Best Headless CMS Software

Sitecore XM Cloud is a fully managed, cloud-native SaaS content management system that bundles Sitecore Experience Manager, the Pages visual editor, Headless Services, the Next.js SDK, and Experience Edge for content delivery. It offers a WYSIWYG, drag-and-drop authoring experience for marketers alongside an API-first, headless architecture for developers, supporting frameworks including Next.js, ASP.NET Core, Angular, Vue, and React. Built-in Sitecore AI assists authors with generating and improving content directly inside the Pages and Content Editor experiences.

XM Cloud also provides out-of-the-box personalization, live analytics dashboards, and edge computing for faster page loads and improved security. Sitecore does not publish fixed pricing; XM Cloud is sold as an organization-specific annual subscription based on factors like traffic, number of sites, and required modules, so prospective customers need to contact Sitecore directly or a partner for a quote.

ButterCMS is a US-based, fully-managed headless content management system designed for SaaS, e-commerce, and enterprise teams that want a hosted CMS with no servers to run. Content is modeled using Components and Collections and delivered via REST or GraphQL APIs, plus a Write API for pushing content programmatically from other systems. It includes a WYSIWYG rich text editor, scheduled publishing, localization, and webhooks for automation.

Enterprise-ready features include role-based access control, version history, approval workflows, and SSO with two-factor authentication. Pricing runs from a free tier through Basic, Advanced, and Professional plans priced by API call volume, bandwidth, and content limits, up to a custom Enterprise plan, with all tiers including unlimited users and a 14-day free trial.

Umbraco Heartcore is a fully managed headless CMS built on the open source Umbraco CMS, offering RESTful and GraphQL APIs for delivering content to websites, mobile apps, and other digital experiences. It ships with a hosted backoffice for editors, called Infinite Editing, that supports multilingual content and rich media, plus a Content Delivery Network powered by Cloudflare for fast global delivery. Projects run on Umbraco Cloud with automatic upgrades included.

The product suits teams that want headless flexibility combined with a full-featured editing experience rather than a bare API. Pricing scales from a Mini tier for small or development projects, through Starter and Professional tiers for larger, business-critical sites, up to a custom Enterprise plan, with a 14-day free trial to evaluate the platform.

Cosmic is an AI-powered headless CMS aimed at developers and content teams who need to manage and deliver content across websites, apps, and other digital experiences from one dashboard. It offers REST and GraphQL APIs, a global CDN with automatic image optimization, and framework-agnostic delivery to Next.js, Astro, React, Vue, and other stacks. The platform uses a bucket and object content model with flexible schemas that adapt without developer intervention.

Beyond core content management, Cosmic layers in AI Content Agents that draft blog posts, product copy, and landing pages, plus Team Agents that let staff manage content through chat in Slack, WhatsApp, or Telegram. Pricing starts with a free tier and scales through paid plans priced by team size, object count, and AI token usage, up to a custom Enterprise plan.

DatoCMS is a headless content management system built by an Italian team, offering content delivery through a GraphQL Content Delivery API and REST support, alongside a Content Management API for programmatic updates. It is one of the few headless CMS platforms with native support for tree-like, hierarchical data structures, and every plan includes Imgix-powered image and video optimization with on-the-fly transformations through a global CDN.

The platform supports real-time collaboration, Live Preview, multilingual content, and a plugin SDK for custom editing experiences. Pricing includes a permanently free plan with 300 records and 2 editors, a Professional plan starting at €149 per month billed annually (or €199 monthly) with usage-based overages, and a custom Enterprise plan adding SSO, audit logs, and white-label options.

Kontent.ai is a cloud-native headless content management system based in the Czech Republic, spun out of Kentico, built around structured content modeling. Teams define content types with specific fields such as rich text, assets, and linked items, then deliver that content through a Delivery REST API or Delivery GraphQL API to any frontend. It supports real-time collaborative editing and markets itself as an "Agentic CMS," using AI agents to help with content audits, governance, and localization.

The platform holds SOC 2, ISO 27001, ISO 27017, GDPR, HIPAA, CSA STAR, and GLBA compliance certifications, appealing to regulated industries. Pricing is fully custom under a "Flex" model driven by an online calculator based on seats, content types, and content items, with a free Developer plan for non-commercial use; specific paid tier prices are not published and require contacting sales.

Contentstack is a US-based, API-first headless content management system aimed primarily at mid-market and enterprise organizations. It decouples content from presentation so teams can deliver structured content across websites, mobile apps, IoT devices, and kiosks through REST and GraphQL APIs. The platform includes Personalize, a built-in personalization and A/B testing engine, plus a Brand Kit and AI writing assistant that keep generative content within defined brand guardrails.

Contentstack does not publish fixed tier prices on its website; instead it lists product lines (Headless CMS, real-time CDP, and a combined Agentic Experience Platform) behind a free trial and demo request, with contract pricing based on usage such as API calls, users, and environments. Prospective customers must contact sales for a quote.

Payload is an open-source, MIT-licensed headless CMS and application framework built in TypeScript, designed to install directly into a Next.js app's folder structure. It exposes content through direct local API access, REST endpoints, and a full GraphQL API, and gives developers a fully customizable admin UI with field- and document-level access control, live preview, versioning, and a plugin ecosystem. Because it is open source, the core CMS can be self-hosted at no licensing cost.

In June 2025, design software company Figma acquired the Payload team; Payload remains open source and continues to be actively developed under Figma. Optional managed hosting is available through Payload Cloud, but specific Cloud plan pricing was not published on the official site at the time of this research, so cost details beyond the free open-source core could not be independently verified.

Storyblok is a headless content management system based in Austria that combines an API-first, component-based architecture with a true visual, drag-and-drop editor. Content is built from reusable components called Bloks, which developers define and marketers assemble into pages, giving both technical and non-technical teams a shared workflow. Content can be delivered via REST or GraphQL to websites, apps, and other digital channels.

Storyblok includes built-in AI tools for translation, SEO metadata, alt text, and brand voice consistency, along with scheduling, workflows, and a native Shopify integration. Paid tiers add higher traffic and API limits, more locales, and enterprise features such as SSO, SCIM, and custom roles, with ISO 27001 certification and a high uptime SLA on top plans.

Agility CMS is an enterprise headless content management system that combines an API-first content repository with built-in page management and a visual page builder. Content is delivered through REST and GraphQL APIs to any front end, with starter kits for Next.js, Nuxt, Gatsby, Astro, and .NET. It is hosted on Microsoft Azure with a 99.95 percent uptime SLA and includes role-based access control, approval workflows, and SSO through SAML and OAuth for larger teams.

The platform targets marketing and development teams that need multisite and multichannel content delivery to websites, mobile apps, and other digital touchpoints. Agility CMS offers a free Proof of Concept tier for evaluation, a paid Essentials plan for live production sites, and a custom Enterprise plan with dedicated support, SSO, and expanded storage and traffic limits for larger organizations.