Headless CMS platforms decouple content management from presentation, serving content via APIs to any frontend. Strapi, Sanity, and Contentful represent open-source, composable, and enterprise approaches respectively.
Strapi is the leading open-source headless CMS with 65K+ GitHub stars. Content types are defined through a visual builder, and REST/GraphQL APIs are auto-generated. Built with Node.js, supporting PostgreSQL, MySQL, and SQLite. The key advantage is self-hosting — full control over data, infrastructure, and customization through a plugin ecosystem. No per-user pricing at any scale. Strapi Cloud provides a managed option. Best for teams wanting open-source flexibility and data ownership.
Sanity takes a content-as-data approach with its composable platform. Content is stored as structured data queryable via GROQ, a purpose-built query language. Portable Text represents rich content as structured JSON rather than HTML, enabling rendering in any format. The Sanity Studio is an open-source React app fully customizable with plugins and custom components. Real-time collaboration enables multiple editors working simultaneously. Best for teams wanting maximum content modeling flexibility and a customizable editing experience.
Contentful is the enterprise standard for headless CMS, used by major companies for omnichannel content delivery at scale. It provides REST and GraphQL APIs, localization for 100+ locales, media management with image transformations, and scheduled publishing. SDKs cover 10+ platforms. Enterprise features include SSO, audit logs, and custom roles. The Compose and Studio products add visual page-building for marketing teams. Best for large enterprises needing reliable, scalable content infrastructure with strong support.
Strapi for open-source self-hosting and maximum control. Sanity for creative teams wanting a customizable editing experience with structured content. Contentful for enterprises needing battle-tested scalability and comprehensive enterprise features. Also consider Payload CMS — a TypeScript-first open-source alternative with 32K+ stars that combines headless CMS capabilities with a full application framework.