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CMS comparison DatoCMS vs TYPO3

DatoCMS vs TYPO3

DatoCMS is a closed-source headless CMS that runs on the vendor's cloud. TYPO3 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
  • TYPO3 Traditional · Open source · 20 of 28 built in

Sources checked: DatoCMS on 29 Sept 2026, TYPO3 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 TYPO3 feature comparison. Columns are the two platforms. Rows are features, grouped by area.
Platform
DatoCMS Headless
TYPO3 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 for multi-site, multilingual websites, with workspaces and granular backend permissions. Self-hosted, often run by agencies.
Edition compared The product and release each column describes. DatoCMS SaaS, Free, Professional and Enterprise plans SaaS, continuously updated TYPO3 v14 LTS, version 14.3, open source Version 14.3.7, released 8 Sept 2026
Vendor DatoCMS datocms.com TYPO3 Association (project); TYPO3 GmbH sells support and extended LTS typo3.org
Licence Closed source Proprietary Open source GPL-2.0-or-later
Hosting No self-hosting Vendor cloud Self-hosting No vendor cloud No vendor SaaS. TYPO3 agencies and hosts run managed installations.
Built with Hosted SaaS with GraphQL delivery and REST management APIs, TypeScript clientPHP, Symfony components, Fluid
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. Commercial support and extended LTS are sold separately.
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 TCA in PHP. The Content Blocks extension adds YAML definitions. 11
Content model in the UI Admins can create and change content types and fields in the admin interface without writing code. Built in 1 Plugin or add-on Mask extension builds content elements in the backend. 12
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 Content elements on pages, reordered by drag and drop.
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 Page and record translations. Guided translation wizard in v14. 2
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 Server-side image processing with crop variants. 10
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 Plugin or add-on EXT:headless outputs pages as JSON. Core has no content API. 13
GraphQL API The vendor or an official module provides a GraphQL API for content. Built in 1 Not available
Webhooks The CMS can call an external URL when content is created, changed or published. Built in 1 Built in Webhooks system extension, in core since v12. 6
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 Fluid templates. Camino default theme in v14. 2
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 Via the Workspaces system extension. 5
Scheduled publishing An editor can set a future date and time for content to publish or unpublish. Built in 1 Built in Start and stop dates on pages and content.
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 Record history with diff and undo.
Preview Editors can see unpublished content rendered as it will appear on the site before publishing. Built in 17 Built in Workspace preview links. 5
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 Plugin or add-on Visual Editor extension from Friends of TYPO3. TYPO3 plans core support for v15. 3
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 Custom stages in Workspaces. 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 publish staged changes together. 5
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 Backend user groups. 9
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 Built in Exclude fields per backend group. 9
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 extensions such as causal/oidc. 14
Audit log The CMS logs who changed what and when across the whole installation, and admins can review the log. Paid tier Enterprise. 1 Built in Log module records backend changes by user.
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 Built in Several site configurations in one installation.
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 Backend modules and custom form elements.
Plugin marketplace The vendor runs an official directory or marketplace of installable extensions. Built in DatoCMS Marketplace. 19 Built in TYPO3 Extension Repository. 16
Form builder Editors can build and publish forms and collect submissions without code. Not available Built in Form Framework with a backend form editor. 7
Site member accounts The platform handles sign-up and login for public site users or members, separate from editors. Not available Built in Frontend users and the felogin extension. 8
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 Core ships AI integration points only. Third-party extensions such as AI Suite. 417
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 only, e.g. hauptsache.net's TYPO3 MCP Server. 15

Considering more platforms? Compare DatoCMS and TYPO3 with the rest of your shortlist in the CMS comparison tool.

Where they differ

DatoCMS and TYPO3 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, TYPO3 has 20. 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). TYPO3 is open source (GPL-2.0-or-later).
Self-hosting
DatoCMS cannot be self-hosted. TYPO3 can be self-hosted.
Vendor cloud
DatoCMS has a vendor-run cloud. TYPO3 has no vendor-run cloud.

Built in on DatoCMS, a different answer on TYPO3 5

  • Content model in the UI DatoCMS: Built in. TYPO3: Plugin or add-on.
  • REST API DatoCMS: Built in. TYPO3: Plugin or add-on.
  • GraphQL API DatoCMS: Built in. TYPO3: Not available.
  • Visual editing DatoCMS: Built in. TYPO3: Plugin or add-on.
  • Official MCP server DatoCMS: Built in. TYPO3: Not available.

Built in on TYPO3, a different answer on DatoCMS 9

  • Content model in code DatoCMS: Limited. TYPO3: Built in.
  • Renders the website DatoCMS: Not available. TYPO3: Built in.
  • Version history DatoCMS: Limited. TYPO3: Built in.
  • Approval workflows DatoCMS: Paid tier. TYPO3: Built in.
  • Content releases DatoCMS: Limited. TYPO3: Built in.
  • Field-level permissions DatoCMS: Not available. TYPO3: Built in.
  • Audit log DatoCMS: Paid tier. TYPO3: Built in.
  • Form builder DatoCMS: Not available. TYPO3: Built in.
  • Site member accounts DatoCMS: Not available. TYPO3: Built in.

Built in on neither, with different answers 2

  • Single sign-on DatoCMS: Paid tier. TYPO3: Plugin or add-on.
  • AI writing assistant DatoCMS: Plugin or add-on. TYPO3: Not available.

More comparisons

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

DatoCMS against other platforms

TYPO3 against other platforms

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

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