Keystone vs Prismic
Keystone is an open-source headless 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 19.
- Keystone Headless · Open source · 6 of 28 built in
- Prismic Headless · Closed source · 16 of 28 built in
Sources checked: Keystone 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
| Platform |  |  |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||
| What it is | Open-source Node.js headless CMS from Thinkmill that generates a GraphQL API and an admin UI from a TypeScript schema. | 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. | Keystone 6, open source, from the @keystone-6/core package Version 8.1.0, released 31 Aug 2026 | Prismic SaaS, Free to Enterprise plans SaaS, continuously updated |
| Vendor | Thinkmill keystonejs.com | Prismic prismic.io |
| Licence | Open source MIT | Closed source Proprietary |
| Hosting | Self-hosting No vendor cloud No managed hosting. Thinkmill offers enterprise support. | No self-hosting Vendor cloud |
| Built with | TypeScript, Node.js, GraphQL, Prisma, Next.js for the admin UI | SaaS with SDKs for Next.js, Nuxt and SvelteKit |
| Database | PostgreSQL, MySQL, SQLite | Managed by Prismic |
| Pricing Public list prices only. Hosting and implementation are extra everywhere. | Free to start Free and open source. Enterprise support from Thinkmill on request. | 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. | Built in Lists and fields are TypeScript config. 4 | 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. | Not available | Built in Type Builder in the web app. 3 |
| Reusable blocks Editors compose pages from reusable, typed components or blocks, and can reorder them. | Built in Component blocks inside the document field. 8 | 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. | Not available No locale support documented. Model translations yourself. 12 | 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. | Not available Image field stores originals. The Cloudinary field hands resizing to Cloudinary. 711 | Built in Image optimization and processing on all plans. 1 |
| APIs and delivery | ||
| REST API A documented REST or JSON HTTP API returns content. | Not available GraphQL only. Custom REST routes through extendExpressApp. 4 | Built in Document API. 15 |
| GraphQL API The vendor or an official module provides a GraphQL API for content. | Built in | Built in 15 |
| Webhooks The CMS can call an external URL when content is created, changed or published. | Not available No webhook settings. Call URLs from hooks in code. 10 | Built in 6 |
| Renders the website The CMS itself renders and serves the public pages through themes or templates. Headless-only products answer no. | Not available | Not available |
| Editorial workflow | ||
| Drafts Editors save changes as a draft and publish them later. The live version stays untouched until then. | Not available | Built in |
| Scheduled publishing An editor can set a future date and time for content to publish or unpublish. | Not available | 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. | Not available | 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. | Not available | 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. | Not available | 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. | Not available | 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 | 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. | Limited Roles are access-control functions written in code. No role editor in the admin. 5 | 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 Field-level access control. 5 | Not available |
| Single sign-on Editors can sign in through SAML or OpenID Connect against a company identity provider. | Not available The auth package covers password login. SSO means custom session code. 6 | Paid tier Enterprise. 19 |
| Audit log The CMS logs who changed what and when across the whole installation, and admins can review the log. | Not available | 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 | 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 Custom admin pages, navigation and field views. 9 | 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. | Not available | Not available Integration guides only. No installable marketplace. 13 |
| Form builder Editors can build and publish forms and collect submissions without code. | Not available | Not available |
| Site member accounts The platform handles sign-up and login for public site users or members, separate from editors. | Built in createAuth works on any list, including site users. 6 | Not available |
| AI writing assistant A first-party AI feature in the editing interface generates, rewrites or translates content. | Not available | 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 | Built in Hosted at mcp.prismic.io, activated per repository. 15 |
Keystone sources
Checked 29 Sept 2026. Keystone 6, open source, from the @keystone-6/core package.
- @keystone-6/core on the npm registry
- Keystone releases on GitHub
- Keystone homepage
- Keystone docs: System configuration
- Keystone docs: Access control
- Keystone docs: Authentication
- Keystone docs: Image field
- Keystone docs: Document field demo
- Keystone docs: Custom admin UI pages
- Keystone docs: Hooks guide
- Keystone docs: Cloudinary image field
- Keystone documentation index (llms.txt)
Prismic sources
Checked 29 Sept 2026. Prismic SaaS, Free to Enterprise plans.
- Prismic pricing and plan comparison
- Prismic CLI
- Prismic Type Builder
- Prismic slices
- Prismic API references
- Prismic webhooks
- Prismic previews and live previews
- Prismic releases
- Prismic users and permissions
- Prismic update: real-time collaboration
- Prismic: organize pages with spaces
- Prismic integration field
- Prismic integrations
- Prismic AI (beta)
- Prismic MCP server
Considering more platforms? Compare Keystone and Prismic with the rest of your shortlist in the CMS comparison tool.
Where they differ
Keystone and Prismic get a different status on 19 of the 28 features and the same status on 9. Keystone has 6 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
- Keystone is open source (MIT). Prismic is closed source (Proprietary).
- Self-hosting
- Keystone can be self-hosted. Prismic cannot be self-hosted.
- Vendor cloud
- Keystone has no vendor-run cloud. Prismic has a vendor-run cloud.
Built in on Keystone, a different answer on Prismic 3
- Field-level permissions Keystone: Built in. Prismic: Not available.
- Extensible admin UI Keystone: Built in. Prismic: Limited.
- Site member accounts Keystone: Built in. Prismic: Not available.
Built in on Prismic, a different answer on Keystone 13
- Content model in the UI Keystone: Not available. Prismic: Built in.
- Localization Keystone: Not available. Prismic: Built in.
- Image transformations Keystone: Not available. Prismic: Built in.
- REST API Keystone: Not available. Prismic: Built in.
- Webhooks Keystone: Not available. Prismic: Built in.
- Drafts Keystone: Not available. Prismic: Built in.
- Scheduled publishing Keystone: Not available. Prismic: Built in.
- Version history Keystone: Not available. Prismic: Built in.
- Preview Keystone: Not available. Prismic: Built in.
- Visual editing Keystone: Not available. Prismic: Built in.
- Content releases Keystone: Not available. Prismic: Built in.
- Multiple sites Keystone: Not available. Prismic: Built in.
- Official MCP server Keystone: Not available. Prismic: Built in.
Built in on neither, with different answers 3
- Approval workflows Keystone: Not available. Prismic: Limited.
- Single sign-on Keystone: Not available. Prismic: Paid tier.
- AI writing assistant Keystone: Not available. Prismic: Limited.
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