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CMS comparison FirstSpirit vs Framer

FirstSpirit vs Framer

FirstSpirit is a closed-source enterprise DXP that you can host yourself or run on the vendor's cloud. 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 17.

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  • FirstSpirit Enterprise DXP · Closed source · 19 of 28 built in
  • Framer Site builder · Closed source · 14 of 28 built in

Sources checked: FirstSpirit 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
FirstSpirit vs Framer feature comparison. Columns are the two platforms. Rows are features, grouped by area.
Platform
FirstSpirit Enterprise DXP
Framer Site builder
Overview
What it is Java-based enterprise CMS with in-preview editing and a CaaS layer for headless delivery. Runs as FirstSpirit Cloud or on-premises.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. FirstSpirit 5.2 monthly release line, FirstSpirit Cloud and on-premises Version 2026.10 (5.2.261011), released 15 Sept 2026 Framer 3.0 site plans, Free to Enterprise SaaS, continuously updated
Vendor Crownpeak Technology GmbH, part of Rezolve Ai since December 2025 firstspirit.com Framer B.V. framer.com
Licence Closed source Proprietary Closed source Proprietary
Hosting Self-hosting Vendor cloud No self-hosting Vendor cloud A paid plan is required to connect a custom domain.
Built with Java, ContentCreator web client, SiteArchitect desktop appHosted SaaS with React code components
Database Built-in repository, plus SQL databases such as PostgreSQL for data sourcesManaged by Framer
Pricing Public list prices only. Hosting and implementation are extra everywhere. No free option Pricing on request. 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 Templates sync to files in Git through external synchronization and FSDevTools. 34 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. Limited Developers build templates in SiteArchitect but write their forms as XML. 412 Built in 13
Reusable blocks Editors compose pages from reusable, typed components or blocks, and can reorder them. Built in Pages consist of sections based on section templates. 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 Language-dependent fields per project language. 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 FirstSpirit automatically generates the image resolutions defined per project. 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 CaaS REST API. 56 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. Built in CaaS GraphQL API generated from the FirstSpirit data model. 56 Not available
Webhooks The CMS can call an external URL when content is created, changed or published. Limited CaaS Change Streams push change events over WebSocket. 6 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 Generates pages from templates. CaaS covers headless delivery. Built in
Editorial workflow
Drafts Editors save changes as a draft and publish them later. The live version stays untouched until then. Built in Changes stay unreleased until the release workflow runs. 8 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. Limited Admins set up timed schedule entries. Editors have no per-item publish date. 10 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 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 Built in
Visual editing Editors can click on the rendered page and edit content in place or in a side panel next to it. Built in ContentCreator in-preview editing. Omnichannel Manager for headless frontends. 7 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 8 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. Limited Release with dependencies publishes a page with its linked media and parents. 9 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 The Collaboration module adds comments on fields. No co-editing. 11 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 Groups with permissions per store and node. 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. Limited Form rules hide or lock single fields per user group. 12 Not available
Single sign-on Editors can sign in through SAML or OpenID Connect against a company identity provider. Built in SAML and OpenID Connect login modules. 1314 Paid tier Enterprise. 116
Audit log The CMS logs who changed what and when across the whole installation, and admins can review the log. Built in Audit logging to the server log once enabled. 15 Not available Not documented publicly.
Platform and extensibility
Multiple sites One installation or account can manage several separate websites or brands with shared users. Built in Several projects per server. Multisite Management shares content between them. 16 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 ContentCreator and SiteArchitect plug-ins. 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 FirstSpirit Marketplace. 17 Built in Framer Marketplace. 12
Form builder Editors can build and publish forms and collect submissions without code. Plugin or add-on Formcentric for FirstSpirit, a partner product. 18 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. Not available Not available
AI writing assistant A first-party AI feature in the editing interface generates, rewrites or translates content. Plugin or add-on AI Suite module: Content, Analyze and Image assistants. 117 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. Built in CaaS Platform MCP server builds and runs CaaS GraphQL queries. 19 Not available No MCP server. External Agents, in preview, link AI tools through a CLI and skills. 9

FirstSpirit sources

Checked 29 Sept 2026. FirstSpirit 5.2 monthly release line, FirstSpirit Cloud and on-premises.

  1. Release notes FirstSpirit 2026.10
  2. [RELEASE] FirstSpirit 2026.10
  3. FSDevTools on GitHub
  4. External Synchronization: development
  5. CaaS Connect module documentation
  6. CaaS Platform REST interface documentation
  7. Omnichannel Manager 3.0
  8. ContentCreator: the standard Release workflow
  9. FirstSpirit docs: Specific release
  10. FirstSpirit docs: Schedule tasks
  11. FirstSpirit Collaboration user guide
  12. FirstSpirit docs: IN_GROUP rule
  13. Setting up SSO via the FirstSpirit SAML login module
  14. Authentication with OpenID Connect
  15. Audit logging in FirstSpirit
  16. Multisite Management user documentation
  17. FirstSpirit Marketplace: AI Suite
  18. Formcentric for FirstSpirit
  19. CaaS Platform MCP server documentation
  20. Rezolve Ai acquisition of Crownpeak

Framer sources

Checked 29 Sept 2026. Framer 3.0 site plans, Free to Enterprise.

  1. Framer pricing
  2. Framer update: Server API (February 2026)
  3. Framer Developers: Server API introduction
  4. Framer Help: members, roles and permissions
  5. Framer: collaboration with branches, reviews and staging
  6. Framer: publish with staging, hosting and rollback
  7. Framer Help: staging and versions
  8. Framer Help: how Framer optimizes images
  9. Framer External Agents
  10. Framer Help: connect Framer forms to a webhook
  11. Framer Developers: plugins introduction
  12. Framer Marketplace plugins
  13. Framer CMS
  14. Framer Help: on-page editing
  15. Framer blog: Framer 3.0 with Agents and Branching
  16. Framer Enterprise
  17. Framer Help: localization
  18. Framer CMS Scheduler plugin (third party)

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

Where they differ

FirstSpirit and Framer get a different status on 17 of the 28 features and the same status on 11. FirstSpirit has 19 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.

Self-hosting
FirstSpirit can be self-hosted. Framer cannot be self-hosted.
Free option
FirstSpirit has no free option. Framer has a free option.

Built in on FirstSpirit, a different answer on Framer 9

  • Content model in code FirstSpirit: Built in. Framer: Not available.
  • Localization FirstSpirit: Built in. Framer: Plugin or add-on.
  • REST API FirstSpirit: Built in. Framer: Limited.
  • GraphQL API FirstSpirit: Built in. Framer: Not available.
  • Approval workflows FirstSpirit: Built in. Framer: Limited.
  • Custom roles FirstSpirit: Built in. Framer: Limited.
  • Single sign-on FirstSpirit: Built in. Framer: Paid tier.
  • Audit log FirstSpirit: Built in. Framer: Not available.
  • Official MCP server FirstSpirit: Built in. Framer: Not available.

Built in on Framer, a different answer on FirstSpirit 4

  • Content model in the UI FirstSpirit: Limited. Framer: Built in.
  • Real-time co-editing FirstSpirit: Not available. Framer: Built in.
  • Form builder FirstSpirit: Plugin or add-on. Framer: Built in.
  • AI writing assistant FirstSpirit: Plugin or add-on. Framer: Built in.

Built in on neither, with different answers 4

  • Webhooks FirstSpirit: Limited. Framer: Not available.
  • Scheduled publishing FirstSpirit: Limited. Framer: Not available.
  • Content releases FirstSpirit: Limited. Framer: Paid tier.
  • Field-level permissions FirstSpirit: Limited. Framer: Not available.

More comparisons

FirstSpirit 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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