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CMS comparison Directus vs EmDash

Directus vs EmDash

Directus is a closed-source headless CMS that you can host yourself or run on the vendor's cloud. EmDash 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
  • EmDash Traditional · Open source · 14 of 28 built in

Sources checked: Directus on 29 Sept 2026, EmDash 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 EmDash feature comparison. Columns are the two platforms. Rows are features, grouped by area.
Platform
Directus Headless
EmDash 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 CMS from Cloudflare that runs inside an Astro site, with the admin and pages in one app on Cloudflare Workers or Node.js.
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 EmDash 1.0, open source Version 1.0.1, released 28 Sept 2026
Vendor Monospace Inc. directus.com Cloudflare emdashcms.com
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 MIT
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 No managed hosting. You deploy to your own Cloudflare account or Node.js server.
Built with TypeScript, Node.js, VueTypeScript, Astro
Database PostgreSQL, MySQL, MariaDB, SQLite, MS SQL Server, Oracle, CockroachDBSQLite, Cloudflare D1, PostgreSQL, libSQL
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. You pay only for hosting.
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 Limited Seed files set up new sites. A live site's model changes through the admin, API or CLI. 20
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 Admin role only. 220
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 Blocks field with versioned block types. 5
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 Each translation is a separate entry with its own status. 6
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 Uses Astro's image endpoint for sizes and formats. Crop and focal point in the editor. 78
APIs and delivery
REST API A documented REST or JSON HTTP API returns content. Built in Built in 9
GraphQL API The vendor or an official module provides a GraphQL API for content. Built in Not available
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 Official webhook-notifier plugin. 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 The Astro site renders the pages. 2
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 10
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 Built in 10
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 On revision-enabled collections. 10
Preview Editors can see unpublished content rendered as it will appear on the site before publishing. Built in Built in Signed preview links. 11
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 Built in Signed-in editors get visual editing on the rendered page. 11
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 Not available Contributors cannot publish. No configurable review stages. 1210
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. 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 Not available Five fixed roles from Subscriber to Admin. 12
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 Not available 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 Limited Microsoft Entra sign-in built in. Other IdPs through Cloudflare Access. No native SAML. 12
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 Plugin or add-on Official audit-log plugin. 19
Platform and extensibility
Multiple sites One installation or account can manage several separate websites or brands with shared users. Not available Not available
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 Plugins add admin pages and dashboard widgets. 13
Plugin marketplace The vendor runs an official directory or marketplace of installable extensions. Built in Marketplace inside the Studio. 18 Built in Plugin registry, launched with 1.0. 143
Form builder Editors can build and publish forms and collect submissions without code. Not available Plugin or add-on Official forms plugin. 17
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 Limited Subscriber role reads member-only content. Members share the editors' user system. 12
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 Not available
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 Built in Built in and on by default. 15

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)

EmDash sources

Checked 29 Sept 2026. EmDash 1.0, open source.

  1. emdash on the npm registry
  2. EmDash homepage
  3. EmDash 1.0: an open source CMS for Astro
  4. EmDash repository on GitHub
  5. EmDash docs: Blocks
  6. EmDash docs: Internationalization
  7. EmDash docs: Configuration reference
  8. EmDash docs: Media Library
  9. EmDash docs: REST API
  10. EmDash docs: Content lifecycle
  11. EmDash docs: Preview mode
  12. EmDash docs: Authentication
  13. EmDash docs: Plugins overview
  14. EmDash docs: Plugin registry
  15. EmDash docs: AI tools and MCP server
  16. EmDash docs: Database options
  17. @emdash-cms/plugin-forms on the npm registry
  18. @emdash-cms/plugin-webhook-notifier on the npm registry
  19. @emdash-cms/plugin-audit-log on the npm registry
  20. EmDash docs: Evolving a deployed site

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

Where they differ

Directus and EmDash 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, EmDash has 14. 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). EmDash is open source (MIT).
Vendor cloud
Directus has a vendor-run cloud. EmDash has no vendor-run cloud.

Built in on Directus, a different answer on EmDash 7

  • Content model in code Directus: Built in. EmDash: Limited.
  • GraphQL API Directus: Built in. EmDash: Not available.
  • Webhooks Directus: Built in. EmDash: Plugin or add-on.
  • Real-time co-editing Directus: Built in. EmDash: Not available.
  • Custom roles Directus: Built in. EmDash: Not available.
  • Site member accounts Directus: Built in. EmDash: Limited.
  • AI writing assistant Directus: Built in. EmDash: Not available.

Built in on EmDash, a different answer on Directus 3

  • Renders the website Directus: Not available. EmDash: Built in.
  • Scheduled publishing Directus: Limited. EmDash: Built in.
  • Version history Directus: Limited. EmDash: Built in.

Built in on neither, with different answers 5

  • Approval workflows Directus: Limited. EmDash: Not available.
  • Field-level permissions Directus: Paid tier. EmDash: Not available.
  • Single sign-on Directus: Paid tier. EmDash: Limited.
  • Audit log Directus: Limited. EmDash: Plugin or add-on.
  • Form builder Directus: Not available. EmDash: Plugin or add-on.

More comparisons

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

Directus against other platforms

EmDash against other platforms

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

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