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CMS comparison DatoCMS vs Drupal

DatoCMS vs Drupal

DatoCMS is a closed-source headless CMS that runs 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 16.

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  • DatoCMS Headless · Closed source · 16 of 28 built in
  • Drupal Traditional · Open source · 16 of 28 built in

Sources checked: DatoCMS 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
DatoCMS vs Drupal feature comparison. Columns are the two platforms. Rows are features, grouped by area.
Platform
DatoCMS Headless
Drupal Traditional
Overview
What it is Hosted headless CMS run by DatoCMS. It delivers content over a GraphQL API, with a REST API for content management.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. DatoCMS SaaS, Free, Professional and Enterprise plans SaaS, continuously updated Drupal 11 core. Drupal CMS 2 bundles core with selected contrib modules. Version 11.4.8, released 26 Sept 2026
Vendor DatoCMS datocms.com Drupal community, supported by the Drupal Association drupal.org
Licence Closed source Proprietary Open source GPL-2.0-or-later
Hosting No self-hosting Vendor cloud Self-hosting No vendor cloud Acquia, Pantheon and other companies sell managed Drupal hosting.
Built with Hosted SaaS with GraphQL delivery and REST management APIs, TypeScript clientPHP, Symfony, Twig
Database Managed by DatoCMSMySQL, MariaDB, PostgreSQL, SQLite
Pricing Public list prices only. Hosting and implementation are extra everywhere. Free to start Free plan. Professional €149 per month billed annually, or €199 monthly. Enterprise 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. Limited Migration scripts run by the DatoCMS CLI, auto-generated from environment diffs. 12 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. Built in 1 Built in Field UI in core.
Reusable blocks Editors compose pages from reusable, typed components or blocks, and can reorder them. Built in Block library used in modular content and Structured Text fields. 1 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. Built in Field-level locales, 5 included and up to 10 with paid add-ons. 1 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 Images API with imgix URL parameters. 3 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 Content Management API reads records. Delivery is GraphQL. 111 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 1 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. Built in 1 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. Not available 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 1 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 1 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. Limited History kept 3 days on Free, 60 days on Professional. 1 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 17 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 Click-to-edit overlays on the site in draft mode. 17 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. Paid tier Editorial workflows with stage permissions on Enterprise. 16 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 Publishing a record can also publish its linked records. No standalone releases. 1 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 Presence and live updates, but a record locks while one editor edits it. 4 Not available
Access and governance
Custom roles Admins define their own roles with granular permissions instead of picking from a fixed set. Built in Projects include Admin and Editor roles and can create additional roles. The Free plan is limited to 2 editor seats. 15 Built in
Field-level permissions Admins can restrict access to single fields, on top of content types and entries. Not available Rules apply per model, creator, locale and workflow stage. Locale rules need Enterprise. 5 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. Paid tier Enterprise, with SCIM provisioning. 1 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. Paid tier Enterprise. 1 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 Separate projects per site. 3 on Free, extra projects €39 a month on Professional. 1 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 Plugin SDK for field editors, sidebars and custom pages. 1 Built in Custom field widgets, forms and admin routes.
Plugin marketplace The vendor runs an official directory or marketplace of installable extensions. Built in DatoCMS Marketplace. 19 Built in drupal.org module directory.
Form builder Editors can build and publish forms and collect submissions without code. Not available 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. Not available Built in
AI writing assistant A first-party AI feature in the editing interface generates, rewrites or translates content. Plugin or add-on Official AI Translations plugin with your own OpenAI, Gemini, Claude or DeepL key. 89 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. Built in Remote MCP server at mcp.datocms.com. 10 Not available Community contrib only, e.g. the MCP Server module by Lullabot and Omedia. 17

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

Where they differ

DatoCMS and Drupal get a different status on 16 of the 28 features and the same status on 12. DatoCMS has 16 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
DatoCMS is closed source (Proprietary). Drupal is open source (GPL-2.0-or-later).
Self-hosting
DatoCMS cannot be self-hosted. Drupal can be self-hosted.
Vendor cloud
DatoCMS has a vendor-run cloud. Drupal has no vendor-run cloud.

Built in on DatoCMS, a different answer on Drupal 6

  • GraphQL API DatoCMS: Built in. Drupal: Plugin or add-on.
  • Webhooks DatoCMS: Built in. Drupal: Plugin or add-on.
  • Scheduled publishing DatoCMS: Built in. Drupal: Plugin or add-on.
  • Visual editing DatoCMS: Built in. Drupal: Limited.
  • Multiple sites DatoCMS: Built in. Drupal: Plugin or add-on.
  • Official MCP server DatoCMS: Built in. Drupal: Not available.

Built in on Drupal, a different answer on DatoCMS 6

  • Content model in code DatoCMS: Limited. Drupal: Built in.
  • Renders the website DatoCMS: Not available. Drupal: Built in.
  • Version history DatoCMS: Limited. Drupal: Built in.
  • Approval workflows DatoCMS: Paid tier. Drupal: Built in.
  • Content releases DatoCMS: Limited. Drupal: Built in.
  • Site member accounts DatoCMS: Not available. Drupal: Built in.

Built in on neither, with different answers 4

  • Field-level permissions DatoCMS: Not available. Drupal: Plugin or add-on.
  • Single sign-on DatoCMS: Paid tier. Drupal: Plugin or add-on.
  • Audit log DatoCMS: Paid tier. Drupal: Limited.
  • Form builder DatoCMS: Not available. Drupal: Plugin or add-on.

More comparisons

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

DatoCMS 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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