Directus vs Kirby
Directus is a closed-source headless CMS that you can host yourself or run on the vendor's cloud. Kirby is a closed-source traditional CMS that you host yourself. The table below sets them side by side on 28 features. They get a different status on 16.
- Directus Headless · Closed source · 18 of 28 built in
- Kirby Traditional · Closed source · 11 of 28 built in
Sources checked: Directus on 29 Sept 2026, Kirby 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
| Platform |  |  |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | File-based PHP CMS with a configurable editing Panel. Content lives in text files on your own server, under a paid per-site licence. |
| 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 | Kirby 5. Kirby 6 is in alpha. Version 5.6.0, released 16 Sept 2026 |
| Vendor | Monospace Inc. directus.com | Content Folder GmbH & Co. KG getkirby.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, source available |
| 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 |
| Built with | TypeScript, Node.js, Vue | PHP, Vue for the Panel |
| Database | PostgreSQL, MySQL, MariaDB, SQLite, MS SQL Server, Oracle, CockroachDB | Flat files, no database required |
| 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 Basic €99 per site if revenue is under €1M. Enterprise €349 per site. Both include 3 years of updates. |
| 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 Blueprints are YAML files in site/blueprints. 5 |
| Content model in the UI Admins can create and change content types and fields in the admin interface without writing code. | Built in | Not available You edit blueprints as files. The Panel has no schema editor. 5 |
| 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 and Layout fields. 6 |
| 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 Multi-language content is built in. 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 Thumbs with resize, crop and format conversion. 8 |
| APIs and delivery | ||
| REST API A documented REST or JSON HTTP API returns content. | Built in | Built in Authenticated REST API. The official KQL plugin serves headless queries. 910 |
| 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 | Not available PHP hooks only. No webhook settings. |
| 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 PHP templates and snippets. |
| 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 Page drafts. Kirby 5 stores unsaved changes apart from the live version. 4 |
| 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 | Not available |
| 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 | Not available Kirby 5 keeps the live version and one set of changes. No revision history. 4 |
| Preview Editors can see unpublished content rendered as it will appear on the site before publishing. | Built in | Built in Preview view renders unsaved changes, with shareable links. 4 |
| 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 | Not available Preview view compares versions. No click-to-edit. 4 |
| 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 Fixed page statuses: draft, unlisted, listed. 11 |
| 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 Content locking stops two editors changing one page at once. 320 |
| 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 Roles are user blueprints with permissions. 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 Only by loading different blueprints per role in custom code. 13 |
| 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 | Not available No first-party SSO. Community OAuth plugins exist. |
| 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 | Not available |
| Platform and extensibility | ||
| Multiple sites One installation or account can manage several separate websites or brands with shared users. | Not available | Not available One site per installation. |
| 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 Panel plugins add fields, sections, views and areas. 15 |
| Plugin marketplace The vendor runs an official directory or marketplace of installable extensions. | Built in Marketplace inside the Studio. 18 | Built in Official plugin directory at plugins.getkirby.com. 16 |
| Form builder Editors can build and publish forms and collect submissions without code. | Not available | Plugin or add-on Paid DreamForm plugin by tobimori. 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 Frontend login is built in. Sign-up needs custom code. 14 |
| 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 No first-party AI. Kirby Copilot is a paid third-party plugin. 18 |
| 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 Third-party Kirby MCP plugin by Bruno Meilick. 19 |
Directus sources
Checked 29 Sept 2026. Directus 12, self-hosted core tier or licensed plans, with optional Directus Cloud.
- directus on the npm registry
- Directus pricing
- Directus docs: Licensing overview
- Monospace Sustainable Core License
- Directus docs: Access control
- Directus docs: Content versioning
- Directus docs: Visual Editor
- Directus docs: Collaborative Editing
- Directus docs: AI Assistant
- Directus docs: Directus MCP
- Directus docs: Single Sign-On
- Directus docs: Accountability
- Directus docs: Transform files
- Directus tutorial: Schedule future content with Flows
- Directus tutorial: Content approval workflows with custom permissions
- Directus tutorial: Promoting changes between environments
- Directus tutorial: Reusable blocks with many-to-any relationships
- Directus docs: Marketplace
- Directus docs: Send Directus webhooks to Clay with Flows
- Directus license, MSCL and v12 questions (Contensu)
Kirby sources
Checked 29 Sept 2026. Kirby 5. Kirby 6 is in alpha..
- Kirby pricing
- Kirby releases
- Kirby 5 release overview
- Kirby 5: Preview your changes
- Kirby docs: Blueprints
- Kirby docs: Blocks field
- Kirby docs: Languages
- Kirby docs: $file->thumb()
- Kirby docs: REST API
- Kirby Query Language (KQL) plugin
- Kirby docs: Publishing workflow
- Kirby docs: Permissions
- Kirby cookbook: Extending permissions
- Kirby docs: Frontend login
- Kirby docs: Plugin extensions
- Kirby plugin directory
- DreamForm plugin
- Kirby Copilot plugin
- Kirby MCP plugin by Bruno Meilick
- Kirby docs: Content options (locking)
Considering more platforms? Compare Directus and Kirby with the rest of your shortlist in the CMS comparison tool.
Where they differ
Directus and Kirby get a different status on 16 of the 28 features and the same status on 12. Directus has 18 built in on its baseline edition, Kirby has 11. 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
- Directus has a vendor-run cloud. Kirby has no vendor-run cloud.
- Free option
- Directus has a free option. Kirby has no free option.
Built in on Directus, a different answer on Kirby 8
- Content model in the UI Directus: Built in. Kirby: Not available.
- GraphQL API Directus: Built in. Kirby: Not available.
- Webhooks Directus: Built in. Kirby: Not available.
- Visual editing Directus: Built in. Kirby: Not available.
- Real-time co-editing Directus: Built in. Kirby: Not available.
- Site member accounts Directus: Built in. Kirby: Limited.
- AI writing assistant Directus: Built in. Kirby: Not available.
- Official MCP server Directus: Built in. Kirby: Not available.
Built in on Kirby, a different answer on Directus 1
- Renders the website Directus: Not available. Kirby: Built in.
Built in on neither, with different answers 7
- Scheduled publishing Directus: Limited. Kirby: Not available.
- Version history Directus: Limited. Kirby: Not available.
- Approval workflows Directus: Limited. Kirby: Not available.
- Field-level permissions Directus: Paid tier. Kirby: Not available.
- Single sign-on Directus: Paid tier. Kirby: Not available.
- Audit log Directus: Limited. Kirby: Not available.
- Form builder Directus: Not available. Kirby: Plugin or add-on.
More comparisons
Full write-ups with worked examples and costs: Directus vs Payload.
Directus against other platforms
- Adobe Experience Manager vs Directus
- Contentful vs Directus
- Contentstack vs Directus
- CoreMedia Content Cloud vs Directus
- Craft CMS vs Directus
- DatoCMS vs Directus
- Decap CMS vs Directus
- Directus vs Drupal
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- Directus vs HubSpot CMS
- Directus vs Hygraph
- Directus vs Instatic
- Directus vs Joomla
- Directus vs Keystone
- Directus vs Liferay DXP
- Directus vs Optimizely CMS
- Directus vs Payload
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- Directus vs Sanity
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- Directus vs Squarespace
- Directus vs Statamic
- Directus vs Storyblok
- Directus vs Strapi
- Directus vs TYPO3
- Directus vs Umbraco
- Directus vs Wagtail
- Directus vs Webflow
- Directus vs Wix
- Directus vs WordPress
- Directus vs Xperience by Kentico
Kirby against other platforms
- Adobe Experience Manager vs Kirby
- Contentful vs Kirby
- Contentstack vs Kirby
- CoreMedia Content Cloud vs Kirby
- Craft CMS vs Kirby
- DatoCMS vs Kirby
- Decap CMS vs Kirby
- Drupal vs Kirby
- EmDash vs Kirby
- FirstSpirit vs Kirby
- Framer vs Kirby
- Ghost vs Kirby
- HubSpot CMS vs Kirby
- Hygraph vs Kirby
- Instatic vs Kirby
- Joomla vs Kirby
- Keystone vs Kirby
- Kirby vs Liferay DXP
- Kirby vs Optimizely CMS
- Kirby vs Payload
- Kirby vs Prismic
- Kirby vs Progress Sitefinity
- Kirby vs Sanity
- Kirby vs Sitecore
- Kirby vs Squarespace
- Kirby vs Statamic
- Kirby vs Storyblok
- Kirby vs Strapi
- Kirby vs TYPO3
- Kirby vs Umbraco
- Kirby vs Wagtail
- Kirby vs Webflow
- Kirby vs Wix
- Kirby vs WordPress
- Xperience by Kentico vs Kirby
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