CMS comparison Optimizely CMS vs Storyblok

Optimizely CMS vs Storyblok

Optimizely CMS is a closed-source enterprise DXP that you can host yourself or run on the vendor's cloud. Storyblok 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 14.

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Optimizely CMS Enterprise DXP · Closed source · 22 of 28 built in
Storyblok Headless · Closed source · 15 of 28 built in

Sources checked: Optimizely CMS on 29 Sept 2026, Storyblok 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 Storyblok feature comparison. Columns are the two platforms. Rows are features, grouped by area.
Platform	Optimizely CMS Enterprise DXP	Storyblok Headless
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.	Hosted headless CMS with a Visual Editor where editors compose pages from developer-defined blocks. Run by Storyblok GmbH.
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	Storyblok SaaS, Starter to Elite plans SaaS, continuously updated
Vendor	Optimizely optimizely.com	Storyblok GmbH storyblok.com
Licence	Closed source Proprietary	Closed source Proprietary
Hosting	Self-hosting Vendor cloud Self-hosted installs lose Opti ID features such as Opal and the DAM.	No self-hosting Vendor cloud Spaces run in Storyblok's EU, US, Canada or Australia regions.
Built with	.NET 10, ASP.NET Core	SaaS, JavaScript SDKs and CLI
Database	SQL Server, Azure SQL on DXP	Managed by Storyblok
Pricing Public list prices only. Hosting and implementation are extra everywhere.	No free option Pricing on request.	Free to start Starter free. Growth $99, Growth Plus $349 per space per month. Premium and Elite on request.
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 The CLI pulls and pushes JSON component schemas. Typed @storyblok/schema is in preview. 2 3 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 1
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 Nestable blocks inside stories. 1
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	Built in Starter includes 2 locales. Growth adds locales at $20 each per month. 1
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 Image Optimization Service on all plans. 1
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. 1 2	Built in Content Delivery API and Management API. 1
GraphQL API The vendor or an official module provides a GraphQL API for content.	Built in Optimizely Graph, included in the CMS 13 licence. 2 8	Paid tier GraphQL Content Delivery API on Premium and Elite. 1
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. 7 2	Built in 3 webhooks on Starter, 5 on Growth, 15 on Premium. 1
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	Not available
Editorial workflow
Drafts Editors save changes as a draft and publish them later. The live version stays untouched until then.	Built in 9	Built in
Scheduled publishing An editor can set a future date and time for content to publish or unpublish.	Built in 9	Paid tier Single story scheduling from Growth. Growth allows 2 scheduled stories, Premium 100. 1
Version history The CMS keeps earlier versions of an entry, and editors can compare or restore them.	Built in	Limited Starter keeps 1 day of versions. Growth 30 days, Premium 180, Elite unlimited. 1
Preview Editors can see unpublished content rendered as it will appear on the site before publishing.	Built in	Built in 1
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	Built in Visual Editor on all plans. 1
Approval workflows Content moves through review stages you configure, such as draft, review and approved, with permissions per stage.	Built in Approval sequences. 10	Paid tier Custom workflows and stages on Premium and Elite. Lower plans get fixed default stages. 1
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	Paid tier 20 releases on Premium, unlimited on Elite. 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 Comments and notifications only. 12	Not available Comments and content locking. No simultaneous editing of one story. 1 10
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 10 custom roles on Premium, unlimited on Elite. 1 5
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	Paid tier Field permissions come with custom roles on Premium and Elite. 1 5
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 Premium and Elite. 1
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	Limited Activity log on all plans. Starter keeps 1 day, Growth 30 days, Elite unlimited. 1
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	Built in One account can own many spaces, each on its own plan. 6
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 Field plugins on all plans. Tool and space plugins on Premium and Elite. 1 7
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 Storyblok App Directory. 8
Form builder Editors can build and publish forms and collect submissions without code.	Plugin or add-on Optimizely Forms package. No extra licence. 18	Not available
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	Not available
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. 2 19	Built in AI content generation and translation on all plans, metered by AI credits. 1
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	Built in Hosted server over the Management API. 9

Optimizely CMS sources

Checked 29 Sept 2026. Optimizely CMS 13 PaaS, the current flagship. CMS SaaS is a separate hosted variant..

Storyblok sources

Checked 29 Sept 2026. Storyblok SaaS, Starter to Elite plans.

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

Where they differ

Optimizely CMS and Storyblok get a different status on 14 of the 28 features and the same status on 14. Optimizely CMS has 22 built in on its baseline edition, Storyblok 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: Optimizely CMS can be self-hosted. Storyblok cannot be self-hosted.
Free option: Optimizely CMS has no free option. Storyblok has a free option.

Built in on Optimizely CMS, a different answer on Storyblok 9

GraphQL API Optimizely CMS: Built in. Storyblok: Paid tier.
Renders the website Optimizely CMS: Built in. Storyblok: Not available.
Scheduled publishing Optimizely CMS: Built in. Storyblok: Paid tier.
Version history Optimizely CMS: Built in. Storyblok: Limited.
Approval workflows Optimizely CMS: Built in. Storyblok: Paid tier.
Content releases Optimizely CMS: Built in. Storyblok: Paid tier.
Custom roles Optimizely CMS: Built in. Storyblok: Paid tier.
Single sign-on Optimizely CMS: Built in. Storyblok: Paid tier.
Audit log Optimizely CMS: Built in. Storyblok: Limited.

Built in on Storyblok, a different answer on Optimizely CMS 2

Webhooks Optimizely CMS: Limited. Storyblok: Built in.
AI writing assistant Optimizely CMS: Plugin or add-on. Storyblok: Built in.

Built in on neither, with different answers 3

Field-level permissions Optimizely CMS: Not available. Storyblok: Paid tier.
Form builder Optimizely CMS: Plugin or add-on. Storyblok: Not available.
Site member accounts Optimizely CMS: Limited. Storyblok: Not available.

More comparisons

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

Optimizely CMS against other platforms

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

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