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CMS comparison DatoCMS vs Statamic

DatoCMS vs Statamic

DatoCMS is a closed-source headless CMS that runs on the vendor's cloud. Statamic is a closed-source traditional CMS that you host yourself. The table below sets them side by side on 28 features. They get a different status on 19.

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  • DatoCMS Headless · Closed source · 16 of 28 built in
  • Statamic Traditional · Closed source · 8 of 28 built in

Sources checked: DatoCMS on 29 Sept 2026, Statamic 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 Statamic feature comparison. Columns are the two platforms. Rows are features, grouped by area.
Platform
DatoCMS Headless
Statamic 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.Laravel-based PHP CMS that stores content in flat files by default. Free Core edition. Pro adds users, APIs and multi-site. You host it.
Edition compared The product and release each column describes. DatoCMS SaaS, Free, Professional and Enterprise plans SaaS, continuously updated Statamic 6, Core and Pro Version 6.34.1, released 23 Sept 2026
Vendor DatoCMS datocms.com Statamic, LLC statamic.com
Licence Closed source Proprietary Closed source Proprietary, source available. Core is free to use.
Hosting No self-hosting Vendor cloud Self-hosting No vendor cloud
Built with Hosted SaaS with GraphQL delivery and REST management APIs, TypeScript clientPHP, Laravel, Vue
Database Managed by DatoCMSFlat files by default, SQL databases via the Eloquent Driver
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 Core free for one admin user. Pro $349 per site, then $99 per year for updates. Enterprise from $10k per year.
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 Blueprints and fieldsets are YAML files in the project. 4
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 Blueprint builder in the Control Panel. 4
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 Replicator and Bard sets. 5
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 Paid tier Multi-site and multilingual content need Pro. 61
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 Glide resizes and crops on request. 7
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 Paid tier Read-only REST API on Pro. 8
GraphQL API The vendor or an official module provides a GraphQL API for content. Built in 1 Paid tier Read-only GraphQL API on Pro. 9
Webhooks The CMS can call an external URL when content is created, changed or published. Built in 1 Not available Laravel events only. No webhook settings in core.
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 Antlers or Blade templates.
Editorial workflow
Drafts Editors save changes as a draft and publish them later. The live version stays untouched until then. Built in 1 Paid tier Working copies of live entries need Revisions on Pro. Core has unpublished entries. 101
Scheduled publishing An editor can set a future date and time for content to publish or unpublish. Built in 1 Limited Future-dated entries stay private until their date. Set per collection. 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 Paid tier Revisions on Pro. 10
Preview Editors can see unpublished content rendered as it will appear on the site before publishing. Built in 17 Built in 121
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 Live Preview shows the edit form beside the page. No click-to-edit. 12
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 Not available Approval workflows are on the roadmap as planned. 19
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 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 Presence and live updates, but a record locks while one editor edits it. 4 Plugin or add-on Free first-party Collaboration addon. Requires Pro. 18
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 Paid tier Roles and permissions need Pro. 131
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 Not available Field conditions depend on field values. User roles can't drive them. 4
Single sign-on Editors can sign in through SAML or OpenID Connect against a company identity provider. Paid tier Enterprise, with SCIM provisioning. 1 Paid tier Pro via Laravel Socialite providers such as SAML2. Enterprise tier lists SSO. 1521
Audit log The CMS logs who changed what and when across the whole installation, and admins can review the log. Paid tier Enterprise. 1 Paid tier Enterprise tier, from $10k per year, lists audit logging. 121
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 Paid tier Pro. 61
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 fieldtypes, widgets and Control Panel pages. 17
Plugin marketplace The vendor runs an official directory or marketplace of installable extensions. Built in DatoCMS Marketplace. 19 Built in Statamic Marketplace for addons. 18
Form builder Editors can build and publish forms and collect submissions without code. Not available Limited Core allows one form. Pro removes the limit. 116
Site member accounts The platform handles sign-up and login for public site users or members, separate from editors. Not available Paid tier Member accounts, registration and login tags need Pro. 1416
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 Not available
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 Third-party addons only, such as MCP Server for Statamic by Cbox. 20

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

Where they differ

DatoCMS and Statamic get a different status on 19 of the 28 features and the same status on 9. DatoCMS has 16 built in on its baseline edition, Statamic has 8. Two matching statuses can still name different paid tiers or limits, so read the notes in the table before treating a row as equal.

Self-hosting
DatoCMS cannot be self-hosted. Statamic can be self-hosted.
Vendor cloud
DatoCMS has a vendor-run cloud. Statamic has no vendor-run cloud.

Built in on DatoCMS, a different answer on Statamic 10

  • Localization DatoCMS: Built in. Statamic: Paid tier.
  • REST API DatoCMS: Built in. Statamic: Paid tier.
  • GraphQL API DatoCMS: Built in. Statamic: Paid tier.
  • Webhooks DatoCMS: Built in. Statamic: Not available.
  • Drafts DatoCMS: Built in. Statamic: Paid tier.
  • Scheduled publishing DatoCMS: Built in. Statamic: Limited.
  • Visual editing DatoCMS: Built in. Statamic: Limited.
  • Custom roles DatoCMS: Built in. Statamic: Paid tier.
  • Multiple sites DatoCMS: Built in. Statamic: Paid tier.
  • Official MCP server DatoCMS: Built in. Statamic: Not available.

Built in on Statamic, a different answer on DatoCMS 2

  • Content model in code DatoCMS: Limited. Statamic: Built in.
  • Renders the website DatoCMS: Not available. Statamic: Built in.

Built in on neither, with different answers 7

  • Version history DatoCMS: Limited. Statamic: Paid tier.
  • Approval workflows DatoCMS: Paid tier. Statamic: Not available.
  • Content releases DatoCMS: Limited. Statamic: Not available.
  • Real-time co-editing DatoCMS: Not available. Statamic: Plugin or add-on.
  • Form builder DatoCMS: Not available. Statamic: Limited.
  • Site member accounts DatoCMS: Not available. Statamic: Paid tier.
  • AI writing assistant DatoCMS: Plugin or add-on. Statamic: Not available.

More comparisons

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

DatoCMS against other platforms

Statamic against other platforms

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

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