WordPress vs Contentful
Our score, every feature we track, pricing plans, hosting and AI, side by side.
At a glance
The facts from each platform's profile, side by side.
| Metric | WordPress | Contentful |
|---|---|---|
| Our score | 4.1 | 4.4 |
| Pricing | Free software · WordPress.com from $4/mo per site | Free plan · paid plans from about $300/mo |
| AI | WordPress.com: editor agent and MCP on paid plans. Self-hosted: AI from plugins | AI Actions for generating, translating and summarizing content with third-party models |
| Hosting | SaaS or self-hosted | SaaS |
| Source code | Open source | Closed source |
| Created | 2003 | 2013Storageroom |
| Best for | Sites that need a huge plugin ecosystem and dynamic features | Product and engineering teams running many sites and apps from one content hub |
| AI features | WordPress.com: editor agent and MCP on paid plans. Self-hosted: AI from plugins | AI Actions for generating, translating and summarizing content with third-party models |
Features
How each platform offers a feature: free, in the cheapest paid plan, on a higher plan, or enterprise only. Open a feature to compare it across every platform.
WordPress
- AI content tools Included WordPress.com paid plans: editor agent. Self-hosted: AI from plugins
- Custom code Tiered On WordPress.com, SFTP, WP-CLI and GitHub deployments need the Business plan, $25/mo per site
- Drafts and versioning Free Post revisions
- Drag-and-drop page builder Free Block editor and page builder plugins
- Hosting Included WordPress.com from $4/mo, billed yearly
- MCP server Included WordPress.com paid plans: MCP access for Claude or ChatGPT
- Plugins and apps Free Plugins for SEO, forms, commerce and more
- Self-hosting Free Free software from WordPress.org; you keep PHP, the database and updates running
- Templates and themes Free Large theme ecosystem
Contentful
- AI content tools Tiered AI Actions for content generation, built on third-party models
- AI translation Tiered AI Actions for translation
- Content modeling Free References and validations
- Environments Tiered Environments and aliases for safe releases
- GraphQL API Free Alongside the REST API
- Headless API Free REST API with SDKs and documentation
- Localization Tiered Per-locale fields; costs climb with locales
- Plugins and apps Free App Framework and marketplace
- Visual editing Tiered Visual page building needs add-ons or custom work
Pricing
Every plan, cheapest first, and what the bill is counted by. Open a profile for what each plan includes.
WordPress
- WordPress.org (self-hosted)Free Free Anyone who wants full control on their own hosting
- WordPress.com FreeFree Free Personal blogs on a wordpress.com address
- PersonalPer site $4per site / month Personal sites that want a custom domain
- PremiumPer site $8per site / month Creators who need stats, payments and video
- BusinessPer site $25per site / month Businesses that need developer tools and priority support
- CommercePer site $45per site / month Online stores built on WooCommerce
Prices checked Vendor pricing page
Contentful
- FreeFree Free Learning and exploring the platform
- LiteFlat fee $300/ month Smaller businesses managing a single project
- PremiumCustom quote Custom Organizations with several use cases and spaces
Prices checked Vendor pricing page
Strengths and watch-outs
From our review of each platform.
WordPress
Strengths
- Enormous ecosystem of themes, plugins and developers.
- Free, open-source software you can host anywhere.
- WordPress.com paid plans add an editor agent and MCP access for Claude or ChatGPT.
Watch out for
- A server running PHP and a database that must be kept up to date.
- Core, themes and plugins need regular updates; every plugin is code on your server.
- Content in a database is harder to review and version than files.
- Developer tools such as SFTP, WP-CLI and GitHub deployments need the WordPress.com Business plan ($25/mo per site).
Contentful
Strengths
- Mature content modeling, environments and per-locale fields.
- REST and GraphQL APIs with good SDKs and documentation.
- Large app marketplace and partner ecosystem.
- Scales across many spaces, sites and locales.
Watch out for
- AI features are editor helpers built on third-party models, not an end-to-end automated workflow.
- Costs climb with locales, spaces and usage.
- Visual page building needs add-ons or custom work.
More comparisons
Everything on this page comes from our profiles of the two platforms, checked against each vendor's own documentation and pricing pages. Vendors change plans often: confirm prices on their site before you buy.