Contentstack vs Hygraph
Contentstack is a closed-source headless CMS that runs on the vendor's cloud. Hygraph is a closed-source headless CMS that runs on the vendor's cloud. The table below sets them side by side on 28 features. They get a different status on 10.
- Contentstack Headless · Closed source · 17 of 28 built in
- Hygraph Headless · Closed source · 13 of 28 built in
Sources checked: Contentstack on 29 Sept 2026, Hygraph 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 Contentstack, sold alongside its AI agent and customer data products. It delivers content over REST and GraphQL APIs. | Hosted headless CMS run by Hygraph, formerly GraphCMS. Serves content over a GraphQL API and can pull in data from remote REST and GraphQL sources. |
| Edition compared The product and release each column describes. | Contentstack Content Cloud headless CMS, Free, Growth and Enterprise plans SaaS, continuously updated | Hygraph SaaS, Hobby, Growth and Enterprise plans SaaS, continuously updated |
| Vendor | Contentstack contentstack.com | Hygraph (formerly GraphCMS) hygraph.com |
| Licence | Closed source Proprietary | Closed source Proprietary |
| Hosting | No self-hosting Vendor cloud | No self-hosting Vendor cloud Shared regions on every plan. Dedicated clusters on Enterprise. |
| Built with | Hosted SaaS with REST and GraphQL APIs, CLI and SDKs | Hosted SaaS with a GraphQL Content API |
| Database | Managed by Contentstack | Managed by Hygraph |
| 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 Hobby free. Growth from $199 per month. 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 | Limited Management SDK applies schema changes from code. No declarative schema files. 2 |
| 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 1 |
| 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 Components in modular fields: 10 on Hobby, 20 on Growth. 1 |
| 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 locales: 2 on Hobby, 3 on Growth, up to 80 on Enterprise. 1 |
| 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 Resize, crop and format conversion by URL or GraphQL argument. 4 |
| APIs and delivery | ||
| REST API A documented REST or JSON HTTP API returns content. | Built in 5 | Not available Content API is GraphQL only. 3 |
| GraphQL API The vendor or an official module provides a GraphQL API for content. | Built in 4 | Built in 3 |
| Webhooks The CMS can call an external URL when content is created, changed or published. | Built in | Built in 5 on Hobby, 10 on Growth. 15 |
| 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 DRAFT and PUBLISHED stages on every plan. 1 |
| Scheduled publishing An editor can set a future date and time for content to publish or unpublish. | Built in 6 | Paid tier Scheduled publishing on Enterprise. 17 |
| Version history The CMS keeps earlier versions of an entry, and editors can compare or restore them. | Built in | Paid tier 14 days on Growth, up to 365 on Enterprise. None on Hobby. 1 |
| Preview Editors can see unpublished content rendered as it will appear on the site before publishing. | Built in 12 | Built in 1 |
| 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 Click to Edit via the Hygraph Preview SDK opens the field in Studio. 6 |
| 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 | Paid tier Custom Workflows, up to 10, on Enterprise. 113 |
| 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 | Paid tier Releases on Enterprise. 7 |
| 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 Collaborator View shows who else is in an entry. 9 |
| 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 | Paid tier Up to 30 custom roles on Enterprise. Hobby has 2 standard roles, Growth 4. 1 |
| 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 Permissions scope by model, locale, stage, environment and condition. 8 |
| 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 Enterprise. 1 |
| 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 | Paid tier Enterprise, 90-day retention. 1 |
| 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 | Paid tier Multitenancy on Enterprise. 1 |
| 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 App Framework for custom fields, sidebars and pages. 12 |
| Plugin marketplace The vendor runs an official directory or marketplace of installable extensions. | Built in Contentstack Marketplace. 13 | Built in Hygraph Marketplace. 12 |
| 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 | Built in AI Assist on every plan, with a monthly AI token allowance. 110 |
| 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 Global endpoint at mcp.hygraph.com and per-project endpoints. Also a Claude connector. 111415 |
Contentstack sources
Checked 29 Sept 2026. Contentstack Content Cloud headless CMS, Free, Growth and Enterprise plans.
- Contentstack pricing
- Contentstack docs: Migrate content using the CLI migration command
- Contentstack docs: Image Delivery API
- Contentstack docs: GraphQL Content Delivery API
- Contentstack docs: Content Delivery API
- Contentstack docs: About Releases
- Contentstack docs: About Workflows
- Contentstack docs: Real-Time Collaboration in the Entry Editor
- Contentstack docs: Examples to create custom roles
- Contentstack docs: About Single Sign-On (SSO)
- Contentstack docs: Monitor stack activities in Audit Log
- Contentstack docs: About Visual Editor
- Contentstack docs: AI Assistant app
- Contentstack docs: Contentstack MCP Server
- Contentstack docs: About Languages
Hygraph sources
Checked 29 Sept 2026. Hygraph SaaS, Hobby, Growth and Enterprise plans.
- Hygraph pricing
- Hygraph docs: Management SDK overview
- Hygraph docs: API reference overview
- Hygraph docs: Asset transformations
- Hygraph docs: Webhooks
- Hygraph docs: Click to Edit setup
- Hygraph docs: Content releases
- Hygraph docs: Content permissions
- Hygraph blog: Introducing Collaborator View
- Hygraph blog: AI Assist is now generally available
- Hygraph docs: MCP server
- Hygraph Marketplace: Apps
- Hygraph docs: Content workflows
- Hygraph docs: Set up the MCP server
- Hygraph blog: MCP Connector for Claude (September 2026)
Considering more platforms? Compare Contentstack and Hygraph with the rest of your shortlist in the CMS comparison tool.
Where they differ
Contentstack and Hygraph get a different status on 10 of the 28 features and the same status on 18. Contentstack has 17 built in on its baseline edition, Hygraph has 13. 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 Contentstack, a different answer on Hygraph 5
- REST API Contentstack: Built in. Hygraph: Not available.
- Scheduled publishing Contentstack: Built in. Hygraph: Paid tier.
- Version history Contentstack: Built in. Hygraph: Paid tier.
- Content releases Contentstack: Built in. Hygraph: Paid tier.
- Multiple sites Contentstack: Built in. Hygraph: Paid tier.
Built in on Hygraph, a different answer on Contentstack 1
- AI writing assistant Contentstack: Plugin or add-on. Hygraph: Built in.
Built in on neither, with different answers 4
- Real-time co-editing Contentstack: Limited. Hygraph: Not available.
- Field-level permissions Contentstack: Paid tier. Hygraph: Not available.
- Single sign-on Contentstack: Limited. Hygraph: Paid tier.
- Audit log Contentstack: Limited. Hygraph: Paid tier.
More comparisons
Full write-ups with worked examples and costs: Hygraph vs Payload.
Contentstack against other platforms
- Adobe Experience Manager vs Contentstack
- Contentful vs Contentstack
- Contentstack vs CoreMedia Content Cloud
- Contentstack vs Craft CMS
- Contentstack vs DatoCMS
- Contentstack vs Decap CMS
- Contentstack vs Directus
- Contentstack vs Drupal
- Contentstack vs EmDash
- Contentstack vs FirstSpirit
- Contentstack vs Framer
- Contentstack vs Ghost
- Contentstack vs HubSpot CMS
- Contentstack vs Instatic
- Contentstack vs Joomla
- Contentstack vs Keystone
- Contentstack vs Kirby
- Contentstack vs Liferay DXP
- Contentstack vs Optimizely CMS
- Contentstack vs Payload
- Contentstack vs Prismic
- Contentstack vs Progress Sitefinity
- Contentstack vs Sanity
- Contentstack vs Sitecore
- Contentstack vs Squarespace
- Contentstack vs Statamic
- Contentstack vs Storyblok
- Contentstack vs Strapi
- Contentstack vs TYPO3
- Contentstack vs Umbraco
- Contentstack vs Wagtail
- Contentstack vs Webflow
- Contentstack vs Wix
- Contentstack vs WordPress
- Contentstack vs Xperience by Kentico
Hygraph against other platforms
- Adobe Experience Manager vs Hygraph
- Contentful vs Hygraph
- CoreMedia Content Cloud vs Hygraph
- Craft CMS vs Hygraph
- DatoCMS vs Hygraph
- Decap CMS vs Hygraph
- Directus vs Hygraph
- Drupal vs Hygraph
- EmDash vs Hygraph
- FirstSpirit vs Hygraph
- Framer vs Hygraph
- Ghost vs Hygraph
- HubSpot CMS vs Hygraph
- Hygraph vs Instatic
- Hygraph vs Joomla
- Hygraph vs Keystone
- Hygraph vs Kirby
- Hygraph vs Liferay DXP
- Hygraph vs Optimizely CMS
- Hygraph vs Payload
- Hygraph vs Prismic
- Hygraph vs Progress Sitefinity
- Hygraph vs Sanity
- Hygraph vs Sitecore
- Hygraph vs Squarespace
- Hygraph vs Statamic
- Hygraph vs Storyblok
- Hygraph vs Strapi
- Hygraph vs TYPO3
- Hygraph vs Umbraco
- Hygraph vs Wagtail
- Hygraph vs Webflow
- Hygraph vs Wix
- Hygraph vs WordPress
- Hygraph vs Xperience by Kentico
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