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CMS comparison Craft CMS vs Liferay DXP

Craft CMS vs Liferay DXP

Craft CMS is a closed-source traditional CMS that you can host yourself or run on the vendor's cloud. Liferay DXP is a closed-source enterprise DXP 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 13.

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  • Craft CMS Traditional · Closed source · 14 of 28 built in
  • Liferay DXP Enterprise DXP · Closed source · 26 of 28 built in

Sources checked: Craft CMS on 29 Sept 2026, Liferay DXP 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 Liferay DXP feature comparison. Columns are the two platforms. Rows are features, grouped by area.
Platform
Craft CMS Traditional
Liferay DXP Enterprise DXP
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.Java platform for websites, portals and commerce, with a new object-based CMS. Self-hosted or run by Liferay as PaaS or SaaS.
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 Liferay DXP 2026.Q3, Enterprise Subscription. The Free Tier replaced Liferay Portal CE from 2026.Q1. Version 2026.q3.5, released 25 Sept 2026
Vendor Pixel & Tonic craftcms.com Liferay, Inc. liferay.com
Licence Closed source Proprietary Craft License, source available Closed source Proprietary, under the Liferay EULA. Free Tier activation key at no cost
Hosting Self-hosting Vendor cloud Craft Cloud starts at $120 per month per project and includes a Team licence. Self-hosting Vendor cloud Free Tier suits smaller-scale use and gets no security patches, SAML or AI Hub.
Built with PHP, Yii 2, TwigJava, OSGi, React
Database MySQL, MariaDB, PostgreSQLMySQL, MariaDB, PostgreSQL, Oracle, SQL Server, IBM Db2
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 Free Tier at no cost for smaller-scale use. Enterprise Subscription per server instance, price 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 Definitions export to JSON and deploy from the repo as batch client extensions. 7
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 Objects and web content structures. 6
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 Fragments on content pages. 11
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
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 Adaptive Media generates set image resolutions. 8
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 Headless REST APIs. 9
GraphQL API The vendor or an official module provides a GraphQL API for content. Built in 111 Built in 9
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 Object actions call a webhook on add, update or delete. 10
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. Built in
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
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 Built in Display and expiration dates.
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 Built in
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 Inline editing in the content page editor. 11
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 Built in Kaleo workflow, also included in the Free Tier. 3
Content releases Editors group changes across several entries and publish them together as one release. Not available Built in Publications group changes and publish them together. 12
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 A page locks while one editor has it open. 13
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
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 Not available Permissions apply per object, entry or asset. 14
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 Built in SAML and OpenID Connect. The Free Tier lacks SAML. 315
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 Built in Audit framework with search and export of events. 16
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 Built in
Extensible admin UI Developers can add their own components, views or fields to the editing interface. Built in 18 Built in Client extensions. 7
Plugin marketplace The vendor runs an official directory or marketplace of installable extensions. Built in Craft Plugin Store. 1 Built in Liferay Marketplace. 17
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 Built in Liferay Forms.
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
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 Hub writing tools in the new CMS. Not in the Free Tier. 418
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 MCP server released in 2026.Q3, switched on by feature flag. 19

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

Liferay DXP sources

Checked 29 Sept 2026. Liferay DXP 2026.Q3, Enterprise Subscription. The Free Tier replaced Liferay Portal CE from 2026.Q1..

  1. Liferay DXP 2026.q3.5 release files
  2. Now available: Liferay DXP Quarterly Release 2026.Q3
  3. Liferay DXP Free Tier (Liferay Learn)
  4. Liferay DXP Free Tier: what it is, how to get it, and when to upgrade
  5. CE is sunsetted. What's your next move?
  6. Liferay Learn: Content Management System
  7. Liferay Learn: Client Extensions
  8. Liferay Learn: Using Adaptive Media
  9. Liferay Learn: Consuming GraphQL APIs
  10. Liferay Learn: Object actions
  11. Liferay Learn: Using Content Pages
  12. Liferay Learn: Publications
  13. Liferay Learn: Configuring Locked Pages
  14. Liferay Learn: Objects permissions framework integration
  15. Liferay Learn: Using OpenID Connect
  16. Liferay Learn: Audit Framework
  17. Liferay Marketplace
  18. Liferay AI Hub
  19. Liferay Learn: Using Liferay as an MCP Server
  20. Liferay Learn: Cloud

Considering more platforms? Compare Craft CMS and Liferay DXP with the rest of your shortlist in the CMS comparison tool.

Where they differ

Craft CMS and Liferay DXP get a different status on 13 of the 28 features and the same status on 15. Craft CMS has 14 built in on its baseline edition, Liferay DXP has 26. 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 Liferay DXP, a different answer on Craft CMS 12

  • REST API Craft CMS: Plugin or add-on. Liferay DXP: Built in.
  • Webhooks Craft CMS: Plugin or add-on. Liferay DXP: Built in.
  • Visual editing Craft CMS: Limited. Liferay DXP: Built in.
  • Approval workflows Craft CMS: Plugin or add-on. Liferay DXP: Built in.
  • Content releases Craft CMS: Not available. Liferay DXP: Built in.
  • Custom roles Craft CMS: Paid tier. Liferay DXP: Built in.
  • Single sign-on Craft CMS: Paid tier. Liferay DXP: Built in.
  • Audit log Craft CMS: Not available. Liferay DXP: Built in.
  • Form builder Craft CMS: Plugin or add-on. Liferay DXP: Built in.
  • Site member accounts Craft CMS: Paid tier. Liferay DXP: Built in.
  • AI writing assistant Craft CMS: Not available. Liferay DXP: Built in.
  • Official MCP server Craft CMS: Not available. Liferay DXP: Built in.

Built in on neither, with different answers 1

  • Field-level permissions Craft CMS: Paid tier. Liferay DXP: Not available.

More comparisons

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

Craft CMS against other platforms

Liferay DXP against other platforms

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

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