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CMS comparison Joomla vs Storyblok

Joomla vs Storyblok

Joomla is an open-source traditional CMS that you host yourself. Storyblok 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
  • Storyblok Headless · Closed source · 15 of 28 built in

Sources checked: Joomla on 29 Sept 2026, Storyblok 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 Storyblok feature comparison. Columns are the two platforms. Rows are features, grouped by area.
Platform
Joomla Traditional
Storyblok 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 CMS with a Visual Editor where editors compose pages from developer-defined blocks. Run by Storyblok GmbH.
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 Storyblok SaaS, Starter to Elite plans SaaS, continuously updated
Vendor Open Source Matters, Inc. (Joomla project) joomla.org Storyblok GmbH storyblok.com
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 Spaces run in Storyblok's EU, US, Canada or Australia regions.
Built with PHPSaaS, JavaScript SDKs and CLI
Database MySQL, MariaDB, PostgreSQLManaged by Storyblok
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 Starter free. Growth $99, Growth Plus $349 per space per month. Premium and Elite 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 Fields live in the database. A new content type means writing a component. Built in The CLI pulls and pushes JSON component schemas. Typed @storyblok/schema is in preview. 234
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 1
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 Nestable blocks inside stories. 1
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 Starter includes 2 locales. Growth adds locales at $20 each per month. 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 Service 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 Content Delivery API and Management API. 1
GraphQL API The vendor or an official module provides a GraphQL API for content. Not available Paid tier GraphQL Content Delivery API on Premium and Elite. 1
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 3 webhooks on Starter, 5 on Growth, 15 on Premium. 1
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 Paid tier Single story scheduling from Growth. Growth allows 2 scheduled stories, Premium 100. 1
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 Limited Starter keeps 1 day of versions. Growth 30 days, Premium 180, Elite unlimited. 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 1
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 Visual Editor on all plans. 1
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 Paid tier Custom workflows and stages on Premium and Elite. Lower plans get fixed default stages. 1
Content releases Editors group changes across several entries and publish them together as one release. Not available Paid tier 20 releases on Premium, unlimited on Elite. 1
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 Comments and content locking. No simultaneous editing of one story. 110
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 Paid tier 10 custom roles on Premium, unlimited on Elite. 15
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 Paid tier Field permissions come with custom roles on Premium and Elite. 15
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 Premium and Elite. 1
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 Limited Activity log on all plans. Starter keeps 1 day, Growth 30 days, Elite unlimited. 1
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 One account can own many spaces, each on its own plan. 6
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. Built in Field plugins on all plans. Tool and space plugins on Premium and Elite. 17
Plugin marketplace The vendor runs an official directory or marketplace of installable extensions. Built in Joomla Extensions Directory, the JED. 14 Built in Storyblok App Directory. 8
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 Built in AI content generation and translation on all plans, metered by AI credits. 1
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 server over the Management API. 9

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

Where they differ

Joomla and Storyblok 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, Storyblok has 15. 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). Storyblok is closed source (Proprietary).
Self-hosting
Joomla can be self-hosted. Storyblok cannot be self-hosted.
Vendor cloud
Joomla has no vendor-run cloud. Storyblok has a vendor-run cloud.

Built in on Joomla, a different answer on Storyblok 8

  • Renders the website Joomla: Built in. Storyblok: Not available.
  • Scheduled publishing Joomla: Built in. Storyblok: Paid tier.
  • Version history Joomla: Built in. Storyblok: Limited.
  • Approval workflows Joomla: Built in. Storyblok: Paid tier.
  • Custom roles Joomla: Built in. Storyblok: Paid tier.
  • Field-level permissions Joomla: Built in. Storyblok: Paid tier.
  • Audit log Joomla: Built in. Storyblok: Limited.
  • Site member accounts Joomla: Built in. Storyblok: Not available.

Built in on Storyblok, a different answer on Joomla 11

  • Content model in code Joomla: Not available. Storyblok: Built in.
  • Content model in the UI Joomla: Limited. Storyblok: Built in.
  • Reusable blocks Joomla: Limited. Storyblok: Built in.
  • Image transformations Joomla: Limited. Storyblok: Built in.
  • Webhooks Joomla: Not available. Storyblok: Built in.
  • Drafts Joomla: Limited. Storyblok: Built in.
  • Preview Joomla: Limited. Storyblok: Built in.
  • Visual editing Joomla: Limited. Storyblok: Built in.
  • Multiple sites Joomla: Not available. Storyblok: Built in.
  • AI writing assistant Joomla: Not available. Storyblok: Built in.
  • Official MCP server Joomla: Not available. Storyblok: Built in.

Built in on neither, with different answers 4

  • GraphQL API Joomla: Not available. Storyblok: Paid tier.
  • Content releases Joomla: Not available. Storyblok: Paid tier.
  • Single sign-on Joomla: Plugin or add-on. Storyblok: Paid tier.
  • Form builder Joomla: Limited. Storyblok: Not available.

More comparisons

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

Joomla against other platforms

Storyblok against other platforms

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

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