Drupal vs Storyblok
Drupal is an open-source traditional CMS that you host yourself. Storyblok 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 16.
- Drupal Traditional · Open source · 16 of 28 built in
- Storyblok Headless · Closed source · 15 of 28 built in
Sources checked: Drupal on 29 Sept 2026, Storyblok 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 | 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 CMS with a Visual Editor where editors compose pages from developer-defined blocks. Run by Storyblok GmbH. |
| 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 | Storyblok SaaS, Starter to Elite plans SaaS, continuously updated |
| Vendor | Drupal community, supported by the Drupal Association drupal.org | Storyblok GmbH storyblok.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 Spaces run in Storyblok's EU, US, Canada or Australia regions. |
| Built with | PHP, Symfony, Twig | SaaS, JavaScript SDKs and CLI |
| Database | MySQL, MariaDB, PostgreSQL, SQLite | Managed by Storyblok |
| 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 Starter free. Growth $99, Growth Plus $349 per space per month. Premium and Elite 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 Content types and fields export to YAML config files. | Built in The CLI pulls and pushes JSON component schemas. Typed @storyblok/schema is in preview. 234 |
| 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 1 |
| 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 Nestable blocks inside stories. 1 |
| 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 Starter includes 2 locales. Growth adds locales at $20 each per month. 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 Service 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 Content Delivery API and Management API. 1 |
| 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 | Paid tier GraphQL Content Delivery API on Premium and Elite. 1 |
| 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 3 webhooks on Starter, 5 on Growth, 15 on Premium. 1 |
| 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 | Paid tier Single story scheduling from Growth. Growth allows 2 scheduled stories, Premium 100. 1 |
| 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. | Limited Starter keeps 1 day of versions. Growth 30 days, Premium 180, Elite unlimited. 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 1 |
| 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 Visual Editor on all plans. 1 |
| 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 | Paid tier Custom workflows and stages on Premium and Elite. Lower plans get fixed default stages. 1 |
| 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 20 releases on Premium, unlimited on Elite. 1 |
| 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 Comments and content locking. No simultaneous editing of one story. 110 |
| Access and governance | ||
| Custom roles Admins define their own roles with granular permissions instead of picking from a fixed set. | Built in | Paid tier 10 custom roles on Premium, unlimited on Elite. 15 |
| 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 | Paid tier Field permissions come with custom roles on Premium and Elite. 15 |
| 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 Premium and Elite. 1 |
| 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 | Limited Activity log on all plans. Starter keeps 1 day, Growth 30 days, Elite unlimited. 1 |
| 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 One account can own many spaces, each on its own plan. 6 |
| 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 Field plugins on all plans. Tool and space plugins on Premium and Elite. 17 |
| Plugin marketplace The vendor runs an official directory or marketplace of installable extensions. | Built in drupal.org module directory. | Built in Storyblok App Directory. 8 |
| 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 | Built in AI content generation and translation on all plans, metered by AI credits. 1 |
| 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 server over the Management API. 9 |
Drupal sources
Checked 29 Sept 2026. Drupal 11 core. Drupal CMS 2 bundles core with selected contrib modules..
- drupal 11.4.8 release
- drupal 11.4.0 release notes
- JSON:API module documentation
- GraphQL module
- Content Moderation module documentation
- Mark Workspaces as a stable core module (#3088643)
- Multilingual guide: translating content
- Image module: working with images
- Layout Builder module documentation
- Drupal Canvas
- Scheduler module
- Field Permissions module
- OpenID Connect / OAuth client module
- Domain module
- Webform module
- AI (Artificial Intelligence) module
- MCP Server module
- Webhooks module
- Drupal CMS 2.0 is here
- Database Logging module documentation
Storyblok sources
Checked 29 Sept 2026. Storyblok SaaS, Starter to Elite plans.
- Storyblok pricing and plan comparison
- Storyblok CLI documentation
- Sneak peek: type-safe schemas with @storyblok/schema (July 2026)
- Storyblok CLI: components push
- Storyblok roles manual
- Storyblok spaces concept
- Storyblok plugins introduction
- Storyblok App Directory
- Storyblok MCP server documentation
- Storyblok tutorial: building real-time collaboration with Tiptap and Yjs
Considering more platforms? Compare Drupal and Storyblok with the rest of your shortlist in the CMS comparison tool.
Where they differ
Drupal and Storyblok get a different status on 16 of the 28 features and the same status on 12. Drupal has 16 built in on its baseline edition, Storyblok has 15. 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). Storyblok is closed source (Proprietary).
- Self-hosting
- Drupal can be self-hosted. Storyblok cannot be self-hosted.
- Vendor cloud
- Drupal has no vendor-run cloud. Storyblok has a vendor-run cloud.
Built in on Drupal, a different answer on Storyblok 6
- Renders the website Drupal: Built in. Storyblok: Not available.
- Version history Drupal: Built in. Storyblok: Limited.
- Approval workflows Drupal: Built in. Storyblok: Paid tier.
- Content releases Drupal: Built in. Storyblok: Paid tier.
- Custom roles Drupal: Built in. Storyblok: Paid tier.
- Site member accounts Drupal: Built in. Storyblok: Not available.
Built in on Storyblok, a different answer on Drupal 5
- Webhooks Drupal: Plugin or add-on. Storyblok: Built in.
- Visual editing Drupal: Limited. Storyblok: Built in.
- Multiple sites Drupal: Plugin or add-on. Storyblok: Built in.
- AI writing assistant Drupal: Plugin or add-on. Storyblok: Built in.
- Official MCP server Drupal: Not available. Storyblok: Built in.
Built in on neither, with different answers 5
- GraphQL API Drupal: Plugin or add-on. Storyblok: Paid tier.
- Scheduled publishing Drupal: Plugin or add-on. Storyblok: Paid tier.
- Field-level permissions Drupal: Plugin or add-on. Storyblok: Paid tier.
- Single sign-on Drupal: Plugin or add-on. Storyblok: Paid tier.
- Form builder Drupal: Plugin or add-on. Storyblok: Not available.
More comparisons
Full write-ups with worked examples and costs: Drupal vs Payload and Storyblok vs Payload.
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Storyblok against other platforms
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- Storyblok vs TYPO3
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- Storyblok vs Wix
- Storyblok vs WordPress
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