Contentstack vs Keystone
Contentstack is a closed-source headless CMS that runs on the vendor's cloud. Keystone is an open-source headless CMS that you host yourself. The table below sets them side by side on 28 features. They get a different status on 23.
- Contentstack Headless · Closed source · 17 of 28 built in
- Keystone Headless · Open source · 6 of 28 built in
Sources checked: Contentstack on 29 Sept 2026, Keystone 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. | Open-source Node.js headless CMS from Thinkmill that generates a GraphQL API and an admin UI from a TypeScript schema. |
| Edition compared The product and release each column describes. | Contentstack Content Cloud headless CMS, Free, Growth and Enterprise plans SaaS, continuously updated | Keystone 6, open source, from the @keystone-6/core package Version 8.1.0, released 31 Aug 2026 |
| Vendor | Contentstack contentstack.com | Thinkmill keystonejs.com |
| Licence | Closed source Proprietary | Open source MIT |
| Hosting | No self-hosting Vendor cloud | Self-hosting No vendor cloud No managed hosting. Thinkmill offers enterprise support. |
| Built with | Hosted SaaS with REST and GraphQL APIs, CLI and SDKs | TypeScript, Node.js, GraphQL, Prisma, Next.js for the admin UI |
| Database | Managed by Contentstack | PostgreSQL, MySQL, 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. Enterprise support from Thinkmill 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 Lists and fields are TypeScript config. 4 |
| 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 Component blocks inside the document field. 8 |
| 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 | Not available No locale support documented. Model translations yourself. 12 |
| 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 Image field stores originals. The Cloudinary field hands resizing to Cloudinary. 711 |
| APIs and delivery | ||
| REST API A documented REST or JSON HTTP API returns content. | Built in 5 | Not available GraphQL only. Custom REST routes through extendExpressApp. 4 |
| 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 | Not available No webhook settings. Call URLs from hooks in code. 10 |
| 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 | Not available |
| 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 |
| Preview Editors can see unpublished content rendered as it will appear on the site before publishing. | Built in 12 | Not available |
| 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 | Not available |
| 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 | Not available |
| 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 | Limited Roles are access-control functions written in code. No role editor in the admin. 5 |
| 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 | Built in Field-level access control. 5 |
| 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 | Not available The auth package covers password login. SSO means custom session code. 6 |
| 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 | Not available |
| 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 Custom admin pages, navigation and field views. 9 |
| Plugin marketplace The vendor runs an official directory or marketplace of installable extensions. | Built in Contentstack Marketplace. 13 | Not available |
| 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 createAuth works on any list, including site users. 6 |
| 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 |
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
Keystone sources
Checked 29 Sept 2026. Keystone 6, open source, from the @keystone-6/core package.
- @keystone-6/core on the npm registry
- Keystone releases on GitHub
- Keystone homepage
- Keystone docs: System configuration
- Keystone docs: Access control
- Keystone docs: Authentication
- Keystone docs: Image field
- Keystone docs: Document field demo
- Keystone docs: Custom admin UI pages
- Keystone docs: Hooks guide
- Keystone docs: Cloudinary image field
- Keystone documentation index (llms.txt)
Considering more platforms? Compare Contentstack and Keystone with the rest of your shortlist in the CMS comparison tool.
Where they differ
Contentstack and Keystone get a different status on 23 of the 28 features and the same status on 5. Contentstack has 17 built in on its baseline edition, Keystone 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). Keystone is open source (MIT).
- Self-hosting
- Contentstack cannot be self-hosted. Keystone can be self-hosted.
- Vendor cloud
- Contentstack has a vendor-run cloud. Keystone has no vendor-run cloud.
Built in on Contentstack, a different answer on Keystone 14
- Content model in the UI Contentstack: Built in. Keystone: Not available.
- Localization Contentstack: Built in. Keystone: Not available.
- Image transformations Contentstack: Built in. Keystone: Not available.
- REST API Contentstack: Built in. Keystone: Not available.
- Webhooks Contentstack: Built in. Keystone: Not available.
- Drafts Contentstack: Built in. Keystone: Not available.
- Scheduled publishing Contentstack: Built in. Keystone: Not available.
- Version history Contentstack: Built in. Keystone: Not available.
- Preview Contentstack: Built in. Keystone: Not available.
- Visual editing Contentstack: Built in. Keystone: Not available.
- Content releases Contentstack: Built in. Keystone: Not available.
- Multiple sites Contentstack: Built in. Keystone: Not available.
- Plugin marketplace Contentstack: Built in. Keystone: Not available.
- Official MCP server Contentstack: Built in. Keystone: Not available.
Built in on Keystone, a different answer on Contentstack 3
- Content model in code Contentstack: Limited. Keystone: Built in.
- Field-level permissions Contentstack: Paid tier. Keystone: Built in.
- Site member accounts Contentstack: Not available. Keystone: Built in.
Built in on neither, with different answers 6
- Approval workflows Contentstack: Paid tier. Keystone: Not available.
- Real-time co-editing Contentstack: Limited. Keystone: Not available.
- Custom roles Contentstack: Paid tier. Keystone: Limited.
- Single sign-on Contentstack: Limited. Keystone: Not available.
- Audit log Contentstack: Limited. Keystone: Not available.
- AI writing assistant Contentstack: Plugin or add-on. Keystone: Not available.
More comparisons
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 Hygraph
- Contentstack vs Instatic
- Contentstack vs Joomla
- 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
Keystone against other platforms
- Adobe Experience Manager vs Keystone
- Contentful vs Keystone
- CoreMedia Content Cloud vs Keystone
- Craft CMS vs Keystone
- DatoCMS vs Keystone
- Decap CMS vs Keystone
- Directus vs Keystone
- Drupal vs Keystone
- EmDash vs Keystone
- FirstSpirit vs Keystone
- Framer vs Keystone
- Ghost vs Keystone
- HubSpot CMS vs Keystone
- Hygraph vs Keystone
- Instatic vs Keystone
- Joomla vs Keystone
- Keystone vs Kirby
- Keystone vs Liferay DXP
- Keystone vs Optimizely CMS
- Keystone vs Payload
- Keystone vs Prismic
- Keystone vs Progress Sitefinity
- Keystone vs Sanity
- Keystone vs Sitecore
- Keystone vs Squarespace
- Keystone vs Statamic
- Keystone vs Storyblok
- Keystone vs Strapi
- Keystone vs TYPO3
- Keystone vs Umbraco
- Keystone vs Wagtail
- Keystone vs Webflow
- Keystone vs Wix
- Keystone vs WordPress
- Xperience by Kentico vs Keystone
Open the CMS comparison tool to put up to six platforms in one table.
We're booking content platform
engagements for 2026.
Twenty-five minutes to walk through the work and decide if we're the right team for it. Scoping and a fixed price come after.