Contentful vs Strapi
Our score, every feature we track, pricing plans, hosting and AI, side by side.
At a glance
The facts from each platform's profile, side by side.
| Metric | Contentful | Strapi |
|---|---|---|
| Our score | 4.4 | 4.2 |
| Pricing | Free plan · paid plans from about $300/mo | Free open source · Strapi Cloud and Enterprise paid |
| AI | AI Actions for generating, translating and summarizing content with third-party models | AI-assisted content-type building in the admin panel |
| Hosting | SaaS | SaaS or self-hosted |
| Source code | Closed source | Open source,Closed source |
| Created | 2013Storageroom | 2015 |
| Best for | Product and engineering teams running many sites and apps from one content hub | Teams that want full control of hosting and data on a JavaScript stack |
| AI features | AI Actions for generating, translating and summarizing content with third-party models | AI-assisted content-type building in the admin panel |
Features
How each platform offers a feature: free, in the cheapest paid plan, on a higher plan, or enterprise only. Open a feature to compare it across every platform.
Contentful
- AI content tools Tiered AI Actions for content generation, built on third-party models
- AI translation Tiered AI Actions for translation
- Content modeling Free References and validations
- Environments Tiered Environments and aliases for safe releases
- GraphQL API Free Alongside the REST API
- Headless API Free REST API with SDKs and documentation
- Localization Tiered Per-locale fields; costs climb with locales
- Plugins and apps Free App Framework and marketplace
- Visual editing Tiered Visual page building needs add-ons or custom work
Strapi
- Content modeling Free Content-Type Builder and Content Manager
- Editorial workflow Tiered Review workflows are a paid feature
- GraphQL API Free Out of the box
- Headless API Free Auto-generated REST API
- Hosting Included Strapi Cloud
- Localization Free Internationalization built in
- Plugins and apps Free Plugin marketplace
- Roles and permissions Tiered Role-based access control; SSO and audit logs are paid
- Self-hosting Free You own upgrades, security and scaling
Pricing
Every plan, cheapest first, and what the bill is counted by. Open a profile for what each plan includes.
Contentful
- FreeFree Free Learning and exploring the platform
- LiteFlat fee $300/ month Smaller businesses managing a single project
- PremiumCustom quote Custom Organizations with several use cases and spaces
Prices checked Vendor pricing page
Strapi
- CommunityFree Free Developers self-hosting an open-source CMS
- Cloud StarterPer project $35per project / month Small hosted projects and side projects
- GrowthFlat fee $45/ month Self-hosted teams needing preview and releases
- Cloud ProPer project $90per project / month Production sites that must stay online
- Cloud BusinessPer project $450per project / month High-traffic apps needing an uptime SLA
- EnterpriseCustom quote Custom Large organizations needing governance and support
Prices checked Vendor pricing page
Strengths and watch-outs
From our review of each platform.
Contentful
Strengths
- Mature content modeling, environments and per-locale fields.
- REST and GraphQL APIs with good SDKs and documentation.
- Large app marketplace and partner ecosystem.
- Scales across many spaces, sites and locales.
Watch out for
- AI features are editor helpers built on third-party models, not an end-to-end automated workflow.
- Costs climb with locales, spaces and usage.
- Visual page building needs add-ons or custom work.
Strapi
Strengths
- Open source with full control of data and hosting.
- Content-Type Builder makes modeling quick.
- Large plugin ecosystem and community.
- REST and GraphQL out of the box.
Watch out for
- Self-hosting means you own upgrades, security and scaling.
- Some features (SSO, review workflows, audit logs) are paid.
- AI capabilities are limited compared to SaaS rivals.
More comparisons
Everything on this page comes from our profiles of the two platforms, checked against each vendor's own documentation and pricing pages. Vendors change plans often: confirm prices on their site before you buy.