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CMS comparison Hygraph vs WordPress

Hygraph vs WordPress

Hygraph is a closed-source headless CMS that runs on the vendor's cloud. WordPress is an open-source traditional CMS that you host yourself. The table below sets them side by side on 28 features. They get a different status on 20.

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  • Hygraph Headless · Closed source · 13 of 28 built in
  • WordPress Traditional · Open source · 13 of 28 built in

Sources checked: Hygraph on 29 Sept 2026, WordPress 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
Hygraph vs WordPress feature comparison. Columns are the two platforms. Rows are features, grouped by area.
Platform
Hygraph Headless
WordPress Traditional
Overview
What it is 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.Open-source PHP CMS that renders sites through themes and extends through plugins. Teams self-host it or buy managed WordPress hosting.
Edition compared The product and release each column describes. Hygraph SaaS, Hobby, Growth and Enterprise plans SaaS, continuously updated WordPress 7.1 core, self-hosted from WordPress.org Version 7.1.2, released 22 Sept 2026
Vendor Hygraph (formerly GraphCMS) hygraph.com WordPress.org community project (Automattic is the largest contributor) wordpress.org
Licence Closed source Proprietary Open source GPL-2.0-or-later
Hosting No self-hosting Vendor cloud Shared regions on every plan. Dedicated clusters on Enterprise. Self-hosting No vendor cloud Automattic's WordPress.com and many third-party hosts sell managed WordPress.
Built with Hosted SaaS with a GraphQL Content APIPHP, JavaScript, React block editor
Database Managed by HygraphMySQL, MariaDB
Pricing Public list prices only. Hosting and implementation are extra everywhere. Free to start Hobby free. Growth from $199 per month. Enterprise on request. Free to start Free to download and self-host. Hosting and premium plugins cost extra.
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. Limited Management SDK applies schema changes from code. No declarative schema files. 2 Built in Post types, taxonomies and meta registered in PHP.
Content model in the UI Admins can create and change content types and fields in the admin interface without writing code. Built in 1 Plugin or add-on ACF or Custom Post Type UI plugins. Core has no content type builder. 12
Reusable blocks Editors compose pages from reusable, typed components or blocks, and can reorder them. Built in Components in modular fields: 10 on Hobby, 20 on Growth. 1 Built in Block editor with patterns and synced patterns.
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 locales: 2 on Hobby, 3 on Growth, up to 80 on Enterprise. 1 Plugin or add-on WPML or Polylang plugins. Core translates the interface only. 13
Image transformations The CMS resizes, crops or converts images on request, through URL parameters or generated sizes, with no external service. Built in Resize, crop and format conversion by URL or GraphQL argument. 4 Built in WordPress generates registered image sizes on upload.
APIs and delivery
REST API A documented REST or JSON HTTP API returns content. Not available Content API is GraphQL only. 3 Built in 5
GraphQL API The vendor or an official module provides a GraphQL API for content. Built in 3 Plugin or add-on WPGraphQL, a canonical plugin on WordPress.org. 6
Webhooks The CMS can call an external URL when content is created, changed or published. Built in 5 on Hobby, 10 on Growth. 15 Plugin or add-on WP Webhooks plugin. Core sends no outgoing webhooks. 16
Renders the website The CMS itself renders and serves the public pages through themes or templates. Headless-only products answer no. Not available Built in Block themes and classic PHP themes.
Editorial workflow
Drafts Editors save changes as a draft and publish them later. The live version stays untouched until then. Built in DRAFT and PUBLISHED stages on every plan. 1 Limited Edits to a published post go live on update. PublishPress Revisions adds pending drafts. 11
Scheduled publishing An editor can set a future date and time for content to publish or unpublish. Paid tier Scheduled publishing on Enterprise. 17 Built in Scheduled publishing only. Scheduled unpublishing needs a plugin.
Version history The CMS keeps earlier versions of an entry, and editors can compare or restore them. Paid tier 14 days on Growth, up to 365 on Enterprise. None on Hobby. 1 Built in Revisions with a visual scrubber since 7.0. 2
Preview Editors can see unpublished content rendered as it will appear on the site before publishing. Built in 1 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 Click to Edit via the Hygraph Preview SDK opens the field in Studio. 6 Built in Block Editor and Site Editor edit content inside the theme's styles.
Approval workflows Content moves through review stages you configure, such as draft, review and approved, with permissions per stage. Paid tier Custom Workflows, up to 10, on Enterprise. 113 Plugin or add-on PublishPress plugins. Core has only the Pending Review status. 711
Content releases Editors group changes across several entries and publish them together as one release. Paid tier Releases on Enterprise. 7 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 Collaborator View shows who else is in an entry. 9 Not available Pulled from 7.0. Still experimental in the Gutenberg plugin. 3418
Access and governance
Custom roles Admins define their own roles with granular permissions instead of picking from a fixed set. Paid tier Up to 30 custom roles on Enterprise. Hobby has 2 standard roles, Growth 4. 1 Plugin or add-on Plugins such as Members or User Role Editor. Core roles are fixed. 7
Field-level permissions Admins can restrict access to single fields, on top of content types and entries. Not available Permissions scope by model, locale, stage, environment and condition. 8 Not available
Single sign-on Editors can sign in through SAML or OpenID Connect against a company identity provider. Paid tier Enterprise. 1 Plugin or add-on SAML or OIDC plugins, e.g. miniOrange SAML Single Sign On. 15
Audit log The CMS logs who changed what and when across the whole installation, and admins can review the log. Paid tier Enterprise, 90-day retention. 1 Plugin or add-on Simple History or WP Activity Log plugins. 14
Platform and extensibility
Multiple sites One installation or account can manage several separate websites or brands with shared users. Paid tier Multitenancy on Enterprise. 1 Built in Multisite network in core, with shared users. 8
Extensible admin UI Developers can add their own components, views or fields to the editing interface. Built in App Framework for custom fields, sidebars and pages. 12 Built in Custom blocks, admin pages and meta boxes.
Plugin marketplace The vendor runs an official directory or marketplace of installable extensions. Built in Hygraph Marketplace. 12 Built in WordPress.org plugin directory.
Form builder Editors can build and publish forms and collect submissions without code. Not available Plugin or add-on Form plugins such as WPForms or Contact Form 7. 17
Site member accounts The platform handles sign-up and login for public site users or members, separate from editors. Not available Built in Open registration with the Subscriber role. 7
AI writing assistant A first-party AI feature in the editing interface generates, rewrites or translates content. Built in AI Assist on every plan, with a monthly AI token allowance. 110 Plugin or add-on Official AI plugin plus a connected provider. Core ships the AI Client only. 29
Official MCP server The vendor publishes a Model Context Protocol server so AI agents can read or write content. Built in Global endpoint at mcp.hygraph.com and per-project endpoints. Also a Claude connector. 111415 Plugin or add-on MCP Adapter plugin from the WordPress AI team. 10

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

Where they differ

Hygraph and WordPress get a different status on 20 of the 28 features and the same status on 8. Hygraph has 13 built in on its baseline edition, WordPress 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.

Licence
Hygraph is closed source (Proprietary). WordPress is open source (GPL-2.0-or-later).
Self-hosting
Hygraph cannot be self-hosted. WordPress can be self-hosted.
Vendor cloud
Hygraph has a vendor-run cloud. WordPress has no vendor-run cloud.

Built in on Hygraph, a different answer on WordPress 7

  • Content model in the UI Hygraph: Built in. WordPress: Plugin or add-on.
  • Localization Hygraph: Built in. WordPress: Plugin or add-on.
  • GraphQL API Hygraph: Built in. WordPress: Plugin or add-on.
  • Webhooks Hygraph: Built in. WordPress: Plugin or add-on.
  • Drafts Hygraph: Built in. WordPress: Limited.
  • AI writing assistant Hygraph: Built in. WordPress: Plugin or add-on.
  • Official MCP server Hygraph: Built in. WordPress: Plugin or add-on.

Built in on WordPress, a different answer on Hygraph 7

  • Content model in code Hygraph: Limited. WordPress: Built in.
  • REST API Hygraph: Not available. WordPress: Built in.
  • Renders the website Hygraph: Not available. WordPress: Built in.
  • Scheduled publishing Hygraph: Paid tier. WordPress: Built in.
  • Version history Hygraph: Paid tier. WordPress: Built in.
  • Multiple sites Hygraph: Paid tier. WordPress: Built in.
  • Site member accounts Hygraph: Not available. WordPress: Built in.

Built in on neither, with different answers 6

  • Approval workflows Hygraph: Paid tier. WordPress: Plugin or add-on.
  • Content releases Hygraph: Paid tier. WordPress: Not available.
  • Custom roles Hygraph: Paid tier. WordPress: Plugin or add-on.
  • Single sign-on Hygraph: Paid tier. WordPress: Plugin or add-on.
  • Audit log Hygraph: Paid tier. WordPress: Plugin or add-on.
  • Form builder Hygraph: Not available. WordPress: Plugin or add-on.

More comparisons

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

Hygraph against other platforms

WordPress against other platforms

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

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