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CMS comparison Directus vs Prismic

Directus vs Prismic

Directus is a closed-source headless CMS that you can host yourself or run on the vendor's cloud. Prismic is a closed-source headless CMS that runs on the vendor's cloud. The table below sets them side by side on 28 features. They get a different status on 12.

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  • Directus Headless · Closed source · 18 of 28 built in
  • Prismic Headless · Closed source · 16 of 28 built in

Sources checked: Directus on 29 Sept 2026, Prismic 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 Prismic feature comparison. Columns are the two platforms. Rows are features, grouped by area.
Platform
Directus Headless
Prismic Headless
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.Hosted headless page builder where marketers compose pages from developer-built slices. Run by Prismic, with SDKs for Next.js, Nuxt and SvelteKit.
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 Prismic SaaS, Free to Enterprise plans SaaS, continuously updated
Vendor Monospace Inc. directus.com Prismic prismic.io
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. No self-hosting Vendor cloud
Built with TypeScript, Node.js, VueSaaS with SDKs for Next.js, Nuxt and SvelteKit
Database PostgreSQL, MySQL, MariaDB, SQLite, MS SQL Server, Oracle, CockroachDBManaged by Prismic
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 plan. Starter $10, Small $25, Medium $150, Platinum $675 per repository per month, billed yearly.
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 Model files live in the project. The Prismic CLI pushes and pulls them. 2
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 Type Builder in the web app. 3
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 Slices with variations. 4
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 2 locales on Free, 8 on Platinum, custom on Enterprise. 1
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 optimization and processing on all plans. 1
APIs and delivery
REST API A documented REST or JSON HTTP API returns content. Built in Built in Document API. 15
GraphQL API The vendor or an official module provides a GraphQL API for content. Built in Built in 15
Webhooks The CMS can call an external URL when content is created, changed or published. Built in Through Flows. Core allows 5 Flows. 219 Built in 6
Renders the website The CMS itself renders and serves the public pages through themes or templates. Headless-only products answer no. Not available Not available
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
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 Scheduled through releases on every plan. 18
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 Full revision history on every plan. 1
Preview Editors can see unpublished content rendered as it will appear on the site before publishing. Built in Built in Shareable previews on every plan. 17
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 Page Builder shows live slice previews from your site next to the fields. 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 Limited Writer and Publisher roles from Medium. No configurable review stages. 9
Content releases Editors group changes across several entries and publish them together as one release. Not available Built in Up to 200 pages per release. 8
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 In progress with a waitlist. A status indicator shows who is editing. 10
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 Limited Enterprise only. Fixed Read-only, Writer or Publisher levels set per locale. No role builder. 19
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
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 Paid tier Enterprise. 19
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 Not documented publicly.
Platform and extensibility
Multiple sites One installation or account can manage several separate websites or brands with shared users. Not available Built in Each site is a repository on its own plan. Spaces group content inside one. 111
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. Limited Integration fields load external catalog data into a picker. No custom UI code. 12
Plugin marketplace The vendor runs an official directory or marketplace of installable extensions. Built in Marketplace inside the Studio. 18 Not available Integration guides only. No installable marketplace. 13
Form builder Editors can build and publish forms and collect submissions without code. Not available Not available
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 Limited Beta on request: AI translation and SEO metadata suggestions. 114
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 Hosted at mcp.prismic.io, activated per repository. 15

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

Where they differ

Directus and Prismic get a different status on 12 of the 28 features and the same status on 16. Directus has 18 built in on its baseline edition, Prismic 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.

Self-hosting
Directus can be self-hosted. Prismic cannot be self-hosted.

Built in on Directus, a different answer on Prismic 6

  • Real-time co-editing Directus: Built in. Prismic: Not available.
  • Custom roles Directus: Built in. Prismic: Limited.
  • Extensible admin UI Directus: Built in. Prismic: Limited.
  • Plugin marketplace Directus: Built in. Prismic: Not available.
  • Site member accounts Directus: Built in. Prismic: Not available.
  • AI writing assistant Directus: Built in. Prismic: Limited.

Built in on Prismic, a different answer on Directus 4

  • Scheduled publishing Directus: Limited. Prismic: Built in.
  • Version history Directus: Limited. Prismic: Built in.
  • Content releases Directus: Not available. Prismic: Built in.
  • Multiple sites Directus: Not available. Prismic: Built in.

Built in on neither, with different answers 2

  • Field-level permissions Directus: Paid tier. Prismic: Not available.
  • Audit log Directus: Limited. Prismic: Not available.

More comparisons

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

Directus against other platforms

Prismic against other platforms

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

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