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CMS comparison Directus vs Drupal

Directus vs Drupal

Directus is a closed-source headless CMS that you can host yourself or run on the vendor's cloud. Drupal 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 15.

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  • Directus Headless · Closed source · 18 of 28 built in
  • Drupal Traditional · Open source · 16 of 28 built in

Sources checked: Directus on 29 Sept 2026, Drupal 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
Directus vs Drupal feature comparison. Columns are the two platforms. Rows are features, grouped by area.
Platform
Directus Headless
Drupal Traditional
Overview
What it is Source-available data platform and headless CMS that puts a Studio admin app and REST and GraphQL APIs over your own SQL database.Open-source PHP CMS with fieldable content types, core JSON:API and multilingual modules. Teams self-host it or use Drupal hosting platforms.
Edition compared The product and release each column describes. Directus 12, self-hosted core tier or licensed plans, with optional Directus Cloud Version 12.4.1, released 23 Sept 2026 Drupal 11 core. Drupal CMS 2 bundles core with selected contrib modules. Version 11.4.8, released 26 Sept 2026
Vendor Monospace Inc. directus.com Drupal community, supported by the Drupal Association drupal.org
Licence 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 Open source GPL-2.0-or-later
Hosting Self-hosting Vendor cloud Directus Cloud is a $99 per month add-on for Core and Team. Enterprise cloud on request. Self-hosting No vendor cloud Acquia, Pantheon and other companies sell managed Drupal hosting.
Built with TypeScript, Node.js, VuePHP, Symfony, Twig
Database PostgreSQL, MySQL, MariaDB, SQLite, MS SQL Server, Oracle, CockroachDBMySQL, MariaDB, PostgreSQL, SQLite
Pricing Public list prices only. Hosting and implementation are extra everywhere. Free to start Core free for 3 seats and 25 collections. Team $499 per month billed yearly or $599 monthly. Enterprise on request. Free to start Free and open source. Hosting, support and contrib services cost extra.
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 Schema snapshots are files in the repo, applied to an instance with the CLI. 16 Built in Content types and fields export to YAML config files.
Content model in the UI Admins can create and change content types and fields in the admin interface without writing code. Built in Built in Field UI in core.
Reusable blocks Editors compose pages from reusable, typed components or blocks, and can reorder them. Built in Page builders use many-to-any relations. 17 Built in Layout Builder in core. Paragraphs and Drupal Canvas are contrib. 910
Localization Editors translate content per locale inside the CMS, by field or by entry, without a separate site for each language. Built in Translations field with related translation records. Built in Field-level content translation in core. 7
Image transformations The CMS resizes, crops or converts images on request, through URL parameters or generated sizes, with no external service. Built in URL parameters and saved presets. 13 Built in Image styles scale, crop and convert images. 8
APIs and delivery
REST API A documented REST or JSON HTTP API returns content. Built in Built in JSON:API and REST modules in core. 3
GraphQL API The vendor or an official module provides a GraphQL API for content. Built in Plugin or add-on GraphQL contrib module. Developers build the schema. 4
Webhooks The CMS can call an external URL when content is created, changed or published. Built in Through Flows. Core allows 5 Flows. 219 Plugin or add-on Webhooks contrib module. Core has no outgoing webhooks. 18
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 Twig themes.
Editorial workflow
Drafts Editors save changes as a draft and publish them later. The live version stays untouched until then. Built in Content versioning with a draft per item. 6 Built in Drafts of published content need the core Content Moderation module. 5
Scheduled publishing An editor can set a future date and time for content to publish or unpublish. Limited No schedule field. An official guide publishes future items with a scheduled Flow. 14 Plugin or add-on Scheduler contrib module. 11
Version history The CMS keeps earlier versions of an entry, and editors can compare or restore them. Limited Revisions kept 30 days on Core, 90 on Team, configurable on Enterprise. 2 Built in Revert in core. Side-by-side compare needs the Diff contrib module.
Preview Editors can see unpublished content rendered as it will appear on the site before publishing. Built in Built in Preview button on the edit form.
Visual editing Editors can click on the rendered page and edit content in place or in a side panel next to it. Built in Visual Editor module. The site adds the Directus frontend library. 7 Limited Layout Builder edits blocks on a rendered preview. Drupal Canvas is contrib. 910
Approval workflows Content moves through review stages you configure, such as draft, review and approved, with permissions per stage. Limited Built from a status field and custom permissions, which need Team, Enterprise or the grant. 152 Built in Workflows and Content Moderation modules in core. 5
Content releases Editors group changes across several entries and publish them together as one release. Not available Built in Workspaces module, stable in core since 10.3. 6
Real-time co-editing Two or more editors can work on the same entry at once and see each other's changes live. Built in Collaborative Editing with field locking. 8 Not available
Access and governance
Custom roles Admins define their own roles with granular permissions instead of picking from a fixed set. Built in Unlimited roles on Core. Custom access policies need Team, Enterprise or the grant. 220 Built in
Field-level permissions Admins can restrict access to single fields, on top of content types and entries. Paid tier Custom permissions for fields and item rules need Team, Enterprise or the grant. 25 Plugin or add-on Field Permissions contrib module. 12
Single sign-on Editors can sign in through SAML or OpenID Connect against a company identity provider. Paid tier Team plan and up, or the grant. SAML, OpenID, OAuth 2.0 and LDAP. 211 Plugin or add-on OpenID Connect or SAML Authentication contrib modules. 13
Audit log The CMS logs who changed what and when across the whole installation, and admins can review the log. Limited Activity log kept 30 days on Core, 90 on Team, configurable on Enterprise. 212 Limited Database Logging records content events by user. It caps and prunes entries. 20
Platform and extensibility
Multiple sites One installation or account can manage several separate websites or brands with shared users. Not available Plugin or add-on Domain contrib module. Core multisite shares only the codebase. 14
Extensible admin UI Developers can add their own components, views or fields to the editing interface. Built in Extensions add interfaces, layouts, panels and modules. Built in Custom field widgets, forms and admin routes.
Plugin marketplace The vendor runs an official directory or marketplace of installable extensions. Built in Marketplace inside the Studio. 18 Built in drupal.org module directory.
Form builder Editors can build and publish forms and collect submissions without code. Not available Plugin or add-on Webform contrib module. Core Contact is deprecated in 11.4. 152
Site member accounts The platform handles sign-up and login for public site users or members, separate from editors. Built in API-only application users do not use Studio seats. 3 Built in
AI writing assistant A first-party AI feature in the editing interface generates, rewrites or translates content. Built in AI Assistant on every plan with your own OpenAI, Anthropic or Gemini key. 29 Plugin or add-on AI module from the Drupal AI Initiative, bundled with Drupal CMS. 1619
Official MCP server The vendor publishes a Model Context Protocol server so AI agents can read or write content. Built in Built in since 11.12. 10 Not available Community contrib only, e.g. the MCP Server module by Lullabot and Omedia. 17

Directus sources

Checked 29 Sept 2026. Directus 12, self-hosted core tier or licensed plans, with optional Directus Cloud.

  1. directus on the npm registry
  2. Directus pricing
  3. Directus docs: Licensing overview
  4. Monospace Sustainable Core License
  5. Directus docs: Access control
  6. Directus docs: Content versioning
  7. Directus docs: Visual Editor
  8. Directus docs: Collaborative Editing
  9. Directus docs: AI Assistant
  10. Directus docs: Directus MCP
  11. Directus docs: Single Sign-On
  12. Directus docs: Accountability
  13. Directus docs: Transform files
  14. Directus tutorial: Schedule future content with Flows
  15. Directus tutorial: Content approval workflows with custom permissions
  16. Directus tutorial: Promoting changes between environments
  17. Directus tutorial: Reusable blocks with many-to-any relationships
  18. Directus docs: Marketplace
  19. Directus docs: Send Directus webhooks to Clay with Flows
  20. Directus license, MSCL and v12 questions (Contensu)

Drupal sources

Checked 29 Sept 2026. Drupal 11 core. Drupal CMS 2 bundles core with selected contrib modules..

  1. drupal 11.4.8 release
  2. drupal 11.4.0 release notes
  3. JSON:API module documentation
  4. GraphQL module
  5. Content Moderation module documentation
  6. Mark Workspaces as a stable core module (#3088643)
  7. Multilingual guide: translating content
  8. Image module: working with images
  9. Layout Builder module documentation
  10. Drupal Canvas
  11. Scheduler module
  12. Field Permissions module
  13. OpenID Connect / OAuth client module
  14. Domain module
  15. Webform module
  16. AI (Artificial Intelligence) module
  17. MCP Server module
  18. Webhooks module
  19. Drupal CMS 2.0 is here
  20. Database Logging module documentation

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

Where they differ

Directus and Drupal get a different status on 15 of the 28 features and the same status on 13. Directus has 18 built in on its baseline edition, Drupal has 16. 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
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). Drupal is open source (GPL-2.0-or-later).
Vendor cloud
Directus has a vendor-run cloud. Drupal has no vendor-run cloud.

Built in on Directus, a different answer on Drupal 6

  • GraphQL API Directus: Built in. Drupal: Plugin or add-on.
  • Webhooks Directus: Built in. Drupal: Plugin or add-on.
  • Visual editing Directus: Built in. Drupal: Limited.
  • Real-time co-editing Directus: Built in. Drupal: Not available.
  • AI writing assistant Directus: Built in. Drupal: Plugin or add-on.
  • Official MCP server Directus: Built in. Drupal: Not available.

Built in on Drupal, a different answer on Directus 4

  • Renders the website Directus: Not available. Drupal: Built in.
  • Version history Directus: Limited. Drupal: Built in.
  • Approval workflows Directus: Limited. Drupal: Built in.
  • Content releases Directus: Not available. Drupal: Built in.

Built in on neither, with different answers 5

  • Scheduled publishing Directus: Limited. Drupal: Plugin or add-on.
  • Field-level permissions Directus: Paid tier. Drupal: Plugin or add-on.
  • Single sign-on Directus: Paid tier. Drupal: Plugin or add-on.
  • Multiple sites Directus: Not available. Drupal: Plugin or add-on.
  • Form builder Directus: Not available. Drupal: Plugin or add-on.

More comparisons

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

Directus against other platforms

Drupal against other platforms

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

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