Contentstack vs Strapi
Contentstack is a closed-source headless CMS that runs on the vendor's cloud. Strapi is an open-source headless CMS that you can host yourself or run on the vendor's cloud. The table below sets them side by side on 28 features. They get a different status on 14.
- Contentstack Headless · Closed source · 17 of 28 built in
- Strapi Headless · Open source · 15 of 28 built in
Sources checked: Contentstack on 29 Sept 2026, Strapi on 29 Sept 2026. Plans and releases can change after those dates.
WAYF is an official Payload partner and top contributor. Every platform in the table is classified by the same published definitions, and each answer lists the vendor page it came from.
Feature comparison
Built inPaid tierPlugin or add-onLimitedNot available
| Platform |  |  |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||
| What it is | Hosted headless CMS run by Contentstack, sold alongside its AI agent and customer data products. It delivers content over REST and GraphQL APIs. | Open-source Node.js headless CMS with a visual content-type builder, self-hosted or run on Strapi Cloud. Paid plans add governance features. |
| Edition compared The product and release each column describes. | Contentstack Content Cloud headless CMS, Free, Growth and Enterprise plans SaaS, continuously updated | Strapi 5 CMS, free Community edition with paid Growth and Enterprise plans for self-hosted projects Version 5.55.1, released 24 Sept 2026 |
| Vendor | Contentstack contentstack.com | Strapi strapi.io |
| Licence | Closed source Proprietary | Open source MIT |
| Hosting | No self-hosting Vendor cloud | Self-hosting Vendor cloud Strapi Cloud removed its free plan in 2026. Hosting starts at the Starter plan. |
| Built with | Hosted SaaS with REST and GraphQL APIs, CLI and SDKs | TypeScript, Node.js, React |
| Database | Managed by Contentstack | PostgreSQL, MySQL, MariaDB, SQLite |
| Pricing Public list prices only. Hosting and implementation are extra everywhere. | Free to start Free plan. Growth $299 per month, extra users $25 per user per month. Enterprise on request. | Free to start Community free. Growth $45 per month with 3 seats, then $15 per seat. Cloud from $35 per project per month. |
| Content modelling | ||
| Content model in code You define content types in files in your repository, review them like any other code and apply them from there. Imperative migration scripts alone count as limited. | Limited Migration scripts run by the Contentstack CLI. No declarative schema files. 2 | Built in Content types are schema.json files in the project. 19 |
| Content model in the UI Admins can create and change content types and fields in the admin interface without writing code. | Built in 1 | Built in Content-type Builder works in development mode only. 16 |
| Reusable blocks Editors compose pages from reusable, typed components or blocks, and can reorder them. | Built in Modular Blocks fields, plus the Visual Editor for page layout. 12 | Built in Components and dynamic zones. 216 |
| Localization Editors translate content per locale inside the CMS, by field or by entry, without a separate site for each language. | Built in Entry-level localization in over 200 languages. 15 | Built in |
| Image transformations The CMS resizes, crops or converts images on request, through URL parameters or generated sizes, with no external service. | Built in Image Delivery API resizes, crops and converts by URL parameter. 3 | Built in Generates small, medium and large sizes on upload. No crops on request. 15 |
| APIs and delivery | ||
| REST API A documented REST or JSON HTTP API returns content. | Built in 5 | Built in 2 |
| GraphQL API The vendor or an official module provides a GraphQL API for content. | Built in 4 | Plugin or add-on Official GraphQL plugin. 14 |
| Webhooks The CMS can call an external URL when content is created, changed or published. | Built in | Built in 218 |
| Renders the website The CMS itself renders and serves the public pages through themes or templates. Headless-only products answer no. | Not available | Not available |
| Editorial workflow | ||
| Drafts Editors save changes as a draft and publish them later. The live version stays untouched until then. | Built in | Built in Draft & Publish. 2 |
| Scheduled publishing An editor can set a future date and time for content to publish or unpublish. | Built in 6 | Paid tier Growth plan, by scheduling a Release. 6 |
| Version history The CMS keeps earlier versions of an entry, and editors can compare or restore them. | Built in | Paid tier Content History keeps 14 days on Growth, 30 to 90 days on Enterprise. 7 |
| Preview Editors can see unpublished content rendered as it will appear on the site before publishing. | Built in 12 | Built in Basic preview is free. Side-by-side Live Preview needs Growth. 5 |
| Visual editing Editors can click on the rendered page and edit content in place or in a side panel next to it. | Built in Visual Editor on every plan. 112 | Paid tier On Growth, editors double-click content in Live Preview to edit it. 5 |
| Approval workflows Content moves through review stages you configure, such as draft, review and approved, with permissions per stage. | Paid tier Custom workflows on Growth and Enterprise. 17 | Paid tier Review Workflows on Enterprise. 9 |
| Content releases Editors group changes across several entries and publish them together as one release. | Built in Releases deploy grouped entries and assets to an environment. 6 | Paid tier Releases on Growth and Enterprise. 6 |
| Real-time co-editing Two or more editors can work on the same entry at once and see each other's changes live. | Limited Field-level locks and presence. Rolling out in phases with Drafts and Auto Save. 8 | Not available |
| Access and governance | ||
| Custom roles Admins define their own roles with granular permissions instead of picking from a fixed set. | Paid tier 2 custom roles on Growth, 500 on Enterprise. None on Free. 1 | Built in Unlimited admin roles on Community. 28 |
| Field-level permissions Admins can restrict access to single fields, on top of content types and entries. | Paid tier Field rules inside custom roles, from Growth. 19 | Built in 8 |
| Single sign-on Editors can sign in through SAML or OpenID Connect against a company identity provider. | Limited SAML 2.0 documented; baseline availability unconfirmed. Eligible tiers are not public. Confirm access in the contract. 10 | Paid tier Enterprise, or a $150 per month add-on on Growth. 211 |
| Audit log The CMS logs who changed what and when across the whole installation, and admins can review the log. | Limited Stack and organization logs documented; baseline availability unconfirmed. Confirm access and retention in the contract. 11 | Paid tier Enterprise plan. 10 |
| Platform and extensibility | ||
| Multiple sites One installation or account can manage several separate websites or brands with shared users. | Built in Separate stacks in one organization. Scaling stacks is a Growth and Enterprise option. 1 | Not available |
| Extensible admin UI Developers can add their own components, views or fields to the editing interface. | Built in Developer Hub apps in field, sidebar and dashboard UI locations. 13 | Built in 20 |
| Plugin marketplace The vendor runs an official directory or marketplace of installable extensions. | Built in Contentstack Marketplace. 13 | Built in Strapi Marketplace. 2 |
| Form builder Editors can build and publish forms and collect submissions without code. | Not available | Not available |
| Site member accounts The platform handles sign-up and login for public site users or members, separate from editors. | Not available | Built in Users & Permissions feature for end users. 17 |
| AI writing assistant A first-party AI feature in the editing interface generates, rewrites or translates content. | Plugin or add-on Official AI Assistant app with Contentstack-managed or your own model keys. 113 | Paid tier AI translation and image alt text on Growth. Not yet available on Enterprise. 212 |
| Official MCP server The vendor publishes a Model Context Protocol server so AI agents can read or write content. | Built in Official server run locally with npx @contentstack/mcp. 14 | Built in Built in. Developers switch it on in the server config. 13 |
Contentstack sources
Checked 29 Sept 2026. Contentstack Content Cloud headless CMS, Free, Growth and Enterprise plans.
- Contentstack pricing
- Contentstack docs: Migrate content using the CLI migration command
- Contentstack docs: Image Delivery API
- Contentstack docs: GraphQL Content Delivery API
- Contentstack docs: Content Delivery API
- Contentstack docs: About Releases
- Contentstack docs: About Workflows
- Contentstack docs: Real-Time Collaboration in the Entry Editor
- Contentstack docs: Examples to create custom roles
- Contentstack docs: About Single Sign-On (SSO)
- Contentstack docs: Monitor stack activities in Audit Log
- Contentstack docs: About Visual Editor
- Contentstack docs: AI Assistant app
- Contentstack docs: Contentstack MCP Server
- Contentstack docs: About Languages
Strapi sources
Checked 29 Sept 2026. Strapi 5 CMS, free Community edition with paid Growth and Enterprise plans for self-hosted projects.
- @strapi/strapi on the npm registry
- Strapi CMS pricing
- Strapi Cloud pricing
- We're removing the Free plan from Strapi Cloud
- Strapi docs: Preview
- Strapi docs: Releases
- Strapi docs: Content History
- Strapi docs: Role-Based Access Control
- Strapi docs: Review Workflows
- Strapi docs: Audit Logs
- Strapi docs: Single Sign-On
- Strapi docs: AI for content managers
- Strapi docs: MCP server
- Strapi docs: GraphQL plugin
- Strapi docs: Media Library
- Strapi docs: Content-type Builder
- Strapi docs: Users & Permissions
- Strapi docs: Webhooks
- Strapi docs: Models
- Strapi docs: Admin panel customization
Considering more platforms? Compare Contentstack and Strapi with the rest of your shortlist in the CMS comparison tool.
Where they differ
Contentstack and Strapi get a different status on 14 of the 28 features and the same status on 14. Contentstack has 17 built in on its baseline edition, Strapi has 15. Two matching statuses can still name different paid tiers or limits, so read the notes in the table before treating a row as equal.
- Licence
- Contentstack is closed source (Proprietary). Strapi is open source (MIT).
- Self-hosting
- Contentstack cannot be self-hosted. Strapi can be self-hosted.
Built in on Contentstack, a different answer on Strapi 6
- GraphQL API Contentstack: Built in. Strapi: Plugin or add-on.
- Scheduled publishing Contentstack: Built in. Strapi: Paid tier.
- Version history Contentstack: Built in. Strapi: Paid tier.
- Visual editing Contentstack: Built in. Strapi: Paid tier.
- Content releases Contentstack: Built in. Strapi: Paid tier.
- Multiple sites Contentstack: Built in. Strapi: Not available.
Built in on Strapi, a different answer on Contentstack 4
- Content model in code Contentstack: Limited. Strapi: Built in.
- Custom roles Contentstack: Paid tier. Strapi: Built in.
- Field-level permissions Contentstack: Paid tier. Strapi: Built in.
- Site member accounts Contentstack: Not available. Strapi: Built in.
Built in on neither, with different answers 4
- Real-time co-editing Contentstack: Limited. Strapi: Not available.
- Single sign-on Contentstack: Limited. Strapi: Paid tier.
- Audit log Contentstack: Limited. Strapi: Paid tier.
- AI writing assistant Contentstack: Plugin or add-on. Strapi: Paid tier.
More comparisons
Full write-ups with worked examples and costs: Strapi vs Payload.
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Strapi against other platforms
- Adobe Experience Manager vs Strapi
- Contentful vs Strapi
- CoreMedia Content Cloud vs Strapi
- Craft CMS vs Strapi
- DatoCMS vs Strapi
- Decap CMS vs Strapi
- Directus vs Strapi
- Drupal vs Strapi
- EmDash vs Strapi
- FirstSpirit vs Strapi
- Framer vs Strapi
- Ghost vs Strapi
- HubSpot CMS vs Strapi
- Hygraph vs Strapi
- Instatic vs Strapi
- Joomla vs Strapi
- Keystone vs Strapi
- Kirby vs Strapi
- Liferay DXP vs Strapi
- Optimizely CMS vs Strapi
- Strapi vs Payload
- Prismic vs Strapi
- Progress Sitefinity vs Strapi
- Sanity vs Strapi
- Sitecore vs Strapi
- Squarespace vs Strapi
- Statamic vs Strapi
- Storyblok vs Strapi
- Strapi vs TYPO3
- Strapi vs Umbraco
- Strapi vs Wagtail
- Strapi vs Webflow
- Strapi vs Wix
- Strapi vs WordPress
- Xperience by Kentico vs Strapi
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