Compare headless CMS.

A headless CMS separates content from presentation. We analyze the main players: which system fits when, and where are the pitfalls?

Comparison Table.

System	Founded	Visual editor	API-first	Pricing Model	MACH
Storyblok	2017	Yes	Yes	Free – $349/mo	Yes
Sanity	2017	Limited	Yes	Free – $949/mo	Yes
Contentful	2013	Limited	Yes	Free – $489/mo	Yes
Contentstack	2018	Yes	Yes	Enterprise-only	Yes
Plate	2015	Yes	Yes	€300–€1,200/mo	No
Kontent.ai	2019	Limited	Yes	Free – $499/mo	Yes
Prepr	2019	Yes	Yes	Free – €499/mo	No
DatoCMS	2015	Limited	Yes	Free – €299/mo	Yes
Prismic	2013	Yes	Yes	Free – $500/mo	Yes
Amplience	2008	Yes	Yes	Enterprise-only	Yes
WordPress	2003	Yes	Limited	Free – €500+/mo	No
Drupal	2001	Yes	Limited	Free – €1,000+/mo	No
Strapi	2015	Limited	Yes	Free – $29/mo	No
Umbraco	2002	Yes	Limited	Free – €900/mo	No

Quick summaries.

Storyblok

Cloud-native headless CMS from Austria with the best visual editor on the market. Ideal for marketing teams who want to work independently. Strong real-time preview and intuitive folder structure.

Norwegian headless CMS with maximum flexibility for developers. The fully customizable Sanity Studio and GROQ query language give unprecedented control. Best choice when your team is technically strong and customization matters.

Contentful

The market leader among headless CMS systems with the largest ecosystem and app marketplace. Extensive API capabilities and enterprise-grade governance. The "safe choice" for large organizations.

Contentstack

Enterprise-focused headless CMS with strong governance and workflow features. Co-founder of the MACH Alliance. Best choice for large organizations with complex approval workflows and strict compliance requirements.

Plate

Dutch headless CMS with personal support and strong visual editor. Ideal for agencies and mid-sized companies in the Benelux. Local support and Dutch approach as differentiator.

Kontent.ai

Enterprise headless CMS from the Kentico stable with unrivaled governance and workflows. AI-driven content operations and strong compliance features. The choice for large organizations that need strict content governance.

Prepr

Dutch headless CMS with built-in personalization and A/B testing. Where other CMS systems need external tools for conversion optimization, Prepr offers this natively. Ideal for marketing teams that want to measure results.

DatoCMS

Italian headless CMS with the best video streaming integration (Mux) and a GraphQL-first API that developers love. Pragmatic and developer-friendly, ideal for video-rich websites and media platforms.

Prismic

Lightweight headless CMS from Paris with the unique Slices concept: reusable content components that marketers can visually stack. Ideal for fast marketing websites and campaign sites.

Amplience

British headless CMS specialized in retail with built-in Dynamic Media and DAM. The standard for large retailers who need to manage media at scale. Enterprise-only pricing.

WordPress

The world's most used CMS with the largest ecosystem. Strong for content-rich marketing sites and blogs. At its core a blog system, but optionally headless via REST API. Watch out for plugin dependency and technical debt.

Drupal

Powerful open-source CMS framework, dominant in government, healthcare and education. Extremely flexible with strong governance and permissions, but requires specialized developers and has a high total cost of ownership.

Strapi

The most popular open-source headless CMS. Fully self-hosted or via Strapi Cloud (PaaS). Ideal for developers who want full control over their CMS infrastructure without vendor lock-in. Strong in customization and API generation.

Umbraco

Danish open-source CMS on .NET with optional headless capabilities via the Content Delivery API. Strong in the European market with local hosting and an active community. Flexible as a traditional CMS and as a headless solution.

Popular comparisons.

In-depth comparisons between the most requested headless CMS combinations.

Storyblok vs Contentful

Visual-first versus API-first: which headless CMS fits your organization?

14 min. read

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Frequently asked questions.

What is a headless CMS?

A headless CMS separates content from the presentation layer. Content is stored and managed in the CMS, but delivered via APIs to any frontend: website, app, digital signage or other channels. This gives maximum flexibility in how and where you display content, but requires a separate frontend that you build yourself.

Which headless CMS fits my organization?

The choice depends on your priorities. Storyblok is ideal for marketing teams who want a visual editor. Sanity offers maximum flexibility for developers. Contentful is the enterprise standard. Kontent.ai excels in governance and workflows. Prepr combines CMS with built-in personalization. For traditional CMS: WordPress and Drupal are the open-source standards.

What does a headless CMS cost?

Headless CMS systems range from free tiers for small projects to enterprise contracts of €50,000+/year. Most offer self-service plans starting at €99-500/month. Note: pricing is often based on API calls, users or content items — not just features. For a fair comparison, you need to know your expected usage.

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