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CMS comparison Optimizely CMS vs Statamic

Optimizely CMS vs Statamic

Optimizely CMS is a closed-source enterprise DXP that you can host yourself or run on the vendor's cloud. Statamic is a closed-source traditional CMS that you host yourself. The table below sets them side by side on 28 features. They get a different status on 19.

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  • Optimizely CMS Enterprise DXP · Closed source · 22 of 28 built in
  • Statamic Traditional · Closed source · 8 of 28 built in

Sources checked: Optimizely CMS on 29 Sept 2026, Statamic 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
Optimizely CMS vs Statamic feature comparison. Columns are the two platforms. Rows are features, grouped by area.
Platform
Optimizely CMS Enterprise DXP
Statamic Traditional
Overview
What it is Optimizely's .NET CMS for rendered and headless sites, hosted on Optimizely's DXP cloud or self-hosted, with Optimizely Graph for delivery.Laravel-based PHP CMS that stores content in flat files by default. Free Core edition. Pro adds users, APIs and multi-site. You host it.
Edition compared The product and release each column describes. Optimizely CMS 13 PaaS, the current flagship. CMS SaaS is a separate hosted variant. Version 13.1.3, released 9 Sept 2026 Statamic 6, Core and Pro Version 6.34.1, released 23 Sept 2026
Vendor Optimizely optimizely.com Statamic, LLC statamic.com
Licence Closed source Proprietary Closed source Proprietary, source available. Core is free to use.
Hosting Self-hosting Vendor cloud Self-hosted installs lose Opti ID features such as Opal and the DAM. Self-hosting No vendor cloud
Built with .NET 10, ASP.NET CorePHP, Laravel, Vue
Database SQL Server, Azure SQL on DXPFlat files by default, SQL databases via the Eloquent Driver
Pricing Public list prices only. Hosting and implementation are extra everywhere. No free option Pricing on request. Free to start Core free for one admin user. Pro $349 per site, then $99 per year for updates. Enterprise from $10k per year.
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 Content types as C# classes. 3 Built in Blueprints and fieldsets are YAML files in the project. 4
Content model in the UI Admins can create and change content types and fields in the admin interface without writing code. Built in Content types and properties in Settings. 4 Built in Blueprint builder in the Control Panel. 4
Reusable blocks Editors compose pages from reusable, typed components or blocks, and can reorder them. Built in Blocks in content areas and Visual Builder elements. Built in Replicator and Bard sets. 5
Localization Editors translate content per locale inside the CMS, by field or by entry, without a separate site for each language. Built in Language branches per content item. 5 Paid tier Multi-site and multilingual content need Pro. 61
Image transformations The CMS resizes, crops or converts images on request, through URL parameters or generated sizes, with no external service. Built in DXP CDN resizes, crops and converts images by URL parameters. 6 Built in Glide resizes and crops on request. 7
APIs and delivery
REST API A documented REST or JSON HTTP API returns content. Built in Content Delivery API 13 and a management REST API. 12 Paid tier Read-only REST API on Pro. 8
GraphQL API The vendor or an official module provides a GraphQL API for content. Built in Optimizely Graph, included in the CMS 13 licence. 28 Paid tier Read-only GraphQL API on Pro. 9
Webhooks The CMS can call an external URL when content is created, changed or published. Limited Graph webhooks fire on sync batches and expired content only. Per-item hooks need code. 72 Not available Laravel events only. No webhook settings in core.
Renders the website The CMS itself renders and serves the public pages through themes or templates. Headless-only products answer no. Built in ASP.NET Core MVC and Razor rendering, or headless. 2 Built in Antlers or Blade templates.
Editorial workflow
Drafts Editors save changes as a draft and publish them later. The live version stays untouched until then. Built in 9 Paid tier Working copies of live entries need Revisions on Pro. Core has unpublished entries. 101
Scheduled publishing An editor can set a future date and time for content to publish or unpublish. Built in 9 Limited Future-dated entries stay private until their date. Set per collection. 11
Version history The CMS keeps earlier versions of an entry, and editors can compare or restore them. Built in Paid tier Revisions on Pro. 10
Preview Editors can see unpublished content rendered as it will appear on the site before publishing. Built in Built in 121
Visual editing Editors can click on the rendered page and edit content in place or in a side panel next to it. Built in Visual Builder. 2 Limited Live Preview shows the edit form beside the page. No click-to-edit. 12
Approval workflows Content moves through review stages you configure, such as draft, review and approved, with permissions per stage. Built in Approval sequences. 10 Not available Approval workflows are on the roadmap as planned. 19
Content releases Editors group changes across several entries and publish them together as one release. Built in Projects publish or schedule grouped items together. 11 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 Comments and notifications only. 12 Plugin or add-on Free first-party Collaboration addon. Requires Pro. 18
Access and governance
Custom roles Admins define their own roles with granular permissions instead of picking from a fixed set. Built in Access rights for roles and virtual roles. 13 Paid tier Roles and permissions need Pro. 131
Field-level permissions Admins can restrict access to single fields, on top of content types and entries. Not available Access rights apply per content item. Not documented per property. 13 Not available Field conditions depend on field values. User roles can't drive them. 4
Single sign-on Editors can sign in through SAML or OpenID Connect against a company identity provider. Built in Opti ID with an external identity provider, or OpenID Connect in code. 2 Paid tier Pro via Laravel Socialite providers such as SAML2. Enterprise tier lists SSO. 1521
Audit log The CMS logs who changed what and when across the whole installation, and admins can review the log. Built in Change Log in Settings. 14 Paid tier Enterprise tier, from $10k per year, lists audit logging. 121
Platform and extensibility
Multiple sites One installation or account can manage several separate websites or brands with shared users. Built in Several sites and hosts in one installation. 15 Paid tier Pro. 61
Extensible admin UI Developers can add their own components, views or fields to the editing interface. Built in Shell modules, gadgets and custom editor widgets. 16 Built in Custom fieldtypes, widgets and Control Panel pages. 17
Plugin marketplace The vendor runs an official directory or marketplace of installable extensions. Built in Optimizely connectors directory and NuGet add-ons. 17 Built in Statamic Marketplace for addons. 18
Form builder Editors can build and publish forms and collect submissions without code. Plugin or add-on Optimizely Forms package. No extra licence. 18 Limited Core allows one form. Pro removes the limit. 116
Site member accounts The platform handles sign-up and login for public site users or members, separate from editors. Limited Visitor login uses ASP.NET Core authentication set up in code. 2 Paid tier Member accounts, registration and login tags need Pro. 1416
AI writing assistant A first-party AI feature in the editing interface generates, rewrites or translates content. Plugin or add-on Opal, billed through Opal credits. Needs Opti ID on DXP. 219 Not available
Official MCP server The vendor publishes a Model Context Protocol server so AI agents can read or write content. Built in MCP server in the Optimizely.Cms.Opal.Tools package. 20 Not available Third-party addons only, such as MCP Server for Statamic by Cbox. 20

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

Where they differ

Optimizely CMS and Statamic get a different status on 19 of the 28 features and the same status on 9. Optimizely CMS has 22 built in on its baseline edition, Statamic has 8. Two matching statuses can still name different paid tiers or limits, so read the notes in the table before treating a row as equal.

Vendor cloud
Optimizely CMS has a vendor-run cloud. Statamic has no vendor-run cloud.
Free option
Optimizely CMS has no free option. Statamic has a free option.

Built in on Optimizely CMS, a different answer on Statamic 14

  • Localization Optimizely CMS: Built in. Statamic: Paid tier.
  • REST API Optimizely CMS: Built in. Statamic: Paid tier.
  • GraphQL API Optimizely CMS: Built in. Statamic: Paid tier.
  • Drafts Optimizely CMS: Built in. Statamic: Paid tier.
  • Scheduled publishing Optimizely CMS: Built in. Statamic: Limited.
  • Version history Optimizely CMS: Built in. Statamic: Paid tier.
  • Visual editing Optimizely CMS: Built in. Statamic: Limited.
  • Approval workflows Optimizely CMS: Built in. Statamic: Not available.
  • Content releases Optimizely CMS: Built in. Statamic: Not available.
  • Custom roles Optimizely CMS: Built in. Statamic: Paid tier.
  • Single sign-on Optimizely CMS: Built in. Statamic: Paid tier.
  • Audit log Optimizely CMS: Built in. Statamic: Paid tier.
  • Multiple sites Optimizely CMS: Built in. Statamic: Paid tier.
  • Official MCP server Optimizely CMS: Built in. Statamic: Not available.

Built in on neither, with different answers 5

  • Webhooks Optimizely CMS: Limited. Statamic: Not available.
  • Real-time co-editing Optimizely CMS: Not available. Statamic: Plugin or add-on.
  • Form builder Optimizely CMS: Plugin or add-on. Statamic: Limited.
  • Site member accounts Optimizely CMS: Limited. Statamic: Paid tier.
  • AI writing assistant Optimizely CMS: Plugin or add-on. Statamic: Not available.

More comparisons

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

Optimizely CMS against other platforms

Statamic against other platforms

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

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