CMS comparison Decap CMS vs Optimizely CMS

Decap CMS vs Optimizely CMS

Decap CMS is an open-source headless 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 20.

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Decap CMS Headless · Open source · 6 of 28 built in
Optimizely CMS Enterprise DXP · Closed source · 22 of 28 built in

Sources checked: Decap 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

Decap CMS vs Optimizely CMS feature comparison. Columns are the two platforms. Rows are features, grouped by area.
Platform	Decap CMS Headless	Optimizely CMS Enterprise DXP
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.	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.	Decap CMS 3, open source. Decap Turbo hosted backend is in public preview. Version 3.16.3, released 22 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	Decap CMS project (formerly Netlify CMS), maintained in Europe decapcms.org	Optimizely optimizely.com
Licence	Open source MIT	Closed source Proprietary
Hosting	Self-hosting Vendor cloud Decap Turbo, a hosted backend for login and Git access, is in public preview.	Self-hosting Vendor cloud Self-hosted installs lose Opti ID features such as Opal and the DAM.
Built with	JavaScript, React	.NET 10, ASP.NET Core
Database	Your Git repository on GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket, Gitea or Azure	SQL Server, Azure SQL on DXP
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.	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 Collections and fields are defined in config.yml. 6	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.	Not available	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 List widget with variable types. 7	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 Side-by-side editing per locale, stored per folder, file or field. 8	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.	Not available Media goes to the repo or an external media library.	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.	Not available Content is files in Git. Read them through the Git host API. 2	Built in Content Delivery API 13 and a management REST API. 1 2
GraphQL API The vendor or an official module provides a GraphQL API for content.	Not available	Built in Optimizely Graph, included in the CMS 13 licence. 2 8
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.	Limited Graph webhooks fire on sync batches and expired content only. Per-item hooks need code. 7 2
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	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 Editorial workflow keeps drafts on a branch until merged. 9	Built in 9
Scheduled publishing An editor can set a future date and time for content to publish or unpublish.	Not available	Built in 9
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.	Built in
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 Builder. 2
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	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.	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. 12 14	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.	Not available	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.	Limited Sign-in runs through the Git host or Turbo. SAML only where the Git host enforces it. 4 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.	Plugin or add-on Decap Turbo, in public preview, has an activity log on its Free plan. Core has Git history only. 12	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.	Plugin or add-on Decap Turbo organizations share members across sites. Turbo is in public preview. Extra sites €10/month. 14 12	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 Custom widgets, preview templates and editor components. 11 10	Built in Shell modules, gadgets and custom editor widgets. 16
Plugin marketplace The vendor runs an official directory or marketplace of installable extensions.	Not available No official extension directory.	Built in Optimizely connectors directory and NuGet add-ons. 17
Form builder Editors can build and publish forms and collect submissions without code.	Not available	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.	Not available	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	Plugin or add-on Opal, billed through Opal credits. Needs Opti ID on DXP. 2 19
Official MCP server The vendor publishes a Model Context Protocol server so AI agents can read or write content.	Not available	Built in MCP server in the Optimizely.Cms.Opal.Tools package. 20

Decap CMS sources

Checked 29 Sept 2026. Decap CMS 3, open source. Decap Turbo hosted backend is in public preview..

Optimizely CMS sources

Checked 29 Sept 2026. Optimizely CMS 13 PaaS, the current flagship. CMS SaaS is a separate hosted variant..

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

Where they differ

Decap CMS and Optimizely CMS get a different status on 20 of the 28 features and the same status on 8. Decap CMS has 6 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.

Licence: Decap CMS is open source (MIT). Optimizely CMS is closed source (Proprietary).
Free option: Decap CMS has a free option. Optimizely CMS has no free option.

Built in on Optimizely CMS, a different answer on Decap CMS 16

Content model in the UI Decap CMS: Not available. Optimizely CMS: Built in.
Image transformations Decap CMS: Not available. Optimizely CMS: Built in.
REST API Decap CMS: Not available. Optimizely CMS: Built in.
GraphQL API Decap CMS: Not available. Optimizely CMS: Built in.
Renders the website Decap CMS: Not available. Optimizely CMS: Built in.
Scheduled publishing Decap CMS: Not available. Optimizely CMS: Built in.
Version history Decap CMS: Not available. Optimizely CMS: Built in.
Visual editing Decap CMS: Limited. Optimizely CMS: Built in.
Approval workflows Decap CMS: Limited. Optimizely CMS: Built in.
Content releases Decap CMS: Not available. Optimizely CMS: Built in.
Custom roles Decap CMS: Plugin or add-on. Optimizely CMS: Built in.
Single sign-on Decap CMS: Limited. Optimizely CMS: Built in.
Audit log Decap CMS: Plugin or add-on. Optimizely CMS: Built in.
Multiple sites Decap CMS: Plugin or add-on. Optimizely CMS: Built in.
Plugin marketplace Decap CMS: Not available. Optimizely CMS: Built in.
Official MCP server Decap CMS: Not available. Optimizely CMS: Built in.

Built in on neither, with different answers 4

Webhooks Decap CMS: Not available. Optimizely CMS: Limited.
Form builder Decap CMS: Not available. Optimizely CMS: Plugin or add-on.
Site member accounts Decap CMS: Not available. Optimizely CMS: Limited.
AI writing assistant Decap CMS: Not available. Optimizely CMS: Plugin or add-on.

More comparisons

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

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