Best Headless CMS in 2026
Updated
In short: Prismic is ranked #1 of 35 as of 4 October 2026, ahead of Sanity and Strapi. The best-ranked option with a free plan is Sanity. The lowest first paid tier on this page is Prismic at $10/mo.
A headless CMS separates content management from the website or app that presents that content. Strapi, Prismic, and Sanity lead this ranking, followed by CrafterCMS and Squidex. Compare API types, asset transformations, and content localization to consider how content can be delivered and adapted; content preview offers another point to check before publishing. Role permissions and webhooks are relevant when you assess access and integrations. Free-plan availability and paid-from pricing help you judge cost alongside the capabilities. Storyblok, ButterCMS, and Directus are also among the entries, so you can weigh the listed features against your content workflows.
35 headless CMS ranked on what their makers publish — plans and prices, free tiers, platforms and the facts on their own pages.
#1 Prismic Top pick · 9.0 Free plan · $10/mo
#2 Sanity Runner-up · 8.9 Free plan · $15/mo
#3 Strapi Also great · 8.4 $35/mo
- Free planFree trial apiWeb
- Free plan
- Yes
- Paid from
- $10/mo
- API types
- both
- Content localization
- Yes
- Role permissions
- custom
- Webhooks
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms$10/mofirst paid tier About PrismicVisit site - Free plan Web
- Free plan
- Yes
- Paid from
- $15/mo
- API types
- both
- Content localization
- Yes
- Role permissions
- custom
- Webhooks
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms$15/mofirst paid tier About SanityVisit site - self-hosted
- Free plan
- Yes
- Paid from
- $35/mo
- API types
- both
- Content localization
- Yes
- Role permissions
- custom
- Webhooks
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms$35/mofirst paid tier About StrapiVisit site - Free planFree trial Web
- Free plan
- Yes
- Paid from
- $99/mo
- API types
- both
- Content localization
- Yes
- Role permissions
- custom
- Webhooks
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms$99/mofirst paid tier About StoryblokVisit site - Free planFree trial AndroidiOSWeb
- Free plan
- Yes
- Paid from
- $71/mo
- API types
- both
- Content localization
- Yes
- Role permissions
- custom
- Webhooks
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms$71/mofirst paid tier About ButterCMSVisit site - WebWindowsmacOSLinux
- Free plan
- Yes
- API types
- both
- Content localization
- Yes
- Role permissions
- custom
- Webhooks
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms - Free plan Web
- Free plan
- Yes
- Paid from
- $499/mo
- API types
- both
- Content localization
- Yes
- Role permissions
- custom
- Webhooks
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms$499/mofirst paid tier About DirectusVisit site - Free plan
- Free plan
- Yes
- API types
- both
- Content localization
- Yes
- Role permissions
- custom
- Webhooks
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms - Free planFree trial apiWeb
- Free plan
- Yes
- API types
- both
- Content localization
- Yes
- Role permissions
- custom
- Webhooks
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms€149,199/mofirst paid tier About DatoCMSVisit site - Free planFree trial apiLinuxself-hostedWeb
- Free plan
- Yes
- Paid from
- $220/mo
- API types
- both
- Content localization
- Yes
- Role permissions
- custom
- Webhooks
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms - Web
- Free plan
- Yes
- API types
- both
- Content localization
- Yes
- Role permissions
- custom
- Webhooks
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms - Free plan Web
- Free plan
- Yes
- Paid from
- $300/mo
- API types
- both
- Content localization
- Yes
- Role permissions
- custom
- Webhooks
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms$300/mofirst paid tier About ContentfulVisit site - Free plan Web
- Free plan
- Yes
- Paid from
- $79/mo
- API types
- graphql
- Content localization
- Yes
- Role permissions
- custom
- Webhooks
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms$79/mofirst paid tier About WebinyVisit site - Free plan Web
- Free plan
- Yes
- API types
- graphql
- Content localization
- Yes
- Role permissions
- custom
- Webhooks
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms - Web
- API types
- both
- Content localization
- Yes
- Role permissions
- custom
- Webhooks
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms - Free planFree trial WebiOSAndroid
- Free plan
- Yes
- Paid from
- $99/mo
- API types
- rest
- Content localization
- Yes
- Role permissions
- advanced
- Webhooks
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms$99/mofirst paid tier About CosmicVisit site - Free plan Web
- Free plan
- Yes
- Paid from
- $199/mo
- API types
- graphql
- Content localization
- Yes
- Role permissions
- custom
- Webhooks
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms$199/mofirst paid tier About HygraphVisit site - Free plan Web
- Free plan
- Yes
- Paid from
- $299/mo
- API types
- both
- Content localization
- Yes
- Role permissions
- custom
- Webhooks
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms$299/mofirst paid tier About ContentstackVisit site - Free plan apiself-hostedWeb
- Free plan
- Yes
- Paid from
- $24/mo
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms$24/mofirst paid tier About TinaCMSVisit site - Web
- Free plan
- No
- API types
- both
- Content localization
- Yes
- Role permissions
- custom
- Webhooks
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms - Free trial Web
- Free plan
- No
- API types
- both
- Content localization
- Yes
- Role permissions
- advanced
- Webhooks
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms - Web
- API types
- both
- Content localization
- Yes
- Role permissions
- advanced
- Webhooks
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms - WebiOSAndroid
- API types
- both
- Content localization
- Yes
- Role permissions
- custom
- Webhooks
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms - WindowsmacOSLinux
- API types
- both
- Content localization
- Yes
- Role permissions
- custom
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms - Free plan Web
- Free plan
- Yes
- Paid from
- $475/mo
- API types
- both
- Content localization
- Yes
- Role permissions
- advanced
- Webhooks
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms$475/mofirst paid tier About Zesty.ioVisit site
Is your app on this list?
Numbered spots on this list can be sponsored. They are labelled, and the editorial order and scores never change for payment.
Questions about this list
Which headless CMS is ranked first on Everything Xiaomi?
Prismic is ranked #1 of 35 with a score of 9.0. Sanity is second and Strapi third.
How many of these have a free plan?
16 of the 25 on this page publish a free plan on their own pricing pages.
Which is the cheapest paid option?
On this page, Prismic has the lowest first paid tier we found: $10/mo.
How is this list ranked?
Ranked on what each maker publishes: documentation depth, a free tier and the platforms it runs on. Paid placements never change a rank.