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CMS comparison Joomla vs Webflow

Joomla vs Webflow

Joomla is an open-source traditional CMS that you host yourself. Webflow is a closed-source site builder that runs on the vendor's cloud. The table below sets them side by side on 28 features. They get a different status on 22.

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  • Joomla Traditional · Open source · 12 of 28 built in
  • Webflow Site builder · Closed source · 15 of 28 built in

Sources checked: Joomla on 29 Sept 2026, Webflow 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 Webflow feature comparison. Columns are the two platforms. Rows are features, grouped by area.
Platform
Joomla Traditional
Webflow Site builder
Overview
What it is Open-source PHP CMS built around articles, custom fields, core multilingual support and group-based access control. Self-hosted.Hosted visual site builder with a built-in CMS, hosting and a Data API. Designers build pages on a canvas. Run by Webflow, Inc.
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 Webflow Site plans, Starter to Enterprise SaaS, continuously updated
Vendor Open Source Matters, Inc. (Joomla project) joomla.org Webflow, Inc. webflow.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 Publishing to a custom domain requires a paid Site plan.
Built with PHPHosted SaaS, Webflow Cloud for app hosting
Database MySQL, MariaDB, PostgreSQLManaged by Webflow
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 Starter site. Basic $15, Premium $25 per site per month billed yearly. Team $2,500 per month.
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. Not available The Data API can create collections and fields. No schema files. 3
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
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 Components with properties. Limited seats build pages from designer-approved blocks. 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 Plugin or add-on Webflow Localize add-on from $9 per month. The Team plan includes it. 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 Generates responsive image sizes automatically. 10
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 Data API. 60 requests per minute on Starter, 120 on Premium. 111
GraphQL API The vendor or an official module provides a GraphQL API for content. Not available Not available
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 Data API webhooks for CMS items, forms and site publishes. 4
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. Built in
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 Scheduled CMS item publishing on the Premium Site plan. 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 Whole-site backups. Free Starter sites restore only the two most recent. 5
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
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
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 Design approvals with designated reviewers on Enterprise. 1
Content releases Editors group changes across several entries and publish them together as one release. Not available Limited A site publish ships all staged changes together. No named release bundles. 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. Built in Available on every Workspace and Site plan. 6
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 Enterprise. 1
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 Enterprise access controls stop at pages and Collections. 1
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. 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 Paid tier Site activity log on Team, audit logs API on Enterprise. 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 A Workspace holds many sites with shared seats. Each site needs its own Site plan. 1
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 Apps can add Designer Extensions to the editor. 12
Plugin marketplace The vendor runs an official directory or marketplace of installable extensions. Built in Joomla Extensions Directory, the JED. 14 Built in Webflow Apps marketplace. 9
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 Built in 50 submissions on Starter, unlimited on paid Site plans. 1
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 Webflow retired User Accounts on 29 January 2026. 8
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 Paid tier Copy generation needs a paid Site or Workspace plan and uses 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 Available on all Site plans, including free Starter. 7

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

Where they differ

Joomla and Webflow get a different status on 22 of the 28 features and the same status on 6. Joomla has 12 built in on its baseline edition, Webflow 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). Webflow is closed source (Proprietary).
Self-hosting
Joomla can be self-hosted. Webflow cannot be self-hosted.
Vendor cloud
Joomla has no vendor-run cloud. Webflow has a vendor-run cloud.

Built in on Joomla, a different answer on Webflow 8

  • Localization Joomla: Built in. Webflow: Plugin or add-on.
  • Scheduled publishing Joomla: Built in. Webflow: Paid tier.
  • Version history Joomla: Built in. Webflow: Limited.
  • Approval workflows Joomla: Built in. Webflow: Paid tier.
  • Custom roles Joomla: Built in. Webflow: Paid tier.
  • Field-level permissions Joomla: Built in. Webflow: Not available.
  • Audit log Joomla: Built in. Webflow: Paid tier.
  • Site member accounts Joomla: Built in. Webflow: Not available.

Built in on Webflow, a different answer on Joomla 11

  • Content model in the UI Joomla: Limited. Webflow: Built in.
  • Reusable blocks Joomla: Limited. Webflow: Built in.
  • Image transformations Joomla: Limited. Webflow: Built in.
  • Webhooks Joomla: Not available. Webflow: Built in.
  • Drafts Joomla: Limited. Webflow: Built in.
  • Preview Joomla: Limited. Webflow: Built in.
  • Visual editing Joomla: Limited. Webflow: Built in.
  • Real-time co-editing Joomla: Not available. Webflow: Built in.
  • Multiple sites Joomla: Not available. Webflow: Built in.
  • Form builder Joomla: Limited. Webflow: Built in.
  • Official MCP server Joomla: Not available. Webflow: Built in.

Built in on neither, with different answers 3

  • Content releases Joomla: Not available. Webflow: Limited.
  • Single sign-on Joomla: Plugin or add-on. Webflow: Paid tier.
  • AI writing assistant Joomla: Not available. Webflow: Paid tier.

More comparisons

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

Joomla against other platforms

Webflow against other platforms

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

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