What is the main difference between Craft CMS and Directus?

Craft CMS and Directus are both headless cms tools but differ in their approach, features, and target audience. Compare their GitHub stats, technology stack, and community adoption to make the best choice.

Which is better: Craft CMS or Directus?

The choice between Craft CMS and Directus depends on your specific needs, technical requirements, and team preferences. Both are quality open source solutions with active communities.

Can I migrate from Craft CMS to Directus?

Migration between Craft CMS and Directus is possible but requires careful planning. Consider data export/import capabilities, feature parity, and potential workflow changes.

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Craft CMS vs Directus

Learn how Craft CMS and Directus differ in their key features, development activity, technology stack and community adoption, so you can decide which of these headless cms tools is best for you.

Craft CMS

Build custom websites with a user-friendly CMS that puts content first. Features flexible architecture, GraphQL API, and powerful ecommerce capabilities.

Visit Craft CMS Read more

3,601stars+17(+0.5%)

Last 30 days

Last commit
7 hours ago
Repository age
10 years
Version
5.10.14
Self-hosted
Yes
Repository
craftcms/cms

Directus

A versatile headless CMS and API engine that simplifies data management, content creation, and application development.

Visit Directus Read more

37,469stars+775(+2.1%)

Last 30 days

Last commit
8 hours ago
Repository age
14 years
Version
v12.3.0
Self-hosted
Yes
Repository
directus/directus

Sponsor Directus ongithub.com

Detailed Comparison

Directus appears to have several advantages over Craft CMS, particularly in popularity, growth and maturity. Consider your specific needs regarding popularity, growth, activity, technology, maturity and features when making your decision.

Directus wins

Community & Popularity

Directus significantly outpaces Craft CMS in community adoption with 37,469 stars compared to 3,601 stars on GitHub. This 10.4x difference suggests Directus has a much larger and more active community. In terms of developer contributions, Directus has 4,900 forks, indicating strong developer engagement.

Directus wins

Growth Momentum

Directus is growing faster, adding 775 stars in the last 30 days (+2.1%) against adding 17 stars for Craft CMS (+0.5%). Directus is both larger and pulling further ahead.

Comparable

Development Activity

Both projects show recent activity, with Craft CMS last updated 7 hours ago and Directus 8 hours ago.

Comparable

Technology Stack

Both tools share common technology foundations, being built with JavaScript, CSS, Typescript, SCSS, Vue. However, they differ in their additional technology choices: Craft CMS uses PHP, Yii2.

Directus wins

Project Maturity

Directus has been in development longer, starting 14 years ago, compared to Craft CMS which began 10 years ago. This 4.2-year head start suggests Directus may have more mature features and established processes.

Comparable

Use Cases & Features

Both tools serve similar use cases in Headless CMS. However, they also have distinct specializations: Directus extends into Low-Code/No-Code, Backend-as-a-Service (BaaS).

Comparable