ComparisonsDirectus
Headless CMS

Directus vs Decipher: The Marketer's Interface

Directus is a database wrapper; Decipher is a marketing engine. We include meta tag automation and multi-platform publishing designed for growth.

Directus / DecipherWhy switch ↓
deciphercms.com/dashboard
Decipher CMS
+ New
Content
284
Published
189
Engagement
67%
Recent ContentView all →
Getting Started GuidePublished
SEO Automation SetupDraft
Enterprise ScalingPublished
AI generating 24 SEO-optimized articles...
Replaces Directus

Everything Directus does — plus everything it doesn't.

Directus is a database wrapper; Decipher is a marketing engine.

Smart Content Editor

AI Chat Integration

Visual AI Generation

Content Automation

Multi-Platform Publishing

Meta Tag Automation

The Problem

Why teams outgrow Directus

Directus is an incredible tool for engineers, effectively wrapping any SQL database with a real-time API. However, its interface is 'Data-First', presenting content as rows in a table.

This is unintuitive for creative teams who are used to visual editors and document-style workflows. Marketers using Directus often struggle with the lack of native previewing, the technical terminology, and the absence of creative aids.

It forces the marketing team to adapt to the database structure, rather than the CMS adapting to the content strategy.

$$$Vendor LockSlow
Data-First
1Create2AI Optimize3Publish10xfasterAIpowered
The Solution

A content production engine — not just a database.

Decipher CMS provides a 'Smart Content Editor' that feels like a modern writing tool, not a database admin panel. It includes 'AI Chat Integration' to assist with drafting and 'Visual AI Generation' for creating assets.

Decipher abstracts the database complexity away, presenting a workflow focused on 'Content Automation' and 'Multi-Platform Publishing'. It includes 'Meta Tag Automation' and 'Smart Content Scheduling' specifically designed for growth teams who need to manage campaigns, not just database rows.

Give your marketers a tool they will love, not just a database they have to use. Switch to Decipher.
Infrastructure

Enterprise-grade architecture — without the enterprise complexity.

Decipher CMSContent EngineFirebase / GCPAI EngineGlobal CDNSEO ToolsIAP Security

While Directus can be self-hosted, it requires managing Node.js and a SQL database. Decipher is built on 'Google Firebase', a serverless NoSQL backend that handles scaling automatically.

This removes the database management overhead entirely. Decipher’s 'Private Infrastructure' option allows you to deploy this serverless architecture on your own Google Cloud account, combining the ease of a managed service with the data control of a self-hosted instance.

You get 'Activity Log Tracking' and 'Version Control' built-in for governance.

Google FirebasePrivate InfrastructureActivity Log TrackingVersion Control
Pricing

Pricing that doesn't punish growth.

Transparent plans that scale with your content — not against you.

DirectusHigher costDecipher$99/moSAVE
Popular

Individual

For creators & growing teams

$99/month
  • AI-powered content generation
  • Built-in SEO optimization
  • Unlimited content pages
  • Custom domain & branding
  • Priority support
Start free trial

Enterprise

For large teams & organizations

Starting at
$2,500/month
  • Everything in Individual
  • Dedicated account manager
  • SSO & advanced security (IAP)
  • Custom integrations & API
  • SLA & premium support
  • Data residency options
Contact sales
Direct cloud billing

Total Cost of Ownership

Directus Cloud has tiered pricing that scales with usage. Decipher offers a transparent 'Direct cloud billing' model for infrastructure, meaning you pay the raw cost of storage and compute to Google.

The Decipher license itself is a flat fee ($19.99/mo individual, ~$2k/mo enterprise). This decoupling of software fees from infrastructure fees ensures that you aren't paying an arbitrary markup on your data growth, making Decipher more cost-effective at scale.

Get Started

Build a better CMS experience — without starting from scratch.

Directus is a database wrapper; Decipher is a marketing engine.