CMS comparison Framer vs Optimizely CMS

Framer vs Optimizely CMS

Framer is a closed-source site builder that runs on the vendor's cloud. Optimizely CMS is a closed-source enterprise DXP that you can host yourself or run on the vendor's cloud. The table below sets them side by side on 28 features. They get a different status on 16.

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Framer Site builder · Closed source · 14 of 28 built in
Optimizely CMS Enterprise DXP · Closed source · 22 of 28 built in

Sources checked: Framer on 29 Sept 2026, Optimizely CMS 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 Optimizely CMS feature comparison. Columns are the two platforms. Rows are features, grouped by area.
Platform	Framer Site builder	Optimizely CMS Enterprise DXP
Overview
What it is	Hosted visual site builder with a CMS, hosting and AI agents. Designers build pages on a canvas. Run by Framer.	Optimizely's .NET CMS for rendered and headless sites, hosted on Optimizely's DXP cloud or self-hosted, with Optimizely Graph for delivery.
Edition compared The product and release each column describes.	Framer 3.0 site plans, Free to Enterprise SaaS, continuously updated	Optimizely CMS 13 PaaS, the current flagship. CMS SaaS is a separate hosted variant. Version 13.1.3, released 9 Sept 2026
Vendor	Framer B.V. framer.com	Optimizely optimizely.com
Licence	Closed source Proprietary	Closed source Proprietary
Hosting	No self-hosting Vendor cloud A paid plan is required to connect a custom domain.	Self-hosting Vendor cloud Self-hosted installs lose Opti ID features such as Opal and the DAM.
Built with	Hosted SaaS with React code components	.NET 10, ASP.NET Core
Database	Managed by Framer	SQL Server, Azure SQL on DXP
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.	No free option Pricing 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. 3 13	Built in Content types as C# classes. 3
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 Content types and properties in Settings. 4
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 Blocks in content areas and Visual Builder elements.
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. 1 17	Built in Language branches per content item. 5
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 DXP CDN resizes, crops and converts images by URL parameters. 6
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. 2 3	Built in Content Delivery API 13 and a management REST API. 1 2
GraphQL API The vendor or an official module provides a GraphQL API for content.	Not available	Built in Optimizely Graph, included in the CMS 13 licence. 2 8
Webhooks The CMS can call an external URL when content is created, changed or published.	Not available Webhooks cover form submissions only. 10	Limited Graph webhooks fire on sync batches and expired content only. Per-item hooks need code. 7 2
Renders the website The CMS itself renders and serves the public pages through themes or templates. Headless-only products answer no.	Built in	Built in ASP.NET Core MVC and Razor rendering, or headless. 2
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 9
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	Built in 9
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. 6 7	Built in
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 Canvas editing and on-page editing of the live site. 14	Built in Visual Builder. 2
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. 4 5	Built in Approval sequences. 10
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. 1 5	Built in Projects publish or schedule grouped items together. 11
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 Comments and notifications only. 12
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	Built in Access rights for roles and virtual roles. 13
Field-level permissions Admins can restrict access to single fields, on top of content types and entries.	Not available	Not available Access rights apply per content item. Not documented per property. 13
Single sign-on Editors can sign in through SAML or OpenID Connect against a company identity provider.	Paid tier Enterprise. 1 16	Built in Opti ID with an external identity provider, or OpenID Connect in code. 2
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.	Built in Change Log in Settings. 14
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	Built in Several sites and hosts in one installation. 15
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 Shell modules, gadgets and custom editor widgets. 16
Plugin marketplace The vendor runs an official directory or marketplace of installable extensions.	Built in Framer Marketplace. 12	Built in Optimizely connectors directory and NuGet add-ons. 17
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	Plugin or add-on Optimizely Forms package. No extra licence. 18
Site member accounts The platform handles sign-up and login for public site users or members, separate from editors.	Not available	Limited Visitor login uses ASP.NET Core authentication set up in code. 2
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. 1 15	Plugin or add-on Opal, billed through Opal credits. Needs Opti ID on DXP. 2 19
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 MCP server in the Optimizely.Cms.Opal.Tools package. 20

Framer sources

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

Optimizely CMS sources

Checked 29 Sept 2026. Optimizely CMS 13 PaaS, the current flagship. CMS SaaS is a separate hosted variant..

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

Where they differ

Framer and Optimizely CMS get a different status on 16 of the 28 features and the same status on 12. Framer has 14 built in on its baseline edition, Optimizely CMS has 22. 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: Framer cannot be self-hosted. Optimizely CMS can be self-hosted.
Free option: Framer has a free option. Optimizely CMS has no free option.

Built in on Framer, a different answer on Optimizely CMS 3

Real-time co-editing Framer: Built in. Optimizely CMS: Not available.
Form builder Framer: Built in. Optimizely CMS: Plugin or add-on.
AI writing assistant Framer: Built in. Optimizely CMS: Plugin or add-on.

Built in on Optimizely CMS, a different answer on Framer 11

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

Built in on neither, with different answers 2

Webhooks Framer: Not available. Optimizely CMS: Limited.
Site member accounts Framer: Not available. Optimizely CMS: Limited.

More comparisons

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

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