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CMS comparison Decap CMS vs Directus

Decap CMS vs Directus

Decap CMS is an open-source headless CMS that you can host yourself or run on the vendor's cloud. Directus is a closed-source headless CMS 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 18.

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  • Decap CMS Headless · Open source · 6 of 28 built in
  • Directus Headless · Closed source · 18 of 28 built in

Sources checked: Decap CMS on 29 Sept 2026, Directus 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
Decap CMS vs Directus feature comparison. Columns are the two platforms. Rows are features, grouped by area.
Platform
Decap CMS Headless
Directus Headless
Overview
What it is Open-source Git-based CMS. A React admin app added to your site edits Markdown, YAML or JSON files and commits them to your repository.Source-available data platform and headless CMS that puts a Studio admin app and REST and GraphQL APIs over your own SQL database.
Edition compared The product and release each column describes. Decap CMS 3, open source. Decap Turbo hosted backend is in public preview. Version 3.16.3, released 22 Sept 2026 Directus 12, self-hosted core tier or licensed plans, with optional Directus Cloud Version 12.4.1, released 23 Sept 2026
Vendor Decap CMS project (formerly Netlify CMS), maintained in Europe decapcms.org Monospace Inc. directus.com
Licence Open source MIT Closed source MSCL-1.0-GPL, source-available, GPL-3.0 after four years. Free under $5M revenue and 50 staff via the Open Innovation Grant
Hosting Self-hosting Vendor cloud Decap Turbo, a hosted backend for login and Git access, is in public preview. Self-hosting Vendor cloud Directus Cloud is a $99 per month add-on for Core and Team. Enterprise cloud on request.
Built with JavaScript, ReactTypeScript, Node.js, Vue
Database Your Git repository on GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket, Gitea or AzurePostgreSQL, MySQL, MariaDB, SQLite, MS SQL Server, Oracle, CockroachDB
Pricing Public list prices only. Hosting and implementation are extra everywhere. Free to start Free and open source. The Decap Turbo hosted backend, in public preview, has a Free plan and Pro at €19 per month. Free to start Core free for 3 seats and 25 collections. Team $499 per month billed yearly or $599 monthly. Enterprise 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 Collections and fields are defined in config.yml. 6 Built in Schema snapshots are files in the repo, applied to an instance with the CLI. 16
Content model in the UI Admins can create and change content types and fields in the admin interface without writing code. Not available Built in
Reusable blocks Editors compose pages from reusable, typed components or blocks, and can reorder them. Built in List widget with variable types. 7 Built in Page builders use many-to-any relations. 17
Localization Editors translate content per locale inside the CMS, by field or by entry, without a separate site for each language. Built in Side-by-side editing per locale, stored per folder, file or field. 8 Built in Translations field with related translation records.
Image transformations The CMS resizes, crops or converts images on request, through URL parameters or generated sizes, with no external service. Not available Media goes to the repo or an external media library. Built in URL parameters and saved presets. 13
APIs and delivery
REST API A documented REST or JSON HTTP API returns content. Not available Content is files in Git. Read them through the Git host API. 2 Built in
GraphQL API The vendor or an official module provides a GraphQL API for content. Not available Built in
Webhooks The CMS can call an external URL when content is created, changed or published. Not available Use the Git host's webhooks on commit. Built in Through Flows. Core allows 5 Flows. 219
Renders the website The CMS itself renders and serves the public pages through themes or templates. Headless-only products answer no. Not available Pairs with a static site generator. 2 Not available
Editorial workflow
Drafts Editors save changes as a draft and publish them later. The live version stays untouched until then. Built in Editorial workflow keeps drafts on a branch until merged. 9 Built in Content versioning with a draft per item. 6
Scheduled publishing An editor can set a future date and time for content to publish or unpublish. Not available Limited No schedule field. An official guide publishes future items with a scheduled Flow. 14
Version history The CMS keeps earlier versions of an entry, and editors can compare or restore them. Not available History lives in Git. The CMS has no revision view. Limited Revisions kept 30 days on Core, 90 on Team, configurable on Enterprise. 2
Preview Editors can see unpublished content rendered as it will appear on the site before publishing. Built in Preview pane with custom templates and styles. 10 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 Preview pane beside the form. No click-to-edit on the live page. 10 Built in Visual Editor module. The site adds the Directus frontend library. 7
Approval workflows Content moves through review stages you configure, such as draft, review and approved, with permissions per stage. Limited Fixed Drafts, In review and Ready stages. No per-stage permissions. 9 Limited Built from a status field and custom permissions, which need Team, Enterprise or the grant. 152
Content releases Editors group changes across several entries and publish them together as one release. Not available 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 Built in Collaborative Editing with field locking. 8
Access and governance
Custom roles Admins define their own roles with granular permissions instead of picking from a fixed set. Plugin or add-on Decap Turbo, in public preview, has a custom roles add-on at €19 per month on Pro. Core uses Git access. 1214 Built in Unlimited roles on Core. Custom access policies need Team, Enterprise or the grant. 220
Field-level permissions Admins can restrict access to single fields, on top of content types and entries. Not available Paid tier Custom permissions for fields and item rules need Team, Enterprise or the grant. 25
Single sign-on Editors can sign in through SAML or OpenID Connect against a company identity provider. Limited Sign-in runs through the Git host or Turbo. SAML only where the Git host enforces it. 413 Paid tier Team plan and up, or the grant. SAML, OpenID, OAuth 2.0 and LDAP. 211
Audit log The CMS logs who changed what and when across the whole installation, and admins can review the log. Plugin or add-on Decap Turbo, in public preview, has an activity log on its Free plan. Core has Git history only. 12 Limited Activity log kept 30 days on Core, 90 on Team, configurable on Enterprise. 212
Platform and extensibility
Multiple sites One installation or account can manage several separate websites or brands with shared users. Plugin or add-on Decap Turbo organizations share members across sites. Turbo is in public preview. Extra sites €10/month. 1412 Not available
Extensible admin UI Developers can add their own components, views or fields to the editing interface. Built in Custom widgets, preview templates and editor components. 1110 Built in Extensions add interfaces, layouts, panels and modules.
Plugin marketplace The vendor runs an official directory or marketplace of installable extensions. Not available No official extension directory. Built in Marketplace inside the Studio. 18
Form builder Editors can build and publish forms and collect submissions without code. Not available Not available
Site member accounts The platform handles sign-up and login for public site users or members, separate from editors. Not available Built in API-only application users do not use Studio seats. 3
AI writing assistant A first-party AI feature in the editing interface generates, rewrites or translates content. Not available Built in AI Assistant on every plan with your own OpenAI, Anthropic or Gemini key. 29
Official MCP server The vendor publishes a Model Context Protocol server so AI agents can read or write content. Not available Built in Built in since 11.12. 10

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

Where they differ

Decap CMS and Directus get a different status on 18 of the 28 features and the same status on 10. Decap CMS has 6 built in on its baseline edition, Directus has 18. 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
Decap CMS is open source (MIT). Directus is closed source (MSCL-1.0-GPL, source-available, GPL-3.0 after four years. Free under $5M revenue and 50 staff via the Open Innovation Grant).

Built in on Directus, a different answer on Decap CMS 12

  • Content model in the UI Decap CMS: Not available. Directus: Built in.
  • Image transformations Decap CMS: Not available. Directus: Built in.
  • REST API Decap CMS: Not available. Directus: Built in.
  • GraphQL API Decap CMS: Not available. Directus: Built in.
  • Webhooks Decap CMS: Not available. Directus: Built in.
  • Visual editing Decap CMS: Limited. Directus: Built in.
  • Real-time co-editing Decap CMS: Not available. Directus: Built in.
  • Custom roles Decap CMS: Plugin or add-on. Directus: Built in.
  • Plugin marketplace Decap CMS: Not available. Directus: Built in.
  • Site member accounts Decap CMS: Not available. Directus: Built in.
  • AI writing assistant Decap CMS: Not available. Directus: Built in.
  • Official MCP server Decap CMS: Not available. Directus: Built in.

Built in on neither, with different answers 6

  • Scheduled publishing Decap CMS: Not available. Directus: Limited.
  • Version history Decap CMS: Not available. Directus: Limited.
  • Field-level permissions Decap CMS: Not available. Directus: Paid tier.
  • Single sign-on Decap CMS: Limited. Directus: Paid tier.
  • Audit log Decap CMS: Plugin or add-on. Directus: Limited.
  • Multiple sites Decap CMS: Plugin or add-on. Directus: Not available.

More comparisons

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

Decap CMS against other platforms

Directus against other platforms

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

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