17. MarketScreener (S&P Capital IQ): Salesforce completed the acquisition of Contentful on September 1, 2026

Framer sources

Checked 29 Sept 2026. Framer 3.0 site plans, Free to Enterprise.

  1. Framer pricing
  2. Framer update: Server API (February 2026)
  3. Framer Developers: Server API introduction
  4. Framer Help: members, roles and permissions
  5. Framer: collaboration with branches, reviews and staging
  6. Framer: publish with staging, hosting and rollback
  7. Framer Help: staging and versions
  8. Framer Help: how Framer optimizes images
  9. Framer External Agents
  10. Framer Help: connect Framer forms to a webhook
  11. Framer Developers: plugins introduction
  12. Framer Marketplace plugins
  13. Framer CMS
  14. Framer Help: on-page editing
  15. Framer blog: Framer 3.0 with Agents and Branching
  16. Framer Enterprise
  17. Framer Help: localization
  18. Framer CMS Scheduler plugin (third party)

Considering more platforms? Compare Contentful and Framer with the rest of your shortlist in the CMS comparison tool.

Where they differ

Contentful and Framer get a different status on 17 of the 28 features and the same status on 11. Contentful has 14 built in on its baseline edition, Framer has 14. Two matching statuses can still name different paid tiers or limits, so read the notes in the table before treating a row as equal.

Built in on Contentful, a different answer on Framer 5

  • Localization Contentful: Built in. Framer: Plugin or add-on.
  • REST API Contentful: Built in. Framer: Limited.
  • GraphQL API Contentful: Built in. Framer: Not available.
  • Webhooks Contentful: Built in. Framer: Not available.
  • Official MCP server Contentful: Built in. Framer: Not available.

Built in on Framer, a different answer on Contentful 5

  • Renders the website Contentful: Not available. Framer: Built in.
  • Real-time co-editing Contentful: Paid tier. Framer: Built in.
  • Multiple sites Contentful: Paid tier. Framer: Built in.
  • Form builder Contentful: Not available. Framer: Built in.
  • AI writing assistant Contentful: Plugin or add-on. Framer: Built in.

Built in on neither, with different answers 7

  • Content model in code Contentful: Limited. Framer: Not available.
  • Scheduled publishing Contentful: Paid tier. Framer: Not available.
  • Approval workflows Contentful: Paid tier. Framer: Limited.
  • Content releases Contentful: Plugin or add-on. Framer: Paid tier.
  • Custom roles Contentful: Paid tier. Framer: Limited.
  • Field-level permissions Contentful: Paid tier. Framer: Not available.
  • Audit log Contentful: Paid tier. Framer: Not available.

More comparisons

Full write-ups with worked examples and costs: Contentful vs Payload.

Contentful against other platforms

Framer against other platforms

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

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