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CMS comparison Craft CMS vs Optimizely CMS

Craft CMS vs Optimizely CMS

Craft CMS is a closed-source traditional CMS that you can host yourself or run on the vendor's cloud. Optimizely CMS 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 12.

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  • Craft CMS Traditional · Closed source · 14 of 28 built in
  • Optimizely CMS Enterprise DXP · Closed source · 22 of 28 built in

Sources checked: Craft CMS on 29 Sept 2026, Optimizely CMS 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 Optimizely CMS feature comparison. Columns are the two platforms. Rows are features, grouped by area.
Platform
Craft CMS Traditional
Optimizely CMS 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.Optimizely's .NET CMS for rendered and headless sites, hosted on Optimizely's DXP cloud or self-hosted, with Optimizely Graph for delivery.
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 Optimizely CMS 13 PaaS, the current flagship. CMS SaaS is a separate hosted variant. Version 13.1.3, released 9 Sept 2026
Vendor Pixel & Tonic craftcms.com Optimizely optimizely.com
Licence Closed source Proprietary Craft License, source available Closed source Proprietary
Hosting Self-hosting Vendor cloud Craft Cloud starts at $120 per month per project and includes a Team licence. Self-hosting Vendor cloud Self-hosted installs lose Opti ID features such as Opal and the DAM.
Built with PHP, Yii 2, Twig.NET 10, ASP.NET Core
Database MySQL, MariaDB, PostgreSQLSQL Server, Azure SQL on DXP
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. No free option Pricing 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 Content types as C# classes. 3
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 Content types and properties in Settings. 4
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 Blocks in content areas and Visual Builder elements.
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 Language branches per content item. 5
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 DXP CDN resizes, crops and converts images by URL parameters. 6
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 Content Delivery API 13 and a management REST API. 12
GraphQL API The vendor or an official module provides a GraphQL API for content. Built in 111 Built in Optimizely Graph, included in the CMS 13 licence. 28
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 Limited Graph webhooks fire on sync batches and expired content only. Per-item hooks need code. 72
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 ASP.NET Core MVC and Razor rendering, or headless. 2
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 9
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 9
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 Visual Builder. 2
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 Approval sequences. 10
Content releases Editors group changes across several entries and publish them together as one release. Not available Built in Projects publish or schedule grouped items together. 11
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 Comments and notifications only. 12
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 Access rights for roles and virtual roles. 13
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 Access rights apply per content item. Not documented per property. 13
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 Opti ID with an external identity provider, or OpenID Connect in code. 2
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 Change Log in Settings. 14
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 Several sites and hosts in one installation. 15
Extensible admin UI Developers can add their own components, views or fields to the editing interface. Built in 18 Built in Shell modules, gadgets and custom editor widgets. 16
Plugin marketplace The vendor runs an official directory or marketplace of installable extensions. Built in Craft Plugin Store. 1 Built in Optimizely connectors directory and NuGet add-ons. 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 Plugin or add-on Optimizely Forms package. No extra licence. 18
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 Limited Visitor login uses ASP.NET Core authentication set up in code. 2
AI writing assistant A first-party AI feature in the editing interface generates, rewrites or translates content. Not available No first-party AI feature. Plugin or add-on Opal, billed through Opal credits. Needs Opti ID on DXP. 219
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 MCP server in the Optimizely.Cms.Opal.Tools package. 20

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

Where they differ

Craft CMS and Optimizely CMS get a different status on 12 of the 28 features and the same status on 16. Craft CMS has 14 built in on its baseline edition, Optimizely CMS has 22. Two matching statuses can still name different paid tiers or limits, so read the notes in the table before treating a row as equal.

Free option
Craft CMS has a free option. Optimizely CMS has no free option.

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

  • REST API Craft CMS: Plugin or add-on. Optimizely CMS: Built in.
  • Visual editing Craft CMS: Limited. Optimizely CMS: Built in.
  • Approval workflows Craft CMS: Plugin or add-on. Optimizely CMS: Built in.
  • Content releases Craft CMS: Not available. Optimizely CMS: Built in.
  • Custom roles Craft CMS: Paid tier. Optimizely CMS: Built in.
  • Single sign-on Craft CMS: Paid tier. Optimizely CMS: Built in.
  • Audit log Craft CMS: Not available. Optimizely CMS: Built in.
  • Official MCP server Craft CMS: Not available. Optimizely CMS: Built in.

Built in on neither, with different answers 4

  • Webhooks Craft CMS: Plugin or add-on. Optimizely CMS: Limited.
  • Field-level permissions Craft CMS: Paid tier. Optimizely CMS: Not available.
  • Site member accounts Craft CMS: Paid tier. Optimizely CMS: Limited.
  • AI writing assistant Craft CMS: Not available. Optimizely CMS: Plugin or add-on.

More comparisons

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

Craft CMS against other platforms

Optimizely CMS against other platforms

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

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