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CMS comparison CoreMedia Content Cloud vs Drupal

CoreMedia Content Cloud vs Drupal

CoreMedia Content Cloud is a closed-source enterprise DXP that you can host yourself or run 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 11.

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  • CoreMedia Content Cloud Enterprise DXP · Closed source · 18 of 28 built in
  • Drupal Traditional · Open source · 16 of 28 built in

Sources checked: CoreMedia Content Cloud 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
CoreMedia Content Cloud vs Drupal feature comparison. Columns are the two platforms. Rows are features, grouped by area.
Platform
CoreMedia Content Cloud Enterprise DXP
Drupal Traditional
Overview
What it is Java-based enterprise CMS with a Studio editor, a template engine and a GraphQL headless server. Runs on-premises or as CoreMedia's cloud service.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. CoreMedia Content Cloud v13, or CMCC 13 Version 2512.1.1, released 10 Aug 2026 Drupal 11 core. Drupal CMS 2 bundles core with selected contrib modules. Version 11.4.8, released 26 Sept 2026
Vendor CoreMedia GmbH coremedia.com Drupal community, supported by the Drupal Association drupal.org
Licence Closed source Proprietary Open source GPL-2.0-or-later
Hosting Self-hosting Vendor cloud Event Hub webhooks are an add-on for the CoreMedia cloud service only. Self-hosting No vendor cloud Acquia, Pantheon and other companies sell managed Drupal hosting.
Built with Java, Spring Boot, TypeScript for StudioPHP, Symfony, Twig
Database Relational database: PostgreSQL, MySQL, Oracle, SQL ServerMySQL, MariaDB, PostgreSQL, SQLite
Pricing Public list prices only. Hosting and implementation are extra everywhere. No free option Pricing 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. Built in XML files in the project workspace define content types. 3 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. Not available Content type changes need a developer and a deployment. 3 Built in Field UI in core.
Reusable blocks Editors compose pages from reusable, typed components or blocks, and can reorder them. Built in Page grid placements hold reusable content items. 4 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. Limited Each locale is a derived site linked to a master site, with a translation workflow. 5 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 Named image variants and crops in the CAE and Headless Server. 6 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 REST endpoints mapped from persisted GraphQL queries. 7 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 Headless Server. 7 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. Plugin or add-on Event Hub add-on service for cloud service subscribers. 89 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. Built in Content Application Engine with FreeMarker templates. 1 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 Valid-from and valid-to dates plus a scheduled publication workflow. 11 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 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 In-preview editing in Studio, also for headless frontends. 10 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. Built in Workflow Server with configurable publication workflows. 1113 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. Limited Projects group content. A publication set carries linked items along. 1213 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. Not available Not available
Access and governance
Custom roles Admins define their own roles with granular permissions instead of picking from a fixed set. Built in Rights rules per group, folder and content type. 14 Built in
Field-level permissions Admins can restrict access to single fields, on top of content types and entries. Not available Rights apply per folder and content type. 14 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. Built in Studio login runs on Spring Security. A project swaps in a redirect-based SSO provider. 1516 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. Built in Records who changed what and when; supports reversions. Retention, export and edition limits are not public: confirm in the contract. 16 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 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 Studio plugins. Built in Custom field widgets, forms and admin routes.
Plugin marketplace The vendor runs an official directory or marketplace of installable extensions. Built in CoreMedia Marketplace. 17 Built in drupal.org module directory.
Form builder Editors can build and publish forms and collect submissions without code. Plugin or add-on Formcentric for CoreMedia, a partner product from the Marketplace. 18 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. Plugin or add-on Elastic Social module manages site users and comments. 19 Built in
AI writing assistant A first-party AI feature in the editing interface generates, rewrites or translates content. Plugin or add-on KIO Co-Pilot needs a licence with KIO enabled. 20 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. Not available None for content. The only official MCP server covers Engagement Cloud analytics. 20 Not available Community contrib only, e.g. the MCP Server module by Lullabot and Omedia. 17

CoreMedia Content Cloud sources

Checked 29 Sept 2026. CoreMedia Content Cloud v13, or CMCC 13.

  1. CoreMedia release notes: 2512.1.1
  2. CoreMedia Content Management System
  3. Content Server Manual: Structure of content type definitions
  4. Studio User Manual: Editing a page grid
  5. Studio User Manual: Translation to derived sites
  6. CAE Developer Manual: Image Transformation API
  7. Headless Server Developer Manual: Mapping REST access
  8. Introduction to the Event Hub Service
  9. Service description: Event Hub
  10. Introducing in-preview editing for CoreMedia Content Cloud
  11. Scheduled publication workflow
  12. How to use projects in Studio (CMCC 13)
  13. Publication steps and best practices
  14. Studio User Manual: Permissions and rights
  15. Studio Developer Manual 2512.1: Single Sign On Integration
  16. CoreMedia: security, access control and audit trails
  17. CoreMedia Marketplace
  18. Formcentric Form Manager on CoreMedia Marketplace
  19. Studio User Manual 2512.0: Elastic Social
  20. Introduction to KIO Co-Pilot

Drupal sources

Checked 29 Sept 2026. Drupal 11 core. Drupal CMS 2 bundles core with selected contrib modules..

  1. drupal 11.4.8 release
  2. drupal 11.4.0 release notes
  3. JSON:API module documentation
  4. GraphQL module
  5. Content Moderation module documentation
  6. Mark Workspaces as a stable core module (#3088643)
  7. Multilingual guide: translating content
  8. Image module: working with images
  9. Layout Builder module documentation
  10. Drupal Canvas
  11. Scheduler module
  12. Field Permissions module
  13. OpenID Connect / OAuth client module
  14. Domain module
  15. Webform module
  16. AI (Artificial Intelligence) module
  17. MCP Server module
  18. Webhooks module
  19. Drupal CMS 2.0 is here
  20. Database Logging module documentation

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

Where they differ

CoreMedia Content Cloud and Drupal get a different status on 11 of the 28 features and the same status on 17. CoreMedia Content Cloud has 18 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
CoreMedia Content Cloud is closed source (Proprietary). Drupal is open source (GPL-2.0-or-later).
Vendor cloud
CoreMedia Content Cloud has a vendor-run cloud. Drupal has no vendor-run cloud.
Free option
CoreMedia Content Cloud has no free option. Drupal has a free option.

Built in on CoreMedia Content Cloud, a different answer on Drupal 6

  • GraphQL API CoreMedia Content Cloud: Built in. Drupal: Plugin or add-on.
  • Scheduled publishing CoreMedia Content Cloud: Built in. Drupal: Plugin or add-on.
  • Visual editing CoreMedia Content Cloud: Built in. Drupal: Limited.
  • Single sign-on CoreMedia Content Cloud: Built in. Drupal: Plugin or add-on.
  • Audit log CoreMedia Content Cloud: Built in. Drupal: Limited.
  • Multiple sites CoreMedia Content Cloud: Built in. Drupal: Plugin or add-on.

Built in on Drupal, a different answer on CoreMedia Content Cloud 4

  • Content model in the UI CoreMedia Content Cloud: Not available. Drupal: Built in.
  • Localization CoreMedia Content Cloud: Limited. Drupal: Built in.
  • Content releases CoreMedia Content Cloud: Limited. Drupal: Built in.
  • Site member accounts CoreMedia Content Cloud: Plugin or add-on. Drupal: Built in.

Built in on neither, with different answers 1

  • Field-level permissions CoreMedia Content Cloud: Not available. Drupal: Plugin or add-on.

More comparisons

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

CoreMedia Content Cloud 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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