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CMS comparison Contentstack vs Directus

Contentstack vs Directus

Contentstack is a closed-source headless CMS that runs on the vendor's cloud. Directus is a closed-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 11.

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  • Contentstack Headless · Closed source · 17 of 28 built in
  • Directus Headless · Closed source · 18 of 28 built in

Sources checked: Contentstack on 29 Sept 2026, Directus 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 Directus feature comparison. Columns are the two platforms. Rows are features, grouped by area.
Platform
Contentstack Headless
Directus 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.Source-available data platform and headless CMS that puts a Studio admin app and REST and GraphQL APIs over your own SQL database.
Edition compared The product and release each column describes. Contentstack Content Cloud headless CMS, Free, Growth and Enterprise plans SaaS, continuously updated Directus 12, self-hosted core tier or licensed plans, with optional Directus Cloud Version 12.4.1, released 23 Sept 2026
Vendor Contentstack contentstack.com Monospace Inc. directus.com
Licence Closed source Proprietary Closed source MSCL-1.0-GPL, source-available, GPL-3.0 after four years. Free under $5M revenue and 50 staff via the Open Innovation Grant
Hosting No self-hosting Vendor cloud Self-hosting Vendor cloud Directus Cloud is a $99 per month add-on for Core and Team. Enterprise cloud on request.
Built with Hosted SaaS with REST and GraphQL APIs, CLI and SDKsTypeScript, Node.js, Vue
Database Managed by ContentstackPostgreSQL, MySQL, MariaDB, SQLite, MS SQL Server, Oracle, CockroachDB
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 Core free for 3 seats and 25 collections. Team $499 per month billed yearly or $599 monthly. Enterprise on request.
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 Schema snapshots are files in the repo, applied to an instance with the CLI. 16
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 Modular Blocks fields, plus the Visual Editor for page layout. 12 Built in Page builders use many-to-any relations. 17
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 Translations field with related translation records.
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 Built in URL parameters and saved presets. 13
APIs and delivery
REST API A documented REST or JSON HTTP API returns content. Built in 5 Built in
GraphQL API The vendor or an official module provides a GraphQL API for content. Built in 4 Built in
Webhooks The CMS can call an external URL when content is created, changed or published. Built in Built in Through Flows. Core allows 5 Flows. 219
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
Editorial workflow
Drafts Editors save changes as a draft and publish them later. The live version stays untouched until then. Built in Built in Content versioning with a draft per item. 6
Scheduled publishing An editor can set a future date and time for content to publish or unpublish. Built in 6 Limited No schedule field. An official guide publishes future items with a scheduled Flow. 14
Version history The CMS keeps earlier versions of an entry, and editors can compare or restore them. Built in Limited Revisions kept 30 days on Core, 90 on Team, configurable on Enterprise. 2
Preview Editors can see unpublished content rendered as it will appear on the site before publishing. Built in 12 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 Visual Editor on every plan. 112 Built in Visual Editor module. The site adds the Directus frontend library. 7
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 Built from a status field and custom permissions, which need Team, Enterprise or the grant. 152
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 Built in Collaborative Editing with field locking. 8
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 Built in Unlimited roles on Core. Custom access policies need Team, Enterprise or the grant. 220
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 Paid tier Custom permissions for fields and item rules need Team, Enterprise or the grant. 25
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 Paid tier Team plan and up, or the grant. SAML, OpenID, OAuth 2.0 and LDAP. 211
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 Limited Activity log kept 30 days on Core, 90 on Team, configurable on Enterprise. 212
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 Not available
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 Extensions add interfaces, layouts, panels and modules.
Plugin marketplace The vendor runs an official directory or marketplace of installable extensions. Built in Contentstack Marketplace. 13 Built in Marketplace inside the Studio. 18
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 Built in API-only application users do not use Studio seats. 3
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 Built in AI Assistant on every plan with your own OpenAI, Anthropic or Gemini key. 29
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 Built in Built in since 11.12. 10

Contentstack sources

Checked 29 Sept 2026. Contentstack Content Cloud headless CMS, Free, Growth and Enterprise plans.

  1. Contentstack pricing
  2. Contentstack docs: Migrate content using the CLI migration command
  3. Contentstack docs: Image Delivery API
  4. Contentstack docs: GraphQL Content Delivery API
  5. Contentstack docs: Content Delivery API
  6. Contentstack docs: About Releases
  7. Contentstack docs: About Workflows
  8. Contentstack docs: Real-Time Collaboration in the Entry Editor
  9. Contentstack docs: Examples to create custom roles
  10. Contentstack docs: About Single Sign-On (SSO)
  11. Contentstack docs: Monitor stack activities in Audit Log
  12. Contentstack docs: About Visual Editor
  13. Contentstack docs: AI Assistant app
  14. Contentstack docs: Contentstack MCP Server
  15. Contentstack docs: About Languages

Directus sources

Checked 29 Sept 2026. Directus 12, self-hosted core tier or licensed plans, with optional Directus Cloud.

  1. directus on the npm registry
  2. Directus pricing
  3. Directus docs: Licensing overview
  4. Monospace Sustainable Core License
  5. Directus docs: Access control
  6. Directus docs: Content versioning
  7. Directus docs: Visual Editor
  8. Directus docs: Collaborative Editing
  9. Directus docs: AI Assistant
  10. Directus docs: Directus MCP
  11. Directus docs: Single Sign-On
  12. Directus docs: Accountability
  13. Directus docs: Transform files
  14. Directus tutorial: Schedule future content with Flows
  15. Directus tutorial: Content approval workflows with custom permissions
  16. Directus tutorial: Promoting changes between environments
  17. Directus tutorial: Reusable blocks with many-to-any relationships
  18. Directus docs: Marketplace
  19. Directus docs: Send Directus webhooks to Clay with Flows
  20. Directus license, MSCL and v12 questions (Contensu)

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

Where they differ

Contentstack and Directus get a different status on 11 of the 28 features and the same status on 17. Contentstack has 17 built in on its baseline edition, Directus has 18. 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
Contentstack cannot be self-hosted. Directus can be self-hosted.

Built in on Contentstack, a different answer on Directus 4

  • Scheduled publishing Contentstack: Built in. Directus: Limited.
  • Version history Contentstack: Built in. Directus: Limited.
  • Content releases Contentstack: Built in. Directus: Not available.
  • Multiple sites Contentstack: Built in. Directus: Not available.

Built in on Directus, a different answer on Contentstack 5

  • Content model in code Contentstack: Limited. Directus: Built in.
  • Real-time co-editing Contentstack: Limited. Directus: Built in.
  • Custom roles Contentstack: Paid tier. Directus: Built in.
  • Site member accounts Contentstack: Not available. Directus: Built in.
  • AI writing assistant Contentstack: Plugin or add-on. Directus: Built in.

Built in on neither, with different answers 2

  • Approval workflows Contentstack: Paid tier. Directus: Limited.
  • Single sign-on Contentstack: Limited. Directus: Paid tier.

More comparisons

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

Contentstack against other platforms

Directus against other platforms

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

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