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CMS comparison Framer vs Hygraph

Framer vs Hygraph

Framer is a closed-source site builder that runs on the vendor's cloud. Hygraph 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 15.

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  • Framer Site builder · Closed source · 14 of 28 built in
  • Hygraph Headless · Closed source · 13 of 28 built in

Sources checked: Framer on 29 Sept 2026, Hygraph 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
Framer vs Hygraph feature comparison. Columns are the two platforms. Rows are features, grouped by area.
Platform
Framer Site builder
Hygraph Headless
Overview
What it is Hosted visual site builder with a CMS, hosting and AI agents. Designers build pages on a canvas. Run by Framer.Hosted headless CMS run by Hygraph, formerly GraphCMS. Serves content over a GraphQL API and can pull in data from remote REST and GraphQL sources.
Edition compared The product and release each column describes. Framer 3.0 site plans, Free to Enterprise SaaS, continuously updated Hygraph SaaS, Hobby, Growth and Enterprise plans SaaS, continuously updated
Vendor Framer B.V. framer.com Hygraph (formerly GraphCMS) hygraph.com
Licence Closed source Proprietary Closed source Proprietary
Hosting No self-hosting Vendor cloud A paid plan is required to connect a custom domain. No self-hosting Vendor cloud Shared regions on every plan. Dedicated clusters on Enterprise.
Built with Hosted SaaS with React code componentsHosted SaaS with a GraphQL Content API
Database Managed by FramerManaged by Hygraph
Pricing Public list prices only. Hosting and implementation are extra everywhere. Free to start Free plan. Basic $10, Pro $30 per site per month billed yearly. Extra editors $20 per month. Free to start Hobby free. Growth from $199 per month. Enterprise 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. Not available You build collections in the editor or sync them through the Plugin and Server APIs. 313 Limited Management SDK applies schema changes from code. No declarative schema files. 2
Content model in the UI Admins can create and change content types and fields in the admin interface without writing code. Built in 13 Built in 1
Reusable blocks Editors compose pages from reusable, typed components or blocks, and can reorder them. Built in Components with properties that content editors can change on-page. 14 Built in Components in modular fields: 10 on Hobby, 20 on Growth. 1
Localization Editors translate content per locale inside the CMS, by field or by entry, without a separate site for each language. Plugin or add-on Translation locales add-on, $20 per locale per month. One free locale to try. 117 Built in Field-level locales: 2 on Hobby, 3 on Growth, up to 80 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 Generates 512 to 4096 px variants served through srcset. 8 Built in Resize, crop and format conversion by URL or GraphQL argument. 4
APIs and delivery
REST API A documented REST or JSON HTTP API returns content. Limited Server API in open beta, through the framer-api package over WebSocket. No plain REST. 23 Not available Content API is GraphQL only. 3
GraphQL API The vendor or an official module provides a GraphQL API for content. Not available Built in 3
Webhooks The CMS can call an external URL when content is created, changed or published. Not available Webhooks cover form submissions only. 10 Built in 5 on Hobby, 10 on Growth. 15
Renders the website The CMS itself renders and serves the public pages through themes or templates. Headless-only products answer no. Built in Not available
Editorial workflow
Drafts Editors save changes as a draft and publish them later. The live version stays untouched until then. Built in CMS items can stay in draft. 13 Built in DRAFT and PUBLISHED stages on every plan. 1
Scheduled publishing An editor can set a future date and time for content to publish or unpublish. Not available No native scheduling. Third-party Marketplace plugins add it. 18 Paid tier Scheduled publishing on Enterprise. 17
Version history The CMS keeps earlier versions of an entry, and editors can compare or restore them. Built in Version history and rollback of published versions. 67 Paid tier 14 days on Growth, up to 365 on Enterprise. None on Hobby. 1
Preview Editors can see unpublished content rendered as it will appear on the site before publishing. Built in 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. Built in Canvas editing and on-page editing of the live site. 14 Built in Click to Edit via the Hygraph Preview SDK opens the field in Studio. 6
Approval workflows Content moves through review stages you configure, such as draft, review and approved, with permissions per stage. Limited Editors review and merge Pro branches. Only Deploy permission publishes. No stages. 45 Paid tier Custom Workflows, up to 10, on Enterprise. 113
Content releases Editors group changes across several entries and publish them together as one release. Paid tier Branching on Pro groups changes and ships them in one merge. 15 Paid tier Releases on Enterprise. 7
Real-time co-editing Two or more editors can work on the same entry at once and see each other's changes live. Built in Free workspaces allow up to three editors. 1 Not available Collaborator View shows who else is in an entry. 9
Access and governance
Custom roles Admins define their own roles with granular permissions instead of picking from a fixed set. Limited Fixed roles plus Design, Content and Deploy permissions per project. No role builder. 4 Paid tier Up to 30 custom roles on Enterprise. Hobby has 2 standard roles, Growth 4. 1
Field-level permissions Admins can restrict access to single fields, on top of content types and entries. Not available Not available Permissions scope by model, locale, stage, environment and condition. 8
Single sign-on Editors can sign in through SAML or OpenID Connect against a company identity provider. Paid tier Enterprise. 116 Paid tier Enterprise. 1
Audit log The CMS logs who changed what and when across the whole installation, and admins can review the log. Not available Not documented publicly. Paid tier Enterprise, 90-day retention. 1
Platform and extensibility
Multiple sites One installation or account can manage several separate websites or brands with shared users. Built in A workspace holds many site projects, each on its own plan. 4 Paid tier Multitenancy on Enterprise. 1
Extensible admin UI Developers can add their own components, views or fields to the editing interface. Built in Plugins add custom panels and tools to the editor. 11 Built in App Framework for custom fields, sidebars and pages. 12
Plugin marketplace The vendor runs an official directory or marketplace of installable extensions. Built in Framer Marketplace. 12 Built in Hygraph Marketplace. 12
Form builder Editors can build and publish forms and collect submissions without code. Built in Native forms. Submissions can also go to a webhook. 10 Not available
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. Built in Agents write, rewrite and translate content. AI credits meter usage. 115 Built in AI Assist on every plan, with a monthly AI token allowance. 110
Official MCP server The vendor publishes a Model Context Protocol server so AI agents can read or write content. Not available No MCP server. External Agents, in preview, link AI tools through a CLI and skills. 9 Built in Global endpoint at mcp.hygraph.com and per-project endpoints. Also a Claude connector. 111415

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

Where they differ

Framer and Hygraph get a different status on 15 of the 28 features and the same status on 13. Framer has 14 built in on its baseline edition, Hygraph has 13. Two matching statuses can still name different paid tiers or limits, so read the notes in the table before treating a row as equal.

Built in on Framer, a different answer on Hygraph 5

  • Renders the website Framer: Built in. Hygraph: Not available.
  • Version history Framer: Built in. Hygraph: Paid tier.
  • Real-time co-editing Framer: Built in. Hygraph: Not available.
  • Multiple sites Framer: Built in. Hygraph: Paid tier.
  • Form builder Framer: Built in. Hygraph: Not available.

Built in on Hygraph, a different answer on Framer 4

  • Localization Framer: Plugin or add-on. Hygraph: Built in.
  • GraphQL API Framer: Not available. Hygraph: Built in.
  • Webhooks Framer: Not available. Hygraph: Built in.
  • Official MCP server Framer: Not available. Hygraph: Built in.

Built in on neither, with different answers 6

  • Content model in code Framer: Not available. Hygraph: Limited.
  • REST API Framer: Limited. Hygraph: Not available.
  • Scheduled publishing Framer: Not available. Hygraph: Paid tier.
  • Approval workflows Framer: Limited. Hygraph: Paid tier.
  • Custom roles Framer: Limited. Hygraph: Paid tier.
  • Audit log Framer: Not available. Hygraph: Paid tier.

More comparisons

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

Framer against other platforms

Hygraph against other platforms

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

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