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CMS comparison Drupal vs Prismic

Drupal vs Prismic

Drupal is an open-source traditional CMS that you host yourself. 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 17.

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  • Drupal Traditional · Open source · 16 of 28 built in
  • Prismic Headless · Closed source · 16 of 28 built in

Sources checked: Drupal 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
Drupal vs Prismic feature comparison. Columns are the two platforms. Rows are features, grouped by area.
Platform
Drupal Traditional
Prismic Headless
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 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. Drupal 11 core. Drupal CMS 2 bundles core with selected contrib modules. Version 11.4.8, released 26 Sept 2026 Prismic SaaS, Free to Enterprise plans SaaS, continuously updated
Vendor Drupal community, supported by the Drupal Association drupal.org Prismic prismic.io
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
Built with PHP, Symfony, TwigSaaS with SDKs for Next.js, Nuxt and SvelteKit
Database MySQL, MariaDB, PostgreSQL, SQLiteManaged by Prismic
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. 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 Content types and fields export to YAML config files. 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 Field UI in core. 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 Layout Builder in core. Paragraphs and Drupal Canvas are contrib. 910 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 Field-level content translation in core. 7 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 Image styles scale, crop and convert images. 8 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 JSON:API and REST modules in core. 3 Built in Document API. 15
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 Built in 15
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 Built in 6
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. Not available
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
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 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. Built in Revert in core. Side-by-side compare needs the Diff contrib module. 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 Preview button on the edit form. 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. Limited Layout Builder edits blocks on a rendered preview. Drupal Canvas is contrib. 910 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. Built in Workflows and Content Moderation modules in core. 5 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. Built in Workspaces module, stable in core since 10.3. 6 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. Not available 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 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. 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. 19
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 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 Custom field widgets, forms and admin routes. 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 drupal.org module directory. Not available Integration guides only. No installable marketplace. 13
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 Not available
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 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. Not available Community contrib only, e.g. the MCP Server module by Lullabot and Omedia. 17 Built in Hosted at mcp.prismic.io, activated per repository. 15

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

Where they differ

Drupal and Prismic get a different status on 17 of the 28 features and the same status on 11. Drupal has 16 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.

Licence
Drupal is open source (GPL-2.0-or-later). Prismic is closed source (Proprietary).
Self-hosting
Drupal can be self-hosted. Prismic cannot be self-hosted.
Vendor cloud
Drupal has no vendor-run cloud. Prismic has a vendor-run cloud.

Built in on Drupal, a different answer on Prismic 6

  • Renders the website Drupal: Built in. Prismic: Not available.
  • Approval workflows Drupal: Built in. Prismic: Limited.
  • Custom roles Drupal: Built in. Prismic: Limited.
  • Extensible admin UI Drupal: Built in. Prismic: Limited.
  • Plugin marketplace Drupal: Built in. Prismic: Not available.
  • Site member accounts Drupal: Built in. Prismic: Not available.

Built in on Prismic, a different answer on Drupal 6

  • GraphQL API Drupal: Plugin or add-on. Prismic: Built in.
  • Webhooks Drupal: Plugin or add-on. Prismic: Built in.
  • Scheduled publishing Drupal: Plugin or add-on. Prismic: Built in.
  • Visual editing Drupal: Limited. Prismic: Built in.
  • Multiple sites Drupal: Plugin or add-on. Prismic: Built in.
  • Official MCP server Drupal: Not available. Prismic: Built in.

Built in on neither, with different answers 5

  • Field-level permissions Drupal: Plugin or add-on. Prismic: Not available.
  • Single sign-on Drupal: Plugin or add-on. Prismic: Paid tier.
  • Audit log Drupal: Limited. Prismic: Not available.
  • Form builder Drupal: Plugin or add-on. Prismic: Not available.
  • AI writing assistant Drupal: Plugin or add-on. Prismic: Limited.

More comparisons

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

Drupal 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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