Which Headless CMS tools have a free tier?

8 of the 10 tools listed here offer a free tier: Contentful, Directus, Hygraph, Payload CMS, Prismic, Sanity, Storyblok, Strapi.

Do any of these offer enterprise pricing?

Yes — Contentful, ButterCMS, Contentstack, Directus, Hygraph, Payload CMS, Prismic, Sanity, Storyblok, Strapi all offer custom enterprise pricing beyond their standard tiers.

Which tools provide public API documentation?

Contentful, ButterCMS, Contentstack, Directus, Hygraph, Payload CMS, Prismic, Sanity, Storyblok, Strapi publish public API documentation.

Headless CMSUpdated 2026

Best Headless CMS for SaaS (Enterprise) 2026

Curated for teams matching: SaaS, Enterprise

Compare the options

Pricing shown where publicly available. Tools marked enterprise pricingdon't publish self-serve rates — you'll need to talk to sales.

Tool	API Type	Best For
01. ContentfulPick	REST + GraphQL	Enterprise teams needing a proven, widely-integrated platform
02. ButterCMS	REST + GraphQL	Teams wanting to bolt a CMS onto an existing app quickly
03. Contentstack	REST + GraphQL	Large enterprises needing governance at scale
04. Directus	REST + GraphQL	Teams with an existing database who don't want to migrate data
05. Hygraph	GraphQL-only	Teams already standardized on GraphQL
06. Payload CMS	REST + GraphQL	TypeScript-first developer teams
07. Prismic	REST + GraphQL	Teams that want marketers assembling pages from dev-built components
08. Sanity	GROQ (custom query language) + GraphQL	Developer-led teams wanting full control over the editing experience
09. Storyblok	REST + GraphQL	Teams needing marketers to self-serve without breaking design
10. Strapi	REST + GraphQL	Teams that want to self-host and control infrastructure

Our Pick

01Contentful

API-first content platform for omnichannel delivery

Mature API-first architectureLarge partner and integration ecosystemStrong enterprise governance tooling

Best for: Enterprise teams needing a proven, widely-integrated platform

API Type: REST + GraphQL

Role-Based Access Control: Yes — roles & permissions on paid tiers

Editor Preview Experience: Live preview via SDK integration, requires developer setup

Book a demo

“The most established headless CMS, with the deepest enterprise adoption and integration ecosystem.”

What does Reddit say about Contentful?

Pricing model

Freemium

Free tier

Available

– Capped users, content types, and API call volume — teams typically outgrow it quickly

Paid tier

– More users/roles, higher API limits, staging environments, SSO on higher tiers

Pricing (USD)

– Free tier available
– paid plans roughly $300+/mo, scaling to enterprise custom

View pricing →

Enterprise pricing

Available

API documentation

Available

View docs →

02ButterCMS

Headless CMS designed for fast integration into existing apps

Fast integration into existing appsManaged infrastructure, less DevOpsSimple content API

Best for: Teams wanting to bolt a CMS onto an existing app quickly

API Type: REST + GraphQL

Role-Based Access Control: Limited — basic team roles

Editor Preview Experience: Standard content form UI

Book a demo What does Reddit say about ButterCMS?

Pricing model

Paid

Free tier

Not available

– No permanent free tier — offers a free trial

Paid tier

– Managed content API, webhooks, multi-user collaboration

Pricing (USD)

Paid plans roughly $99–$999+/mo, enterprise custom above

View pricing →

Enterprise pricing

Available

API documentation

Available

View docs →

03Contentstack

Enterprise headless CMS / DXP

Enterprise content governance toolsOmnichannel content deliveryMarketplace of pre-built apps

Best for: Large enterprises needing governance at scale

API Type: REST + GraphQL

Role-Based Access Control: Yes — enterprise-grade governance

Editor Preview Experience: Live preview supported via SDKs

Book a demo What does Reddit say about Contentstack?

Pricing model

Paid

Free tier

Not available

– No permanent free tier — offers a time-limited free trial instead

Paid tier

– Enterprise-grade content governance, personalization, omnichannel delivery, marketplace apps

Pricing

No public self-serve pricing — enterprise custom quotes only

Enterprise pricing

Available

API documentation

Available

View docs →

04Directus

Open-source headless CMS wrapped around any SQL database

Works on top of your existing SQL databaseOpen-source, self-hostableInstant REST and GraphQL APIsSelf-Hostable

Best for: Teams with an existing database who don't want to migrate data

API Type: REST + GraphQL

Role-Based Access Control: Yes — granular, built into core

Editor Preview Experience: Basic data-grid style admin, no visual preview by default

Book a demo What does Reddit say about Directus?

Pricing model

Open Source

Free tier

Available

– Self-hosted requires managing your own database/infra
– Directus Cloud has only limited free usage

Paid tier

– Directus Cloud: managed hosting, backups, support

Pricing (USD)

– Free (self-hosted, open source)
– Directus Cloud starts around $15+/mo, enterprise custom above

View pricing →

Enterprise pricing

Available

API documentation

Available

View docs →

05Hygraph

GraphQL-native headless CMS (formerly GraphCMS)

GraphQL-native from the ground upStrong localization and content federationClean API developer experience

Best for: Teams already standardized on GraphQL

API Type: GraphQL-only

Role-Based Access Control: Yes — on paid tiers

Editor Preview Experience: Standard content form UI, no built-in visual preview

Book a demo What does Reddit say about Hygraph?

Pricing model

Freemium

Free tier

Available

– Capped content entries, API calls, and users on free tier

Paid tier

– Higher content/API limits, more team members, localization features

Pricing (USD)

– Free tier available
– paid plans roughly $299+/mo, enterprise custom above

View pricing →

Enterprise pricing

Available

API documentation

Available

View docs →

06Payload CMS

Code-first, TypeScript-native headless CMS

Content schemas defined directly in TypeScriptOpen-source, self-hostableDeep code-level customizationSelf-Hostable

Best for: TypeScript-first developer teams

API Type: REST + GraphQL

Role-Based Access Control: Yes — built into core

Editor Preview Experience: Live preview supported (developer-configured)

What does Reddit say about Payload CMS?

Pricing model

Open Source

Free tier

Available

– Self-hosted requires your own infra/DevOps
– Payload Cloud pricing applies for managed hosting

Paid tier

– Payload Cloud: managed hosting, database, and file storage bundled in

Pricing (USD)

– Free (self-hosted, open source)
– Payload Cloud roughly $35+/mo, enterprise custom above

View pricing →

Enterprise pricing

Available

API documentation

Available

View docs →

07Prismic

Headless CMS with a slice-based page builder

Slice-based page building for marketersDeveloper-built, marketer-assembled pagesBuilt-in preview and scheduling

Best for: Teams that want marketers assembling pages from dev-built components

API Type: REST + GraphQL

Role-Based Access Control: Yes — on paid tiers

Editor Preview Experience: Strong — slice-based visual page builder

Book a demo What does Reddit say about Prismic?

Pricing model

Freemium

Free tier

Available

– Capped users and API request volume on free tier

Paid tier

– More users, higher API limits, staging environments

Pricing (USD)

– Free tier available
– paid plans roughly $15–$500+/mo, enterprise custom above

View pricing →

Enterprise pricing

Available

API documentation

Available

View docs →

08Sanity

Headless CMS with a fully customizable editing environment

Fully customizable open-source StudioReal-time collaborative editingPowerful structured content querying (GROQ)

Best for: Developer-led teams wanting full control over the editing experience

API Type: GROQ (custom query language) + GraphQL

Role-Based Access Control: Yes — role-based access on paid tiers

Editor Preview Experience: Strong — real-time collaborative Studio with live preview

Book a demo What does Reddit say about Sanity?

Pricing model

Freemium

Free tier

Available

– Limited seats and API request/bandwidth quotas
– usage-based overages on paid tiers

Paid tier

– More seats, higher API/bandwidth limits, role-based access control, SSO on enterprise

Pricing (USD)

– Free tier available
– Growth plan roughly $15–$99+/mo per project, enterprise custom above

View pricing →

Enterprise pricing

Available

API documentation

Available

View docs →

09Storyblok

Headless CMS with a visual, component-based editor

Visual editor built for non-technical marketersComponent-based page buildingStrong developer + marketer balance

Best for: Teams needing marketers to self-serve without breaking design

API Type: REST + GraphQL

Role-Based Access Control: Yes — roles on paid tiers

Editor Preview Experience: Strong — visual editor shows the real page while editing

Book a demo What does Reddit say about Storyblok?

Pricing model

Freemium

Free tier

Available

– Capped number of spaces, API requests, and collaborators

Paid tier

– More spaces/users, higher API limits, workflow tools, SSO on enterprise

Pricing (USD)

– Free tier available
– paid plans roughly $90–$500+/mo, enterprise custom above

View pricing →

Enterprise pricing

Available

API documentation

Available

View docs →

10Strapi

Open-source, self-hostable headless CMS

Fully self-hostable, own your dataOpen-source with no vendor lock-inFlexible plugin systemSelf-Hostable

Best for: Teams that want to self-host and control infrastructure

API Type: REST + GraphQL

Role-Based Access Control: Yes — built into core, even the free tier

Editor Preview Experience: Basic admin panel preview, no live visual preview by default

Book a demo What does Reddit say about Strapi?

Pricing model

Open Source

Free tier

Available

– Free tier requires self-hosting/DevOps
– Strapi Cloud has only a trial, not a permanent free plan

Paid tier

– Strapi Cloud: managed hosting, database included, support SLAs

Pricing (USD)

– Free (self-hosted, open source)
– Strapi Cloud roughly $15–$99+/mo, enterprise custom above

View pricing →

Enterprise pricing

Available

API documentation

Available

View docs →

Best Headless CMS for SaaS (Enterprise) 2026

Compare the options

Frequently Asked Questions