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Contentful alternatives: 6 apps ranked by verified data

Facts checked Oct 25, 2026AppBreakup editorialHow we rank

Common reasons people leave Contentful: paid plans get expensive quickly, and quotas on records and locales constrain content models. We ranked 6 alternatives by how directly each one replaces Contentful, then by reviews, real visits and how recently each app's facts were checked against its own website. Sanity currently ranks first.

Quick comparison

#AppPricingOpen sourcePlatformsVerified factsScore
1Sanity logoSanityFree plan + paidNoWeb3 of 366.5
2Storyblok logoStoryblokFree plan + paidNoWeb4 of 462.6
3Contentstack logoContentstackFree plan + paidNoWeb3 of 359.6
4Hygraph logoHygraphFree plan + paidNoWeb3 of 357.2
5Strapi logoStrapiOpen sourceYesSelf-hosted, Web3 of 355.3
6Prismic logoPrismicFree plan + paidNoWeb3 of 353.6
  1. Sanity logo

    1. SanityTop pick

    Best for: Developer teams who want an editing interface tailored to their content

    Free plan + paidWeb

    66.5

    score / 100

    Why switch from Contentful

    Customisable editing studio and real-time collaboration, with a generous free plan.

    Pros

    • Editing studio is fully customisable in code
    • Real-time collaboration and visual editing
    • Generous free plan with many user seats

    Cons

    • Needs developers to set up and evolve the studio
    • GROQ is a proprietary query language to learn
    • Add-ons for extra quota and support cost extra
    Visit Sanity Compare with ContentfulDetails and reviews
    How this score is calculated
    Editorial fit ×0.3100
    Reviews ×0.363
    Clicks (90 days) ×0.150
    Freshness ×0.1585
    Votes ×0.150

    0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula

    Is Sanity a good Contentful alternative?

    Verified facts

    3 of 3 verified
    Free plan
    $0 forever, up to 20 seats
    Checked Oct 25, 2026sanity.io(opens source in a new tab)
    Growth plan
    $15 per seat/month
    Checked Oct 25, 2026sanity.io(opens source in a new tab)
    Dedicated support add-on
    $799 per month
    Checked Oct 25, 2026sanity.io(opens source in a new tab)
  2. Storyblok logo

    2. Storyblok

    Best for: Marketing teams that want visual page editing on top of a headless setup

    Free plan + paidWeb

    62.6

    score / 100

    Why switch from Contentful

    Visual editor that marketing teams find easier than form-based editing.

    Pros

    • Visual editor shows the real page while editing
    • Reusable components keep pages structured
    • Free Starter plan for small projects

    Cons

    • Large price jumps between paid tiers
    • Visual editing needs front-end integration work
    • No self-hosted option
    Visit Storyblok Details and reviews
    How this score is calculated
    Editorial fit ×0.387
    Reviews ×0.363
    Clicks (90 days) ×0.150
    Freshness ×0.1585
    Votes ×0.150

    0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula

    Is Storyblok a good Contentful alternative?

    Verified facts

    4 of 4 verified
    Free plan
    Starter
    Checked Oct 25, 2026storyblok.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Growth plan
    $99/month billed monthly
    Checked Oct 25, 2026storyblok.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Growth Plus plan
    $349/month billed monthly
    Checked Oct 25, 2026storyblok.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Free trial
    45 days
    Checked Oct 25, 2026storyblok.com(opens source in a new tab)
  3. Contentstack logo

    3. Contentstack

    Best for: Global enterprises that need governance, workflows and many markets in one CMS

    Free plan + paidWeb

    59.6

    score / 100

    Why switch from Contentful

    Enterprise headless CMS competing directly on governance and scale.

    Pros

    • Strong workflows, approvals and release management
    • Broad platform with personalisation and hosting
    • Now offers a free plan and self-serve tiers

    Cons

    • Full feature set is priced for enterprises
    • More platform than small teams need
    • Hosted only, no self-hosting
    Visit Contentstack Details and reviews
    How this score is calculated
    Editorial fit ×0.377
    Reviews ×0.363
    Clicks (90 days) ×0.150
    Freshness ×0.1585
    Votes ×0.150

    0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula

    Is Contentstack a good Contentful alternative?

    Verified facts

    3 of 3 verified
    Free plan
    $0/month forever
    Checked Oct 25, 2026contentstack.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Build plan
    $29/month
    Checked Oct 25, 2026contentstack.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Growth plan
    $299/month
    Checked Oct 25, 2026contentstack.com(opens source in a new tab)
  4. Hygraph logo

    4. Hygraph

    Best for: Teams that work in GraphQL and need to combine content with other APIs

    Free plan + paidWeb

    57.2

    score / 100

    Why switch from Contentful

    GraphQL-native headless CMS with content federation from other APIs.

    Pros

    • GraphQL-first API with mutations
    • Content federation merges remote APIs into one schema
    • Free Hobby plan for personal projects

    Cons

    • Big jump from the free plan to the Growth plan
    • GraphQL only for your own content
    • Form-based editing without visual page building
    Visit Hygraph Details and reviews
    How this score is calculated
    Editorial fit ×0.369
    Reviews ×0.363
    Clicks (90 days) ×0.150
    Freshness ×0.1585
    Votes ×0.150

    0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula

    Is Hygraph a good Contentful alternative?

    Verified facts

    3 of 3 verified
    Free plan
    Hobby, $0 free forever
    Checked Oct 25, 2026hygraph.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Growth plan
    From $199/month
    Checked Oct 25, 2026hygraph.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Content federation
    Connect remote sources
    Checked Oct 25, 2026hygraph.com(opens source in a new tab)
  5. Strapi logo

    5. Strapi

    Best for: JavaScript teams that want a self-hostable headless CMS they can customise in code

    Open sourceSelf-hostableSelf-hosted, Web

    55.3

    score / 100

    Why switch from Contentful

    Open-source and self-hostable, avoiding per-record SaaS limits.

    Pros

    • MIT-licensed core that's free to self-host
    • Generates REST and GraphQL APIs from your content types
    • Extensible with custom code and plugins in Node.js

    Cons

    • Major version upgrades can be painful
    • SSO, audit logs and review workflows are paid
    • You run and scale the server yourself unless you pay for Cloud
    Visit Strapi Details and reviews
    How this score is calculated
    Editorial fit ×0.363
    Reviews ×0.363
    Clicks (90 days) ×0.150
    Freshness ×0.1585
    Votes ×0.150

    0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula

    Is Strapi a good Contentful alternative?

    Verified facts

    3 of 3 verified
    License
    MIT
    Checked Oct 25, 2026strapi.io(opens source in a new tab)
    Cloud starting price
    $35 per project/month
    Checked Oct 25, 2026strapi.io(opens source in a new tab)
    Cloud Pro
    $90 per project/month
    Checked Oct 25, 2026strapi.io(opens source in a new tab)
  6. Prismic logo

    6. Prismic

    Best for: Marketing sites where developers ship sections and marketers build pages

    Free plan + paidWeb

    53.6

    score / 100

    Why switch from Contentful

    Cheaper headless CMS built around reusable page sections.

    Pros

    • Slices let marketers build pages without breaking the design
    • Lower prices than enterprise headless CMSs
    • Free plan for personal sites and prototypes

    Cons

    • Less suited to complex relational content
    • Editors limited to the slices developers have built
    • Hosted only, with no self-hosting
    Visit Prismic Details and reviews
    How this score is calculated
    Editorial fit ×0.357
    Reviews ×0.363
    Clicks (90 days) ×0.150
    Freshness ×0.1585
    Votes ×0.150

    0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula

    Is Prismic a good Contentful alternative?

    Verified facts

    3 of 3 verified
    Free plan
    $0/month, 1 user
    Checked Oct 25, 2026prismic.io(opens source in a new tab)
    Starter plan
    $10/month per repository, paid annually
    Checked Oct 25, 2026prismic.io(opens source in a new tab)
    Small plan
    $25/month per repository, paid annually
    Checked Oct 25, 2026prismic.io(opens source in a new tab)

The best Contentful alternative for…

The highest-ranked app in this list for each need.

Sanity logo

Best Contentful alternative for most people

Sanity

Customisable editing studio and real-time collaboration, with a generous free plan.

Strapi logo

Best Contentful alternative for a free option

Strapi

Open-source and self-hostable, avoiding per-record SaaS limits.

Storyblok logo

Best Contentful alternative for a free plan you can upgrade

Storyblok

Visual editor that marketing teams find easier than form-based editing.

Strapi logo

Best Contentful alternative for open source

Strapi

Open-source and self-hostable, avoiding per-record SaaS limits.

Strapi logo

Best Contentful alternative for self-hosting

Strapi

Open-source and self-hostable, avoiding per-record SaaS limits.

Contentstack logo

Best Contentful alternative for working in the browser

Contentstack

Enterprise headless CMS competing directly on governance and scale.

Contentful alternatives: common questions

What is the best alternative to Contentful?

Sanity ranks first right now. Customisable editing studio and real-time collaboration, with a generous free plan. Storyblok and Contentstack follow it in our ranking.

Is there a free alternative to Contentful?

Yes. Sanity (free plan + paid), Storyblok (free plan + paid), Contentstack (free plan + paid) and Hygraph (free plan + paid) have a free option. Check each app's verified facts for current plan limits.

Is there an open-source alternative to Contentful?

Yes: Strapi. Strapi can also be self-hosted.

Why do people switch from Contentful?

The complaints we hear most: paid plans get expensive quickly; quotas on records and locales constrain content models; form-based editing feels abstract to page-builder users.

How is this list ranked?

Every app is scored with the same published formula: how directly it replaces Contentful, reviews (weighted by verification), visits from AppBreakup, how recently its facts were checked against its own website, and reader votes.