Contentful vs Webflow
Contentful is a closed-source headless CMS that runs on the vendor's cloud. Webflow 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 11.
- Contentful Headless · Closed source · 14 of 28 built in
- Webflow Site builder · Closed source · 15 of 28 built in
Sources checked: Contentful on 29 Sept 2026, Webflow 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
| Platform |  |  |
|---|---|---|
| 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 built-in CMS, hosting and a Data API. Designers build pages on a canvas. Run by Webflow, Inc. |
| Edition compared The product and release each column describes. | Contentful Platform SaaS, Free, Lite and Enterprise plans SaaS, continuously updated | Webflow Site plans, Starter to Enterprise SaaS, continuously updated |
| Vendor | Salesforce (acquired Contentful in September 2026) contentful.com | Webflow, Inc. webflow.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 Publishing to a custom domain requires a paid Site plan. |
| Built with | Hosted SaaS with REST and GraphQL APIs, SDKs for JavaScript and other languages | Hosted SaaS, Webflow Cloud for app hosting |
| Database | Managed by Contentful | Managed by Webflow |
| 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 Starter site. Basic $15, Premium $25 per site per month billed yearly. Team $2,500 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 The Data API can create collections and fields. No schema files. 3 |
| 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 |
| 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. Limited seats build pages from designer-approved blocks. 1 |
| 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 Webflow Localize add-on from $9 per month. The Team plan includes it. 1 |
| 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 responsive image sizes automatically. 10 |
| APIs and delivery | ||
| REST API A documented REST or JSON HTTP API returns content. | Built in 1 | Built in Data API. 60 requests per minute on Starter, 120 on Premium. 111 |
| 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 | Built in Data API webhooks for CMS items, forms and site publishes. 4 |
| 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 |
| 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 | Paid tier Scheduled CMS item publishing on the Premium Site plan. 1 |
| Version history The CMS keeps earlier versions of an entry, and editors can compare or restore them. | Built in 1 | Limited Whole-site backups. Free Starter sites restore only the two most recent. 5 |
| 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 |
| 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 | Paid tier Design approvals with designated reviewers on Enterprise. 1 |
| 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 | Limited A site publish ships all staged changes together. No named release bundles. 1 |
| 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 Available on every Workspace and Site plan. 6 |
| 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 | Paid tier Enterprise. 1 |
| 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 Enterprise access controls stop at pages and Collections. 1 |
| 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. 1 |
| 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 | Paid tier Site activity log on Team, audit logs API on Enterprise. 1 |
| 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 sites with shared seats. Each site needs its own Site plan. 1 |
| 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 Apps can add Designer Extensions to the editor. 12 |
| Plugin marketplace The vendor runs an official directory or marketplace of installable extensions. | Built in Contentful Marketplace. 15 | Built in Webflow Apps marketplace. 9 |
| Form builder Editors can build and publish forms and collect submissions without code. | Not available | Built in 50 submissions on Starter, unlimited on paid Site plans. 1 |
| Site member accounts The platform handles sign-up and login for public site users or members, separate from editors. | Not available | Not available Webflow retired User Accounts on 29 January 2026. 8 |
| 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 | Paid tier Copy generation needs a paid Site or Workspace plan and uses AI credits. 1 |
| 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 | Built in Available on all Site plans, including free Starter. 7 |
Contentful sources
Checked 29 Sept 2026. Contentful Platform SaaS, Free, Lite and Enterprise plans.
- Contentful pricing
- Salesforce signs definitive agreement to acquire Contentful
- contentful-migration on GitHub
- Contentful docs: Images
- Contentful docs: GraphQL Content API
- Contentful docs: Live preview
- Contentful Marketplace: Launch
- Contentful Help Center: Launch
- Contentful Help Center: Create a custom role
- Contentful Help Center: Content permissions
- Contentful Help Center: Single sign-on (SSO)
- Contentful docs: Set up audit logs
- Contentful Help Center: The entry editor
- Contentful docs: Create a custom app
- Contentful Marketplace: AI Content Generator
- Contentful docs: MCP server
- MarketScreener (S&P Capital IQ): Salesforce completed the acquisition of Contentful on September 1, 2026
Webflow sources
Checked 29 Sept 2026. Webflow Site plans, Starter to Enterprise.
- Webflow plans and pricing
- Updated pricing and simplified plans for May 2026
- Webflow Data API: Create Collection
- Webflow Data API: working with webhooks
- Webflow Help: save and restore backups
- Webflow Help: real-time collaboration
- Webflow Help: MCP server overview
- Webflow Help: User Accounts sunset
- Webflow Apps
- Webflow Help: responsive images
- Webflow Data API reference
- Webflow Help: Webflow Apps overview
Considering more platforms? Compare Contentful and Webflow with the rest of your shortlist in the CMS comparison tool.
Where they differ
Contentful and Webflow get a different status on 11 of the 28 features and the same status on 17. Contentful has 14 built in on its baseline edition, Webflow has 15. 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 Webflow 3
- Localization Contentful: Built in. Webflow: Plugin or add-on.
- GraphQL API Contentful: Built in. Webflow: Not available.
- Version history Contentful: Built in. Webflow: Limited.
Built in on Webflow, a different answer on Contentful 4
- Renders the website Contentful: Not available. Webflow: Built in.
- Real-time co-editing Contentful: Paid tier. Webflow: Built in.
- Multiple sites Contentful: Paid tier. Webflow: Built in.
- Form builder Contentful: Not available. Webflow: Built in.
Built in on neither, with different answers 4
- Content model in code Contentful: Limited. Webflow: Not available.
- Content releases Contentful: Plugin or add-on. Webflow: Limited.
- Field-level permissions Contentful: Paid tier. Webflow: Not available.
- AI writing assistant Contentful: Plugin or add-on. Webflow: Paid tier.
More comparisons
Full write-ups with worked examples and costs: Contentful vs Payload and Webflow vs Payload.
Contentful against other platforms
- Adobe Experience Manager vs Contentful
- Contentful vs Contentstack
- Contentful vs CoreMedia Content Cloud
- Contentful vs Craft CMS
- Contentful vs DatoCMS
- Contentful vs Decap CMS
- Contentful vs Directus
- Contentful vs Drupal
- Contentful vs EmDash
- Contentful vs FirstSpirit
- Contentful vs Framer
- Contentful vs Ghost
- Contentful vs HubSpot CMS
- Contentful vs Hygraph
- Contentful vs Instatic
- Contentful vs Joomla
- Contentful vs Keystone
- Contentful vs Kirby
- Contentful vs Liferay DXP
- Contentful vs Optimizely CMS
- Contentful vs Payload
- Contentful vs Prismic
- Contentful vs Progress Sitefinity
- Contentful vs Sanity
- Contentful vs Sitecore
- Contentful vs Squarespace
- Contentful vs Statamic
- Contentful vs Storyblok
- Contentful vs Strapi
- Contentful vs TYPO3
- Contentful vs Umbraco
- Contentful vs Wagtail
- Contentful vs Wix
- Contentful vs WordPress
- Contentful vs Xperience by Kentico
Webflow against other platforms
- Adobe Experience Manager vs Webflow
- Contentstack vs Webflow
- CoreMedia Content Cloud vs Webflow
- Craft CMS vs Webflow
- DatoCMS vs Webflow
- Decap CMS vs Webflow
- Directus vs Webflow
- Drupal vs Webflow
- EmDash vs Webflow
- FirstSpirit vs Webflow
- Framer vs Webflow
- Ghost vs Webflow
- HubSpot CMS vs Webflow
- Hygraph vs Webflow
- Instatic vs Webflow
- Joomla vs Webflow
- Keystone vs Webflow
- Kirby vs Webflow
- Liferay DXP vs Webflow
- Optimizely CMS vs Webflow
- Webflow vs Payload
- Prismic vs Webflow
- Progress Sitefinity vs Webflow
- Sanity vs Webflow
- Sitecore vs Webflow
- Squarespace vs Webflow
- Statamic vs Webflow
- Storyblok vs Webflow
- Strapi vs Webflow
- TYPO3 vs Webflow
- Umbraco vs Webflow
- Wagtail vs Webflow
- Webflow vs Wix
- Webflow vs WordPress
- Xperience by Kentico vs Webflow
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