Alternatives to Contentful

Leading open source headless CMS, fully JavaScript

If you need a CMS (content management system — the backend where you create and manage content for your website or app) and you want full control over it, Strapi gives you a customizable admin panel and API out of the box. Build your content types, define relationships, get a REST or GraphQL API automatically.

Open source fullstack Next.js framework with backend superpowers

If you need a CMS that lives inside your Next.js app instead of beside it, Payload embeds directly into your codebase. Define your content schema in TypeScript, get a full admin panel, REST and GraphQL APIs, auth, access control, and file uploads.

Flexible backend — turn your DB into a headless CMS or admin panel

If you have a database and need an instant admin panel, REST API, and GraphQL API without writing backend code — Directus wraps any SQL database and gives you all three. Point it at your Postgres, MySQL, or SQLite database and you get a polished admin UI, user management, file storage, and a full API layer.