Best Headless CMS

Recommendations: 15 | Last Updated: March 2, 2022 (2Β years)

Strapi Strapi

Strapi is a free and open source headless CMS developed with JavaScript for Node.js. The software makes it really simple to generate REST and GraphQL APIs. Simply create your database schema and relationships in the Strapi admin panel UI, and Strapi will auto-generate API endpoints to represent the data structures provided. Strapi comes packed with features you come to expect from normal CMS's such as authentication, authorization, content management and a media library. The software can be used for free and can be self-hosted on any server and platform. Extra enterpise functionallity is currently being developed, and will be sold at cost.

Possibly the fastest way to create a basic GraphQL API. With the help of Strapi graphQL plugin you can have your GraphQL API up and running in a matter of minutes. Where all necessary types and resolvers are auto-generated by Strapi's Shadow CRUD system. Simply install the plugin, and you can start using your GraphQL API with GraphiQL interface at /graphql.
I love the fact that Strapi is extremely easy to install. The Strapi CLI will guide you through the process of installing the headless CMS manually. A bunch of one-click-install's and containers are available for third-party platforms and hosting providers as well.
Strapi is a fantastic open-source CMS and API creation tool for frontend developers. However, one of the biggest concerns I have with Strapi is that your application does not record nor manage database migrations after schema changes to your database. This is a crucial part of building a sound and future proof application, without a record of schema changes things can get hairy quickly. It's kinda like building an application without using Git to track code changes.

πŸ‘ Most people think this is a good recommendation.

Directus Directus

An open-source tool for managing content across all your omni-channel digital experiences. Directus is free and open-source headless CMS written in PHP, that takes a data first approach. Developers and content creators use Directus to manage content and generate a powerful API that can be used by any frontend technology. Directus can be self-hosted and is absolutely free.

πŸ‘ Most people think this is a good recommendation.

Netlify CMS Netlify CMS

Netlify CMS is a static site generator that is based on client-side JavaScript with a reusable APIs and prebuilt Markup. Simply pull in Netlify CMS to /admin of you site and you have an SPA (Single Page Application) admin panel that can edit content stored in a Git repository. Serving applications like this, the JAMstack way, improves performance, lowers cost of scaling and provides for a better development experience.

πŸ‘ Most people think this is a good recommendation.

Mura Mura

The Mura CMS platform makes it easier & faster to build and update websites. The content management system was created to free content managers from distraction of multiple tools, the worry of steep learning curves, and a clear need to tell the right story, to the right audience, at the right time. Mura is loved by content managers, content contributors, marketers and developers alike.

πŸ‘ Most people think this is a good recommendation.

dotCMS dotCMS

A hybrid content management system that includes classic CMS and Headless CMS features. With dotCMS content managers can create content that fuels the brand experience. The API-first approach provided by the headless part of dotCMS allows developers to build extremely fast front-ends with popular third-party front-end framework and deliver content optimally. The content management system allows content creators to build engaging and memorable content that can be reused across sites.

dotCMS is easily integrate-able with ElasticSearch which allows users to search your content based on fields you specify. The ElasticSearch-powered full-text search engine can be used with the Velocity Viewtool, the Java API, as a RESTful service, and for test of queries in the backend. You can also create your own Elasticsearch REST Client if you want to customize functionality even further.

πŸ‘ Most people think this is a good recommendation.

Contentstack Contentstack

With Contentstack, content and marketing teams are able to publish content with a much higher frequency than ever before. Contentstack brings business and technology teams closer together by providing a personalized, omnichannel experience with a visual editor alongside content scheduling and publishing management tools.

πŸ‘ Most people think this is a good recommendation.

ButterCMS ButterCMS

ButterCMS is a commercial headless content management system and content API. With ButterCMS you can quickly setup your very own headless CMS that supports In-browser editing. Where you can quickly find and filter your images and files, update and schedule content and serve you assets over a content delivery network.

πŸ‘ Most people think this is a good recommendation.

Storyblok Storyblok

A headless & API-based CMS with an opt-in head and a visual editor. With Storyblok you can manage your content through an intuitive dashboard and access that data though the content delivery API, as nested JSON. Storyblok is an open-source software and can be used as such, but is also provided as a commercially hosted, cloud rendering service. As a front-end developer you can choose to work with any template engine, framework or system of your choice.

πŸ‘ Most people think this is a good recommendation.

Prismic Prismic

Prismic is a commercial headless CMS and content (Content-as-a-Service) platform. With Prismic you can get your backend infrastructure and API up in the matter of minutes, so that you can focus on building the frontend that will be shown to your readers. The feature rich backend content management system provided by Prismic is free to use for one admin, and commercially provided to organizations with large content management teams.

πŸ‘ Most people think this is a good recommendation.

HashBrown CMS HashBrown CMS

A free and open-source headless CMS built with Node.js and MongoDB.

πŸ‘ Most people think this is a good recommendation.