06/11/2022

Ultimate Guide to Headless CMS Platforms

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It is crucial to establish your brand’s online identity. You don’t have to use complex platforms that are difficult to customize. Headless CMS handles all of the HTML programming and development.

CMS platforms that aren’t designed for developers are very popular today.

We have 21 CMS platforms that are headless in our database. 

What’s a Headless CMS? How does it work? 

A headless CMS is a content management system that does not have a front-end web builder. It has a content layer that runs on the backend and not the front.

The CMS platforms allow you to have complete control over your data. They also make it easy to integrate other media with it without worrying about its complexity.

You can remove all content from the CMS leaving only structure, functionality, and design

A content management system that powers decoupled applications. Also known as Content API (Application Programming Interface),

21 Top Headless CMS Platforms for Increasing Conversion

We did extensive research on many platforms and compiled a list. Let’s look at the top 21 headless CMS systems, with all their pros and cons, pricing details, and ratings.

1. Strapi

Strapi is a popular headless CMS platform. Companies such as Walmart, IBM, and others use this platform.

Pros:

  • Strapi’s interface is functional and simple.
  • NodeJS provides fast performance and a modern, scalable codebase.

Cons:

  • The community plans are not available to all
  • Some people might struggle to understand the documentation.

Pricing: Get a free trial.

G2 Rating: 4.6/5

2. Multiplience

The platform is easy to use and cloud-native.

Pros:

  • Integrates seamlessly with multiple platforms, so your website can be used on all devices.
  • There are many UI extensions.

Cons:

  • You can limit and improve the built-in shortcuts.
  • Do not use more than one website at once

G2 Rating: 3.7/5

3. Directus

Directus lets you turn SQL databases into APIs. You can customize your content easily.

Pros:

  • This program makes it easy to manage SQL database contents.
  • API has many options and is simple to use.

Cons:

  • New features can sometimes prove to be confusing, so more documentation is needed
  • A single installation option is possible on a server. Multiple applications may make it more difficult to manage.

Pricing: Provides a lifetime-free plan.

G2 Rating: 5/5

4. Ghost

Ghost can be used for blogs or ecommerce. can be customized by anyone.

Pros:

  • Ghost CSS offers a simple admin dashboard that is easy to use.
  • Configurations and installation are simple thanks to CMS features.

Cons:

  • Other features and search bars are not included in the free plan.
  • It does not store any media previously used and deletes content from users who have been deleted.

Pricing: Get a free trial

G2 Rating: 4.1/5

5. Sanity

Sanity allows content creation using a headless CMS system. Figma, Cloudflare, and National Geographic use.

Pros:

  • These features include personalization, content performance analytics, and more.
  • Easy management of assets is possible with the use of customizable templates, portals, and sites.

Cons:

  • You can customize parts based on different parts.
  • Modular flexibility is limited. 

Pricing is available. A team plan costs $99 per calendar month.

G2 Rating: 4.8/5

6. Magnolia

Magnolia makes managing all your content easy. With the headless CMS personalization tools, you can create unique websites.

Pros:

  • Internal search, approval processes, and versioning make it easier to create content
  • User community and access management are both essential to enhance user experience.

Cons:

  • The UI is hard to understand. There should be more documentation and guides.
  • Large changes to the site’s current version make it difficult to migrate.

G2 Rating: 4.2/5

7. Contentful

The Contentful tool allows you to quickly create and integrate content with other tools. 

Pros:

Cons:

  • Integrating apps with app frameworks can be challenging.
  • You cannot duplicate content from one platform or another.

Pricing is available. The monthly cost for the team plan is $489

G2 Rating: 4.3/5

8. Agility CMS

Agility CSS is the most widely used content management system. It allows for page and module management.

Pros:

  • The High-Speed API is used for accessing the website’s website. 
  • It allows for flexible navigation and enterprise scaling.

Cons:

  • A business plan is expensive.
  • Search function not available

Pricing – Offers a free plan for developers that allows up to 5000 monthly entries. Monthly business plans start at $900

G2 Rating: 4.4/5

9. The Core DNA

CoreDNA makes it simple to create websites and apps from one place. The API-driven features make it possible to customize many elements on a website.

Pros:

  • The interface is easy to use. 
  • You can combine content management tools with other platforms because it is simple to integrate.

Cons:

  • A starter plan is a good option if you want to try it out first.
  • Integrating third-party APIs can be difficult.

Prices: Starting at $1250 per Month. You can also customize the enterprise plan.

G2 Rating: 4.5/5

10. Cockpit CMS

Cockpit CMS allows you to create dynamic websites using headless CMS. You can also customize your website to make unique websites

Pros:

  • You can view more detailed information by using a search function.
  • This allows you to use a standard set of web technologies.

Cons:

  • Sometimes documentation or community alone is not enough.
  • It’s not easy to use

G2 Rating: 3.8/5

11. Graph CMS

The graph companion will help to create a richer digital experience. Customize your website using the many integrations.

Pros:

  • Content authoring tools and rich text editor that enable you to create high-quality content
  • This gives you analytics about the performance of your website so that you can measure traffic.

Cons:

  • Data migration can be complicated after you modify a model.
  • It’s not mobile-friendly.

Pricing: You can get a free forever plan. Membership to a professional group starts at $299 per year

G2 Rating: 4.8/5

G2 review of Graph CMS.

12. Kentico Content

Kontent by Kentico makes content creation easy for marketers and content creators. 

Pros:

  • Integration with other platforms to enhance content creation and market activities
  • UX and design for beginners can be very easy.

Cons:

  • URL slugs may not generate accordingly.
  • The monthly payment can be quite expensive.

Pricing: Prices start at $1249 per month

G2 Rating: 4.3/5

13. Dot CMS

Dot CMS lets you create content-enabled applications. This headless CMS platform lets you create single-page websites and apps.

Pros:

  • Content authoring and content scheduling make it easy to create content.
  • This allows users to create custom content and integrate it with other platforms.

Cons:

  • Software crashes are possible at any time.
  • It’s difficult to understand at first. It would be easier to use if it had a more intuitive and functional UI.

G2 Rating: 4/5

14. Butter CMS

Butter CMS is a headless, API-first CMS platform. Companies such as Salesforce and Indeed also use this platform.

Pros:

  • This also features an automatic publishing feature.
  • Image management and reusable content are two of the functional development features.

Cons:

  • Some features make it difficult for you to create dynamic or interactive content.

Prices: Starting at $83 Per Month

G2 Rating: 4.8/5

15. Prismic

You can also use Prismic to publish content via an API-based headless CMS platform.

Pros:

  • Cloud service makes managing content easy.
  • Integration with other platforms

Cons:

  • Filtering the contents might be difficult.
  • There are sometimes crashes and slow load speeds.

Pricing: The Plan is a free one. It starts at $7 per Month

G2 Rating: 3.7/5

16. Storyblok

Storyblok is a tool that can be used for building e-commerce websites and mobile apps.

Pros:

  • Content authoring, content repository, and rich text editor make it easy to create content
  • It supports many front-end frameworks, so you can customize your website easily.

Cons:

  • The plug-in might not work properly on certain platforms. 
  • Having flexibility when creating models

Pricing: There is a free plan. Prices start at $90 per monthly

G2 Rating: 4.6/5

17. Contentstack

Contentstack is quick and easy to use. You can customize specific sections of your website with

Pros:

  • This includes content authoring and content scheduling.
  • This HTML is easier to use with a rich text editor, internal search, and

Cons:

  • It may be difficult for some monitors to locate the input fields.

Prices: Starting at $995 Per Month

G2 Rating: 4.8/5

18. Bold

Bold allows you to easily create and distribute content across other platforms.

Pros:

Cons:

  • The mobile version is not as intuitive as the desktop. 
  • Some features are not available in the text editor.

Prices: Starting at $99 Per Month

G2 Rating: 4.4/5

19. Zesty

Zesty makes it easy to create websites. Zesty is used by companies such as Epic Games and SONY.

Pros:

  • It’s easy to create, modify and publish content.
  • You can search within the.

Cons:

  • Publishing content takes time.
  • Minor bugs may occasionally occur after an update.

Pricing: Get a free trial

G2 Rating: 4.7/5

20. Enonic

Enonic enables developers and editors to collaborate easily. This is a headless CMS platform that allows customizing and editing content.

Pros:

  • It can integrate with other platforms.
  • Clear documentation makes it easy for you to understand.

Cons:

  • It takes time to publish new content.

Pricing: Get a free trial. Prices start at $990 per Month

21. Prepr

Prepr Is a headless CMS platform that brings together content and data. This will allow you to improve your website’s content and user experience.

Pros:

  • It’s easy to integrate with other platforms.
  • API is easy to use and responds quickly.

Cons:

  • There may be some issues that aren’t documented because the work isn’t complete.

Pricing: Get a free trial

G2 Rating: 4.3/5

FAQ

What Headless CMS should I use?

Headless CMS allows you to quickly customize a website. These CMS platforms let you customize your website without needing to know any programming.

These platforms aren’t focused on front-end development. You can quickly set up your website and then modify it to suit your needs. 

What are the advantages of a Headless CMS?

The headless CMS allows software programs to be separated and offer an end–to–end content management system. It doesn’t enforce any proprietary systems.

No programming is required. The platform allows you to concentrate on building the platform. 

Headless CMS makes it easy to share content with others. 

Which CMS works best for headless people?

We’ve listed 21 headless CMS platform choices with their pros and cons. You can say that Ghost and Strapi are the best headless CMS platforms. They are more user-friendly and have higher G2 ratings.

Your company’s needs and website will determine which CMS platform is best suited for you. 

Kobe Digital is easy to integrate with these headless CMS platforms. Kobe Digital allows you to create popups and increase conversions on your website.

This is the HTML for headless CMS platforms!

We hope you find the information that you need and can create unique websites quickly. Leave a comment below and tell us which one you prefer!

About the author

Kobe Digital is a unified team of performance marketing, design, and video production experts. Our mastery of these disciplines is what makes us effective. Our ability to integrate them seamlessly is what makes us unique.