A comparative guide to the best headless CMS for your web project.

As a leader on a new web project, the quest for the "best" headless CMS can feel overwhelming, navigating a list of features, jargon, and vendor promises. The truth is, there's no single "best" solution for everyone – it's about finding the best fit for your unique needs, budget and team capabilities.

In this article, I cut through the noise, outlining what headless actually means and the benefits of using a headless CMS. I also pose the critical questions you should be asking and provide a comparative overview of how four leading headless CMS platforms – Storyblok, Sanity, Hygraph, and Contentful – stack up against key criteria. And I present a handy comparison table to help you make a more informed decision. By the end, you'll be well-equipped to determine which headless CMS truly is "best" for your next big web project and understand how our expertise can guide you through any complexities.

What exactly is a headless CMS, and why might it be the best choice for your project?

A headless CMS decouples content management from frontend display. Unlike traditional CMS such as WordPress, it delivers raw content via APIs. Visual editors (like Storyblok's or a custom Sanity Studio) are separate frontend applications, consuming API content to enable visual editing.

The "best" benefits of going headless.

According to WP Engine's 2024 "State of Headless" report, moving to a headless architecture unlocks a host of advantages that directly translate into a more efficient, flexible, and powerful web presence:

1. Omnichannel Consistency and Efficient Content Reuse: Headless architecture future-proofs your content strategy by enabling seamless omnichannel delivery, allowing you to publish once for websites, apps, IoT, and more. This drives efficiency and scalability, with 82% of respondents confirming it simplifies consistent content experiences and 80% agreeing it allows for efficient content reuse across channels.
2. Enhanced Performance and Faster Load Times: The decoupled nature of headless architecture often leads to a dramatic increase in site performance. Pages load faster by reducing unnecessary server requests and streamlining content delivery.
3. Robust Security: Headless architecture offers significant security benefits by isolating the CMS from the presentation layer, which reduces the attack surface and makes it harder for malicious actors to exploit system vulnerabilities. It also allows for more granular security controls, protecting sensitive data across all platforms. 42% of respondents integrate security software with their headless architecture setups.
4. Scalability and Organisational Agility: Headless architecture significantly enhances scalability, with 79% of users rating their ability to scale as good, versus 62% of non-adopters. This performance boost extends to organisational agility: 90% of headless adopters effectively manage change, compared to 76% who haven't switched. Such adaptability is crucial, as over 83% of respondents deem digital experiences essential for their success.
5. Innovation and Integration of Emerging Technologies: Headless architecture is a leading choice for seamlessly integrating emerging technologies, with over 70% of respondents citing enhanced technology and innovation as top benefits, including over 20% specifically for AI integrations. It also facilitates the integration of vital tools like analytics (43%), security (42%), and CRM (41%) within headless setups.
6. Competitive Edge in the Experience Economy: Businesses embracing headless architecture are gaining a decisive edge. 80% of surveyed companies feel they're ahead of competitors in delivering new digital experiences, with nearly 70% citing competitiveness as a top benefit of using headless.
7. Improved Customer Experience and Efficiency: Nearly half (49%) of respondents view headless as improving customer experience through consistent content delivery, elevated performance, and scalability. Additionally, 30% emphasise time-saving benefits and increased efficiency, empowering teams to innovate more effectively.

Why our clients choose headless

For clients like MBL, the decision to adopt a headless CMS architecture was a strategic one, driven by a clear vision for the future of their digital presence. After a comprehensive review of all available options, we recommended Hygraph.

This recommendation was based on several key benefits: flexibility and future-proofing for their website. A headless solution specifically enables MBL to build their front-end application in DotNet Core, ensuring a modern and robust user experience. Furthermore, it allows for seamless and straightforward integration with their existing AAD (Azure Active Directory) and various APIs, which was a critical requirement for their project.

Head-to-head: Comparing Storyblok, Sanity, Hygraph, and Contentful for your "best" fit.

Now, let's get into the nitty-gritty of how four popular headless CMSs, Storyblok, Sanity, Hygraph, and Contentful, differentiate themselves across critical project aspects.

Before I dive in to specific features and benefits, here is a brief summary of the key benefits for each CMS:

• Storyblok: Visual editor, marketer-friendly, component-based, AI-powered
• Sanity: Developer-centric, highly customisable
• Hygraph: GraphQL-native, complex data, enterprise-level compliance.
• Contentful: Enterprise-grade, content production-focused, AI-driven, integration-rich.

Head-to-head headless CMS comparison table.

Weighing up all the factors I mention below, I’ve digested all the info into this handy comparison table to help you reach a more informed decision.

How do these headless CMS platforms impact our development workflow?

Choosing the best headless CMS for development depends on priorities:

• Contentful excels for API quality and documentation: mature REST/GraphQL APIs, comprehensive SDKs, and an API-first design make it highly developer-friendly. It has a vast marketplace of apps to extend functionality without deep custom coding.
• Sanity is ideal for developers wanting ultimate content editing customisation. Its open-source, React-based Studio allows building bespoke workflows, input fields, and tailored UIs via "schema-in-code".
• Hygraph is best for GraphQL-native development and complex data orchestration. Its GraphQL-first architecture optimises for intricate content relationships.
• Storyblok has a component-based architecture, which maps directly to frontend components. This often streamlines development for teams building with frameworks like Next.js or Nuxt.js by aligning content structure with UI elements.

In a nutshell:

The best headless CMS for your development workflow depends on your team's priorities. Contentful shines for API quality and documentation, offering mature REST/GraphQL APIs and broad SDK support. Sanity is ideal for developers seeking ultimate customisation of the editing experience through its open-source, React-based Studio. Hygraph excels for GraphQL-native development and complex data orchestration. Finally, Storyblok streamlines development for component-based frontend frameworks, directly aligning content structure with UI elements. Rest assured, our team will handle the technical implementation, ensuring a smooth development process regardless of your chosen platform.

What about the content creators and marketers, will they still have a good experience?

The best CMS for content teams and marketers depends on their workflow needs:

• Storyblok is top for visual page building and direct content manipulation. Its Visual Editor empowers marketers with intuitive "what you see is what you get" control over website content.
• Contentful suits structured content management, robust governance, and multi-channel previews. It offers real-time collaboration and version control to streamline content production.
• Sanity fits teams with developer support for highly customised editing environments. Its flexible Sanity Studio enables tailored workflows for complex, reusable content.
• Hygraph provides strong tools for collaboration, versioning, and granular permissions, ideal for organised operations with complex data structures.

In a nutshell:

Choosing the best headless CMS for content creators and marketers hinges on their primary workflows. For visual page building and agile updates, Storyblok excels with its intuitive "what you see is what you get" Visual Editor. However, for pure content creation like articles and guides, Contentful offers a clean interface and a robust rich text editor. If your strategy involves developers needing extreme customisation and programmatic control over the editing experience, Sanity is generally the top choice due to its open-source, React-based Studio for tailoring workflows and content structures. Our headless CMS agency understands the needs of both technical and non-technical users, and we design solutions that empower your content teams with intuitive tools.
 

What are the performance, scalability, and security implications?

These requirements are critical for any successful web project. Here's how these four compare:

• Contentful excels for enterprise-grade performance, scalability, and security. It's built for high-volume content delivery and provides extensive compliance certifications (e.g. SOC 2, GDPR).
• Hygraph also shines for performance, scalability, and security, especially with its GraphQL-native optimisation for large-scale data and strong enterprise-level SOC 2 Type 2 compliance.
• Sanity offers excellent scalability via its "Content Lake" for flexible data and robust security features like strong access control and data integrity.
• Storyblok provides reliable performance, scalability, and security, benefiting from its decoupled architecture and adherence to industry standards, supporting fast visual content delivery.

In a nutshell:

All four headless CMS platforms offer strong performance, scalability, and security as cloud-native SaaS solutions leveraging global CDNs. However, Contentful and Hygraph typically stand out for large-scale enterprise needs. They're engineered for high-volume content delivery and robust infrastructure. For security, while all prioritise best practices (RBAC, MFA, encryption), Contentful and Hygraph's stronger enterprise focus often means more extensive compliance certifications (e.g. GDPR, SOC 2) and dedicated security resources, appealing to organisations with stringent regulatory demands. We ensure that the chosen platform meets your specific performance, scalability, and security requirements, providing a robust and reliable foundation for your digital presence.

What's the total cost of ownership and vendor support like?

All platforms offer tiered pricing: Free/Starter, Growth/Mid-Tier, and Custom Enterprise.

• Contentful: Focuses on delivering intelligent, AI-powered experiences with personalisation and visual assembly via Studio.
• Hygraph: Emphasises scalability with billable add-ons, unifying services, and robust governance for mission-critical operations.
• Sanity: Offers flexibility and real-time content management through its Content Lake, with tools for content operations like AI-assisted writing.
• Storyblok: Stands out with its "best-in-class Visual Editor," strong collaboration, multi-language support, and release management.

Plans and pricing models can be broken down essentially into two tiers:

Growth/Mid-Tier Plans (For Small to Medium Businesses and Scaling Projects):

• Contentful Lite (£300/month): Ideal for smaller businesses needing enhanced collaboration (20 users, scheduled publishing).
• Hygraph Growth (From £199/month): Cost-effective for small businesses, flexible with billable add-ons for scaling.
• Sanity Growth (£15/seat/month): Highly flexible per-seat pricing, includes AI Assist and Content Releases, powerful for growing teams.
• Storyblok Growth/Plus (£99-£349/month): Offers significant capacity leaps (e.g. 15 users, 4M API requests, 10 locales in Plus), strong for growing multi-language content.

Enterprise/Custom Plans (For Large Organisations with Complex Needs):

All offer custom pricing and dedicated support for high scalability, advanced security, and tailored solutions.

• Contentful Premium/Custom: Best for highly tailored, AI-powered digital experiences at scale, with comprehensive support and compliance.
• Hygraph Enterprise: Ideal for market-leading applications needing robust security, governance, and reliable infrastructure for unified content.
• Sanity Enterprise: Suited for complex security, support, and performance needs, offering granular control and flexibility for highly customised operations.
• Storyblok Premium/Elite: Excellent for large organisations demanding limitless scalability, reliability, and advanced content capabilities like AI SEO and comprehensive release management.

In a nutshell:

If visual content editing is top priority, Storyblok offers exceptional value. For AI-driven personalisation and content automation, Contentful is likely best. For flexible scaling with detailed per-usage add-ons, Hygraph is transparent. And for a developer-driven environment with extensive customisation and a highly performant content backend with generous free features, Sanity is a strong contender. Our free consultations include a thorough cost analysis, ensuring transparency and helping you maximise your return on investment.

What are business users' opinions of the CMS?

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G2, a respected and trusted peer-to-peer review platform focused on business software and services, lists all four CMSs, each with extensive reviews. The rankings go as follows:

#1 Sanity (4.7 stars, 901 reviews)

Pros:

When analysing the Sanity reviews, developers praise its ease of understanding, excellent DX, and built-in live preview. Its "content as data" philosophy enables robust management of large, structured datasets, enhancing content quality and updates. The powerful GROQ query language is consistently highlighted as a favourite. Users also commend its supportive community, generous free tier, and cost-effective prototyping.

Sanity's Studio is highly extensible via custom components and plugins. Its versatility, scalability, and decoupled architecture make it robust for multi-language, e-commerce, and various applications. Finally, real-time collaboration, a fast Studio, and visual editing enhance user experience, facilitating "omni-channel content" and advanced linked data publication.

Cons:

While Sanity offers immense power, some users report an initial learning curve, and occasionally, documentation can be less comprehensive, leading users to rely on community forums. Some users have also noted a desire for certain features to be more readily available without extensive configuration, or tied to higher pricing tiers. Furthermore, while generally robust, some technical challenges, such as handling very large documents or specific query language nuances, have been reported, along with occasional minor bugs. Customising the user experience for non-developers can also require a dedicated approach. Finally, while support is generally positive, some users have experienced less than immediate assistance. However, with our experienced development team, we mitigate these challenges, providing the expertise to navigate any initial learning curves and ensure a smooth implementation.

#2 Storyblok (4.5 stars, 480 reviews)

Pros:

Storyblok reviews widely praise its intuitive visual editor, which facilitates real-time content preview and significantly enhances collaboration between developers and content teams, making content changes easy for non-technical users. Its headless architecture offers extensive flexibility, allowing content to be used across various platforms like web, mobile apps, and IoT, and integrating seamlessly with modern frameworks, which contributes to faster development cycles and scalable projects.

The component-based structure ensures content consistency and reusability, while the platform as a whole streamlines content management and boosts productivity. Users also appreciate its clean interface, comprehensive documentation, responsive support, and continuous improvements, including the addition of an AI assistant.

Cons:

Some users report that Storyblok can represent a significant investment, with occasional concerns regarding pricing adjustments or limitations for existing customers. While highly intuitive, some technical tasks and complex integrations may require developer assistance due to its custom-built nature. Content management has also seen feedback regarding translation workflows, the extent of AI support for tasks like SEO, and certain image editing functionalities. Additionally, some users have noted aspects like the ease of deleting blocks without an immediate undo option, and a desire for more "cloneable" templates or shareable custom blocks. We work closely with clients to define a clear budget and ensure transparent pricing, and our development team minimises the need for extensive in-house technical support for ongoing maintenance.

#3 Hygraph (4.5 stars, 637 reviews):

Pros:

Hygraph reviews frequently highlight its ease of use and intuitive interface, praising its clear setup, clean UI, and straightforward schema building with drag-and-drop functionality, which enables quick comprehension for both developers and content creators. The platform's flexibility and robust content modelling are highly valued, allowing for the design of complex content structures and the ability to manage and deliver structured content across various platforms from a single source of truth. Its powerful and reliable GraphQL API is a consistent pro, providing a developer-friendly experience that simplifies workflows, speeds up data retrieval, and enables the rapid creation of custom content models and seamless integration.

Users also appreciate Hygraph's scalability for complex content needs and its ability to solve the problem of rigid, monolithic CMS systems with a headless solution, alongside features like real-time live preview for smoother collaboration between editors and developers. Additionally, strong support from the Hygraph team and solutions architects, detailed fine-grained permission controls, and excellent integration capabilities, including content federation to reuse existing APIs, are commonly reported benefits.

Cons:

While powerful, some users have noted an initial learning curve with Hygraph, finding certain advanced features might require a deeper understanding for beginners. The user experience for non-technical users, such as copywriters, can sometimes be perceived as less intuitive, making aspects of content management more accessible with a technical background. Pricing can be a consideration for some users, and while generally stable, minor bugs are occasionally reported. Feedback also suggests a desire for more built-in standardisation for SEO elements and broader customisation options compared to traditional CMS platforms. Our agency provides comprehensive onboarding and ongoing support to ensure all users, regardless of technical background, can effectively utilise Hygraph's capabilities.

Contentful (4.2 stars, 309 reviews)

Pros:

Users frequently report that Contentful CMS is incredibly easy to use, featuring a user-friendly interface that is fast and simple to learn, making onboarding for editors and authors "extremely simple". It excels in efficient content management, allowing teams to create, manage, and publish diverse content types like text, images, and videos, while also supporting modular content and ensuring consistency across platforms.

Its API-first approach ensures seamless integrations and high interoperability with other systems, making it a flexible and composable platform that allows teams to build exactly what they need. This contributes to significant time and resource savings, reflecting changes quickly, and enhancing speed to market. Furthermore, users appreciate its reliability with very rare bugs and effective localisation and multi-language support. Overall, Contentful is seen as a strategic asset that solves content management and delivery challenges, simplifying authoring and enabling effective content strategies.

Cons:

Some Contentful users have expressed feedback regarding the content authoring experience, particularly with multi-level nesting and navigation in the traditional UI, which some find less intuitive. For very large content spaces, the UI can experience slower performance, and environment management might feel somewhat restrictive for certain content merging workflows. Other points of feedback include a desire for more robust default rich text editing features, multi-asset uploading, and enhanced workflow automation. Pricing and plan limitations, such as content type and user limits, have also been noted, sometimes necessitating an upgrade to enterprise plans. Even with improvements like the Studio app, it may be a paid extra. We advise our clients on the most appropriate Contentful plan to meet their specific needs, mitigating potential cost surprises, and leverage our expertise to streamline workflows and optimise the authoring experience.

So what’s the “best” headless CMS for my needs?

Ultimately, the "best" headless CMS isn't a universal truth, but rather a reflection of your project's unique priorities:

Storyblok: Best for users who prioritise visual page building and ease of use. It's well-suited for marketers and content creators who want a "what you see is what you get" editing experience.

Sanity: Ideal for developers who need extensive customisation options and a flexible content schema. It's a good fit for projects requiring tailored editing workflows and programmatic control. While it offers significant flexibility, our team will manage the initial setup and configuration, minimising any learning curve for your internal team.

Hygraph: Suited for projects with complex data relationships and a need for GraphQL-native development. It's a strong choice for enterprise-level scalability and robust content modelling.

Contentful: A leading choice for large enterprises seeking a mature, reliable, and widely adopted platform. It generally is perceived as the first choice for content production and integration capabilities and provides comprehensive support.