CMS comparison Liferay DXP vs Webflow

Liferay DXP vs Webflow

Liferay DXP is a closed-source enterprise DXP that you can host yourself or run on the vendor's cloud. 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 13.

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Liferay DXP Enterprise DXP · Closed source · 26 of 28 built in
Webflow Site builder · Closed source · 15 of 28 built in

Sources checked: Liferay DXP 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

Liferay DXP vs Webflow feature comparison. Columns are the two platforms. Rows are features, grouped by area.
Platform	Liferay DXP Enterprise DXP	Webflow Site builder
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.	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.	Liferay DXP 2026.Q3, Enterprise Subscription. The Free Tier replaced Liferay Portal CE from 2026.Q1. Version 2026.q3.5, released 25 Sept 2026	Webflow Site plans, Starter to Enterprise SaaS, continuously updated
Vendor	Liferay, Inc. liferay.com	Webflow, Inc. webflow.com
Licence	Closed source Proprietary, under the Liferay EULA. Free Tier activation key at no cost	Closed source Proprietary
Hosting	Self-hosting Vendor cloud Free Tier suits smaller-scale use and gets no security patches, SAML or AI Hub.	No self-hosting Vendor cloud Publishing to a custom domain requires a paid Site plan.
Built with	Java, OSGi, React	Hosted SaaS, Webflow Cloud for app hosting
Database	MySQL, MariaDB, PostgreSQL, Oracle, SQL Server, IBM Db2	Managed by Webflow
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 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.	Built in Definitions export to JSON and deploy from the repo as batch client extensions. 7	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.	Built in Objects and web content structures. 6	Built in
Reusable blocks Editors compose pages from reusable, typed components or blocks, and can reorder them.	Built in Fragments on content pages. 11	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	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.	Built in Adaptive Media generates set image resolutions. 8	Built in Generates responsive image sizes automatically. 10
APIs and delivery
REST API A documented REST or JSON HTTP API returns content.	Built in Headless REST APIs. 9	Built in Data API. 60 requests per minute on Starter, 120 on Premium. 1 11
GraphQL API The vendor or an official module provides a GraphQL API for content.	Built in 9	Not available
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	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	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.	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	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.	Built in	Built in
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	Built in
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	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.	Built in Publications group changes and publish them together. 12	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 A page locks while one editor has it open. 13	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	Paid tier Enterprise. 1
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	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.	Built in SAML and OpenID Connect. The Free Tier lacks SAML. 3 15	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 Audit framework with search and export of events. 16	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.	Built in	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 Client extensions. 7	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 Liferay Marketplace. 17	Built in Webflow Apps marketplace. 9
Form builder Editors can build and publish forms and collect submissions without code.	Built in Liferay Forms.	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	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.	Built in AI Hub writing tools in the new CMS. Not in the Free Tier. 4 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.	Built in Built-in MCP server released in 2026.Q3, switched on by feature flag. 19	Built in Available on all Site plans, including free Starter. 7

Liferay DXP sources

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

Webflow sources

Checked 29 Sept 2026. Webflow Site plans, Starter to Enterprise.

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

Where they differ

Liferay DXP and Webflow get a different status on 13 of the 28 features and the same status on 15. Liferay DXP has 26 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.

Self-hosting: Liferay DXP can be self-hosted. Webflow cannot be self-hosted.

Built in on Liferay DXP, a different answer on Webflow 12

Content model in code Liferay DXP: Built in. Webflow: Not available.
Localization Liferay DXP: Built in. Webflow: Plugin or add-on.
GraphQL API Liferay DXP: Built in. Webflow: Not available.
Scheduled publishing Liferay DXP: Built in. Webflow: Paid tier.
Version history Liferay DXP: Built in. Webflow: Limited.
Approval workflows Liferay DXP: Built in. Webflow: Paid tier.
Content releases Liferay DXP: Built in. Webflow: Limited.
Custom roles Liferay DXP: Built in. Webflow: Paid tier.
Single sign-on Liferay DXP: Built in. Webflow: Paid tier.
Audit log Liferay DXP: Built in. Webflow: Paid tier.
Site member accounts Liferay DXP: Built in. Webflow: Not available.
AI writing assistant Liferay DXP: Built in. Webflow: Paid tier.

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

Real-time co-editing Liferay DXP: Not available. Webflow: Built in.

More comparisons

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

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