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CMS comparison EmDash vs Strapi

EmDash vs Strapi

EmDash is an open-source traditional CMS that you host yourself. 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 16.

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  • EmDash Traditional · Open source · 14 of 28 built in
  • Strapi Headless · Open source · 15 of 28 built in

Sources checked: EmDash 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
EmDash vs Strapi feature comparison. Columns are the two platforms. Rows are features, grouped by area.
Platform
EmDash Traditional
Strapi Headless
Overview
What it is Open-source CMS from Cloudflare that runs inside an Astro site, with the admin and pages in one app on Cloudflare Workers or Node.js.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. EmDash 1.0, open source Version 1.0.1, released 28 Sept 2026 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 Cloudflare emdashcms.com Strapi strapi.io
Licence Open source MIT Open source MIT
Hosting Self-hosting No vendor cloud No managed hosting. You deploy to your own Cloudflare account or Node.js server. Self-hosting Vendor cloud Strapi Cloud removed its free plan in 2026. Hosting starts at the Starter plan.
Built with TypeScript, AstroTypeScript, Node.js, React
Database SQLite, Cloudflare D1, PostgreSQL, libSQLPostgreSQL, MySQL, MariaDB, SQLite
Pricing Public list prices only. Hosting and implementation are extra everywhere. Free to start Free and open source. You pay only for hosting. 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 Seed files set up new sites. A live site's model changes through the admin, API or CLI. 20 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 Admin role only. 220 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 Blocks field with versioned block types. 5 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 Each translation is a separate entry with its own status. 6 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 Uses Astro's image endpoint for sizes and formats. Crop and focal point in the editor. 78 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 9 Built in 2
GraphQL API The vendor or an official module provides a GraphQL API for content. Not available Plugin or add-on Official GraphQL plugin. 14
Webhooks The CMS can call an external URL when content is created, changed or published. Plugin or add-on Official webhook-notifier plugin. 18 Built in 218
Renders the website The CMS itself renders and serves the public pages through themes or templates. Headless-only products answer no. Built in The Astro site renders the pages. 2 Not available
Editorial workflow
Drafts Editors save changes as a draft and publish them later. The live version stays untouched until then. Built in 10 Built in Draft & Publish. 2
Scheduled publishing An editor can set a future date and time for content to publish or unpublish. Built in 10 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 On revision-enabled collections. 10 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 Signed preview links. 11 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 Signed-in editors get visual editing on the rendered page. 11 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. Not available Contributors cannot publish. No configurable review stages. 1210 Paid tier Review Workflows on Enterprise. 9
Content releases Editors group changes across several entries and publish them together as one release. Not available 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. Not available Not available
Access and governance
Custom roles Admins define their own roles with granular permissions instead of picking from a fixed set. Not available Five fixed roles from Subscriber to Admin. 12 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. Not available 12 Built in 8
Single sign-on Editors can sign in through SAML or OpenID Connect against a company identity provider. Limited Microsoft Entra sign-in built in. Other IdPs through Cloudflare Access. No native SAML. 12 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. Plugin or add-on Official audit-log plugin. 19 Paid tier Enterprise plan. 10
Platform and extensibility
Multiple sites One installation or account can manage several separate websites or brands with shared users. Not available Not available
Extensible admin UI Developers can add their own components, views or fields to the editing interface. Built in Plugins add admin pages and dashboard widgets. 13 Built in 20
Plugin marketplace The vendor runs an official directory or marketplace of installable extensions. Built in Plugin registry, launched with 1.0. 143 Built in Strapi Marketplace. 2
Form builder Editors can build and publish forms and collect submissions without code. Plugin or add-on Official forms plugin. 17 Not available
Site member accounts The platform handles sign-up and login for public site users or members, separate from editors. Limited Subscriber role reads member-only content. Members share the editors' user system. 12 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. Not available 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 Built in and on by default. 15 Built in Built in. Developers switch it on in the server config. 13

Considering more platforms? Compare EmDash and Strapi with the rest of your shortlist in the CMS comparison tool.

Where they differ

EmDash and Strapi get a different status on 16 of the 28 features and the same status on 12. EmDash has 14 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.

Vendor cloud
EmDash has no vendor-run cloud. Strapi has a vendor-run cloud.

Built in on EmDash, a different answer on Strapi 4

  • Renders the website EmDash: Built in. Strapi: Not available.
  • Scheduled publishing EmDash: Built in. Strapi: Paid tier.
  • Version history EmDash: Built in. Strapi: Paid tier.
  • Visual editing EmDash: Built in. Strapi: Paid tier.

Built in on Strapi, a different answer on EmDash 5

  • Content model in code EmDash: Limited. Strapi: Built in.
  • Webhooks EmDash: Plugin or add-on. Strapi: Built in.
  • Custom roles EmDash: Not available. Strapi: Built in.
  • Field-level permissions EmDash: Not available. Strapi: Built in.
  • Site member accounts EmDash: Limited. Strapi: Built in.

Built in on neither, with different answers 7

  • GraphQL API EmDash: Not available. Strapi: Plugin or add-on.
  • Approval workflows EmDash: Not available. Strapi: Paid tier.
  • Content releases EmDash: Not available. Strapi: Paid tier.
  • Single sign-on EmDash: Limited. Strapi: Paid tier.
  • Audit log EmDash: Plugin or add-on. Strapi: Paid tier.
  • Form builder EmDash: Plugin or add-on. Strapi: Not available.
  • AI writing assistant EmDash: Not available. Strapi: Paid tier.

More comparisons

Full write-ups with worked examples and costs: Strapi vs Payload.

EmDash against other platforms

Strapi against other platforms

Open the CMS comparison tool to put up to six platforms in one table.

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