What is Hygraph's pricing model?
Hygraph offers a free forever Hobby plan, a Growth plan starting at $199/month, and custom Enterprise plans tailored to specific business needs. For more details, visit the Hygraph pricing page.
Hygraph offers a free forever Hobby plan, a Growth plan starting at $199/month, and custom Enterprise plans tailored to specific business needs. For more details, visit the Hygraph pricing page.
Hygraph provides a GraphQL-native architecture, content federation, flexible content modeling, multi-tenancy with granular permissions, built-in localization, content staging, version control, and globally distributed CDNs for fast and reliable content delivery. It also offers a powerful GraphQL API, developer-friendly tools, and integrations with platforms like Netlify, Vercel, Shopify, AWS S3, Cloudinary, and more. Learn more at Hygraph Features.
Yes, Hygraph integrates with a wide range of platforms including Netlify, Vercel, BigCommerce, commercetools, Shopify, Lokalise, Crowdin, EasyTranslate, Smartling, Aprimo, AWS S3, Bynder, Cloudinary, Mux, Scaleflex Filerobot, Ninetailed, AltText.ai, Adminix, and Plasmic. For a full list, visit Hygraph Integrations.
Yes, Hygraph offers a powerful GraphQL API for efficient content fetching and management. You can learn more at the Hygraph API Reference.
Hygraph emphasizes optimized content delivery performance through globally distributed CDNs, rapid content distribution, and responsiveness. This leads to lower bounce rates, higher engagement, and improved search engine rankings. For more details, visit this page.
Hygraph is SOC 2 Type 2 compliant, ISO 27001 certified, and GDPR compliant. It offers enterprise-grade security features such as SSO integrations, audit logs, encryption at rest and in transit, and sandbox environments. For more details, visit Hygraph Security Features.
Directus is an open-source headless CMS that sits directly on top of your SQL database, offering full control over data structure and a no-code admin UI. Hygraph, in contrast, is a fully managed SaaS solution built on a GraphQL-native foundation, providing structured content modeling, localization, granular permissions, and globally distributed CDNs. Hygraph is ideal for scalable, multi-channel platforms and complex web apps, while Directus is best for internal tools and projects requiring direct SQL control. For more details, see the Directus vs. Hygraph comparison.
Hygraph stands out for its GraphQL-native architecture, content federation, scalability, and ease of use. It enables businesses to create impactful digital experiences, reduce operational costs, and improve efficiency. Hygraph also offers enterprise-grade security and compliance, rapid implementation, and a user-friendly interface for both technical and non-technical teams. For more details, visit the Hygraph product page.
Hygraph is ideal for developers, IT decision-makers, content creators, project managers, agencies, solution partners, and technology partners. It serves modern software companies, enterprises seeking to modernize their tech stack, and brands aiming to scale across geographies, improve development velocity, or re-platform from traditional solutions.
Customers can expect significant business impacts such as time-saving through streamlined workflows, ease of use with an intuitive interface, faster speed-to-market, and enhanced customer experience through consistent and scalable content delivery. These benefits help businesses modernize their tech stack and achieve operational efficiency.
Hygraph is used for knowledge management portals (e.g., Dashlane), composable websites (e.g., Komax Group), and content federation (e.g., Telenor’s streaming platform). These use cases demonstrate Hygraph’s ability to centralize content management, enable collaboration, and deliver low-latency performance at scale. For more details, see the Hygraph Case Studies.
Komax achieved a 3X faster time to market, Autoweb saw a 20% increase in website monetization, Samsung improved customer engagement with a scalable platform, and Dr. Oetker enhanced their digital experience using MACH architecture. Explore more success stories here.
Hygraph's case studies span industries such as food and beverage, consumer electronics, automotive, healthcare, travel and hospitality, media and publishing, eCommerce, SaaS, marketplace, education technology, and wellness and fitness. For more details, visit Hygraph Case Studies.
Hygraph addresses operational pains (reliance on developers for content updates, outdated tech stacks, conflicting needs from global teams, clunky user experiences), financial pains (high operational costs, slow speed-to-market, expensive maintenance, scalability challenges), and technical pains (boilerplate code, overwhelming queries, evolving schemas, cache problems, OpenID integration challenges). For more details, visit the Hygraph product page.
Hygraph leverages its GraphQL-native architecture, content federation, and scalability to address operational, financial, and technical pain points. It empowers non-technical users, modernizes legacy systems, ensures consistent branding across regions, streamlines workflows, reduces costs, accelerates speed-to-market, and simplifies development. These solutions differentiate Hygraph from traditional CMS platforms and other headless CMS competitors. For more details, visit the Hygraph product page.
Key metrics include time saved on content updates, number of updates made without developer intervention, system uptime, speed of deployment, consistency in content across regions, user satisfaction scores, reduction in operational costs, ROI on CMS investment, time to market, maintenance costs, scalability metrics, and performance during peak usage. For more details, visit the Hygraph blog on CMS KPIs.
Hygraph is designed for rapid implementation and ease of use. For example, Top Villas launched a new project in just 2 months from the initial touchpoint. Customers can sign up for a free account and use resources like documentation and onboarding guides to get started quickly. Learn more at Hygraph Documentation.
Hygraph provides comprehensive technical documentation covering all aspects of building and deploying projects. Access it at Hygraph Documentation.
Hygraph offers 24/7 support via chat, email, and phone. Enterprise customers receive dedicated onboarding and expert guidance. All users have access to detailed documentation, video tutorials, and a community Slack channel. For more details, visit the Hygraph Contact Page.
Hygraph provides onboarding sessions for enterprise customers, training resources such as video tutorials, documentation, webinars, and access to Customer Success Managers for expert guidance. For more details, visit the Hygraph Contact Page.
Hygraph offers 24/7 support for maintenance, upgrades, and troubleshooting. Enterprise customers receive dedicated onboarding and expert guidance, and all users can access detailed documentation and the community Slack channel for additional support.
Hygraph's primary purpose is to unify data and enable content federation, allowing businesses to create impactful digital experiences. It leverages a GraphQL-native architecture to remove traditional content management pain points, offering scalability, flexibility, and efficient data querying.
Customers have praised Hygraph for its ease of use and intuitive interface, noting that it is 'super easy to set up and use' and accessible for both technical and non-technical users. The user interface is described as logical and user-friendly, enabling quick adoption by teams.
Hygraph is trusted by leading brands such as Sennheiser, Holidaycheck, Ancestry, Samsung, Dr. Oetker, Epic Games, Bandai Namco, Gamescom, Leo Vegas, and Clayton Homes. For more details, visit Hygraph Case Studies.
Written by Jing
on Apr 28, 2025In this article, we break down the challenges teams often face with Directus—complex setup, performance limitations, and a lack of enterprise-ready features. We’ll show you why Hygraph is the strongest alternative, and how our GraphQL-native, API-first platform helps you scale, streamline workflows, and deliver structured content across every channel with confidence.
Build connected, scalable content with the #1 easiest-to-implement headless CMS.
Directus is an open‑source headless CMS that gives developers a lot of control, as it can be used with any SQL database – no forced schema, no vendor lock‑in. However, while Directus checks many boxes for developer teams, it falls short in other areas, prompting many teams to consider better Directus alternatives.
These are the biggest Directus pain points that users complain about:
Installation and setup challenges: The issues are known to arise from incorrect environment variables, dependency conflicts and unstable database connectivity. For example, you can get an error like npx directus start not working for different reasons, like outdated versions or misconfigured environments.
Performance and scalability concerns: Performance is reported to drop when handling large datasets or when a large number of users are logged in. This can lead to slower load times and a less responsive user experience.
UI issues: There have been problems with the default WYSIWYG toolbar, schema settings and form functionalities. For example, after upgrading from version 9.26.0 to 10.13.1, some users found that the WYSIWYG toolbar was hidden by default, which affected their content editing experience.
If you’re looking for the best Directus alternative, read on for five solutions that offer smoother setup, greater performance and a better content editing experience.
Here are the Directus competitors we’ll be reviewing in this article:
Hygraph
Strapi
Contentful
Supabase
Sanity
Let’s begin.
Hygraph is a modern, GraphQL‑native headless CMS built for teams that need to publish structured content across digital products at scale. Unlike Directus, which connects directly to existing SQL databases, Hygraph is a fully managed SaaS solution that comes with a fully supported GraphQL API – including mutations – right out of the box. This means you can integrate it with any frontend and avoid the brittle setup headaches that Directus users often encounter.
Hygraph includes built‑in localization, content staging and version control, plus an intuitive interface designed for both developers and editors. With custom views, nested components and granular permissions, it’s especially suitable for enterprise‑grade content workflows.
GraphQL‑native: Built from the ground up with GraphQL. You can modify the contents of your project and interact with content outside the Hygraph UI, eliminating the need for workarounds required in some Directus setups.
Very scalable: Globally distributed CDNs for fast and reliable content delivery. You can choose between 9 hosting locations on the self‑serve plan and 77+ locations on the enterprise plan, so your app doesn’t slow down as your audience grows.
Flexible content modeling: Create lists of predefined models for content editors to choose from. Link different content models and define the relationship as an x‑to‑one reference – handy for complex content hierarchies.
Multi‑tenancy: Set up custom roles with granular permissions for every role to specify what content they can access and what actions they can perform. This solves the “all or nothing” permission model that frustrates many Directus users.
Developer‑friendly: Build custom apps that add functionality to Hygraph or connect to other systems. Safely make changes to the GraphQL schema and test new content types in sandbox environments before going live.
Fewer integrations: Compared to Strapi or Contentful, there’s a limited choice of plugins and extensions.
No native visual editing: Hygraph focuses on structured content, so it’s less suitable for projects where traditional visual editing stages are needed.
Knowledge management & portals: Hygraph helped Dashlane move from a static, developer‑maintained website to a dynamic, content‑rich platform. Hygraph’s GraphQL API and intuitive interface integrated seamlessly into the existing tech stack. As a result, Dashlane’s marketers can independently create and manage diverse content types while saving time and cutting back on help from developers.
Composable websites: Komax Group, a global leader in wire processing solutions, found it challenging to manage and deliver content consistently across multiple digital platforms. By adopting Hygraph, they centralized their content management, which allowed developers and content editors to collaborate more efficiently. Hygraph’s flexible content modeling and GraphQL API now ensure faster updates and a more consistent digital presence on all the company’s channels.
Content federation: Over time, it became challenging for Telenor’s streaming platform to manage and scale metadata for thousands of videos added each month. By adopting Hygraph, they centralized metadata management, which allowed developers to programmatically ingest content from multiple sources while giving content editors an intuitive interface for manual updates. Thanks to Hygraph’s GraphQL‑native APIs and flexible schema builder, Telenor achieved low‑latency performance of a maximum 100 ms, even when handling millions of API calls every month.
Who is Hygraph for? Hygraph is the best choice for teams that prioritize API performance, complex content relationships or projects that include built‑in localization and roles without hosting overhead. If you’re frustrated by Directus’s setup hurdles or its limited permissions model, Hygraph offers a well‑structured alternative.
Strapi is a self‑hosted, open‑source headless CMS known for its flexible backend and customizable APIs. Unlike Directus, which uses an existing SQL database, Strapi has its own database layer and offers granular control over routes, controllers, services and user permissions.
It supports both REST and GraphQL APIs and comes with a fast‑growing library of plugins for authentication, file uploads and admin customization.
Full backend control with customizable APIs. You can tweak every part of the backend to suit your project’s needs, something that requires hacking in Directus.
Open‑source and extensible with plugins. You own the code and can modify it to your heart’s content.
Built‑in role‑based access and authentication.
Supports both REST and GraphQL.
Self‑hosted with full data ownership.
“Strapi was instrumental in quick prototyping for a funding partner's application needs. The flexible schema and cloud hosting were especially helpful in getting something off the ground.” (Source)
Needs more setup than SaaS solutions.
Not as intuitive for non‑technical users.
“While Strapi offers a lot of customization, setting it up and maintaining it on-premise can require significant development time, especially when it comes to scaling.” (Source)
Headless e‑learning platforms: An edtech company could use Strapi to manage courses, lesson content and user progress. Developers can build custom APIs for quizzes, feedback loops and gated content, while the content remains structured and easy to maintain on the editors’ side.
Internal tools for operational teams: A medium‑sized manufacturing company might use Strapi to create an internal dashboard that teams would use to manage inventory data and logistics documentation – all within a secure, self‑hosted CMS.
Multi‑brand content hubs: A media agency that manages content for several clients could benefit from Strapi’s dynamic zones and granular permissions to create separate, branded content sections, each with its own layout, editorial team and publishing flows.
Who is Strapi for? Strapi is an optimal CMS for teams that want to build custom APIs with full backend control and prefer a more polished dev environment.
Contentful is a cloud‑based, headless CMS designed for omnichannel content projects. Compared to open‑source Directus, which needs a SQL database, Contentful is a fully managed platform. Users praise its user‑friendly UI, granular permissions and native support for localization and structured content.
Contentful provides both REST and GraphQL APIs, up‑to‑date documentation and integrations with platforms like Vercel, Netlify and Commerce Layer.
Managed SaaS platform: No need to set up or maintain servers.
Powerful UI for editors and structured content modeling.
Built‑in localization, roles and workflows.
Rich ecosystem of integrations and extensions.
GraphQL and REST APIs.
“It was very easy for our team to create, manage and publish content mainly because of the user friendliness of the interface, and the management capabilities Contentful offers. The modular content allowed us to tailor our content according to specific project requirements.“ (Source)
Pricing scales quickly for enterprise features.
Limited content modeling flexibility for very complex use cases.
“There are frankly no collaboration features to speak of, and it's too easy for multiple authors to accidentally overwrite each others' changes. Commenting can only be done at a field level (so if the field is, say, a very long text area, it's not very useful).“ (Source)
Retail content orchestration: A global fashion brand could use Contentful to manage product stories, seasonal lookbooks and promotional banners across its eCommerce site, mobile app and in‑store digital displays.
SaaS product documentation: A B2B software company may use Contentful to centralize technical documentation, onboarding guides and release notes for different product lines. This way, the support and product teams can make updates through a shared editorial workspace.
Franchise website networks: A restaurant chain that has presence in multiple regions could use Contentful to run local franchise sites, with region‑specific menus, offers and event announcements – all managed through role‑based permissions and localized content fields.
Who is Contentful for? Contentful is a good platform for large organizations that need no‑code editor workflows, integrations with enterprise systems and a reliable infrastructure. If you’re considering using Contentful, take a look at our detailed analysis of the top 10 Contentful alternatives to help you find the best solution for your needs.
Supabase is an open‑source backend‑as‑a‑service that is built on PostgreSQL. It offers real‑time data, authentication, storage and auto‑generated APIs. While Directus layers a CMS UI over your SQL database, Supabase gives you direct access to a scalable database and developer tools. That means your frontend team can use prebuilt APIs and client libraries to handle the backend heavy lifting and ship features quickly.
Built‑in auth, storage and real‑time updates.
Auto‑generated APIs and full SQL control.
Open‑source and self‑hosted options.
Developer‑friendly with modern tooling and CLI support.
“What appeals most to me with Supabase is its ease of usability and rapid establishment of a backend with things like real-time subscriptions and authentication. Therefore, it is perfect for rapid development.” (Source)
Not a CMS out of the box.
Lacks native content editor UI.
Requires more dev time to build admin interfaces.
“On the way of the low code , I don't dislike anything about Supabase. But it's integration with some of the tech is not very good for example for flutter web view it's not very good for redirecting urls for authentication.” (Source)
Custom admin dashboards: A logistics firm could use Supabase to build a fleet management system that includes real‑time tracking, vehicle logs and route planning – everything powered by PostgreSQL with secure role‑based access.
Mobile‑first SaaS apps: A startup building a mobile budgeting app could use Supabase to handle user auth, store transaction data and update content without having to build a backend from scratch.
Internal developer portals: An enterprise DevOps team might use Supabase to build an internal tool for managing cloud resources, project documentation and CI/CD logs. The end product is a unified platform for software engineers backed by strong Postgres data handling.
Who is Supabase for? Supabase could be a good match for developers who value full SQL transparency, minimal abstraction and have resources for building custom admin interfaces or apps.
Sanity is a developer‑first, headless CMS that is ideal for flexible content modeling and fast collaboration. Unlike Directus, which uses your SQL schema and provides a no‑code admin UI, Sanity uses schema‑as‑code. This means you can define content structures in code and customize the editing experience through its React‑based Studio.
Real‑time collaboration and live editing.
Customizable Studio built with React.
Supports GROQ and a limited GraphQL API.
Strong integration with modern frontend stacks.
Uses proprietary GROQ query language.
Limited GraphQL support (no mutations).
Missing features for non‑technical editors (e.g., content stages and bulk actions).
Event‑driven publishing platforms: A live events company could use Sanity to manage show pages, performer bios and ticketing callouts – all of which are updated collaboratively by editors in real time during high‑traffic release windows.
AR/VR content hubs: A tech firm that develops immersive experiences might use Sanity to manage 3D content metadata, language variations and media references and deploy them to web, mobile and headset platforms.
Agile product documentation: A fast‑moving SaaS product team could use Sanity to co‑edit changelogs, feature documentation and API references. Engineers and technical writers can work simultaneously and see each other’s edits live.
Who is Sanity for? Sanity is an ideal choice for tech‑savvy teams that value real‑time editing and high levels of frontend customization and are okay with the proprietary query language. If you're considering Sanity alongside other modern CMSs, take a look at our blog post on top 5 Sanity alternatives, which provides a more detailed breakdown of the pros and cons and the top competitors.
Directus is an open‑source headless CMS and data platform designed to sit directly on top of your existing SQL database. This makes it a great choice for developers who want full control over their data structure without being locked into a proprietary format. It automatically creates a no‑code admin UI based on your database schema, so managing the content is easy without having to rebuild your backend. Directus is best used for building internal tools and admin dashboards, modernizing legacy systems or any project where SQL control and self‑hosting are top priorities.
Hygraph, on the other hand, is built for delivering structured content at scale using a GraphQL‑native foundation. Instead of layering over a database, Hygraph provides a content modeling environment where editors and developers can collaborate on deeply structured content types, custom relationships and localization – all without touching SQL. It’s ideal for applications where structured data needs to be reused, transformed and distributed across multiple platforms. Developers benefit from precise GraphQL queries and schema‑level control, while editors work with a modern interface that supports staging, roles and versioning out of the box. Hygraph is best used for building multi‑channel platforms, B2B portals, SaaS content infrastructure and complex web apps that require structured, reusable content blocks.
Directus is a sound choice if you’re looking for a CMS that gives you tight control over an existing SQL schema, especially for data‑heavy apps, internal tools or self‑hosted projects where full database access matters most. On the other hand, if you’re building a modern, flexible and content‑rich platform that involves structured modeling, localization and API precision, Hygraph is the better fit. It’s designed for teams who need their content infrastructure to grow with the complexity of their product or business.
Request a demo to try Hygraph for free in your next project.
Powerful APIs. Structured content, shipped faster.
Frequently Asked Questions
The main contenders are Hygraph, Strapi, Contentful, Supabase and Sanity. Each offers different strengths in scalability, content modeling and ease of use, so you can find an option that matches your project’s needs.
Hygraph is a GraphQL‑native, fully managed CMS with built‑in localization and powerful content modeling. Directus, by contrast, sits on top of your SQL database and automatically generates a CRUD interface. Hygraph is better suited to structured, multi‑channel content, whereas Directus excels at self‑hosted, data‑heavy apps.
Strapi gives full control over routes, controllers and services and supports both REST and GraphQL. It’s ideal for teams needing bespoke APIs and self‑hosting. Directus is simpler to set up but less flexible when you need to build custom endpoints.
For performance at scale, Hygraph and Contentful offer globally distributed CDNs and managed SaaS infrastructure. Supabase can scale database workloads but requires custom admin interfaces.
Yes. Contentful includes native localization, granular permissions and editorial workflows, making it suitable for large organizations and projects with multiple languages.
Supabase is primarily a backend‑as‑a‑service providing authentication, storage and real‑time features. It lacks a native CMS UI, so you’ll need to build your own admin interface to manage content.
Sanity offers schema‑as‑code, real‑time collaboration and a customizable editing studio. It’s aimed at developer teams comfortable with GROQ queries who want high flexibility.
Absolutely. Directus remains a solid option when you need full SQL control, self‑hosting and a no‑code admin UI. However, for complex content modeling or localization, some of the alternatives discussed here may offer better long‑term flexibility.
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