Storyblok vs Wagtail
Storyblok is a closed-source headless CMS that runs 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 17.
- Storyblok Headless · Closed source · 15 of 28 built in
- Wagtail Traditional · Open source · 18 of 28 built in
Sources checked: Storyblok 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
| Platform |  |  |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||
| What it is | Hosted headless CMS with a Visual Editor where editors compose pages from developer-defined blocks. Run by Storyblok GmbH. | 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. | Storyblok SaaS, Starter to Elite plans SaaS, continuously updated | Wagtail 8, open source Version 8.0, released 25 Aug 2026 |
| Vendor | Storyblok GmbH storyblok.com | Wagtail core team (created by Torchbox) wagtail.org |
| Licence | Closed source Proprietary | Open source BSD-3-Clause |
| Hosting | No self-hosting Vendor cloud Spaces run in Storyblok's EU, US, Canada or Australia regions. | Self-hosting No vendor cloud The Wagtail project runs no managed hosting. Deploy it like any Django app. |
| Built with | SaaS, JavaScript SDKs and CLI | Python, Django |
| Database | Managed by Storyblok | PostgreSQL, MySQL, MariaDB, SQLite |
| Pricing Public list prices only. Hosting and implementation are extra everywhere. | Free to start Starter free. Growth $99, Growth Plus $349 per space per month. Premium and Elite 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 The CLI pulls and pushes JSON component schemas. Typed @storyblok/schema is in preview. 234 | 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 1 | 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 Nestable blocks inside stories. 1 | 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 Starter includes 2 locales. Growth adds locales at $20 each per month. 1 | 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 Image Optimization Service on all plans. 1 | 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 and Management API. 1 | 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. | Paid tier GraphQL Content Delivery API on Premium and Elite. 1 | 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 3 webhooks on Starter, 5 on Growth, 15 on Premium. 1 | 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. | Not available | 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. | Paid tier Single story scheduling from Growth. Growth allows 2 scheduled stories, Premium 100. 1 | 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. | Limited Starter keeps 1 day of versions. Growth 30 days, Premium 180, Elite unlimited. 1 | 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 1 | 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 Editor on all plans. 1 | 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. | Paid tier Custom workflows and stages on Premium and Elite. Lower plans get fixed default stages. 1 | 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. | Paid tier 20 releases on Premium, unlimited on Elite. 1 | 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 content locking. No simultaneous editing of one story. 110 | 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. | Paid tier 10 custom roles on Premium, unlimited on Elite. 15 | 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. | Paid tier Field permissions come with custom roles on Premium and Elite. 15 | 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. | Paid tier Premium and Elite. 1 | 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. | Limited Activity log on all plans. Starter keeps 1 day, Growth 30 days, Elite unlimited. 1 | 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 One account can own many spaces, each on its own plan. 6 | 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 Field plugins on all plans. Tool and space plugins on Premium and Elite. 17 | Built in Hooks, viewsets and custom panels. |
| Plugin marketplace The vendor runs an official directory or marketplace of installable extensions. | Built in Storyblok App Directory. 8 | Built in Wagtail packages directory on wagtail.org. 17 |
| Form builder Editors can build and publish forms and collect submissions without code. | Not available | 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. | Not available | 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 content generation and translation on all plans, metered by AI credits. 1 | 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 Hosted server over the Management API. 9 | Limited Experimental wagtail-mcp package, announced September 2026. 16 |
Storyblok sources
Checked 29 Sept 2026. Storyblok SaaS, Starter to Elite plans.
- Storyblok pricing and plan comparison
- Storyblok CLI documentation
- Sneak peek: type-safe schemas with @storyblok/schema (July 2026)
- Storyblok CLI: components push
- Storyblok roles manual
- Storyblok spaces concept
- Storyblok plugins introduction
- Storyblok App Directory
- Storyblok MCP server documentation
- Storyblok tutorial: building real-time collaboration with Tiptap and Yjs
Wagtail sources
Checked 29 Sept 2026. Wagtail 8, open source.
- Wagtail 8.0 release notes
- How to use StreamField for mixed content
- Wagtail docs: Internationalization
- Wagtail docs: Images
- Wagtail API v2 usage guide
- wagtail-grapple on GitHub
- Wagtail guide: Scheduled publishing
- Wagtail guide: Configure workflows for moderation
- Wagtail docs: Permissions
- Wagtail docs: Panels reference
- Wagtail docs: Audit log
- Wagtail 6.2: content metrics and concurrent editing
- Wagtail docs: Form builder
- Wagtail docs: Private pages
- Wagtail AI
- Experiments with MCP in Wagtail
- Wagtail docs: Packages
- Wagtail docs: Signals
- django-allauth: SAML provider
- Wagtail 4.0 release notes: live preview panel
Considering more platforms? Compare Storyblok and Wagtail with the rest of your shortlist in the CMS comparison tool.
Where they differ
Storyblok and Wagtail get a different status on 17 of the 28 features and the same status on 11. Storyblok has 15 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
- Storyblok is closed source (Proprietary). Wagtail is open source (BSD-3-Clause).
- Self-hosting
- Storyblok cannot be self-hosted. Wagtail can be self-hosted.
- Vendor cloud
- Storyblok has a vendor-run cloud. Wagtail has no vendor-run cloud.
Built in on Storyblok, a different answer on Wagtail 5
- Content model in the UI Storyblok: Built in. Wagtail: Not available.
- Webhooks Storyblok: Built in. Wagtail: Not available.
- Visual editing Storyblok: Built in. Wagtail: Limited.
- AI writing assistant Storyblok: Built in. Wagtail: Plugin or add-on.
- Official MCP server Storyblok: Built in. Wagtail: Limited.
Built in on Wagtail, a different answer on Storyblok 8
- Renders the website Storyblok: Not available. Wagtail: Built in.
- Scheduled publishing Storyblok: Paid tier. Wagtail: Built in.
- Version history Storyblok: Limited. Wagtail: Built in.
- Approval workflows Storyblok: Paid tier. Wagtail: Built in.
- Custom roles Storyblok: Paid tier. Wagtail: Built in.
- Field-level permissions Storyblok: Paid tier. Wagtail: Built in.
- Audit log Storyblok: Limited. Wagtail: Built in.
- Form builder Storyblok: Not available. Wagtail: Built in.
Built in on neither, with different answers 4
- GraphQL API Storyblok: Paid tier. Wagtail: Plugin or add-on.
- Content releases Storyblok: Paid tier. Wagtail: Not available.
- Single sign-on Storyblok: Paid tier. Wagtail: Plugin or add-on.
- Site member accounts Storyblok: Not available. Wagtail: Limited.
More comparisons
Full write-ups with worked examples and costs: Storyblok vs Payload.
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- Strapi vs Wagtail
- TYPO3 vs Wagtail
- Umbraco vs Wagtail
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- Wagtail vs Wix
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