vioscaleAI
Comparison

Contentstack vs Directus

No clear leader: Contentstack (63.7) and Directus (59.9) are within the 5-point margin; treat as a tie. The attribute-by-attribute breakdown below, with a source and date on every value, is the honest way to compare them.

Contentstack full profile →Directus full profile →
Machine formatsMarkdownJSONGraphQLMarkdown is open. JSON and GraphQL need a free key.
Contentstack64
Directus60
Score
vioscaleAI score
Contentstack64 / 100medium · 74%
Directus60 / 100medium · 60%
Pricing
Free tier
Contentstack✓
Directus✓
Model
Contentstackfreemium
Directusfreemium
Price level
Contentstackhigh
Directushigh
Starting price
Contentstack$299
Directus$499
Transparent
Contentstack✓
Directus✓
Integrations
Count
Contentstack1
Directus4
Security
Certifications
ContentstackSOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001, HIPAA
Directus–
Disclosure policy
Contentstack–
Directus✓
Gdpr
Contentstack✓
Directus✓
Hipaa
Contentstack✓
Directus–
Iso27001
Contentstack✓
Directus–
Soc2
Contentstack✓
Directus✓
Trust center
Reliability
Status page
Contentstack✓
Directus✓
Market
Availability
Content
Faq
Contentstack7 items
Directus6 items

Capabilities

Feature-by-feature on the axes that matter for cms software. “-” means undocumented, not absent.

Core
CMS type
ContentstackHeadless / API-first
DirectusHeadless / API-first
Licensing
Open-source
Contentstack✗
Directus✓
Deployment
Self-hostable
Contentstack✗
Directus✓
Managed / cloud hosting offered
Contentstack✓
Directus✓
Delivery
Headless API (REST/GraphQL)
Contentstack✓
Directus✓
Content
Structured content modelling
Contentstack✓
Directus✓
Localisation / i18n
Contentstack✓
Directus✓
Content workflow / approvals
Contentstack✓
Directus✓
Editing
Visual / no-code page builder
Contentstack✓
Directus✓
Extensibility
Plugin / app ecosystem size
ContentstackEnterprise-grade marketplace with pre-built integrations and custom app framewor
DirectusDirectus Marketplace with Sandbox SDK for safe third-party extensions
Scale
Multi-site / multi-tenant
Contentstack✓
Directus✓
Workflow
Git-based / code-first workflow
Contentstack✗
Directus✓
Pricing
Free / open tier
Contentstack✓
Directus✓

What each one is

The product in its own terms, so the numbers below have context.

Contentstack

A SaaS-based content management platform combining structured content management, real-time customer data intelligence, and autonomous AI agent orchestration. Designed for enterprise teams managing complex, multi-channel digital experiences with strict governance and compliance requirements.

Independently observed

Directus

A system that connects to any SQL database and provides a collaborative web interface for content and data management, while automatically generating REST and GraphQL APIs for developers.

Independently observed

Pricing

List pricing as published by each vendor, with the date we read it. Always verify at the source before you buy.

Contentstack

from $299/mofreemiumFree tier

Free tier. Growth plan from $299/month. Enterprise custom pricing.

  • FreeFree
    • Headless CMS
    • Visual Editor
    • Custom domains
    • Contentstack Academy
    • Developer Resource Center
    • +1 more
  • Growth$299/month + $25 per additional user/month
    • Headless CMS
    • Visual Editor
    • Custom domains
    • Custom roles
    • Custom workflows
    • +6 more
  • EnterpriseContact sales
    • All Growth features
    • Custom roles and workflows
    • Pay-as-you-go overages
    • 99.5% Uptime SLA
    • Custom data residency
    • +3 more
as of verify ↗

Directus

from $499/moHybridFree tier14-day trial

Free Core tier. Team from $499/mo annual commitment. Enterprise custom. Grant available for organizations under $5M revenue and 50 employees.

  • CoreFree
    • 3 user seats
    • 5 Flows
    • 25 collections
    • AI Assistant
    • Advanced RBAC
    • +1 more
  • Team$499/mo (annual) or $599/mo (monthly)
    • 10 SSO seats
    • 50 Collections (expandable to 100)
    • 20 Flows
    • Granular RBAC
    • Basic Support
  • EnterpriseContact sales
    • Custom SSO seats
    • Custom Collections
    • Unlimited Flows
    • SSO (SAML / OIDC)
    • Custom LLM
    • +4 more
  • Open Innovation GrantFree
    • All features included
    • Free self-hosted
    • Cloud hosting $99/mo optional
as of verify ↗

Platform & deployment

Where each product runs and how it can be hosted. A dash means undocumented, not unsupported.

Platforms
Web
Contentstack✓
Directus✓
iOS
Contentstack✓
Directus✗
Android
Contentstack✓
Directus✗
CLI
Contentstack✓
Directus✓
Deployment
Cloud / SaaS
Contentstack✓
Directus✓
Self-hosted
Contentstack✗
Directus✓
Hybrid
Contentstack✗
Directus✓

Integrations

What each product connects to. Counts come from the vendor's own integration directory where one exists.

Contentstack

6 total
  • Salesforce
  • commercetools
  • Algolia
  • Lytics
  • Shopify Hydrogen
  • SAP Composable Storefront
Independently observed

Directus

4 total
  • OpenAI
  • Anthropic
  • Google Gemini
  • Claude
Independently observed
Still deciding?

Contentstack or Directus: which one depends on you

A composite score cannot know your constraints. Describe them and both get re-weighted against what you actually need, with the evidence behind every position.

Free to run, no account needed to start. How the evaluation works

Comparison generated from independently-sourced facts. Every value links to its source and retrieval date. See the method.