11 Best Headless CMS In 2023
If you’re curious about unlocking the full potential of your digital projects, exploring the best headless CMS options is a great place to start.
In this article, we’re excited to guide you through the dynamic world of headless CMSs.
These robust back-end systems offer flexibility and creative freedom for your web design and content management needs.
Whether you’re a veteran developer or just dipping your toes into the digital waters, our insights and top recommendations are tailored for you.
So, get comfortable, and let’s embark on this journey to discover how a headless CMS can highly reward your projects.
Let’s dive in!
This post covers:
The Best Headless CMS
The suitable CMS can make your life a breeze, letting you manage content seamlessly and scale your projects without a hitch.
When looking for your CMS, consider these features: a user-friendly interface (because who wants to wrestle with complicated menus?), robust API capabilities (to connect all your favorite tools and platforms), and strong security measures (keeping your content safe is a top priority).
And let’s not forget about customizations – they’re essential for giving your projects that unique flair.
The right headless CMS blends technology with creativity, so you enjoy a smoother process.
1. WordPress VIP
With its fully decoupled CMS capability, WordPress VIP doesn’t just tie you to one architectural path. This flexibility means as your needs evolve, so does your CMS.
In a single-stack model, tap into WordPress’ vast library of themes or craft your own for rapid development. Go headless to design a bespoke front-end while keeping WordPress as your content powerhouse. Or pick hybrid, blending WordPress themes for the web and APIs for mobile apps.
Say goodbye to content duplication and management headaches. Create once, publish everywhere – from mobile apps to smart speakers.
Moreover, the Gutenberg editor makes content crafting agile and efficient, aligning creators and consumers. Deep analytics offer insights into content performance, guiding your strategy with precision.
Deployment is a breeze with WordPress VIP’s headless bundle, and its API accessibility ensures your content integrates seamlessly into any digital experience.
And there’s no limit to the languages or technologies you can use. WordPress VIP supports them all, whether it’s Next.js, Gatsby, Frontity, or your custom framework.
Finally, WordPress VIP guarantees enterprise-grade performance, reliability, and security. It’s built to ensure every aspect of your digital presence is robust and bulletproof.
Key Features of WordPress VIP:
- Complete flexibility for technical teams to choose between single-stack, headless, hybrid, or fully decoupled models.
- Omnichannel content delivery extends digital experiences beyond websites to mobile apps, smart speakers, digital displays, and more.
- The platform includes comprehensive API options like Block Data API, REST API, and GraphQL API. This calls for easy integration of content into various digital experiences and applications.
- With its decoupled architecture, WordPress VIP supports any language or technology, offering compatibility with JavaScript frameworks like Next.js, Gatsby, and Frontity.
Best for:
WordPress VIP is for large-scale enterprises and organizations seeking a flexible, robust, and secure platform to manage and deliver content across multiple channels and devices.
Pricing: WordPress VIP plans vary from project to project, starting at $25,000/year.
2. Quintype
Quintype is your gateway to creating quality experiences for your audience.
What sets Quintype apart? It’s the way it handles omnichannel distribution, optimizing content for SEO and performance, and providing invaluable content insights. Plus, it simplifies syndication and connects effortlessly with newswires.
Moreover, Quintype lets your audience voice their opinions in over 150 languages for a vibrant, interactive community.
With features like AI-driven moderation, shadow banning, and support for citizen journalism, Quintype is more than a CMS – it’s a conversation starter. And those custom themes and SSO integration? They make your platform uniquely yours.
Now, let’s talk about monetization. Quintype’s subscription and paywall management tools are top-notch. They help you identify and acquire subscribers, retaining loyal readers in an ever-competitive digital landscape.
Also, Quintype integrates with over 100+ tools and platforms to leverage your existing tech investments to their full potential.
Key Features of Quintype:
- Robust newsroom management tools enable efficient and innovative storytelling, ideal for journalists and content creators.
- Quintype is designed to optimize content for search engines and overall performance, enhancing visibility and user engagement.
- The platform provides detailed analytics and insights into content performance to understand audience preferences and engagement patterns.
- The CMS includes tools to manage subscriptions and paywalls, aiding publishers in monetizing their content effectively while building a loyal reader base.
Best for:
Quintype is for news organizations and content creators seeking innovative storytelling, audience engagement, and seamless omnichannel distribution.
Pricing: Quintype doesn’t have predefined plans. The user needs to schedule a demo or enjoy a 14-day free trial and go from there.
3. Strapi
Strapi unlocks the full potential of content management with unmatched customization and flexibility.
Imagine a user interface so intuitive that building your content types feels like second nature. But it doesn’t stop there; customization is at the heart of Strapi. Need to tweak your API or data structure? Just dive into your code editor, and you’re in control.
Flexibility is Strapi’s middle name. With its Content Type structure, you can mix and match dozens of fields to shape it exactly as you need.
Strapi is also developer-centric, supporting multiple databases like SQLite, MySQL, Postgres, and MariaDB. Whether you’re building for web, mobile apps, or IoT, Strapi’s got RESTful and GraphQL options for your convenience.
And there’s more – webhooks for custom functionality, auto-generated documentation to ease your workload, and robust authentication and permissions for top-notch security.
Strapi also offers internationalization for multilingual content, ensuring your message resonates globally. And for a genuinely unique editing experience, custom fields let you integrate and customize your admin panel with ease.
Key Features of Strapi:
- Strapi is built entirely in JavaScript, focusing on a developer-first approach.
- The interface is designed for simplicity, making it easy to build and manage content types without a steep learning curve.
- Strapi includes strong authentication and permission features to secure access control to the API and protect content endpoints.
- You can choose a free self-hosted or a paid cloud solution – whatever you fancy.
Best for:
Strapi is for developers and teams seeking a customizable, flexible, and developer-friendly platform for building versatile, content-rich applications and websites.
Pricing: Strapi has a free self-hosted community solution. Additionally, its cloud plans start at $99/month per project.
4. Hygraph
Hygraph offers the flexibility to establish content models, reusable components, and references through an intuitive UI or programmatically with its SDK.
The editing capabilities are a dream come true for content teams. They can create, edit, and collaborate on content efficiently, even at a large scale.
And managing content becomes a breeze with all the necessary tools at your fingertips (productivity and effectiveness boost).
What about sourcing content? Hygraph excels here, too, allowing you to enrich content with information from other systems or unify multiple APIs into one GraphQL endpoint.
And there’s more: define custom workflows and fine-grain permissions, localize content effortlessly in different languages, and empower engineering teams to build omnichannel digital experiences rapidly.
Last but not least, security and compliance are top priorities for Hygraph. Being SOC 2 Type 2 and GDPR compliant and offering hosting on ISO 27001 certified infrastructure guarantees peace of mind.
Hygraph is a comprehensive, secure, and highly adaptable platform to unleash your creative potential and scale new heights in content management.
Key Features of Hygraph:
- Advanced tools and features to efficiently create, edit and collaborate on content.
- Comprehensive solutions for organizing, managing, and publishing content, boosting productivity and effectiveness.
- It allows the enrichment of existing content with information from other systems and unifies multiple APIs into one GraphQL endpoint.
- Users can define operational structures within the system, including fine-grained permissions, custom workflows, and content stages.
Best for:
Hygraph is for content teams and developers seeking a flexible, scalable, and feature-rich platform to manage and enrich omnichannel digital experiences efficiently.
Pricing: You can use Hygraph for free forever for personal and small-scale projects. Or go with any premium plans for $299/month and beyond.
5. Contentful
Contentful is flexible and tailor-made for everyone, from developers to marketers and content editors.
Starting with its Visual Modeler, Contentful takes the complexity out of content management. You can see your content model in action, effortlessly connecting the dots between entries.
And get this: the AI Content Type Generator. It’s like having an intelligent assistant who builds content models based on your descriptions.
Contentful’s elevated governance is another standout feature. It offers robust security frameworks for identity and access management, keeping your entire digital ecosystem secure.
Marketers can breeze through day-to-day tasks, updating content across multiple regions and languages.
Content editors gain confidence and efficiency, so their content goes live smoothly and swiftly.
And developers? They get a playground of customization and organization, creating a system of references and records that streamline content management while empowering teams to work independently.
Contentful brings together the best of technology, security, and user-friendliness.
Key Features of Contentful:
- Visual interface for planning, building, testing, and iterating content models to visualize and navigate connected entries effortlessly.
- AI Generator assists users in designing and building content models by generating content type structures based on user-provided descriptions.
- The platform is equipped to handle content updates across multiple regions and languages, ideal for global content strategies.
- Developers can create, organize, customize, and reuse a comprehensive system of references and records.
Best for:
Contentful is for diverse teams, including marketers, content editors, and developers, looking for a flexible, scalable, and secure platform to manage and deliver content across multiple channels and regions.
Pricing: Build individual projects with Contentful for free. Or create sites, apps and more, starting at $300/month.
6. Ghost
With Ghost, managing posts and pages becomes a breeze. You can create everything from dynamic blog posts to static pages like “Contact” and “About.” thanks to its intuitive setup.
But Ghost isn’t just about managing content; it’s about crafting experiences. Its delightful writing environment, full-screen editing, and Markdown support make content creation a joy.
Ghost’s publishing workflow is a dream for any content team. Custom URLs, tag taxonomy, post previews, and scheduled posts work seamlessly to ensure your content hits the mark every time. And with its built-in SEO tools, you don’t need any plugins to get your content seen.
Ghost is also a platform for memberships and subscriptions, complete with signups and management, email newsletters, and detailed member stats.
For the developers, Ghost is a paradise with its RESTful JSON API, detailed developer docs, and flexibility with front-end technologies.
Ghost is a complete ecosystem for creators, publishers, and businesses, offering a seamless, secure, and enjoyable content management experience.
Key Features of Ghost:
- Full control over site branding, including logos, icons, cover images, and accent colors, enabling a personalized look and feel.
- Streamlined interface for creating and managing posts and pages. It includes an easy-to-use navigation menu and full-screen editing for a distraction-free writing experience.
- Ghost supports publishing in multiple languages, making it ideal for creating content for a diverse, global audience.
- Tools for managing member signups, recurring subscriptions, and email newsletters.
Best for:
Ghost is for creators, publishers, and businesses seeking a user-friendly, SEO-optimized platform with robust subscription and membership capabilities for content-driven websites.
Pricing: Pricing: Ghost is a free and open-source CMS. Or you can opt for the paid managed solution, starting at $9/month.
7. dotCMS
At the heart of dotCMS are its robust content creation capabilities. It empowers marketers and developers to design top-notch digital experiences, simplifying the process from development to publishing all in one place.
The flexibility in creating content models and driving operational efficiencies with adaptable workflows is a dream.
Content teams can easily update and publish content, reducing reliance on developers. The no-code visual editing tools, structured content reuse, and automatic translation features make global reach effortlessly achievable.
When delivering content, dotCMS stands out with its API-first model.
Whether building headlessly or using the dotCMS head, it integrates seamlessly with your existing tech stack, managing multiple sites like a champ.
And let’s talk about scaling. dotCMS is future-proof, ready to adapt and grow with your business. With top-notch performance, SEO, security, and an expansive plug-in architecture, it breaks all limits to growth.
dotCMS gives the flexibility to create, manage, deliver, and scale your content effectively and efficiently.
Key Features of dotCMS:
- The platform supports automatic translation for global reach and content management in multiple languages.
- All-in-one platform for developing and publishing content and the ability to create customized content models.
- Its API-first approach allows seamless integration with existing tech stacks and the flexibility to build solutions tailored to specific requirements.
- dotCMS provides scalability options without caps on API calls, users, content types, or workflows.
Best for:
dotCMS is for enterprises and large organizations that require a scalable, flexible, and robust content management system with powerful developer and content team collaboration features.
Pricing: dotCMS is free and open-source. But it also includes custom pricing for enterprise needs.
8. Sanity
Sanity goes beyond just delivering content. What sets Sanity apart is its total composability and the ability to sync content across any platform with unmatched efficiency.
Sanity’s Studio is a fully customizable content workspace that’s a mirror image of your business. It’s designed to unleash creativity and velocity, providing content creators with tailored editing interfaces.
Built as open-source, the Studio is a central hub for all your content operations.
Sanity’s APIs are the backbone of your composable content architecture. They integrate seamlessly with emerging technologies, ensuring your content strategy is always ahead of the curve.
With precise query language and customizable webhook payloads, these APIs are consistent across your entire architecture.
So, why Sanity? Because it’s more than a headless CMS; it’s a comprehensive suite for your composable business, designed to adapt and thrive in the ever-evolving digital landscape.
Key Features of Sanity:
- It supports real-time collaboration among team members and maintains field-level history for effective content tracking and management.
- Sanity offers intelligent image cropping and scaling, optimizing visual content for various platforms and devices.
- Sanity’s APIs are the foundation of a composable content architecture for content querying and customizable webhook payloads for seamless integration.
- It enables limitless landing page compositions and personalization for buyer journeys. This makes it an ideal choice for marketing and eCommerce platforms.
Best for:
Sanity is for businesses and teams seeking a highly customizable, collaborative platform for managing diverse and dynamic content across multiple channels and digital experiences.
Pricing: Pricing: Sanity is available for free for individuals. Or you can pick the Growth plan for $15/month. (Custom Enterprise solution is also available.)
9. Optimizely
Optimizely takes care of the entire content lifecycle, connecting with its content marketing platform for efficient planning, collaboration, and publishing.
Whether you prefer coupled, decoupled, or headless architecture, Optimizely adapts to your needs. And scaling up or integrating new services is a breeze, ensuring your platform evolves with your business.
Moreover, tailor experiences based on various criteria and leverage AI for high relevance.
Creativity takes center stage with unlimited content layouts and a drag-and-drop page builder. (You can edit elements and preview updates.) Plus, AI-powered recommendations deliver real-time personalized content that resonates with each visitor.
Content delivery is another forte of Optimizely. With Graph (GraphQL APIs), your content reaches anywhere swiftly and efficiently. It consolidates all your content sources, synchronizes them, and delivers precisely what you need to any channel, device, or app.
Also, integration with CRM and marketing automation tools like Salesforce and HubSpot boost your workflow.
Optimizely manages your content but also amplifies its impact.
Key Features of Optimizely:
- Complete content lifecycle coverage, integrating content planning, collaboration, and publishing.
- It utilizes AI to deliver personalized content and recommendations based on the unique interests of each site visitor.
- Optimizely offers a choice between coupled, decoupled, or headless architectures.
- Direct integration with major CRM and marketing automation platforms, such as Salesforce, Microsoft Dynamics, Marketo, and HubSpot.
Best for:
Optimizely is for businesses and organizations seeking a comprehensive, AI-powered content management solution. It offers flexible architecture, personalized customer experiences, and seamless integration with marketing and CRM tools.
Pricing: Optimizely’s pricing is unique to each project.
10. Kontent.ai
Kontent.ai is a headless CMS repository for your content and an intelligent assistant, guiding and enhancing your creation process.
The AI capabilities mean your team gets an extra set of eyes, boosting productivity by leaps and bounds.
Yup, you can brainstorm, develop, edit, and personalize content with AI’s help – all within Kontent.ai.
Writer’s block? A thing of the past with Kontent.ai. It provides fresh perspectives and ideas at a click, fueling creativity and increasing output. Need a summary or a first draft? The AI handles these in seconds.
But it’s not just about speed; it’s about quality, too. Kontent.ai’s AI tools can tweak your content’s tone, style, and form, ensuring it resonates perfectly with your audience while staying true to your message.
Moreover, Kontent.ai safeguards your brand identity. It ensures every piece of content aligns with your brand guidelines, maintaining consistency and trust with your audience without the need for lengthy reviews.
Key Features of Kontent.ai:
- Native AI tools to assist in creating and improving content, offering suggestions, ideas, and the ability to generate summaries.
- Creating customized content models and structures makes it adaptable to various requirements and workflows.
- As a headless CMS, it delivers content across multiple channels and devices efficiently.
Best for:
Kontent.ai is for teams and organizations seeking an AI-enhanced content management solution that boosts productivity and ensures brand consistency across multiple channels.
Pricing: Kontent.ai is free to use for non-commercial projects. Or you can pick Scale and Enterprise plans, both with project-specific pricing.
11. Storyblok
Let’s look closer at Storyblok, a cloud-native headless CMS revamping how content is managed and delivered.
The visual editor transforms content creation into an intuitive and collaborative experience.
With integrated discussions, workflows, and the ability to leave component-level comments, your team can publish faster and more efficiently.
It also offers the ultimate flexibility, integrating seamlessly with any technology and publishing across any channel. This means your content can shine everywhere, from websites to apps, and beyond.
Storyblok’s powerful APIs – including GraphQL, REST, and Management APIs – make integration a breeze. Plus, native integrations and comprehensive front-end SDKs provide the tools your developers adore.
Moreover, whether it’s flexible content structures, custom extensions, or picking from a rich app directory, Storyblok is designed for customization.
Finally, as an ISO 27001-certified CMS with autoscaling and global CDN, it handles the heavy lifting, ensuring your content is secure and delivered at lightning speed.
Key Features of Storyblok:
- It provides robust APIs, making it easy for developers to integrate and publish content anywhere.
- Flexible and extendable content structures, including custom extensions, apps, and field types, for tailored content solutions.
- Intuitive visual editor for collaborative content creation and live previews to see changes in real-time across different devices.
- Storyblok enhances teamwork with integrated discussions and custom workflows, supported by an extensive app directory for expanding capabilities.
Best for:
Storyblok is best for teams and organizations that value flexibility, collaborative workflows, and the need for a scalable, secure, and customizable content management system for diverse digital platforms.
Pricing: Build your project for free with Storyblok. Or go with the Entry plan for $108/month.
What Is The Best Headless CMS
The choice of a headless CMS can be crucial for flexibility, scalability, and delivering a seamless content experience.
Among the many options available, WordPress VIP, Quintype, and Strapi stand out as top solutions, each with unique features catering to different needs:
- WordPress VIP offers the robustness and flexibility of WordPress in a headless CMS format, providing large enterprises with a scalable, secure, and high-performance content management solution that seamlessly integrates with various front-end frameworks.
- Quintype stands out for its powerful API-driven headless architecture and seamless omnichannel content distribution. It is ideal for media houses and content-centric businesses looking to deliver rich, personalized content experiences across multiple platforms.
- Strapi, as an open-source headless CMS, excels in giving developers complete freedom to build custom content APIs quickly and manage content efficiently, making it a top choice for projects that require bespoke solutions and full control over the content structure and delivery.
| CMS | Starting price | Free plan | |
|---|---|---|---|
| WordPress VIP | $25,000/year | No | VISIT |
| Quintype | Custom | No | VISIT |
| Strapi | $99/month | Yes | VISIT |
| Hygraph | $299/month | Yes | VISIT |
| Contentful | $300/month | Yes | VISIT |
| Ghost | $9/month | Yes | VISIT |
| dotCMS | Custom | Yes | VISIT |
| Sanity | $15/month | Yes | VISIT |
| Optimizely | Custom | No | VISIT |
| Kontent.ai | Custom | Yes | VISIT |
| Storyblok | $108/month | Yes | VISIT |
How To Get Started With WordPress Vip
- Understand headless CMS and WordPress VIP: Learn about headless CMS functionality and how WordPress VIP fits into this framework. (A headless CMS allows you to manage content without a front-end delivery layer, giving you flexibility in how and where your content is displayed.)
- Set up your WordPress VIP account: Sign up for an account on the WordPress VIP website and choose a suitable plan for your needs.
- Explore the WordPress VIP interface: Familiarize yourself with the dashboard, focusing on content management tools and analytics.
- Choose your front-end technology: Select a front-end technology like React, Angular, or Vue.js to display WordPress VIP content. (WordPress VIP will serve as the back-end content repository, while your chosen technology will display the content.)
- Integrate with WordPress REST API: Connect your front-end application with WordPress VIP using the WordPress REST API for content management. (This API allows you to fetch, create, update, and delete content)
- Develop and test your application: Build your front-end application and continuously test its integration with WordPress VIP. (Pay attention to responsive design, user experience, and site performance.)
- Launch and monitor your application: Launch your application. Monitor its performance closely, especially in the first few weeks. Use the tools to analyze traffic, user engagement, and other key metrics to optimize and improve your application.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is a headless CMS?
A headless CMS is a content management system that only includes the back-end content repository and provides content through an API without a coupled front-end delivery layer.
How does a headless CMS differ from a traditional CMS?
Unlike traditional CMSs that manage content and how it’s displayed, a headless CMS focuses solely on content storage and delivery, leaving the front-end presentation to other systems.
What are the benefits of using a headless CMS?
Headless CMS offers greater flexibility for developers, improved performance, and easier content integration across multiple platforms and devices.
Is a headless CMS more secure than a traditional CMS?
Generally, headless CMS can be more secure as it reduces the attack surface by separating content management from content delivery.
Can I use a headless CMS for any type of website?
Yes, a headless CMS can be used for any type of website, but it’s particularly beneficial for sites needing content across multiple platforms or customized front-end frameworks.
How do I choose the right headless CMS?
Consider factors like API capabilities, scalability, security, ease of use, and the level of community and vendor support.
What are some popular headless CMS platforms?
Popular options include Contentful, Strapi, Sanity, Ghost, and WordPress VIP (when used as a headless CMS).
Can non-developers easily use a headless CMS?
While it requires some technical knowledge, many headless CMS platforms offer user-friendly interfaces for non-developers to manage content.
How does a headless CMS handle content delivery?
It uses APIs (like REST or GraphQL) to deliver content to any front-end system, be it a website, app, or IoT device.
Can a headless CMS support multiple languages?
Yes, many headless CMS platforms are designed to support multi-language content management and delivery.
Is it more expensive to use a headless CMS?
The cost varies depending on the platform and your project’s scale. Some open-source options can be cost-effective, but enterprise solutions might be more expensive.
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