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CMS comparison Contentstack vs Decap CMS

Contentstack vs Decap CMS

Contentstack is a closed-source headless CMS that runs on the vendor's cloud. Decap CMS is an open-source headless CMS that you can host yourself or run on the vendor's cloud. The table below sets them side by side on 28 features. They get a different status on 19.

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  • Contentstack Headless · Closed source · 17 of 28 built in
  • Decap CMS Headless · Open source · 6 of 28 built in

Sources checked: Contentstack on 29 Sept 2026, Decap CMS 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
Contentstack vs Decap CMS feature comparison. Columns are the two platforms. Rows are features, grouped by area.
Platform
Contentstack Headless
Decap CMS Headless
Overview
What it is Hosted headless CMS run by Contentstack, sold alongside its AI agent and customer data products. It delivers content over REST and GraphQL APIs.Open-source Git-based CMS. A React admin app added to your site edits Markdown, YAML or JSON files and commits them to your repository.
Edition compared The product and release each column describes. Contentstack Content Cloud headless CMS, Free, Growth and Enterprise plans SaaS, continuously updated Decap CMS 3, open source. Decap Turbo hosted backend is in public preview. Version 3.16.3, released 22 Sept 2026
Vendor Contentstack contentstack.com Decap CMS project (formerly Netlify CMS), maintained in Europe decapcms.org
Licence Closed source Proprietary Open source MIT
Hosting No self-hosting Vendor cloud Self-hosting Vendor cloud Decap Turbo, a hosted backend for login and Git access, is in public preview.
Built with Hosted SaaS with REST and GraphQL APIs, CLI and SDKsJavaScript, React
Database Managed by ContentstackYour Git repository on GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket, Gitea or Azure
Pricing Public list prices only. Hosting and implementation are extra everywhere. Free to start Free plan. Growth $299 per month, extra users $25 per user per month. Enterprise on request. Free to start Free and open source. The Decap Turbo hosted backend, in public preview, has a Free plan and Pro at €19 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 Contentstack CLI. No declarative schema files. 2 Built in Collections and fields are defined in config.yml. 6
Content model in the UI Admins can create and change content types and fields in the admin interface without writing code. Built in 1 Not available
Reusable blocks Editors compose pages from reusable, typed components or blocks, and can reorder them. Built in Modular Blocks fields, plus the Visual Editor for page layout. 12 Built in List widget with variable types. 7
Localization Editors translate content per locale inside the CMS, by field or by entry, without a separate site for each language. Built in Entry-level localization in over 200 languages. 15 Built in Side-by-side editing per locale, stored per folder, file or field. 8
Image transformations The CMS resizes, crops or converts images on request, through URL parameters or generated sizes, with no external service. Built in Image Delivery API resizes, crops and converts by URL parameter. 3 Not available Media goes to the repo or an external media library.
APIs and delivery
REST API A documented REST or JSON HTTP API returns content. Built in 5 Not available Content is files in Git. Read them through the Git host API. 2
GraphQL API The vendor or an official module provides a GraphQL API for content. Built in 4 Not available
Webhooks The CMS can call an external URL when content is created, changed or published. Built in Not available Use the Git host's webhooks on commit.
Renders the website The CMS itself renders and serves the public pages through themes or templates. Headless-only products answer no. Not available Not available Pairs with a static site generator. 2
Editorial workflow
Drafts Editors save changes as a draft and publish them later. The live version stays untouched until then. Built in Built in Editorial workflow keeps drafts on a branch until merged. 9
Scheduled publishing An editor can set a future date and time for content to publish or unpublish. Built in 6 Not available
Version history The CMS keeps earlier versions of an entry, and editors can compare or restore them. Built in Not available History lives in Git. The CMS has no revision view.
Preview Editors can see unpublished content rendered as it will appear on the site before publishing. Built in 12 Built in Preview pane with custom templates and styles. 10
Visual editing Editors can click on the rendered page and edit content in place or in a side panel next to it. Built in Visual Editor on every plan. 112 Limited Preview pane beside the form. No click-to-edit on the live page. 10
Approval workflows Content moves through review stages you configure, such as draft, review and approved, with permissions per stage. Paid tier Custom workflows on Growth and Enterprise. 17 Limited Fixed Drafts, In review and Ready stages. No per-stage permissions. 9
Content releases Editors group changes across several entries and publish them together as one release. Built in Releases deploy grouped entries and assets to an environment. 6 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 Field-level locks and presence. Rolling out in phases with Drafts and Auto Save. 8 Not available
Access and governance
Custom roles Admins define their own roles with granular permissions instead of picking from a fixed set. Paid tier 2 custom roles on Growth, 500 on Enterprise. None on Free. 1 Plugin or add-on Decap Turbo, in public preview, has a custom roles add-on at €19 per month on Pro. Core uses Git access. 1214
Field-level permissions Admins can restrict access to single fields, on top of content types and entries. Paid tier Field rules inside custom roles, from Growth. 19 Not available
Single sign-on Editors can sign in through SAML or OpenID Connect against a company identity provider. Limited SAML 2.0 documented; baseline availability unconfirmed. Eligible tiers are not public. Confirm access in the contract. 10 Limited Sign-in runs through the Git host or Turbo. SAML only where the Git host enforces it. 413
Audit log The CMS logs who changed what and when across the whole installation, and admins can review the log. Limited Stack and organization logs documented; baseline availability unconfirmed. Confirm access and retention in the contract. 11 Plugin or add-on Decap Turbo, in public preview, has an activity log on its Free plan. Core has Git history only. 12
Platform and extensibility
Multiple sites One installation or account can manage several separate websites or brands with shared users. Built in Separate stacks in one organization. Scaling stacks is a Growth and Enterprise option. 1 Plugin or add-on Decap Turbo organizations share members across sites. Turbo is in public preview. Extra sites €10/month. 1412
Extensible admin UI Developers can add their own components, views or fields to the editing interface. Built in Developer Hub apps in field, sidebar and dashboard UI locations. 13 Built in Custom widgets, preview templates and editor components. 1110
Plugin marketplace The vendor runs an official directory or marketplace of installable extensions. Built in Contentstack Marketplace. 13 Not available No official extension directory.
Form builder Editors can build and publish forms and collect submissions without code. Not available Not available
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 Assistant app with Contentstack-managed or your own model keys. 113 Not available
Official MCP server The vendor publishes a Model Context Protocol server so AI agents can read or write content. Built in Official server run locally with npx @contentstack/mcp. 14 Not available

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

Where they differ

Contentstack and Decap CMS get a different status on 19 of the 28 features and the same status on 9. Contentstack has 17 built in on its baseline edition, Decap CMS has 6. Two matching statuses can still name different paid tiers or limits, so read the notes in the table before treating a row as equal.

Licence
Contentstack is closed source (Proprietary). Decap CMS is open source (MIT).
Self-hosting
Contentstack cannot be self-hosted. Decap CMS can be self-hosted.

Built in on Contentstack, a different answer on Decap CMS 12

  • Content model in the UI Contentstack: Built in. Decap CMS: Not available.
  • Image transformations Contentstack: Built in. Decap CMS: Not available.
  • REST API Contentstack: Built in. Decap CMS: Not available.
  • GraphQL API Contentstack: Built in. Decap CMS: Not available.
  • Webhooks Contentstack: Built in. Decap CMS: Not available.
  • Scheduled publishing Contentstack: Built in. Decap CMS: Not available.
  • Version history Contentstack: Built in. Decap CMS: Not available.
  • Visual editing Contentstack: Built in. Decap CMS: Limited.
  • Content releases Contentstack: Built in. Decap CMS: Not available.
  • Multiple sites Contentstack: Built in. Decap CMS: Plugin or add-on.
  • Plugin marketplace Contentstack: Built in. Decap CMS: Not available.
  • Official MCP server Contentstack: Built in. Decap CMS: Not available.

Built in on Decap CMS, a different answer on Contentstack 1

  • Content model in code Contentstack: Limited. Decap CMS: Built in.

Built in on neither, with different answers 6

  • Approval workflows Contentstack: Paid tier. Decap CMS: Limited.
  • Real-time co-editing Contentstack: Limited. Decap CMS: Not available.
  • Custom roles Contentstack: Paid tier. Decap CMS: Plugin or add-on.
  • Field-level permissions Contentstack: Paid tier. Decap CMS: Not available.
  • Audit log Contentstack: Limited. Decap CMS: Plugin or add-on.
  • AI writing assistant Contentstack: Plugin or add-on. Decap CMS: Not available.

More comparisons

Contentstack against other platforms

Decap CMS against other platforms

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