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CMS comparison Liferay DXP vs Wagtail

Liferay DXP vs Wagtail

Liferay DXP is a closed-source enterprise DXP that you can host yourself or run on the vendor's cloud. Wagtail 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 10.

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  • Liferay DXP Enterprise DXP · Closed source · 26 of 28 built in
  • Wagtail Traditional · Open source · 18 of 28 built in

Sources checked: Liferay DXP on 29 Sept 2026, Wagtail 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
Liferay DXP vs Wagtail feature comparison. Columns are the two platforms. Rows are features, grouped by area.
Platform
Liferay DXP Enterprise DXP
Wagtail Traditional
Overview
What it is Java platform for websites, portals and commerce, with a new object-based CMS. Self-hosted or run by Liferay as PaaS or SaaS.Open-source CMS built on Django. Content types are Python models, and you host it yourself on any Python stack.
Edition compared The product and release each column describes. Liferay DXP 2026.Q3, Enterprise Subscription. The Free Tier replaced Liferay Portal CE from 2026.Q1. Version 2026.q3.5, released 25 Sept 2026 Wagtail 8, open source Version 8.0, released 25 Aug 2026
Vendor Liferay, Inc. liferay.com Wagtail core team (created by Torchbox) wagtail.org
Licence Closed source Proprietary, under the Liferay EULA. Free Tier activation key at no cost Open source BSD-3-Clause
Hosting Self-hosting Vendor cloud Free Tier suits smaller-scale use and gets no security patches, SAML or AI Hub. Self-hosting No vendor cloud The Wagtail project runs no managed hosting. Deploy it like any Django app.
Built with Java, OSGi, ReactPython, Django
Database MySQL, MariaDB, PostgreSQL, Oracle, SQL Server, IBM Db2PostgreSQL, MySQL, MariaDB, SQLite
Pricing Public list prices only. Hosting and implementation are extra everywhere. Free to start Free Tier at no cost for smaller-scale use. Enterprise Subscription per server instance, price on request. Free to start Free and open source. No licence fee.
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 Definitions export to JSON and deploy from the repo as batch client extensions. 7 Built in Page and snippet types are Django models. 2
Content model in the UI Admins can create and change content types and fields in the admin interface without writing code. Built in Objects and web content structures. 6 Not available Developers define content types in Python only.
Reusable blocks Editors compose pages from reusable, typed components or blocks, and can reorder them. Built in Fragments on content pages. 11 Built in StreamField blocks. 2
Localization Editors translate content per locale inside the CMS, by field or by entry, without a separate site for each language. Built in Built in Core i18n with simple_translation. The wagtail-localize package adds a translation workflow. 3
Image transformations The CMS resizes, crops or converts images on request, through URL parameters or generated sizes, with no external service. Built in Adaptive Media generates set image resolutions. 8 Built in Renditions with resize, crop and format filters. 4
APIs and delivery
REST API A documented REST or JSON HTTP API returns content. Built in Headless REST APIs. 9 Built in Read-only v2 API. Writable v3 API in preview since 8.0. 51
GraphQL API The vendor or an official module provides a GraphQL API for content. Built in 9 Plugin or add-on wagtail-grapple, maintained by Torchbox. 6
Webhooks The CMS can call an external URL when content is created, changed or published. Built in Object actions call a webhook on add, update or delete. 10 Not available Django signals such as page_published. No webhook settings. 18
Renders the website The CMS itself renders and serves the public pages through themes or templates. Headless-only products answer no. Built in Built in
Editorial workflow
Drafts Editors save changes as a draft and publish them later. The live version stays untouched until then. Built in Built in
Scheduled publishing An editor can set a future date and time for content to publish or unpublish. Built in Display and expiration dates. Built in Go-live and expiry dates. 7
Version history The CMS keeps earlier versions of an entry, and editors can compare or restore them. Built in Built in Editors can compare and revert revisions. 11
Preview Editors can see unpublished content rendered as it will appear on the site before publishing. Built in Built in 20
Visual editing Editors can click on the rendered page and edit content in place or in a side panel next to it. Built in Inline editing in the content page editor. 11 Limited Preview panel beside the edit form. No click-to-edit on the page. 20
Approval workflows Content moves through review stages you configure, such as draft, review and approved, with permissions per stage. Built in Kaleo workflow, also included in the Free Tier. 3 Built in Moderation workflows with tasks assigned to groups. 8
Content releases Editors group changes across several entries and publish them together as one release. Built in Publications group changes and publish them together. 12 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 A page locks while one editor has it open. 13 Not available Concurrent editing notifications warn editors. No live co-editing. 12
Access and governance
Custom roles Admins define their own roles with granular permissions instead of picking from a fixed set. Built in Built in Groups with page, collection and model permissions. 9
Field-level permissions Admins can restrict access to single fields, on top of content types and entries. Not available Permissions apply per object, entry or asset. 14 Built in Set in code with the permission argument on panels. 10
Single sign-on Editors can sign in through SAML or OpenID Connect against a company identity provider. Built in SAML and OpenID Connect. The Free Tier lacks SAML. 315 Plugin or add-on django-allauth supports SAML and OpenID Connect. 19
Audit log The CMS logs who changed what and when across the whole installation, and admins can review the log. Built in Audit framework with search and export of events. 16 Built in Site-wide history report of logged actions. 11
Platform and extensibility
Multiple sites One installation or account can manage several separate websites or brands with shared users. Built in Built in Several sites in one installation with shared users. 9
Extensible admin UI Developers can add their own components, views or fields to the editing interface. Built in Client extensions. 7 Built in Hooks, viewsets and custom panels.
Plugin marketplace The vendor runs an official directory or marketplace of installable extensions. Built in Liferay Marketplace. 17 Built in Wagtail packages directory on wagtail.org. 17
Form builder Editors can build and publish forms and collect submissions without code. Built in Liferay Forms. Built in wagtail.contrib.forms form builder. 13
Site member accounts The platform handles sign-up and login for public site users or members, separate from editors. Built in Limited Login for private pages is built in. Public sign-up needs a package such as django-allauth. 14
AI writing assistant A first-party AI feature in the editing interface generates, rewrites or translates content. Built in AI Hub writing tools in the new CMS. Not in the Free Tier. 418 Plugin or add-on Wagtail AI, an officially supported package. 15
Official MCP server The vendor publishes a Model Context Protocol server so AI agents can read or write content. Built in Built-in MCP server released in 2026.Q3, switched on by feature flag. 19 Limited Experimental wagtail-mcp package, announced September 2026. 16

Liferay DXP sources

Checked 29 Sept 2026. Liferay DXP 2026.Q3, Enterprise Subscription. The Free Tier replaced Liferay Portal CE from 2026.Q1..

  1. Liferay DXP 2026.q3.5 release files
  2. Now available: Liferay DXP Quarterly Release 2026.Q3
  3. Liferay DXP Free Tier (Liferay Learn)
  4. Liferay DXP Free Tier: what it is, how to get it, and when to upgrade
  5. CE is sunsetted. What's your next move?
  6. Liferay Learn: Content Management System
  7. Liferay Learn: Client Extensions
  8. Liferay Learn: Using Adaptive Media
  9. Liferay Learn: Consuming GraphQL APIs
  10. Liferay Learn: Object actions
  11. Liferay Learn: Using Content Pages
  12. Liferay Learn: Publications
  13. Liferay Learn: Configuring Locked Pages
  14. Liferay Learn: Objects permissions framework integration
  15. Liferay Learn: Using OpenID Connect
  16. Liferay Learn: Audit Framework
  17. Liferay Marketplace
  18. Liferay AI Hub
  19. Liferay Learn: Using Liferay as an MCP Server
  20. Liferay Learn: Cloud

Wagtail sources

Checked 29 Sept 2026. Wagtail 8, open source.

  1. Wagtail 8.0 release notes
  2. How to use StreamField for mixed content
  3. Wagtail docs: Internationalization
  4. Wagtail docs: Images
  5. Wagtail API v2 usage guide
  6. wagtail-grapple on GitHub
  7. Wagtail guide: Scheduled publishing
  8. Wagtail guide: Configure workflows for moderation
  9. Wagtail docs: Permissions
  10. Wagtail docs: Panels reference
  11. Wagtail docs: Audit log
  12. Wagtail 6.2: content metrics and concurrent editing
  13. Wagtail docs: Form builder
  14. Wagtail docs: Private pages
  15. Wagtail AI
  16. Experiments with MCP in Wagtail
  17. Wagtail docs: Packages
  18. Wagtail docs: Signals
  19. django-allauth: SAML provider
  20. Wagtail 4.0 release notes: live preview panel

Considering more platforms? Compare Liferay DXP and Wagtail with the rest of your shortlist in the CMS comparison tool.

Where they differ

Liferay DXP and Wagtail get a different status on 10 of the 28 features and the same status on 18. Liferay DXP has 26 built in on its baseline edition, Wagtail has 18. 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
Liferay DXP is closed source (Proprietary, under the Liferay EULA. Free Tier activation key at no cost). Wagtail is open source (BSD-3-Clause).
Vendor cloud
Liferay DXP has a vendor-run cloud. Wagtail has no vendor-run cloud.

Built in on Liferay DXP, a different answer on Wagtail 9

  • Content model in the UI Liferay DXP: Built in. Wagtail: Not available.
  • GraphQL API Liferay DXP: Built in. Wagtail: Plugin or add-on.
  • Webhooks Liferay DXP: Built in. Wagtail: Not available.
  • Visual editing Liferay DXP: Built in. Wagtail: Limited.
  • Content releases Liferay DXP: Built in. Wagtail: Not available.
  • Single sign-on Liferay DXP: Built in. Wagtail: Plugin or add-on.
  • Site member accounts Liferay DXP: Built in. Wagtail: Limited.
  • AI writing assistant Liferay DXP: Built in. Wagtail: Plugin or add-on.
  • Official MCP server Liferay DXP: Built in. Wagtail: Limited.

Built in on Wagtail, a different answer on Liferay DXP 1

  • Field-level permissions Liferay DXP: Not available. Wagtail: Built in.

More comparisons

Liferay DXP against other platforms

Wagtail against other platforms

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

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