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CMS comparison Joomla vs Prismic

Joomla vs Prismic

Joomla is an open-source traditional CMS that you host yourself. Prismic 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 23.

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  • Joomla Traditional · Open source · 12 of 28 built in
  • Prismic Headless · Closed source · 16 of 28 built in

Sources checked: Joomla on 29 Sept 2026, Prismic 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
Joomla vs Prismic feature comparison. Columns are the two platforms. Rows are features, grouped by area.
Platform
Joomla Traditional
Prismic Headless
Overview
What it is Open-source PHP CMS built around articles, custom fields, core multilingual support and group-based access control. Self-hosted.Hosted headless page builder where marketers compose pages from developer-built slices. Run by Prismic, with SDKs for Next.js, Nuxt and SvelteKit.
Edition compared The product and release each column describes. Joomla 6.1, open source. Joomla 5.4 is still maintained. Version 6.1.3, released 18 Aug 2026 Prismic SaaS, Free to Enterprise plans SaaS, continuously updated
Vendor Open Source Matters, Inc. (Joomla project) joomla.org Prismic prismic.io
Licence Open source GPL-2.0-or-later Closed source Proprietary
Hosting Self-hosting No vendor cloud The project's launch.joomla.org offers free hosted sites through a hosting partner. No self-hosting Vendor cloud
Built with PHPSaaS with SDKs for Next.js, Nuxt and SvelteKit
Database MySQL, MariaDB, PostgreSQLManaged by Prismic
Pricing Public list prices only. Hosting and implementation are extra everywhere. Free to start Free and open source. Hosting and commercial extensions cost extra. Free to start Free plan. Starter $10, Small $25, Medium $150, Platinum $675 per repository per month, billed yearly.
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 Fields live in the database. A new content type means writing a component. Built in Model files live in the project. The Prismic CLI pushes and pulls them. 2
Content model in the UI Admins can create and change content types and fields in the admin interface without writing code. Limited Custom fields on articles, contacts, users and categories. No new content types. 5 Built in Type Builder in the web app. 3
Reusable blocks Editors compose pages from reusable, typed components or blocks, and can reorder them. Limited Modules placed in template positions. No page-level block editor in core. 4 Built in Slices with variations. 4
Localization Editors translate content per locale inside the CMS, by field or by entry, without a separate site for each language. Built in Per-item language with multilingual associations. 7 Built in 2 locales on Free, 8 on Platinum, custom on Enterprise. 1
Image transformations The CMS resizes, crops or converts images on request, through URL parameters or generated sizes, with no external service. Limited Manual crop and resize in Media. No generated sizes or URL transforms. 9 Built in Image optimization and processing on all plans. 1
APIs and delivery
REST API A documented REST or JSON HTTP API returns content. Built in Web Services API with token authentication. 10 Built in Document API. 15
GraphQL API The vendor or an official module provides a GraphQL API for content. Not available Built in 15
Webhooks The CMS can call an external URL when content is created, changed or published. Not available None in core. Only small third-party extensions. 19 Built in 6
Renders the website The CMS itself renders and serves the public pages through themes or templates. Headless-only products answer no. Built in Template system, with Cassiopeia as the default. Not available
Editorial workflow
Drafts Editors save changes as a draft and publish them later. The live version stays untouched until then. Limited Unpublished items only. Saving a published article updates it live. 8 Built in
Scheduled publishing An editor can set a future date and time for content to publish or unpublish. Built in Start and finish publishing dates. 8 Built in Scheduled through releases on every plan. 18
Version history The CMS keeps earlier versions of an entry, and editors can compare or restore them. Built in Compare and restore. Includes custom field values since 6.0. 34 Built in Full revision history on every plan. 1
Preview Editors can see unpublished content rendered as it will appear on the site before publishing. Limited Backend Preview shows the last saved version of an article. 8 Built in Shareable previews on every plan. 17
Visual editing Editors can click on the rendered page and edit content in place or in a side panel next to it. Limited Front-end editing opens the article or module form on the site. 4 Built in Page Builder shows live slice previews from your site next to the fields. 7
Approval workflows Content moves through review stages you configure, such as draft, review and approved, with permissions per stage. Built in Workflows component, off by default. Visual workflow editor since 6.1. 112 Limited Writer and Publisher roles from Medium. No configurable review stages. 9
Content releases Editors group changes across several entries and publish them together as one release. Not available Built in Up to 200 pages per release. 8
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 Joomla checks out and locks an item while someone edits it. Not available In progress with a waitlist. A status indicator shows who is editing. 10
Access and governance
Custom roles Admins define their own roles with granular permissions instead of picking from a fixed set. Built in User groups, access levels and ACL. 4 Limited Enterprise only. Fixed Read-only, Writer or Publisher levels set per locale. No role builder. 19
Field-level permissions Admins can restrict access to single fields, on top of content types and entries. Built in Per-field Edit Custom Field Value permission. 6 Not available
Single sign-on Editors can sign in through SAML or OpenID Connect against a company identity provider. Plugin or add-on SAML or OIDC extensions from the JED. Core authenticates against LDAP only. 1314 Paid tier Enterprise. 19
Audit log The CMS logs who changed what and when across the whole installation, and admins can review the log. Built in User Actions Log. 12 Not available Not documented publicly.
Platform and extensibility
Multiple sites One installation or account can manage several separate websites or brands with shared users. Not available One site per install. Third-party multisite extensions only. 15 Built in Each site is a repository on its own plan. Spaces group content inside one. 111
Extensible admin UI Developers can add their own components, views or fields to the editing interface. Built in Components, modules, plugins and custom field types. Limited Integration fields load external catalog data into a picker. No custom UI code. 12
Plugin marketplace The vendor runs an official directory or marketplace of installable extensions. Built in Joomla Extensions Directory, the JED. 14 Not available Integration guides only. No installable marketplace. 13
Form builder Editors can build and publish forms and collect submissions without code. Limited Contact forms accept custom fields. Core emails submissions and does not store them. 20 Not available
Site member accounts The platform handles sign-up and login for public site users or members, separate from editors. Built in Front-end registration and login. 4 Not available
AI writing assistant A first-party AI feature in the editing interface generates, rewrites or translates content. Not available No first-party AI. Third-party extensions such as 4AI. 18 Limited Beta on request: AI translation and SEO metadata suggestions. 114
Official MCP server The vendor publishes a Model Context Protocol server so AI agents can read or write content. Not available Third-party only, e.g. Onepoint's MCP Server for Joomla. 16 Built in Hosted at mcp.prismic.io, activated per repository. 15

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

Where they differ

Joomla and Prismic get a different status on 23 of the 28 features and the same status on 5. Joomla has 12 built in on its baseline edition, Prismic has 16. 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
Joomla is open source (GPL-2.0-or-later). Prismic is closed source (Proprietary).
Self-hosting
Joomla can be self-hosted. Prismic cannot be self-hosted.
Vendor cloud
Joomla has no vendor-run cloud. Prismic has a vendor-run cloud.

Built in on Joomla, a different answer on Prismic 8

  • Renders the website Joomla: Built in. Prismic: Not available.
  • Approval workflows Joomla: Built in. Prismic: Limited.
  • Custom roles Joomla: Built in. Prismic: Limited.
  • Field-level permissions Joomla: Built in. Prismic: Not available.
  • Audit log Joomla: Built in. Prismic: Not available.
  • Extensible admin UI Joomla: Built in. Prismic: Limited.
  • Plugin marketplace Joomla: Built in. Prismic: Not available.
  • Site member accounts Joomla: Built in. Prismic: Not available.

Built in on Prismic, a different answer on Joomla 12

  • Content model in code Joomla: Not available. Prismic: Built in.
  • Content model in the UI Joomla: Limited. Prismic: Built in.
  • Reusable blocks Joomla: Limited. Prismic: Built in.
  • Image transformations Joomla: Limited. Prismic: Built in.
  • GraphQL API Joomla: Not available. Prismic: Built in.
  • Webhooks Joomla: Not available. Prismic: Built in.
  • Drafts Joomla: Limited. Prismic: Built in.
  • Preview Joomla: Limited. Prismic: Built in.
  • Visual editing Joomla: Limited. Prismic: Built in.
  • Content releases Joomla: Not available. Prismic: Built in.
  • Multiple sites Joomla: Not available. Prismic: Built in.
  • Official MCP server Joomla: Not available. Prismic: Built in.

Built in on neither, with different answers 3

  • Single sign-on Joomla: Plugin or add-on. Prismic: Paid tier.
  • Form builder Joomla: Limited. Prismic: Not available.
  • AI writing assistant Joomla: Not available. Prismic: Limited.

More comparisons

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

Joomla against other platforms

Prismic against other platforms

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

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