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CMS comparison Drupal vs Framer

Drupal vs Framer

Drupal is an open-source traditional CMS that you host yourself. Framer is a closed-source site builder that runs on the vendor's cloud. The table below sets them side by side on 28 features. They get a different status on 18.

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  • Drupal Traditional · Open source · 16 of 28 built in
  • Framer Site builder · Closed source · 14 of 28 built in

Sources checked: Drupal on 29 Sept 2026, Framer 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
Drupal vs Framer feature comparison. Columns are the two platforms. Rows are features, grouped by area.
Platform
Drupal Traditional
Framer Site builder
Overview
What it is Open-source PHP CMS with fieldable content types, core JSON:API and multilingual modules. Teams self-host it or use Drupal hosting platforms.Hosted visual site builder with a CMS, hosting and AI agents. Designers build pages on a canvas. Run by Framer.
Edition compared The product and release each column describes. Drupal 11 core. Drupal CMS 2 bundles core with selected contrib modules. Version 11.4.8, released 26 Sept 2026 Framer 3.0 site plans, Free to Enterprise SaaS, continuously updated
Vendor Drupal community, supported by the Drupal Association drupal.org Framer B.V. framer.com
Licence Open source GPL-2.0-or-later Closed source Proprietary
Hosting Self-hosting No vendor cloud Acquia, Pantheon and other companies sell managed Drupal hosting. No self-hosting Vendor cloud A paid plan is required to connect a custom domain.
Built with PHP, Symfony, TwigHosted SaaS with React code components
Database MySQL, MariaDB, PostgreSQL, SQLiteManaged by Framer
Pricing Public list prices only. Hosting and implementation are extra everywhere. Free to start Free and open source. Hosting, support and contrib services cost extra. Free to start Free plan. Basic $10, Pro $30 per site per month billed yearly. Extra editors $20 per month.
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 Content types and fields export to YAML config files. Not available You build collections in the editor or sync them through the Plugin and Server APIs. 313
Content model in the UI Admins can create and change content types and fields in the admin interface without writing code. Built in Field UI in core. Built in 13
Reusable blocks Editors compose pages from reusable, typed components or blocks, and can reorder them. Built in Layout Builder in core. Paragraphs and Drupal Canvas are contrib. 910 Built in Components with properties that content editors can change on-page. 14
Localization Editors translate content per locale inside the CMS, by field or by entry, without a separate site for each language. Built in Field-level content translation in core. 7 Plugin or add-on Translation locales add-on, $20 per locale per month. One free locale to try. 117
Image transformations The CMS resizes, crops or converts images on request, through URL parameters or generated sizes, with no external service. Built in Image styles scale, crop and convert images. 8 Built in Generates 512 to 4096 px variants served through srcset. 8
APIs and delivery
REST API A documented REST or JSON HTTP API returns content. Built in JSON:API and REST modules in core. 3 Limited Server API in open beta, through the framer-api package over WebSocket. No plain REST. 23
GraphQL API The vendor or an official module provides a GraphQL API for content. Plugin or add-on GraphQL contrib module. Developers build the schema. 4 Not available
Webhooks The CMS can call an external URL when content is created, changed or published. Plugin or add-on Webhooks contrib module. Core has no outgoing webhooks. 18 Not available Webhooks cover form submissions only. 10
Renders the website The CMS itself renders and serves the public pages through themes or templates. Headless-only products answer no. Built in Twig themes. Built in
Editorial workflow
Drafts Editors save changes as a draft and publish them later. The live version stays untouched until then. Built in Drafts of published content need the core Content Moderation module. 5 Built in CMS items can stay in draft. 13
Scheduled publishing An editor can set a future date and time for content to publish or unpublish. Plugin or add-on Scheduler contrib module. 11 Not available No native scheduling. Third-party Marketplace plugins add it. 18
Version history The CMS keeps earlier versions of an entry, and editors can compare or restore them. Built in Revert in core. Side-by-side compare needs the Diff contrib module. Built in Version history and rollback of published versions. 67
Preview Editors can see unpublished content rendered as it will appear on the site before publishing. Built in Preview button on the edit form. Built in
Visual editing Editors can click on the rendered page and edit content in place or in a side panel next to it. Limited Layout Builder edits blocks on a rendered preview. Drupal Canvas is contrib. 910 Built in Canvas editing and on-page editing of the live site. 14
Approval workflows Content moves through review stages you configure, such as draft, review and approved, with permissions per stage. Built in Workflows and Content Moderation modules in core. 5 Limited Editors review and merge Pro branches. Only Deploy permission publishes. No stages. 45
Content releases Editors group changes across several entries and publish them together as one release. Built in Workspaces module, stable in core since 10.3. 6 Paid tier Branching on Pro groups changes and ships them in one merge. 15
Real-time co-editing Two or more editors can work on the same entry at once and see each other's changes live. Not available Built in Free workspaces allow up to three editors. 1
Access and governance
Custom roles Admins define their own roles with granular permissions instead of picking from a fixed set. Built in Limited Fixed roles plus Design, Content and Deploy permissions per project. No role builder. 4
Field-level permissions Admins can restrict access to single fields, on top of content types and entries. Plugin or add-on Field Permissions contrib module. 12 Not available
Single sign-on Editors can sign in through SAML or OpenID Connect against a company identity provider. Plugin or add-on OpenID Connect or SAML Authentication contrib modules. 13 Paid tier Enterprise. 116
Audit log The CMS logs who changed what and when across the whole installation, and admins can review the log. Limited Database Logging records content events by user. It caps and prunes entries. 20 Not available Not documented publicly.
Platform and extensibility
Multiple sites One installation or account can manage several separate websites or brands with shared users. Plugin or add-on Domain contrib module. Core multisite shares only the codebase. 14 Built in A workspace holds many site projects, each on its own plan. 4
Extensible admin UI Developers can add their own components, views or fields to the editing interface. Built in Custom field widgets, forms and admin routes. Built in Plugins add custom panels and tools to the editor. 11
Plugin marketplace The vendor runs an official directory or marketplace of installable extensions. Built in drupal.org module directory. Built in Framer Marketplace. 12
Form builder Editors can build and publish forms and collect submissions without code. Plugin or add-on Webform contrib module. Core Contact is deprecated in 11.4. 152 Built in Native forms. Submissions can also go to a webhook. 10
Site member accounts The platform handles sign-up and login for public site users or members, separate from editors. Built in Not available
AI writing assistant A first-party AI feature in the editing interface generates, rewrites or translates content. Plugin or add-on AI module from the Drupal AI Initiative, bundled with Drupal CMS. 1619 Built in Agents write, rewrite and translate content. AI credits meter usage. 115
Official MCP server The vendor publishes a Model Context Protocol server so AI agents can read or write content. Not available Community contrib only, e.g. the MCP Server module by Lullabot and Omedia. 17 Not available No MCP server. External Agents, in preview, link AI tools through a CLI and skills. 9

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

Where they differ

Drupal and Framer get a different status on 18 of the 28 features and the same status on 10. Drupal has 16 built in on its baseline edition, Framer 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
Drupal is open source (GPL-2.0-or-later). Framer is closed source (Proprietary).
Self-hosting
Drupal can be self-hosted. Framer cannot be self-hosted.
Vendor cloud
Drupal has no vendor-run cloud. Framer has a vendor-run cloud.

Built in on Drupal, a different answer on Framer 7

  • Content model in code Drupal: Built in. Framer: Not available.
  • Localization Drupal: Built in. Framer: Plugin or add-on.
  • REST API Drupal: Built in. Framer: Limited.
  • Approval workflows Drupal: Built in. Framer: Limited.
  • Content releases Drupal: Built in. Framer: Paid tier.
  • Custom roles Drupal: Built in. Framer: Limited.
  • Site member accounts Drupal: Built in. Framer: Not available.

Built in on Framer, a different answer on Drupal 5

  • Visual editing Drupal: Limited. Framer: Built in.
  • Real-time co-editing Drupal: Not available. Framer: Built in.
  • Multiple sites Drupal: Plugin or add-on. Framer: Built in.
  • Form builder Drupal: Plugin or add-on. Framer: Built in.
  • AI writing assistant Drupal: Plugin or add-on. Framer: Built in.

Built in on neither, with different answers 6

  • GraphQL API Drupal: Plugin or add-on. Framer: Not available.
  • Webhooks Drupal: Plugin or add-on. Framer: Not available.
  • Scheduled publishing Drupal: Plugin or add-on. Framer: Not available.
  • Field-level permissions Drupal: Plugin or add-on. Framer: Not available.
  • Single sign-on Drupal: Plugin or add-on. Framer: Paid tier.
  • Audit log Drupal: Limited. Framer: Not available.

More comparisons

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

Drupal against other platforms

Framer against other platforms

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

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