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CMS comparison Craft CMS vs Directus

Craft CMS vs Directus

Craft CMS is a closed-source traditional CMS that you can host yourself or run 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 15.

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  • Craft CMS Traditional · Closed source · 14 of 28 built in
  • Directus Headless · Closed source · 18 of 28 built in

Sources checked: Craft CMS 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
Craft CMS vs Directus feature comparison. Columns are the two platforms. Rows are features, grouped by area.
Platform
Craft CMS Traditional
Directus Headless
Overview
What it is Self-hosted PHP CMS with custom fields and Twig templates. Pixel & Tonic sells licences per project and runs Craft Cloud hosting.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. Craft CMS 5 in Solo, Team and Pro editions. Craft 6 is in alpha. Version 5.11.3, released 18 Sept 2026 Directus 12, self-hosted core tier or licensed plans, with optional Directus Cloud Version 12.4.1, released 23 Sept 2026
Vendor Pixel & Tonic craftcms.com Monospace Inc. directus.com
Licence Closed source Proprietary Craft License, source available 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 Self-hosting Vendor cloud Craft Cloud starts at $120 per month per project and includes a Team licence. Self-hosting Vendor cloud Directus Cloud is a $99 per month add-on for Core and Team. Enterprise cloud on request.
Built with PHP, Yii 2, TwigTypeScript, Node.js, Vue
Database MySQL, MariaDB, PostgreSQLPostgreSQL, MySQL, MariaDB, SQLite, MS SQL Server, Oracle, CockroachDB
Pricing Public list prices only. Hosting and implementation are extra everywhere. Free to start Solo free for one user. Team $279, Pro $399 per project, then $99 per year for updates. 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. Built in Project config YAML records sections, entry types and fields for Git. 7 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 6 Built in
Reusable blocks Editors compose pages from reusable, typed components or blocks, and can reorder them. Built in Matrix fields with nested entry types. 8 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 Per-site and per-language field translation on every edition. 61 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 10 Built in URL parameters and saved presets. 13
APIs and delivery
REST API A documented REST or JSON HTTP API returns content. Plugin or add-on Free first-party Element API plugin. 12 Built in
GraphQL API The vendor or an official module provides a GraphQL API for content. Built in 111 Built in
Webhooks The CMS can call an external URL when content is created, changed or published. Plugin or add-on Free first-party Webhooks plugin. 13 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. Built in Twig templates. Not available
Editorial workflow
Drafts Editors save changes as a draft and publish them later. The live version stays untouched until then. Built in 14 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 Post date and expiry date on entries. 15 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 Editors can view and restore revisions. 14 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 1 Built in
Visual editing Editors can click on the rendered page and edit content in place or in a side panel next to it. Limited Live Preview shows the edit form beside the page. No click-to-edit. 14 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. Plugin or add-on Workflow plugin by Verbb, $49. 16 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. Not available 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. Not available 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 Pro. Team allows one user group. Solo has one user. 51 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 Per-field Current User Condition. Rules by user group need Pro. 65 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. Paid tier First-party SAML SSO on Enterprise. 13 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. Not available No core log. Craft 5 audit plugins exist but are niche. 20 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 Included on every edition. 19 Not available
Extensible admin UI Developers can add their own components, views or fields to the editing interface. Built in 18 Built in Extensions add interfaces, layouts, panels and modules.
Plugin marketplace The vendor runs an official directory or marketplace of installable extensions. Built in Craft Plugin Store. 1 Built in Marketplace inside the Studio. 18
Form builder Editors can build and publish forms and collect submissions without code. Plugin or add-on Formie by Verbb, $99. Pricing page lists forms as plugin-only. 171 Not available
Site member accounts The platform handles sign-up and login for public site users or members, separate from editors. Paid tier Public registration needs Pro. 5 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. Not available No first-party AI feature. 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. Not available Third-party Craft CMS MCP plugin by Stimmt Digital. 19 Built in Built in since 11.12. 10

Craft CMS sources

Checked 29 Sept 2026. Craft CMS 5 in Solo, Team and Pro editions. Craft 6 is in alpha..

  1. Craft CMS pricing
  2. Craft Cloud pricing
  3. Craft CMS Enterprise
  4. Craft 5 docs: Licensing and editions
  5. Craft 5 docs: User management
  6. Craft 5 docs: Custom fields
  7. Craft 5 docs: Project config
  8. Craft 5 docs: Matrix fields
  9. Craft 5 docs: Sites and localization
  10. Craft 5 docs: Image transforms
  11. Craft 5 docs: GraphQL API
  12. Element API plugin (Pixel & Tonic)
  13. Webhooks plugin (Pixel & Tonic)
  14. Craft 5 docs: Drafts and revisions
  15. Craft 5 docs: Entries
  16. Workflow plugin by Verbb
  17. Formie plugin by Verbb
  18. Craft 5 docs: Extending Craft
  19. Craft CMS MCP plugin by Stimmt Digital
  20. Trails audit plugin

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 Craft CMS and Directus with the rest of your shortlist in the CMS comparison tool.

Where they differ

Craft CMS and Directus get a different status on 15 of the 28 features and the same status on 13. Craft CMS has 14 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.

Built in on Craft CMS, a different answer on Directus 4

  • Renders the website Craft CMS: Built in. Directus: Not available.
  • Scheduled publishing Craft CMS: Built in. Directus: Limited.
  • Version history Craft CMS: Built in. Directus: Limited.
  • Multiple sites Craft CMS: Built in. Directus: Not available.

Built in on Directus, a different answer on Craft CMS 8

  • REST API Craft CMS: Plugin or add-on. Directus: Built in.
  • Webhooks Craft CMS: Plugin or add-on. Directus: Built in.
  • Visual editing Craft CMS: Limited. Directus: Built in.
  • Real-time co-editing Craft CMS: Not available. Directus: Built in.
  • Custom roles Craft CMS: Paid tier. Directus: Built in.
  • Site member accounts Craft CMS: Paid tier. Directus: Built in.
  • AI writing assistant Craft CMS: Not available. Directus: Built in.
  • Official MCP server Craft CMS: Not available. Directus: Built in.

Built in on neither, with different answers 3

  • Approval workflows Craft CMS: Plugin or add-on. Directus: Limited.
  • Audit log Craft CMS: Not available. Directus: Limited.
  • Form builder Craft CMS: Plugin or add-on. Directus: Not available.

More comparisons

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

Craft CMS 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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