Wagtail vs Webflow
Wagtail is an open-source traditional CMS that you host yourself. 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 18.
- Wagtail Traditional · Open source · 18 of 28 built in
- Webflow Site builder · Closed source · 15 of 28 built in
Sources checked: Wagtail 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
| Platform |  |  |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||
| What it is | Open-source CMS built on Django. Content types are Python models, and you host it yourself on any Python stack. | 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. | Wagtail 8, open source Version 8.0, released 25 Aug 2026 | Webflow Site plans, Starter to Enterprise SaaS, continuously updated |
| Vendor | Wagtail core team (created by Torchbox) wagtail.org | Webflow, Inc. webflow.com |
| Licence | Open source BSD-3-Clause | Closed source Proprietary |
| Hosting | Self-hosting No vendor cloud The Wagtail project runs no managed hosting. Deploy it like any Django app. | No self-hosting Vendor cloud Publishing to a custom domain requires a paid Site plan. |
| Built with | Python, Django | Hosted SaaS, Webflow Cloud for app hosting |
| Database | PostgreSQL, MySQL, MariaDB, SQLite | Managed by Webflow |
| Pricing Public list prices only. Hosting and implementation are extra everywhere. | Free to start Free and open source. No licence fee. | 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 Page and snippet types are Django models. 2 | 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. | Not available Developers define content types in Python only. | Built in |
| Reusable blocks Editors compose pages from reusable, typed components or blocks, and can reorder them. | Built in StreamField blocks. 2 | 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 Core i18n with simple_translation. The wagtail-localize package adds a translation workflow. 3 | 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 Renditions with resize, crop and format filters. 4 | Built in Generates responsive image sizes automatically. 10 |
| APIs and delivery | ||
| REST API A documented REST or JSON HTTP API returns content. | Built in Read-only v2 API. Writable v3 API in preview since 8.0. 51 | Built in Data API. 60 requests per minute on Starter, 120 on Premium. 111 |
| GraphQL API The vendor or an official module provides a GraphQL API for content. | Plugin or add-on wagtail-grapple, maintained by Torchbox. 6 | Not available |
| Webhooks The CMS can call an external URL when content is created, changed or published. | Not available Django signals such as page_published. No webhook settings. 18 | 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 Go-live and expiry dates. 7 | 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 Editors can compare and revert revisions. 11 | 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 20 | Built in |
| Visual editing Editors can click on the rendered page and edit content in place or in a side panel next to it. | Limited Preview panel beside the edit form. No click-to-edit on the page. 20 | Built in |
| Approval workflows Content moves through review stages you configure, such as draft, review and approved, with permissions per stage. | Built in Moderation workflows with tasks assigned to groups. 8 | 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. | Not available | 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 Concurrent editing notifications warn editors. No live co-editing. 12 | 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 Groups with page, collection and model permissions. 9 | Paid tier Enterprise. 1 |
| Field-level permissions Admins can restrict access to single fields, on top of content types and entries. | Built in Set in code with the permission argument on panels. 10 | 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. | Plugin or add-on django-allauth supports SAML and OpenID Connect. 19 | 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 Site-wide history report of logged actions. 11 | 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 Several sites in one installation with shared users. 9 | 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 Hooks, viewsets and custom panels. | 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 Wagtail packages directory on wagtail.org. 17 | Built in Webflow Apps marketplace. 9 |
| Form builder Editors can build and publish forms and collect submissions without code. | Built in wagtail.contrib.forms form builder. 13 | 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. | Limited Login for private pages is built in. Public sign-up needs a package such as django-allauth. 14 | 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. | Plugin or add-on Wagtail AI, an officially supported package. 15 | 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. | Limited Experimental wagtail-mcp package, announced September 2026. 16 | Built in Available on all Site plans, including free Starter. 7 |
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
Webflow sources
Checked 29 Sept 2026. Webflow Site plans, Starter to Enterprise.
- Webflow plans and pricing
- Updated pricing and simplified plans for May 2026
- Webflow Data API: Create Collection
- Webflow Data API: working with webhooks
- Webflow Help: save and restore backups
- Webflow Help: real-time collaboration
- Webflow Help: MCP server overview
- Webflow Help: User Accounts sunset
- Webflow Apps
- Webflow Help: responsive images
- Webflow Data API reference
- Webflow Help: Webflow Apps overview
Considering more platforms? Compare Wagtail and Webflow with the rest of your shortlist in the CMS comparison tool.
Where they differ
Wagtail and Webflow get a different status on 18 of the 28 features and the same status on 10. Wagtail has 18 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.
- Licence
- Wagtail is open source (BSD-3-Clause). Webflow is closed source (Proprietary).
- Self-hosting
- Wagtail can be self-hosted. Webflow cannot be self-hosted.
- Vendor cloud
- Wagtail has no vendor-run cloud. Webflow has a vendor-run cloud.
Built in on Wagtail, a different answer on Webflow 8
- Content model in code Wagtail: Built in. Webflow: Not available.
- Localization Wagtail: Built in. Webflow: Plugin or add-on.
- Scheduled publishing Wagtail: Built in. Webflow: Paid tier.
- Version history Wagtail: Built in. Webflow: Limited.
- Approval workflows Wagtail: Built in. Webflow: Paid tier.
- Custom roles Wagtail: Built in. Webflow: Paid tier.
- Field-level permissions Wagtail: Built in. Webflow: Not available.
- Audit log Wagtail: Built in. Webflow: Paid tier.
Built in on Webflow, a different answer on Wagtail 5
- Content model in the UI Wagtail: Not available. Webflow: Built in.
- Webhooks Wagtail: Not available. Webflow: Built in.
- Visual editing Wagtail: Limited. Webflow: Built in.
- Real-time co-editing Wagtail: Not available. Webflow: Built in.
- Official MCP server Wagtail: Limited. Webflow: Built in.
Built in on neither, with different answers 5
- GraphQL API Wagtail: Plugin or add-on. Webflow: Not available.
- Content releases Wagtail: Not available. Webflow: Limited.
- Single sign-on Wagtail: Plugin or add-on. Webflow: Paid tier.
- Site member accounts Wagtail: Limited. Webflow: Not available.
- AI writing assistant Wagtail: Plugin or add-on. Webflow: Paid tier.
More comparisons
Full write-ups with worked examples and costs: Webflow vs Payload.
Wagtail against other platforms
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Webflow against other platforms
- Adobe Experience Manager vs Webflow
- Contentful vs Webflow
- Contentstack vs Webflow
- CoreMedia Content Cloud vs Webflow
- Craft CMS vs Webflow
- DatoCMS vs Webflow
- Decap CMS vs Webflow
- Directus vs Webflow
- Drupal vs Webflow
- EmDash vs Webflow
- FirstSpirit vs Webflow
- Framer vs Webflow
- Ghost vs Webflow
- HubSpot CMS vs Webflow
- Hygraph vs Webflow
- Instatic vs Webflow
- Joomla vs Webflow
- Keystone vs Webflow
- Kirby vs Webflow
- Liferay DXP vs Webflow
- Optimizely CMS vs Webflow
- Webflow vs Payload
- Prismic vs Webflow
- Progress Sitefinity vs Webflow
- Sanity vs Webflow
- Sitecore vs Webflow
- Squarespace vs Webflow
- Statamic vs Webflow
- Storyblok vs Webflow
- Strapi vs Webflow
- TYPO3 vs Webflow
- Umbraco vs Webflow
- Webflow vs Wix
- Webflow vs WordPress
- Xperience by Kentico vs Webflow
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