More speed and creative freedom for your Contao – with Laioutr
Feel free to reach out to one of our partners for your e-commerce frontend built on Laioutr.
5/5
OMR Reviews
70+
Frontend components
Lighthouse 100
Performance from day 1
Made in EU
GDPR-compliant, servers in Germany
100% Match
Visual editor & frontend for Contao – what it means
Contao is an established, Symfony-built open-source CMS: content, editorial workflows, permissions, website roots (multi-domain), and multilingual support are its strengths. What's often missing is a modern, visual frontend that marketing and editorial teams can operate without template work. That's exactly where Laioutr comes in: as a visual page builder and frontend layer that reads your Contao content via the content API and delivers it in a fast website. Contao stays your system, Laioutr delivers the frontend.
1. The backend stays Contao
Contao continues to manage content, pages, articles, permissions, editorial workflows, website roots, and translations. You keep using the Contao backend and your established processes unchanged – with all your extensions and workflows.
2. The frontend is chosen
For the frontend you have several options: classic Contao templates, a headless setup (Contao API bundle) with your own frontend, a custom build – or a page builder like Laioutr. Each option has pros and cons.
3. Content flows through the content API in real time
No duplicated data, no sync conflicts. Laioutr reads your Contao content via the content API (JSON) and renders it – including multilingual support and multiple website roots.
Benefits
What frontend options do you have for Contao?
With templates, the Symfony foundation, and the API bundle, Contao delivers the building blocks – but not a finished, visually operable frontend product for non-developers. That leaves every Contao project facing the frontend question. Four options are established in the market.
1. Contao templates (classic)
The classic Contao route: templates and layouts directly in Contao, maintained via development. Full integration, but every layout change goes through development. Makes sense for stable pages with rare changes or when your team is deep in Contao/Symfony.
2. Contao Headless (API bundle) with your own frontend
The API bundle delivers Contao content as a JSON API. You build the frontend decoupled yourself – maximum freedom, but the design system, components, and maintenance are on you. Makes sense with the right frontend team.
3. Custom Build (Next.js or Nuxt)
Maximum control, highest effort. A six-to-twelve-month build phase and ongoing maintenance by an in-house frontend team that connects to the Contao content API itself. Makes sense when frontend engineering is your strategic core competency.
4. Laioutr Page Builder
A visual page builder and frontend platform with 70+ components, EU hosting, and a connection to Contao. Fastest time-to-launch, lowest learning curve, marketing and editorial build pages themselves. Makes sense when you want to go live fast, without a custom-build investment.
USE CASES
What you build with Laioutr on Contao
Laioutr is built for Contao setups that need to change and scale fast. From the corporate website to multi-domain portfolios to campaign landing pages with a high editorial volume.
Multi-domain & website roots on a single Contao
Contao is strong at website roots: multiple websites, brands, and domains from a single instance. Laioutr turns it into standalone frontends – one component pool, many brand presences, each with its own design.
Campaign and landing pages without a ticket
Marketing builds landing pages visually from ready-made building blocks – without template work and without a developer ticket. Content comes from Contao, the layout takes shape in the page builder.
Multilingual websites
Contao manages translations and language versions, Laioutr delivers them consistently. Languages, layouts, and content controllable per website root, compatible with the Contao language concept.
Content-driven sites & editorial at scale
Contao manages structured content, articles, and editorial processes. Laioutr delivers them as a fast frontend – ideal for content-intensive sites with many editors.
Relaunch without touching the backend configuration
Renew your existing Contao frontend without touching the page structure, permissions, or editorial processes. Migration in phases, with a clear rollback plan.
New Contao projects live fast
New Contao project, fresh start. With Laioutr themes and the UI library, you go live in weeks instead of investing months in a custom build.
Laioutr vs. building the frontend yourself
Laioutr or in-house development for your Contao frontend?
Both paths lead to a decoupled frontend on Contao. The difference lies in time-to-launch, maintenance load, and the question of who can build pages. A direct comparison.
Compare differences | Laioutr Page Builder | Eigenentwicklung (Next.js / Nuxt) |
|---|---|---|
Builder und Komponenten Was Sie aus der Box bekommen und was Sie selbst aufbauen müssen. | ||
Visueller Page Builder Drag-and-Drop-Editor für Marketing- und Redaktions-Teams. | Inklusive (Studio) Live-Preview, komponentenbasiert | Nicht enthalten Eigenbau oder externes Tool |
Frontend-Komponenten Vorgefertigte UI-Bausteine für Seiten, Landing- und Content-Pages. | 70+ Komponenten Design-Token-basiert, anpassbar | Selbst aufbauen Komplette UI-Bibliothek selbst entwickeln |
Themes und Vorlagen Startpunkt für neue Websites ohne Greenfield-Aufwand. | Vorgefertigte Themes Sofort einsatzbereit, voll erweiterbar | Greenfield Designsystem komplett selbst aufbauen |
Hosting Wo das Frontend ausgeliefert wird und wer es betreibt. | Inklusive (EU-CDN) Laioutr Cloud, kein separater Deploy | Selbst hosten Vercel, AWS, eigene Infrastruktur |
Architektur und Compliance Wie flexibel die Plattform ist und was Sie regulatorisch mitbekommen. | ||
Backend-Flexibilität Welche CMS- und Commerce-Backends sich anbinden lassen. | Multi-Backend Contao, weitere CMS und Commerce-Systeme | Backend-spezifisch Code an Contao-Content-API gebunden, Wechsel teuer |
Performance und Core Web Vitals Wie viel Aufwand für Lighthouse-100-Niveau nötig ist. | Out of the box Lighthouse 100 als Default-Ziel | Manuelles Tuning Performance-Engineering durch Team |
BFSG und WCAG 3.0 Konformität mit Barrierefreiheitsstärkungsgesetz und WCAG 3.0. | Im Standard WCAG 3.0, BFSG, EN 301 549 | Eigenverantwortung Audit separat erforderlich |
Datenschutz und Serverstandort Wo Daten verarbeitet werden und welche EU-Verträge gelten. | EU und Deutschland EU-Standardvertrag, deutschsprachiger Support | Hosting-abhängig Je nachdem, wo Sie deployen |
Team und Wirtschaftlichkeit Wer mit der Plattform produktiv ist und was es Sie über die Zeit kostet. | ||
Lernkurve Wie schnell ein neues Teammitglied produktiv wird. | Niedrig Redaktion onboardet in Tagen | Hoch React/Vue plus Contao-Content-API |
Time-to-Launch Realistische Zeitspanne bis zum Live-Gang einer neuen Website. | Wochen Mit Themes und UI-Bibliothek | Monate Sechs- bis zwölfmonatige Build-Phase |
Ideales Team-Setup Wer mit der Plattform arbeiten kann und wer arbeiten muss. | Cross-funktional Marketing, Redaktion, Design und Dev gemeinsam | Engineering-only Drei plus Frontend-Engineers |
Preismodell Wie sich Kosten zusammensetzen, Software plus Betrieb plus Entwicklung. | SaaS (planbar) Transparente Pläne, Hosting inklusive Preise ansehen | Engineering-Kosten Build plus dauerhafte Wartung |
Comparison based on a typical mid-market setup. The actual scope of functionality depends on your Contao project, your requirements, and how the project is scoped.
Custom build
When building it yourself is the right call
You have a dedicated frontend team with Contao/Symfony and content API experience, at least three engineers. You're building exactly one Contao frontend with highly specialized requirements. Frontend engineering is your strategic core competency. Classic case: a brand with its own engineering team and a demand for pixel-level control.
LAIOUTR
When Laioutr is the right choice
You want weeks instead of months to go-live, editorial and marketing should build pages independently, you run multiple Contao website roots or brands, you want to keep your Contao and modernize only the frontend, and BFSG as well as WCAG must be handled without a separate audit. Classic case: an organization that wants to modernize and scale its Contao frontend without a double-digit engineering investment.
You don't have to do this alone. Our certified composable partners have delivered Saleor frontend projects with Laioutr, from greenfield setups to storefront-example migrations.
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