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CMS comparison Optimizely CMS vs Wagtail

Optimizely CMS vs Wagtail

Optimizely CMS 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 9.

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  • Optimizely CMS Enterprise DXP · Closed source · 22 of 28 built in
  • Wagtail Traditional · Open source · 18 of 28 built in

Sources checked: Optimizely CMS 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
Optimizely CMS vs Wagtail feature comparison. Columns are the two platforms. Rows are features, grouped by area.
Platform
Optimizely CMS Enterprise DXP
Wagtail 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.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. Optimizely CMS 13 PaaS, the current flagship. CMS SaaS is a separate hosted variant. Version 13.1.3, released 9 Sept 2026 Wagtail 8, open source Version 8.0, released 25 Aug 2026
Vendor Optimizely optimizely.com Wagtail core team (created by Torchbox) wagtail.org
Licence Closed source Proprietary Open source BSD-3-Clause
Hosting Self-hosting Vendor cloud Self-hosted installs lose Opti ID features such as Opal and the DAM. Self-hosting No vendor cloud The Wagtail project runs no managed hosting. Deploy it like any Django app.
Built with .NET 10, ASP.NET CorePython, Django
Database SQL Server, Azure SQL on DXPPostgreSQL, MySQL, MariaDB, SQLite
Pricing Public list prices only. Hosting and implementation are extra everywhere. No free option Pricing 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 Content types as C# classes. 3 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 Content types and properties in Settings. 4 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 Blocks in content areas and Visual Builder elements. 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 Language branches per content item. 5 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 DXP CDN resizes, crops and converts images by URL parameters. 6 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 Content Delivery API 13 and a management REST API. 12 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 Optimizely Graph, included in the CMS 13 licence. 28 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. Limited Graph webhooks fire on sync batches and expired content only. Per-item hooks need code. 72 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 ASP.NET Core MVC and Razor rendering, or headless. 2 Built in
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 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 Visual Builder. 2 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 Approval sequences. 10 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 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 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 Access rights for roles and virtual roles. 13 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 Access rights apply per content item. Not documented per property. 13 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 Opti ID with an external identity provider, or OpenID Connect in code. 2 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 Change Log in Settings. 14 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 Several sites and hosts in one installation. 15 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 Shell modules, gadgets and custom editor widgets. 16 Built in Hooks, viewsets and custom panels.
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 Wagtail packages directory on wagtail.org. 17
Form builder Editors can build and publish forms and collect submissions without code. Plugin or add-on Optimizely Forms package. No extra licence. 18 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. Limited Visitor login uses ASP.NET Core authentication set up in code. 2 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. Plugin or add-on Opal, billed through Opal credits. Needs Opti ID on DXP. 219 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 MCP server in the Optimizely.Cms.Opal.Tools package. 20 Limited Experimental wagtail-mcp package, announced September 2026. 16

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

Where they differ

Optimizely CMS and Wagtail get a different status on 9 of the 28 features and the same status on 19. Optimizely CMS has 22 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
Optimizely CMS is closed source (Proprietary). Wagtail is open source (BSD-3-Clause).
Vendor cloud
Optimizely CMS has a vendor-run cloud. Wagtail has no vendor-run cloud.
Free option
Optimizely CMS has no free option. Wagtail has a free option.

Built in on Optimizely CMS, a different answer on Wagtail 6

  • Content model in the UI Optimizely CMS: Built in. Wagtail: Not available.
  • GraphQL API Optimizely CMS: Built in. Wagtail: Plugin or add-on.
  • Visual editing Optimizely CMS: Built in. Wagtail: Limited.
  • Content releases Optimizely CMS: Built in. Wagtail: Not available.
  • Single sign-on Optimizely CMS: Built in. Wagtail: Plugin or add-on.
  • Official MCP server Optimizely CMS: Built in. Wagtail: Limited.

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

  • Field-level permissions Optimizely CMS: Not available. Wagtail: Built in.
  • Form builder Optimizely CMS: Plugin or add-on. Wagtail: Built in.

Built in on neither, with different answers 1

  • Webhooks Optimizely CMS: Limited. Wagtail: Not available.

More comparisons

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

Optimizely CMS 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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