Now booking enterprise content platform builds for 2026. Contact us

Join us
Contact us

What we build

Who it's for

How we engage

Case studies

Industries

Partnerships

About

Writing

Tools

For startups Join us
Contact us
CMS comparison Directus vs FirstSpirit

Directus vs FirstSpirit

Directus is a closed-source headless CMS that you can host yourself or run on the vendor's cloud. FirstSpirit 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 14.

Book a call
  • Directus Headless · Closed source · 18 of 28 built in
  • FirstSpirit Enterprise DXP · Closed source · 19 of 28 built in

Sources checked: Directus on 29 Sept 2026, FirstSpirit 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 FirstSpirit feature comparison. Columns are the two platforms. Rows are features, grouped by area.
Platform
Directus Headless
FirstSpirit Enterprise DXP
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.Java-based enterprise CMS with in-preview editing and a CaaS layer for headless delivery. Runs as FirstSpirit Cloud or on-premises.
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 FirstSpirit 5.2 monthly release line, FirstSpirit Cloud and on-premises Version 2026.10 (5.2.261011), released 15 Sept 2026
Vendor Monospace Inc. directus.com Crownpeak Technology GmbH, part of Rezolve Ai since December 2025 firstspirit.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 Closed source Proprietary
Hosting Self-hosting Vendor cloud Directus Cloud is a $99 per month add-on for Core and Team. Enterprise cloud on request. Self-hosting Vendor cloud
Built with TypeScript, Node.js, VueJava, ContentCreator web client, SiteArchitect desktop app
Database PostgreSQL, MySQL, MariaDB, SQLite, MS SQL Server, Oracle, CockroachDBBuilt-in repository, plus SQL databases such as PostgreSQL for data sources
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. 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 Schema snapshots are files in the repo, applied to an instance with the CLI. 16 Built in Templates sync to files in Git through external synchronization and FSDevTools. 34
Content model in the UI Admins can create and change content types and fields in the admin interface without writing code. Built in Limited Developers build templates in SiteArchitect but write their forms as XML. 412
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 Pages consist of sections based on section templates.
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 Language-dependent fields per project language.
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 FirstSpirit automatically generates the image resolutions defined per project.
APIs and delivery
REST API A documented REST or JSON HTTP API returns content. Built in Built in CaaS REST API. 56
GraphQL API The vendor or an official module provides a GraphQL API for content. Built in Built in CaaS GraphQL API generated from the FirstSpirit data model. 56
Webhooks The CMS can call an external URL when content is created, changed or published. Built in Through Flows. Core allows 5 Flows. 219 Limited CaaS Change Streams push change events over WebSocket. 6
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 Generates pages from templates. CaaS covers headless delivery.
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 Changes stay unreleased until the release workflow runs. 8
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 Limited Admins set up timed schedule entries. Editors have no per-item publish date. 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
Preview Editors can see unpublished content rendered as it will appear on the site before publishing. Built in Built in
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 ContentCreator in-preview editing. Omnichannel Manager for headless frontends. 7
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 8
Content releases Editors group changes across several entries and publish them together as one release. Not available Limited Release with dependencies publishes a page with its linked media and parents. 9
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 The Collaboration module adds comments on fields. No co-editing. 11
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 Groups with permissions per store and node.
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 Limited Form rules hide or lock single fields per user group. 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 Built in SAML and OpenID Connect login modules. 1314
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 Built in Audit logging to the server log once enabled. 15
Platform and extensibility
Multiple sites One installation or account can manage several separate websites or brands with shared users. Not available Built in Several projects per server. Multisite Management shares content between them. 16
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 ContentCreator and SiteArchitect plug-ins.
Plugin marketplace The vendor runs an official directory or marketplace of installable extensions. Built in Marketplace inside the Studio. 18 Built in FirstSpirit Marketplace. 17
Form builder Editors can build and publish forms and collect submissions without code. Not available Plugin or add-on Formcentric for FirstSpirit, a partner product. 18
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 Not available
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 Suite module: Content, Analyze and Image assistants. 117
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 CaaS Platform MCP server builds and runs CaaS GraphQL queries. 19

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)

FirstSpirit sources

Checked 29 Sept 2026. FirstSpirit 5.2 monthly release line, FirstSpirit Cloud and on-premises.

  1. Release notes FirstSpirit 2026.10
  2. [RELEASE] FirstSpirit 2026.10
  3. FSDevTools on GitHub
  4. External Synchronization: development
  5. CaaS Connect module documentation
  6. CaaS Platform REST interface documentation
  7. Omnichannel Manager 3.0
  8. ContentCreator: the standard Release workflow
  9. FirstSpirit docs: Specific release
  10. FirstSpirit docs: Schedule tasks
  11. FirstSpirit Collaboration user guide
  12. FirstSpirit docs: IN_GROUP rule
  13. Setting up SSO via the FirstSpirit SAML login module
  14. Authentication with OpenID Connect
  15. Audit logging in FirstSpirit
  16. Multisite Management user documentation
  17. FirstSpirit Marketplace: AI Suite
  18. Formcentric for FirstSpirit
  19. CaaS Platform MCP server documentation
  20. Rezolve Ai acquisition of Crownpeak

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

Where they differ

Directus and FirstSpirit get a different status on 14 of the 28 features and the same status on 14. Directus has 18 built in on its baseline edition, FirstSpirit has 19. Two matching statuses can still name different paid tiers or limits, so read the notes in the table before treating a row as equal.

Free option
Directus has a free option. FirstSpirit has no free option.

Built in on Directus, a different answer on FirstSpirit 5

  • Content model in the UI Directus: Built in. FirstSpirit: Limited.
  • Webhooks Directus: Built in. FirstSpirit: Limited.
  • Real-time co-editing Directus: Built in. FirstSpirit: Not available.
  • Site member accounts Directus: Built in. FirstSpirit: Not available.
  • AI writing assistant Directus: Built in. FirstSpirit: Plugin or add-on.

Built in on FirstSpirit, a different answer on Directus 6

  • Renders the website Directus: Not available. FirstSpirit: Built in.
  • Version history Directus: Limited. FirstSpirit: Built in.
  • Approval workflows Directus: Limited. FirstSpirit: Built in.
  • Single sign-on Directus: Paid tier. FirstSpirit: Built in.
  • Audit log Directus: Limited. FirstSpirit: Built in.
  • Multiple sites Directus: Not available. FirstSpirit: Built in.

Built in on neither, with different answers 3

  • Content releases Directus: Not available. FirstSpirit: Limited.
  • Field-level permissions Directus: Paid tier. FirstSpirit: Limited.
  • Form builder Directus: Not available. FirstSpirit: Plugin or add-on.

More comparisons

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

Directus against other platforms

FirstSpirit against other platforms

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

We're booking content platform
engagements for 2026.

Twenty-five minutes to walk through the work and decide if we're the right team for it. Scoping and a fixed price come after.

Book a 25-min call Or email us instead