Strapi
Leading open-source headless CMS — content APIs with admin panel.
MIT-licensed alternative to Contentful and Directus. Custom content types, REST/GraphQL APIs, role-based access, and plugin ecosystem.
cmsheadlessapi
72.3K9.7KMIT
vs Contentful
Payload
Next.js native headless CMS — code-first, type-safe, self-hosted.
MIT-licensed alternative to Sanity and Contentful. TypeScript schema, Admin UI, live preview, REST/GraphQL APIs, and MongoDB/PostgreSQL support.
cmsheadlesstypescript
42.7K3.8KMIT
vs Contentful
Directus
Headless CMS and data platform — wrap any SQL database with APIs.
Source-available alternative to Strapi and Contentful. REST and GraphQL APIs, real-time subscriptions, no-code admin, and flow automation.
cmsheadlessdatabase
36K4.8KBSL 1.1
vs Contentful