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CMS comparison Decap CMS vs TYPO3

Decap CMS vs TYPO3

Decap CMS is an open-source headless CMS that you can host yourself or run 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 18.

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  • Decap CMS Headless · Open source · 6 of 28 built in
  • TYPO3 Traditional · Open source · 20 of 28 built in

Sources checked: Decap CMS 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
Decap CMS vs TYPO3 feature comparison. Columns are the two platforms. Rows are features, grouped by area.
Platform
Decap CMS Headless
TYPO3 Traditional
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.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. Decap CMS 3, open source. Decap Turbo hosted backend is in public preview. Version 3.16.3, released 22 Sept 2026 TYPO3 v14 LTS, version 14.3, open source Version 14.3.7, released 8 Sept 2026
Vendor Decap CMS project (formerly Netlify CMS), maintained in Europe decapcms.org TYPO3 Association (project); TYPO3 GmbH sells support and extended LTS typo3.org
Licence Open source MIT Open source GPL-2.0-or-later
Hosting Self-hosting Vendor cloud Decap Turbo, a hosted backend for login and Git access, is in public preview. Self-hosting No vendor cloud No vendor SaaS. TYPO3 agencies and hosts run managed installations.
Built with JavaScript, ReactPHP, Symfony components, Fluid
Database Your Git repository on GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket, Gitea or AzureMySQL, MariaDB, PostgreSQL, SQLite
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 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. Built in Collections and fields are defined in config.yml. 6 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. Not available 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 List widget with variable types. 7 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 Side-by-side editing per locale, stored per folder, file or field. 8 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. Not available Media goes to the repo or an external media library. Built in Server-side image processing with crop variants. 10
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 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. Not available Not available
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 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 Pairs with a static site generator. 2 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 Editorial workflow keeps drafts on a branch until merged. 9 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. Not available 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. Not available History lives in Git. The CMS has no revision view. 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 Preview pane with custom templates and styles. 10 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. Limited Preview pane beside the form. No click-to-edit on the live page. 10 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. Limited Fixed Drafts, In review and Ready stages. No per-stage permissions. 9 Built in Custom stages in Workspaces. 5
Content releases Editors group changes across several entries and publish them together as one release. Not available 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 Not available
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 Backend user groups. 9
Field-level permissions Admins can restrict access to single fields, on top of content types and entries. Not available 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. Limited Sign-in runs through the Git host or Turbo. SAML only where the Git host enforces it. 413 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. 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 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. Plugin or add-on Decap Turbo organizations share members across sites. Turbo is in public preview. Extra sites €10/month. 1412 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 Custom widgets, preview templates and editor components. 1110 Built in Backend modules and custom form elements.
Plugin marketplace The vendor runs an official directory or marketplace of installable extensions. Not available No official extension directory. 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. Not available 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. Not available Not available Third-party only, e.g. hauptsache.net's TYPO3 MCP Server. 15

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

Where they differ

Decap CMS and TYPO3 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, 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.

Vendor cloud
Decap CMS has a vendor-run cloud. TYPO3 has no vendor-run cloud.

Built in on TYPO3, a different answer on Decap CMS 14

  • Image transformations Decap CMS: Not available. TYPO3: Built in.
  • Webhooks Decap CMS: Not available. TYPO3: Built in.
  • Renders the website Decap CMS: Not available. TYPO3: Built in.
  • Scheduled publishing Decap CMS: Not available. TYPO3: Built in.
  • Version history Decap CMS: Not available. TYPO3: Built in.
  • Approval workflows Decap CMS: Limited. TYPO3: Built in.
  • Content releases Decap CMS: Not available. TYPO3: Built in.
  • Custom roles Decap CMS: Plugin or add-on. TYPO3: Built in.
  • Field-level permissions Decap CMS: Not available. TYPO3: Built in.
  • Audit log Decap CMS: Plugin or add-on. TYPO3: Built in.
  • Multiple sites Decap CMS: Plugin or add-on. TYPO3: Built in.
  • Plugin marketplace Decap CMS: Not available. TYPO3: Built in.
  • Form builder Decap CMS: Not available. TYPO3: Built in.
  • Site member accounts Decap CMS: Not available. TYPO3: Built in.

Built in on neither, with different answers 4

  • Content model in the UI Decap CMS: Not available. TYPO3: Plugin or add-on.
  • REST API Decap CMS: Not available. TYPO3: Plugin or add-on.
  • Visual editing Decap CMS: Limited. TYPO3: Plugin or add-on.
  • Single sign-on Decap CMS: Limited. TYPO3: Plugin or add-on.

More comparisons

Decap CMS against other platforms

TYPO3 against other platforms

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