FirstSpirit vs Keystone
FirstSpirit is a closed-source enterprise DXP that you can host yourself or run on the vendor's cloud. Keystone is an open-source headless CMS that you host yourself. The table below sets them side by side on 28 features. They get a different status on 23.
- FirstSpirit Enterprise DXP · Closed source · 19 of 28 built in
- Keystone Headless · Open source · 6 of 28 built in
Sources checked: FirstSpirit on 29 Sept 2026, Keystone 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 | Java-based enterprise CMS with in-preview editing and a CaaS layer for headless delivery. Runs as FirstSpirit Cloud or on-premises. | Open-source Node.js headless CMS from Thinkmill that generates a GraphQL API and an admin UI from a TypeScript schema. |
| 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 | Keystone 6, open source, from the @keystone-6/core package Version 8.1.0, released 31 Aug 2026 |
| Vendor | Crownpeak Technology GmbH, part of Rezolve Ai since December 2025 firstspirit.com | Thinkmill keystonejs.com |
| Licence | Closed source Proprietary | Open source MIT |
| Hosting | Self-hosting Vendor cloud | Self-hosting No vendor cloud No managed hosting. Thinkmill offers enterprise support. |
| Built with | Java, ContentCreator web client, SiteArchitect desktop app | TypeScript, Node.js, GraphQL, Prisma, Next.js for the admin UI |
| Database | Built-in repository, plus SQL databases such as PostgreSQL for data sources | PostgreSQL, MySQL, SQLite |
| Pricing Public list prices only. Hosting and implementation are extra everywhere. | No free option Pricing on request. | Free to start Free and open source. Enterprise support from Thinkmill 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 Templates sync to files in Git through external synchronization and FSDevTools. 34 | Built in Lists and fields are TypeScript config. 4 |
| 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 | Not available |
| 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 Component blocks inside the document field. 8 |
| 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. | Not available No locale support documented. Model translations yourself. 12 |
| 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. | Not available Image field stores originals. The Cloudinary field hands resizing to Cloudinary. 711 |
| APIs and delivery | ||
| REST API A documented REST or JSON HTTP API returns content. | Built in CaaS REST API. 56 | Not available GraphQL only. Custom REST routes through extendExpressApp. 4 |
| 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 | Built in |
| 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 No webhook settings. Call URLs from hooks in code. 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. | Not available |
| 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 | Not available |
| 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 |
| Version history The CMS keeps earlier versions of an entry, and editors can compare or restore them. | Built in | Not available |
| Preview Editors can see unpublished content rendered as it will appear on the site before publishing. | Built in | Not available |
| 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 | Not available |
| Approval workflows Content moves through review stages you configure, such as draft, review and approved, with permissions per stage. | Built in 8 | Not available |
| 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 | Not available |
| 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 | Not available |
| 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 Roles are access-control functions written in code. No role editor in the admin. 5 |
| 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 | Built in Field-level access control. 5 |
| 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 | Not available The auth package covers password login. SSO means custom session code. 6 |
| 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 |
| 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 | Not available |
| 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 Custom admin pages, navigation and field views. 9 |
| Plugin marketplace The vendor runs an official directory or marketplace of installable extensions. | Built in FirstSpirit Marketplace. 17 | Not available |
| Form builder Editors can build and publish forms and collect submissions without code. | Plugin or add-on Formcentric for FirstSpirit, a partner product. 18 | Not available |
| Site member accounts The platform handles sign-up and login for public site users or members, separate from editors. | Not available | Built in createAuth works on any list, including site users. 6 |
| 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 | Not available |
| 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 |
FirstSpirit sources
Checked 29 Sept 2026. FirstSpirit 5.2 monthly release line, FirstSpirit Cloud and on-premises.
- Release notes FirstSpirit 2026.10
- [RELEASE] FirstSpirit 2026.10
- FSDevTools on GitHub
- External Synchronization: development
- CaaS Connect module documentation
- CaaS Platform REST interface documentation
- Omnichannel Manager 3.0
- ContentCreator: the standard Release workflow
- FirstSpirit docs: Specific release
- FirstSpirit docs: Schedule tasks
- FirstSpirit Collaboration user guide
- FirstSpirit docs: IN_GROUP rule
- Setting up SSO via the FirstSpirit SAML login module
- Authentication with OpenID Connect
- Audit logging in FirstSpirit
- Multisite Management user documentation
- FirstSpirit Marketplace: AI Suite
- Formcentric for FirstSpirit
- CaaS Platform MCP server documentation
- Rezolve Ai acquisition of Crownpeak
Keystone sources
Checked 29 Sept 2026. Keystone 6, open source, from the @keystone-6/core package.
- @keystone-6/core on the npm registry
- Keystone releases on GitHub
- Keystone homepage
- Keystone docs: System configuration
- Keystone docs: Access control
- Keystone docs: Authentication
- Keystone docs: Image field
- Keystone docs: Document field demo
- Keystone docs: Custom admin UI pages
- Keystone docs: Hooks guide
- Keystone docs: Cloudinary image field
- Keystone documentation index (llms.txt)
Considering more platforms? Compare FirstSpirit and Keystone with the rest of your shortlist in the CMS comparison tool.
Where they differ
FirstSpirit and Keystone get a different status on 23 of the 28 features and the same status on 5. FirstSpirit has 19 built in on its baseline edition, Keystone has 6. 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
- FirstSpirit is closed source (Proprietary). Keystone is open source (MIT).
- Vendor cloud
- FirstSpirit has a vendor-run cloud. Keystone has no vendor-run cloud.
- Free option
- FirstSpirit has no free option. Keystone has a free option.
Built in on FirstSpirit, a different answer on Keystone 15
- Localization FirstSpirit: Built in. Keystone: Not available.
- Image transformations FirstSpirit: Built in. Keystone: Not available.
- REST API FirstSpirit: Built in. Keystone: Not available.
- Renders the website FirstSpirit: Built in. Keystone: Not available.
- Drafts FirstSpirit: Built in. Keystone: Not available.
- Version history FirstSpirit: Built in. Keystone: Not available.
- Preview FirstSpirit: Built in. Keystone: Not available.
- Visual editing FirstSpirit: Built in. Keystone: Not available.
- Approval workflows FirstSpirit: Built in. Keystone: Not available.
- Custom roles FirstSpirit: Built in. Keystone: Limited.
- Single sign-on FirstSpirit: Built in. Keystone: Not available.
- Audit log FirstSpirit: Built in. Keystone: Not available.
- Multiple sites FirstSpirit: Built in. Keystone: Not available.
- Plugin marketplace FirstSpirit: Built in. Keystone: Not available.
- Official MCP server FirstSpirit: Built in. Keystone: Not available.
Built in on Keystone, a different answer on FirstSpirit 2
- Field-level permissions FirstSpirit: Limited. Keystone: Built in.
- Site member accounts FirstSpirit: Not available. Keystone: Built in.
Built in on neither, with different answers 6
- Content model in the UI FirstSpirit: Limited. Keystone: Not available.
- Webhooks FirstSpirit: Limited. Keystone: Not available.
- Scheduled publishing FirstSpirit: Limited. Keystone: Not available.
- Content releases FirstSpirit: Limited. Keystone: Not available.
- Form builder FirstSpirit: Plugin or add-on. Keystone: Not available.
- AI writing assistant FirstSpirit: Plugin or add-on. Keystone: Not available.
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Keystone against other platforms
- Adobe Experience Manager vs Keystone
- Contentful vs Keystone
- Contentstack vs Keystone
- CoreMedia Content Cloud vs Keystone
- Craft CMS vs Keystone
- DatoCMS vs Keystone
- Decap CMS vs Keystone
- Directus vs Keystone
- Drupal vs Keystone
- EmDash vs Keystone
- Framer vs Keystone
- Ghost vs Keystone
- HubSpot CMS vs Keystone
- Hygraph vs Keystone
- Instatic vs Keystone
- Joomla vs Keystone
- Keystone vs Kirby
- Keystone vs Liferay DXP
- Keystone vs Optimizely CMS
- Keystone vs Payload
- Keystone vs Prismic
- Keystone vs Progress Sitefinity
- Keystone vs Sanity
- Keystone vs Sitecore
- Keystone vs Squarespace
- Keystone vs Statamic
- Keystone vs Storyblok
- Keystone vs Strapi
- Keystone vs TYPO3
- Keystone vs Umbraco
- Keystone vs Wagtail
- Keystone vs Webflow
- Keystone vs Wix
- Keystone vs WordPress
- Xperience by Kentico vs Keystone
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