Key takeaways
- Open-source, self-hosted options (Payload, Strapi) give full control and no per-seat fees, but you run the hosting.
- Hosted platforms (Sanity, Contentful, Storyblok) handle infrastructure and scale, priced by users, usage or plan.
- Payload is built on Next.js and TypeScript, ideal when your site is a Next.js app.
- Storyblok's visual editor suits marketing teams who want to see pages as they edit.
- Headless WordPress is the gentlest change for teams that already know WordPress.
A headless CMS stores and manages content without deciding how it is displayed. Editors work in an admin; developers fetch the content through an API and render it in a Next.js site, a mobile app or a Shopify storefront. The right CMS depends on your editors, your developers, your hosting preferences and your budget.
Payload
Payload is an open-source, TypeScript-first CMS that runs inside a Next.js app. Content models are defined in code, so they are versioned with the rest of the project, and the admin is generated from them. It is self-hosted on your own infrastructure, with no per-seat licence fees. It suits developer-led teams building with Next.js. (This website runs on Payload.)
Sanity
Sanity is a hosted content platform with a highly customisable editing studio, real-time collaboration and its own query language, GROQ. It handles infrastructure and scales well, with pricing based on plan and usage. It suits teams that want rich, structured content and a polished editing experience without running servers.
Strapi
Strapi is a popular open-source Node.js CMS with a visual content-type builder, REST and GraphQL APIs and a plugin system. You can self-host it or use Strapi Cloud. It suits teams that want an open-source CMS that non-developers can configure.
Contentful
Contentful is an established enterprise content platform with strong localisation, workflows and integrations. It is fully hosted, and its pricing reflects its enterprise focus. It suits larger organisations publishing content across many sites, markets and channels.
Storyblok
Storyblok's standout feature is its visual editor: marketers build pages from components and see changes in a live preview. It suits marketing-led teams who want page-building freedom on a headless architecture.
Headless WordPress
WordPress can run headless, serving content through its REST API or WPGraphQL to a Next.js front end. Editors keep the familiar interface, and you keep the plugin ecosystem for content features. It suits teams moving off a traditional WordPress site without retraining editors. See our Next.js vs WordPress comparison.
How to choose
- Start with your editors: Who publishes, how often and how much layout freedom do they need?
- Decide on hosting: Self-hosted gives control and predictable costs; hosted removes operations work.
- Model your content: List your content types and relationships; check each CMS handles them cleanly.
- Check localisation and workflow: Multiple languages, approvals and scheduled publishing vary a lot between platforms.
- Estimate cost at scale: Compare pricing for your number of editors, locales and API usage in two years, not just today.
Frequently asked questions
Which headless CMS is best for Next.js?
Payload runs inside Next.js and suits developer-led teams; Sanity and Storyblok are strong hosted choices with excellent Next.js support.
Is a headless CMS good for SEO?
Yes, with a server-rendered front end such as Next.js, plus SEO fields, sitemaps and structured data in the content model.
Is WordPress a headless CMS?
It can be. WordPress can serve content through its REST API or WPGraphQL to any front end.
Our headless CMS development team has built on all of these and will recommend one only after understanding how your team publishes.
Filed under
Jay Patel