Compare
Contentful vs Strapi
Open-source and self-hosted, lacking native AI and enterprise SaaS features
Which to pick
Pick Contentful if you want…
- Composable content management with AI personalization
- Enterprise SaaS CMS
- A free plan to start with
- Integrations with GraphQL API, Content Delivery API or Content Management API (on Contentful's list, not Strapi's)
Pick Strapi if you want…
- Customizable open-source headless CMS
- Open-source code (strapi/strapi on GitHub)
- Integrations with Node.js, JavaScript or TypeScript (on Strapi's list, not Contentful's)
Contentful is a proprietary SaaS platform with extensive UI tooling; Strapi provides open-source code you can run anywhere.
Side by side
- What it is
- Contentful:Contentful is a headless CMS that lets teams create, manage, and personalize modular content across channels.
- Strapi:Strapi is an open-source, Node.js-based headless CMS that lets you model content and instantly expose REST or GraphQL APIs.
- Best for
- Contentful:Composable content management with AI personalization
- Strapi:Customizable open-source headless CMS
- Who it’s for
- Contentful:Marketing, product, and engineering teams building digital experiences.
- Strapi:Developers and teams building content-driven web or mobile apps who need full control over code and hosting.
- Pricing
- Contentful:Freemium
- Strapi:Paid
- Plans
- Contentful:Free $0 · Lite $300 per month
- Strapi:Starter $35 per project / month · Pro $90 per project / month · Business $450 per project / month
- Open source
- Contentful:—
- Strapi:Yes, 73,268 GitHub stars
- Works with
- Contentful:GraphQL API, Content Delivery API, Content Management API, CLI tool, Webhooks, AWS webhook integrations
- Strapi:Node.js, JavaScript, TypeScript, Next.js, Vercel, REST, GraphQL
Contentful features
- Modular content architecture. Create reusable content components that update everywhere instantly.
- AI-powered content creation. Generate, translate, and personalize content using native AI templates.
- No-code personalization. Marketers can set up real-time audience targeting without developer help.
- Multi-channel delivery. Publish consistent experiences to websites, apps, email, kiosks, and more.
- Granular analytics. Measure performance at the component level to optimize impact.
- Developer APIs. Access GraphQL, REST, and CLI tools for custom integrations.
- Spaces & multi-brand support. Manage separate projects, brands, and regions with scalable Spaces.
- Enterprise governance. Roles, SSO, ISO 27001, and SLA-backed uptime for large teams.
Strapi features
- Content Type Builder. Design content models, components and dynamic zones with a no-code UI that generates typed APIs.
- Full-stack Customization. Write custom controllers, services, middleware and admin panel extensions using JavaScript/TypeScript.
- Deploy Anywhere. Self-host on any infrastructure or use Strapi Cloud with managed Postgres, CDN and email.
- Enterprise Governance. SOC 2, GDPR compliance, audit logs, review workflows, SSO and SLA support.
- Marketplace Plugins. Add reviewed plugins and integrations or create your own to extend functionality.
- Scalable Architecture. Supports unlimited database entries, multi-environment deployments and edge caching.
Contentful vs Strapi FAQ
Is Contentful or Strapi free?+
Contentful has a free plan; paid plans start at $300/month (Lite). Strapi is paid.
Is Contentful or Strapi open source?+
Strapi is open source (strapi/strapi on GitHub). DevHunt has no public source repository on record for Contentful.
Do Contentful and Strapi integrate with the same tools?+
Their integration lists don't overlap: Contentful lists GraphQL API, Content Delivery API, Content Management API, CLI tool and 2 more; Strapi lists Node.js, JavaScript, TypeScript, Next.js and 3 more.
On DevHunt
Based on each tool's website and DevHunt data. Details may change; check the official sites.