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CMS comparison Contentstack vs Drupal

Contentstack vs Drupal

Contentstack is a closed-source headless CMS that runs on the vendor's cloud. Drupal is an open-source traditional CMS that you host yourself. The table below sets them side by side on 28 features. They get a different status on 15.

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  • Contentstack Headless · Closed source · 17 of 28 built in
  • Drupal Traditional · Open source · 16 of 28 built in

Sources checked: Contentstack on 29 Sept 2026, Drupal 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 Drupal feature comparison. Columns are the two platforms. Rows are features, grouped by area.
Platform
Contentstack Headless
Drupal Traditional
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 PHP CMS with fieldable content types, core JSON:API and multilingual modules. Teams self-host it or use Drupal hosting platforms.
Edition compared The product and release each column describes. Contentstack Content Cloud headless CMS, Free, Growth and Enterprise plans SaaS, continuously updated Drupal 11 core. Drupal CMS 2 bundles core with selected contrib modules. Version 11.4.8, released 26 Sept 2026
Vendor Contentstack contentstack.com Drupal community, supported by the Drupal Association drupal.org
Licence Closed source Proprietary Open source GPL-2.0-or-later
Hosting No self-hosting Vendor cloud Self-hosting No vendor cloud Acquia, Pantheon and other companies sell managed Drupal hosting.
Built with Hosted SaaS with REST and GraphQL APIs, CLI and SDKsPHP, Symfony, Twig
Database Managed by ContentstackMySQL, MariaDB, PostgreSQL, SQLite
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. Hosting, support and contrib services cost extra.
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 Content types and fields export to YAML config files.
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 Field UI in core.
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 Layout Builder in core. Paragraphs and Drupal Canvas are contrib. 910
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 Field-level content translation in core. 7
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 Image styles scale, crop and convert images. 8
APIs and delivery
REST API A documented REST or JSON HTTP API returns content. Built in 5 Built in JSON:API and REST modules in core. 3
GraphQL API The vendor or an official module provides a GraphQL API for content. Built in 4 Plugin or add-on GraphQL contrib module. Developers build the schema. 4
Webhooks The CMS can call an external URL when content is created, changed or published. Built in Plugin or add-on Webhooks contrib module. Core has no outgoing webhooks. 18
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 Twig themes.
Editorial workflow
Drafts Editors save changes as a draft and publish them later. The live version stays untouched until then. Built in Built in Drafts of published content need the core Content Moderation module. 5
Scheduled publishing An editor can set a future date and time for content to publish or unpublish. Built in 6 Plugin or add-on Scheduler contrib module. 11
Version history The CMS keeps earlier versions of an entry, and editors can compare or restore them. Built in Built in Revert in core. Side-by-side compare needs the Diff contrib module.
Preview Editors can see unpublished content rendered as it will appear on the site before publishing. Built in 12 Built in Preview button on the edit form.
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 Layout Builder edits blocks on a rendered preview. Drupal Canvas is contrib. 910
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 Built in Workflows and Content Moderation modules in core. 5
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 Built in Workspaces module, stable in core since 10.3. 6
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 Built in
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 Plugin or add-on Field Permissions contrib module. 12
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 Plugin or add-on OpenID Connect or SAML Authentication contrib modules. 13
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 Database Logging records content events by user. It caps and prunes entries. 20
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 Domain contrib module. Core multisite shares only the codebase. 14
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 field widgets, forms and admin routes.
Plugin marketplace The vendor runs an official directory or marketplace of installable extensions. Built in Contentstack Marketplace. 13 Built in drupal.org module directory.
Form builder Editors can build and publish forms and collect submissions without code. Not available Plugin or add-on Webform contrib module. Core Contact is deprecated in 11.4. 152
Site member accounts The platform handles sign-up and login for public site users or members, separate from editors. Not available Built in
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 Plugin or add-on AI module from the Drupal AI Initiative, bundled with Drupal CMS. 1619
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 Community contrib only, e.g. the MCP Server module by Lullabot and Omedia. 17

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

Where they differ

Contentstack and Drupal get a different status on 15 of the 28 features and the same status on 13. Contentstack has 17 built in on its baseline edition, Drupal has 16. 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). Drupal is open source (GPL-2.0-or-later).
Self-hosting
Contentstack cannot be self-hosted. Drupal can be self-hosted.
Vendor cloud
Contentstack has a vendor-run cloud. Drupal has no vendor-run cloud.

Built in on Contentstack, a different answer on Drupal 6

  • GraphQL API Contentstack: Built in. Drupal: Plugin or add-on.
  • Webhooks Contentstack: Built in. Drupal: Plugin or add-on.
  • Scheduled publishing Contentstack: Built in. Drupal: Plugin or add-on.
  • Visual editing Contentstack: Built in. Drupal: Limited.
  • Multiple sites Contentstack: Built in. Drupal: Plugin or add-on.
  • Official MCP server Contentstack: Built in. Drupal: Not available.

Built in on Drupal, a different answer on Contentstack 5

  • Content model in code Contentstack: Limited. Drupal: Built in.
  • Renders the website Contentstack: Not available. Drupal: Built in.
  • Approval workflows Contentstack: Paid tier. Drupal: Built in.
  • Custom roles Contentstack: Paid tier. Drupal: Built in.
  • Site member accounts Contentstack: Not available. Drupal: Built in.

Built in on neither, with different answers 4

  • Real-time co-editing Contentstack: Limited. Drupal: Not available.
  • Field-level permissions Contentstack: Paid tier. Drupal: Plugin or add-on.
  • Single sign-on Contentstack: Limited. Drupal: Plugin or add-on.
  • Form builder Contentstack: Not available. Drupal: Plugin or add-on.

More comparisons

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

Contentstack against other platforms

Drupal against other platforms

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

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