Imagine you’re managing social content for a rapidly growing brand. Your traditional CMS struggles to keep up with content updates across your website, mobile app, and social media channels. Updates are slow and often require back-end changes that only IT can handle, delaying marketing campaigns and impacting customer experience.

So, what do you do? You switch to a hosted headless CMS solution. With its API-first approach, you can decouple content management from the front-end presentation layer. This means your marketing team can update content directly without waiting for IT support.

In this post, we’ll explore the best hosted headless CMS options for 2024, examining their key features and pricing to help you find the perfect solution for your business.

What is a Hosted Headless CMS?

A hosted headless CMS separates the back-end content repository from the front-end presentation layer. The back-end is used for managing and storing content, which is then delivered to any device or front-end through APIs.

This approach allows developers to build custom front-end experiences using any technology stack while utilising the CMS solely for content storage and management. When hosted, the CMS infrastructure is managed and maintained by the service provider, offering benefits such as scalability, security, and reduced maintenance overhead for businesses.

Benefits of Using a Hosted Headless CMS Solution

• Reduced Maintenance: The service provider handles hosting, updates, and infrastructure, reducing the need for in-house IT maintenance.
• Scalability: Easily scales with growing content and traffic needs without significant infrastructure changes.
• Flexibility: Supports any front-end technology, enabling developers to create highly customised and unique user experiences.
• Omni-channel Delivery: Delivers content seamlessly across multiple platforms, including websites, mobile apps, IoT devices, and more.
• Improved Performance: Faster content delivery as the back-end and front-end are decoupled, optimising performance on each end.
• Enhanced Security: Managed hosting environments often include robust security measures to protect content from threats.
• Cost-Effective: Reduces costs associated with maintaining and upgrading in-house infrastructure.
• Future-Proof: Easily integrates with new technologies and platforms, ensuring the CMS stays relevant and effective.

Why Choose a Headless CMS Over a Traditional CMS?

• Architecture: Traditional CMS combines front-end and back-end into a single system, limiting flexibility and making updates cumbersome. A headless CMS decouples the back-end from the front-end, delivering content via APIs to any front-end or device, enabling more versatile and modern web development practices.

• Content Delivery: Traditional CMS delivers content through predefined templates and themes, restricting how and where content can be displayed. Headless CMS delivers content through APIs, allowing it to be displayed on any platform or device, improving the reach and adaptability of your content strategy.

• Flexibility: Traditional CMS is limited by the front-end capabilities and design constraints of the CMS, which can hinder creativity. Headless CMS is highly flexible, allowing developers to use any front-end technology to create customised user experiences.

• Scalability: Traditional CMS can be challenging to scale as front-end and back-end are tightly coupled, creating bottlenecks as your site grows. Headless CMS is easier to scale since the back-end manages content independently of the front-end, allowing each layer to be scaled as needed without affecting the other.

• Customisation: Traditional CMS customisations are often limited to what the CMS platform supports, restricting the ability to meet specific business needs. Headless CMS provides extensive customisation options, enabling developers to build custom front-ends tailored to exact requirements, creating unique and differentiated digital experiences.

• Speed and Performance: Traditional CMS can be slower due to combined processing of front-end and back-end, affecting load times and overall performance. Headless CMS is generally faster since it only serves content, allowing front-end optimisation by developers, resulting in better performance and quicker load times.

Choosing a headless CMS over a traditional CMS offers significant advantages in flexibility, scalability, and performance, making it a superior choice for modern web development and content management needs.

Best Hosted Headless CMS Platforms in 2024

Selecting the right headless CMS can be challenging, but knowing the top options can make it easier. These platforms offer flexibility, scalability, and a wide array of features to meet the diverse needs of modern web development. Here’s a guide to the best hosted headless CMS platforms in 2024, highlighting their features and pricing.

1. Agility CMS

Agility CMS is transforming personalised content experiences with its exclusive white-glove service and steadfast commitment to MACH architecture. Our cloud-native API-first approach ensures scalable and future-proof content, paving the way for seamless and innovative customer interactions.

Key Features

• Integrated Layout Management: Unique among headless CMS options, Agility CMS offers integrated layout management, providing unparalleled control over content placement and eliminating duplication.
• Seamless Integration: Easily integrates with various systems, empowering businesses to craft cohesive and immersive customer journeys across multiple channels.
• Flexibility and Extensibility: Agility CMS is a flexible, user-friendly, and highly extensible platform tailored to address unique business challenges.
• Headless CMS+ Experience: Combines the benefits of traditional CMS layout management with the flexibility of a headless CMS, guaranteeing a streamlined and efficient content management experience for developers and editors alike.
• Cloud-Native API-First Approach: Ensures scalable and future-proof content delivery.
• White-Glove Service: Offers personalised support and service, enhancing the overall user experience.
• Focus on MACH Architecture: Emphasises modularity, ensuring robust, scalable, and secure content management.

Pros

• Integrated Layout Management: Provides control over content placement and eliminates duplication.
• Seamless Integration: Integrates with various systems for cohesive and immersive customer journeys.
• User-Friendly and Extensible: Flexible and highly extensible platform.
• Future-Proof Content Delivery: Cloud-native API-first approach ensures scalability.
• Personalised Support: White-glove service enhances user experience.
• MACH Architecture: Ensures modular, scalable, and secure content management.

Cons

• Complexity for Simple Use Cases: Extensive features may be overkill for smaller projects or businesses with simpler content management needs.
• Learning Curve: Deep customisation options and integration capabilities may present a learning curve for new users.
• Potential Costs: White-glove service and advanced features may come at a higher cost compared to more straightforward CMS solutions.

With Agility CMS, businesses don’t just adopt a platform; they embrace a collaborative partner dedicated to transforming their digital landscape. Agility CMS’s focus on personalised solutions, combined with the robustness of MACH architecture and white-glove service, makes it the go-to choice for those seeking modular solutions tailored to their distinctive needs. Unlock your brand’s voice, overcome unique challenges, and elevate your digital presence with Agility CMS.

2. Sanity

Sanity is one of the best headless CMS options available, as evidenced by its use by renowned companies like Nike, Figma, and National Geographic. Sanity stands out for its exceptional flexibility in development.

The platform offers deep customisation capabilities, thanks to its open-source support, numerous plugins, and the ability to create custom components as needed. Engineers can tailor the editing environment using JavaScript and React, and seamlessly integrate the backend with powerful APIs and rich data modelling capabilities. Sanity comes with live previews, real-time collaboration, and a full version history right out of the box. In summary, Sanity offers extensive freedom but requires more technical expertise to set up and use effectively.

Pros

• Supports many technologies, including React
• Allows for deep customisation
• Provides content previews for content teams

Cons

• Requires substantial technical knowledge to set up

3. Storyblok

Storyblok is a visual editor designed for content teams, offering a pure headless SaaS CMS experience. This makes it easier for editors to make changes themselves, akin to traditional website builders.

The CMS supports a wide range of technologies, including Vue.js, Gridsome, Laravel, Nuxt.js, Gatsby.js, React, Svelte, Next.js, Ruby, and Django. In terms of pricing, a free option is available, with packages starting at $9 per user, per month.

Features

• Supports Multi-Languages by Default: Provides built-in support for multiple languages.
• Content Workflows: Facilitates structured content workflows for efficient content management.
• Extensible Functionality: Allows the extension of functionalities through plugins.

Pros

• Visual Editor: Offers an intuitive visual editor for easy content creation and editing.
• Data Sources: Integrates various data sources for comprehensive content management.
• Component-Based: Uses a component-based approach, enhancing flexibility and reusability.

Cons

• Limited Database Use: Not suitable for use as a primary database.

4. Strapi

Strapi is an open-source Node.js headless content management system, meaning its entire codebase is available on GitHub and thrives on community contributions. Strapi generates a working RESTful API or uses GraphQL for developers in minutes after installation, making data available through a customisable API. Unlike SaaS CMS solutions, Strapi is self-hosted, with a hosted version expected soon.

Strapi’s primary goal is to build a robust API while offering an intuitive admin panel. It facilitates user session and application management, though users occasionally encounter issues with the drag-and-drop interface and array data types.

Strapi allows you to define the content-type structure you need, with categories such as Text, Date, Media, Password, Relation, and Number. Additionally, you can edit the API code for further customisation. Strapi also features auto-generated documentation, framework integration, and a plugin ecosystem.

Features

• Built-In RESTful and GraphQL API Support: Offers support for both RESTful and GraphQL APIs.
• 100% JavaScript: Uses JavaScript for both front-end and CMS.
• Customisable Admin Panel: Provides a good admin panel for content editors, fully customisable to fit specific needs.
• Rich Plugin Ecosystem: Supports various plugins to extend functionality.

Pros

• Open Source: Free and community-driven with a thriving contributor base.
• Fast Setup: Quick and easy project setup with fast and customisable API creation.
• Flexible Content Types: Allows defining a wide range of content types.
• Auto-Generated Documentation: Automatically creates documentation for your APIs.

Cons

• Pricing Model: The free version supports a limited number of users and roles, with the Enterprise edition offering more comprehensive support at a premium price.
• Database Relationships: Relationships in the database may not work as expected.
• Migration Tools: Lacks built-in tools for data migration.
• Security Features: Does not include built-in two-factor authentication (2FA).
• Database Cleanup: Does not automatically delete unnecessary tables and columns from the database.

5. Directus

Directus is an excellent headless CMS, especially if you have an existing SQL database. Written with Vue.js and powered by Node.js, Directus uses REST for the public API. As an open-source platform, Directus is free to use without limitations. The product suite includes an admin app for editors and a content API for developers, and it can be self-hosted for free.

Directus stands out for its flexibility in choosing libraries, tools, and stacks for your project. Developers can connect to content via API or SDK, directly to the database, or as a standalone application. Additionally, non-IT users can manage content through the Admin App, which features a robust version control system for rollbacks and retrieval of previous versions.

Features

• Good Customisation: Highly customisable to fit various project needs.
• Multi-Language Support: Supports over 30 languages out of the box.
• Built-In Authentication: Includes built-in authentication for enhanced security.
• No-Code App: Provides a no-code app for easier content management.
• Fully Decomposed and Extensible: The platform is decomposed and highly extensible, allowing for significant flexibility.

Pros

• Free and Open Source: Available for free without any usage limitations.
• Flexibility: Offers extensive flexibility in choosing libraries, tools, and stacks.
• Admin App for Non-IT Users: Allows non-technical users to manage content easily.
• Strong Version Control: Robust version control system for rollbacks and previous version retrieval.
• Multi-Language Support: Supports a wide range of languages out of the box.

Cons

• Self-Hosting Requirements: Requires self-hosting, which may not be suitable for all users.
• Complexity for Beginners: The flexibility and customisation options might present a learning curve for beginners.
• Resource Intensive: Managing and maintaining a self-hosted solution can be resource-intensive.

Directus is a powerful and flexible headless CMS, ideal for projects requiring a high degree of customisation and control over the database. Its open-source nature and robust feature set make it an attractive option for developers and content managers alike.

6. Prismic

Prismic is a SaaS headless CMS trusted by leading companies such as Google and Netflix. It enables users to choose their preferred technology, framework, and language for managing and delivering content. Prismic supports native integrations with eCommerce platforms and a wide range of technologies, including Node, React, Next, Gatsby, Vue, and Nuxt.

Prismic allows content querying through either RESTful API or GraphQL and supports deployment with hosting platforms like Vercel, Netlify, and Heroku. While the basic version is free, accessing the full range of features requires a paid subscription.

Features

• Internationalisation: Offers built-in support for multiple languages.
• Scheduling and Previews: Allows scheduling content and previewing changes before publishing.
• Supports Many Tech Stacks: Compatible with a wide range of technologies and frameworks.

Pros

• Trusted by Industry Leaders: Used by major companies like Google and Netflix.
• Flexible Technology Integration: Supports numerous technologies, frameworks, and languages.
• Native eCommerce Integration: Seamlessly integrates with eCommerce platforms.
• Content Querying: Offers both RESTful API and GraphQL for content querying.
• Deployment Flexibility: Supports deployment with popular hosting platforms such as Vercel, Netlify, and Heroku.

Cons

• Not Fully Open Source: While the basic version is free, many advanced features require a paid subscription.
• Cost: Accessing the full power of Prismic can be expensive, depending on the plan.
• Learning Curve: As with many robust platforms, there can be a learning curve for new users to fully utilise all features.

Prismic is a powerful and flexible headless CMS, ideal for businesses looking to leverage a variety of technologies and frameworks. Its extensive features, coupled with the support for eCommerce integrations and robust APIs, make it a strong choice for content management, despite the cost considerations for advanced usage.

7. ButterCMS

ButterCMS is a headless CMS designed to facilitate smooth data transfers from traditional CMS platforms. It integrates seamlessly with any framework and offers SDKs and plugins for various technologies, including Ruby, Rails, NodeJS, PHP, Laravel, .NET, Python, Django, Javascript, React, and more. ButterCMS provides features like custom content types, a media library, a CDN for assets, a testing environment, web-hooks, and flexible content modelling. It supports multi-sites and environments, comprehensive revision histories, scheduling, and much more.

Features

• SEO Support: Built-in features to enhance search engine optimisation.
• Quick Installation and Integration: Requires minimal time to set up and integrate.
• Built-In WYSIWYG Editor: User-friendly editor for creating and managing content.
• Migration Service: Facilitates the migration from traditional CMS platforms.
• CDN Support: Includes a content delivery network for faster asset delivery.
• Powerful Admin Interface: Intuitive and robust admin interface for managing content.

Pros

• Smooth Migration: Enables easy transfer of data from traditional CMS platforms.
• Wide Framework Support: Integrates with numerous frameworks and technologies.
• Flexible Content Modelling: Offers extensive customisation options for content types.
• Multi-Site and Environment Support: Manages multiple sites and environments efficiently.
• Comprehensive Revision History: Keeps track of all content changes and revisions.
• Scheduling and Web-hooks: Supports content scheduling and integration with web-hooks.

Cons

• Limited Open Source: While offering extensive features, it is not an open-source solution.
• Cost: Depending on the plan, accessing advanced features and services might be costly.
• Learning Curve: Some users may find the wide range of features overwhelming initially.

ButterCMS is an excellent choice for businesses looking to transition from traditional CMS platforms to a modern, flexible headless CMS. Its extensive framework support, robust feature set, and user-friendly admin interface make it a powerful tool for content management.

8. Contentful

Contentful is an API-driven headless CMS that emphasizes content management and backend operations. It is widely regarded as one of the best systems for small to medium enterprises. Contentful enables users to edit content from any smart device and integrates seamlessly with other services like Dropbox.

Contentful positions itself not just as a CMS but as a content infrastructure or CDN, focusing on delivering content efficiently. It allows users to create content models and define schemas to tailor content display to their needs.

Features

• Rich Editor Interface: Provides an intuitive and user-friendly editor for managing content.
• Intuitive Content Modelling: Allows for easy creation and management of content models and schemas.
• API Management: Developers can manage and deliver content via APIs, with flexibility to use their preferred languages and frameworks.
• Service Integration: Integrates with various services, including Dropbox, for enhanced functionality.
• Microservices Architecture: Employs a microservices architecture for scalable and modular content management.

Pros

• Flexible Content Management: Offers extensive flexibility in creating and managing content models and schemas.
• Cross-Platform Access: Allows content editing and management from any smart device.
• Developer-Friendly: Supports API-based content delivery and integration with various languages and frameworks.
• Service Integration: Seamlessly integrates with other services like Dropbox for extended functionality.
• Scalability: Microservices architecture supports scalability and modular content delivery.

Cons

• Complexity for Beginners: The advanced features and flexibility might be overwhelming for new users.
• Cost: Depending on the scale and requirements, the pricing may be on the higher side for some businesses.
• Limited Front-End Features: As a backend-focused solution, it may require additional development effort for front-end implementation.

Contentful is a powerful headless CMS suited for businesses seeking a robust content infrastructure. Its emphasis on content delivery, API management, and integration capabilities makes it a strong choice for enterprises looking for flexibility and scalability in their content management solutions.