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APIs · head to head

KeystoneJS vs Skyflow

KeystoneJS logo

KeystoneJS

APIs

Powerful Node.js headless CMS framework and API platform

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Skyflow logo

Skyflow

APIs

Data privacy vault that holds sensitive records outside your own systems

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only KeystoneJS has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: KeystoneJS database support is limited to PostgreSQL, MySQL and SQLite; Skyflow reported contracts near 195,000 US dollars a year with a platform fee before usage put this out of reach of early stage companies, which are precisely the ones whose architecture is still cheap to change.
  • They diverge on capability: KeystoneJS covers REST API, Skyflow covers Tokenised storage.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which KeystoneJS and Skyflow actually diverge.

Attributes where KeystoneJS and Skyflow differ
AttributeKeystoneJSSkyflow
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelopen-sourcequote
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsNode.js, Self-hostedAPI, Web, Self-hosted
Founded2016Unknown

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (APIs).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in KeystoneJS

  • REST API
  • GraphQL API
  • Admin interface
  • Node.js
  • Next.js
  • React
  • Databases
  • Node.js support

Only in Skyflow

  • Tokenised storage
  • Polymorphic encryption
  • Field level access policies
  • Data residency
  • Secure functions
  • PCI scope reduction
  • Detokenisation gateway
  • Audit trail

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

KeystoneJS

  • Headless CMS implementationnot Skyflow
  • Content management systemsnot Skyflow
  • Customizable API-driven applicationsnot Skyflow

Skyflow

  • A fintech that wants card and bank account data out of its own infrastructure so its application servers leave PCI DSS assessment scopenot KeystoneJS
  • A company entering India or the EU with data localisation obligations that would otherwise require standing up regional databases and operationsnot KeystoneJS
  • A health technology business that needs protected health information isolated from the analytics stack while still supporting aggregate reportingnot KeystoneJS
  • An engineering team that wants support agents to see masked identifiers and payment services to see real ones, enforced centrally rather than in every servicenot KeystoneJS

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

KeystoneJS

  • Database support is limited to PostgreSQL, MySQL and SQLite
  • Keystone 5 is a separate legacy product documented on a different site and is not covered by the Keystone 6 docs
  • Upgrading requires following a dedicated Migrate to 8.0.0 guide, so major versions are not drop-in
  • Free support is a community Slack; enterprise-grade consulting and support is a separate paid engagement with Thinkmill and no published price

Skyflow

  • Reported contracts near 195,000 US dollars a year with a platform fee before usage put this out of reach of early stage companies, which are precisely the ones whose architecture is still cheap to change.
  • Every read of a protected field becomes a network call to a third party, so latency and an external availability dependency enter paths that were previously local database reads, and outage planning has to account for a vendor you do not control.
  • Analytics and joins on vaulted data are constrained; work that was a simple SQL join now happens through secure functions or on tokens, and data teams routinely discover this after the engineering team has committed.
  • Unwinding the vault later is a rewrite rather than a migration because tokens are threaded through every service, so the switching cost climbs steadily and the negotiating position at renewal weakens with each release.
  • Scope reduction is an architectural claim your own assessor must accept, so the audit saving is real only if the implementation genuinely keeps sensitive values off your systems, and partial implementations that leave a cache or a log line in place deliver the cost without the benefit.

Pricing, plan by plan

KeystoneJS

Free
  • Open SourceFree
    • Full KeystoneJS
    • Community support

Skyflow

On request
  • Skyflow Data Privacy Vault$undefined/year
    • Platform fee plus usage by data subject count
    • Priced additionally per data residency region
    • PCI Level 1, SOC 2 Type 2, ISO 27001 and HIPAA coverage

Which should you pick?

Choose KeystoneJS if

  • You need rest api.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Node.js, Self-hosted.
  • You also want graphql api.
KeystoneJS review

Choose Skyflow if

  • You need tokenised storage.
  • You work on API, Web, Self-hosted.
  • You also want polymorphic encryption.
Skyflow review

Questions people ask

Is KeystoneJS or Skyflow better?
Neither clearly leads. KeystoneJS starts at Free and Skyflow at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, KeystoneJS or Skyflow?
KeystoneJS has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for KeystoneJS and On request for Skyflow.
Does KeystoneJS or Skyflow run on more platforms?
KeystoneJS runs on Node.js, Self-hosted. Skyflow runs on API, Web, Self-hosted.
Can I use KeystoneJS for free?
Yes. KeystoneJS has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Skyflow starts at On request.
What is KeystoneJS best used for?
KeystoneJS is most often used for headless cms implementation, content management systems, customizable api-driven applications. Of those, headless cms implementation and content management systems are not what Skyflow is typically brought in for.
What can KeystoneJS do that Skyflow cannot?
KeystoneJS covers REST API, GraphQL API, Admin interface, Node.js. Skyflow covers Tokenised storage, Polymorphic encryption, Field level access policies, Data residency.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

KeystoneJS: Is KeystoneJS free?

Yes, KeystoneJS is free and open source with no licensing fees. Core platform has no lock-in and is contributed to by 250+ developers.

Source
Skyflow: Does Skyflow really take my systems out of PCI scope?

It can, if card data never touches your infrastructure and the detokenisation happens at the boundary. Your QSA has to agree the design, so validate the architecture with your assessor before signing.

KeystoneJS: What are hosting costs for KeystoneJS?

KeystoneJS is self-hosted and deployment-agnostic. Hosting costs depend on your chosen deployment platform (Vercel, AWS, Heroku, etc.) and infrastructure, not KeystoneJS itself.

Source
Skyflow: What does it cost?

Nothing is published. Reported annual contracts sit around 195,000 US dollars, built from a platform fee plus usage by data subject count and additional charges per data residency region.

KeystoneJS: Does KeystoneJS offer paid support?

Enterprise support with tailored options is available from Thinkmill, the company behind KeystoneJS. Pricing details available upon request.

Source
Skyflow: How does it help with data localisation?

Records can be pinned to a specified region, so an Indian or EU residency requirement is met by the vault rather than by you running regional databases and operations teams.

Skyflow: Can I still run analytics on vaulted data?

Partly. Aggregates and comparisons are supported through polymorphic encryption and secure functions, but arbitrary joins against other datasets are harder than they were, and this is the most common late surprise.

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