Compare
Directus vs Shaper
Headless CMS/data platform on any SQL DB, not specialized for embedded analytics dashboards
DirectusHeadless CMS and data platform on top of any SQL database
ShaperOpen Source, Minimal Data Platform For Embedded AnalyticsWhich to pick
Pick Directus if you want…
- Headless CMS with AI-enabled data actions
- Headless CMS and data management
- Integrations with Next.js, Nuxt or Astro (on Directus' list, not Shaper's)
Pick Shaper if you want…
- SQL-driven embedded analytics
- The lower starting price: $59/month against $499/month
- Integrations with DuckDB, NATS or Postgres (on Shaper's list, not Directus')
Side by side
- What it is
- Directus:Directus is a self-hostable headless CMS and data platform that adds instant REST/GraphQL APIs and AI-driven workflows to any SQL database.
- Shaper:Shaper is an open-source, SQL-driven data platform for building and embedding analytics dashboards.
- Best for
- Directus:Headless CMS with AI-enabled data actions
- Shaper:SQL-driven embedded analytics
- Who it’s for
- Directus:Developers, content teams, and ops who need a collaborative backend over existing databases.
- Shaper:Developers and product teams who need embeddable analytics with full data control.
- Pricing
- Directus:Freemium
- Shaper:Freemium
- Plans
- Directus:Core $0 per month · Team $499 per month · Open Innovation Grant Free
- Shaper:Standard $59/month per month · Pro $249/month per month · Enterprise $799/month per month
- Open source
- Directus:Yes, 38,004 GitHub stars
- Shaper:Yes, 1,251 GitHub stars
- Works with
- Directus:Next.js, Nuxt, Astro, SvelteKit, React, Angular, Laravel, Django
- Shaper:DuckDB, NATS, Postgres, S3, Google Sheets, React SDK, JWT, OIDC
Directus features
- Instant API generation. Creates production-ready REST and GraphQL endpoints directly from your SQL schema.
- No-code admin interface. Provides a visual studio for content editors, asset management, and live preview without coding.
- AI Assistant & MCP. Embedded conversational AI can write, translate, tag, and create records via Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor, etc.
- Role-based access control. Granular permissions govern both human users and AI agents.
- Realtime & WebSockets. Subscribe to collections for live updates, enabling collaborative apps and dashboards.
- Digital Asset Manager. Upload, transform, and serve media with on-the-fly resizing and CDN readiness.
Shaper features
- Dynamic Dashboards. Create interactive dashboards with data filters, chart annotations and conditional sections using pure SQL.
- Full DuckDB Power. Query across multiple data sources, use extensions and pre-compute state as temporary tables.
- Embedded Analytics. Embed dashboards via JS/React SDKs and row-level security with per-user JWT tokens.
- Data Export & Reporting. Generate CSV/Excel downloads, PDFs and share password-protected links.
- BI as Code. Version dashboards in Git and automate creation with AI agents.
- Remote Data & Ingest API. Connect to Postgres, S3, Google Sheets and ingest real-time data via an HTTP API that infers schema.
- Task Scheduling. Define scheduled SQL tasks and receive Slack or email notifications.
- Simple Deployment. Run the whole platform in a single Docker container on your own infrastructure.
Directus vs Shaper FAQ
Is Directus or Shaper free?+
Directus has a free plan (Core); paid plans start at $499/month (Team). Shaper has a free plan; paid plans start at $59/month (Standard).
Which is cheaper, Directus or Shaper?+
Shaper is cheaper to start with: Shaper's Standard plan ($59/month) against Directus' Team plan ($499/month).
Is Directus or Shaper open source?+
Yes, both are open source: Directus (directus/directus on GitHub) and Shaper (taleshape-com/shaper on GitHub, MPL-2.0 license).
Do Directus and Shaper integrate with the same tools?+
Partly. Both list Claude. Directus also lists Next.js, Nuxt, Astro, SvelteKit and 9 more; Shaper also lists DuckDB, NATS, Postgres, S3 and 5 more.
On DevHunt
Based on each tool's website and DevHunt data. Details may change; check the official sites.