If you're looking for the best CMSs for Next.js, you're probably building something fast, flexible, and modern, and you want your content system to keep up. Whether you're a solo developer, part of a startup team, or leading enterprise projects, choosing the right CMS can massively affect your workflow, performance, and scalability.
This guide breaks down 10 top CMSs / from powerful headless platforms like Hygraph to traditional tools like WordPress that now offer modern API-based integration. We'll cover what each CMS does well, how it fits into a Next.js stack, and what types of projects it suits best.
By the end, you'll know which CMS aligns with your team's needs, whether you're optimizing for speed, content modeling, visual editing, or developer control.
#Why pair a CMS with Next.js?
Next.js gives you flexibility, speed, and full control over how your site is built and served. A headless CMS fits right into that mindset. It handles content in the backend and delivers it via APIs, so your Next.js frontend can fetch only what it needs and render it with static generation, server-side rendering, or incremental updates.
That's why most modern teams now use a headless CMS for Next.js - it's clean, fast, and built for scale.
Still, traditional CMSs like WordPress and Drupal aren't obsolete. With REST or GraphQL APIs, you can decouple the frontend and use them in a more modern way. It's not always as developer-friendly, but for teams already using these platforms, it's an option worth considering.
The bottom line is that pairing a CMS with Next.js gives you a content layer that won't bottleneck your frontend performance, and there are solid options for every type of project.
Let's explore ten of the best CMSs for Next.js, starting with Hygraph, a developer-first platform built for performance and flexibility.
#1. Hygraph
If you're building a fast, modern site with Next.js, Hygraph should be your first stop. It's a GraphQL-native headless CMS designed to work seamlessly with frontend frameworks like Next.js.
Everything from the API structure to the developer experience is built with performance and flexibility in mind.
What sets Hygraph apart is its content federation feature, which lets you pull in content from multiple sources (like WordPress, custom APIs, Airtable, etc.) and expose it through a single GraphQL API. That means fewer workarounds and faster builds, especially on projects with complex content requirements.
You also get native support for localization that works with Next.js i18n routing‚Äã‚Äã, user roles, webhooks, scheduled publishing, and real-time content previews. And because Hygraph plays nicely with ISR, SSR, and static rendering in Next.js, it fits into almost any deployment setup.
Best for:
- Jamstack sites, SaaS apps, marketing sites, or any project that needs structured content, performance, and multiple locales.
- Teams that want full control over their frontend with a modern CMS backend
- Projects that need to combine multiple content sources under one API
Key highlights:
- Built-in GraphQL API with schema modeling
- Content federation out of the box
- Optimized for SSG, SSR, ISR in Next.js
- Webhooks, scheduled publishing, visual previews
- First-party support for Vercel, Netlify, and other JAMstack workflows
Pricing:
- Hobby: Free forever - 3 users, 2 locales, 10 components, 50MB asset uploads
- Growth: From $299/month - 10 users, 3 locales, remote sources, version history
- Enterprise: Custom pricing - SSO, multi-tenancy, audit logs, SLAs, and more
See full details and add-on pricing on the Hygraph pricing page.
#2. Strapi
Strapi is an open-source headless CMS that gives developers full ownership over their backend. It's built with Node.js, supports both REST and GraphQL APIs, and fits naturally into JavaScript and Jamstack workflows - especially with Next.js.
You can host it anywhere or use Strapi Cloud for managed hosting. Strapi is ideal for projects where you want to build exactly what you need without vendor lock-in. Editors get a clean UI for managing content, while developers get deep customization with plugins, custom fields, and flexible roles and permissions.
Best for:
- Projects that need total backend flexibility with Next.js
- Teams building Jamstack apps, marketing sites, or dashboards
- Developers who want to self-host or fully customize their CMS setup
Key highlights:
- REST and GraphQL APIs out of the box
- Content modeling via UI or code
- Built-in media library, roles, i18n, and webhooks
- Plugin ecosystem and fully customizable backend
- Works with Postgres, MySQL, MariaDB, and SQLite
Pricing:
- Community: Free and open-source - unlimited entries, roles, and API usage
- Growth (Self-hosted): $15/month per seat - adds version history and basic support
- Strapi Cloud: Starts at $15/month for managed hosting - usage-based plans for API requests, bandwidth, and storage
See full plan breakdown on the Strapi pricing page.
#3. Directus
Directus turns any SQL database into a real-time, API-powered CMS and internal app platform. It's fully open-source and supports REST, GraphQL, and WebSocket APIs out of the box.
You get a sleek admin interface, powerful automation tools, and deep customization without giving up control of your data.
Best for:
- Projects with an existing SQL database that need a CMS layer
- Developers who want API-first workflows but also a no-code UI for editors
- Teams building apps that combine structured content with automation or dashboards
Key highlights:
- Visual schema builder with instant API generation (REST & GraphQL)
- Connects to any SQL database (Postgres, MySQL, SQLite, etc.)
- Built-in auth, permissions, file storage, flows, and dashboards
- Realtime support via WebSockets
- Fully self-hostable or available as a managed cloud service
Pricing:
- Self-hosted: Free forever - unlimited entries, APIs, and users (under $5M annual revenue)
- Starter (Cloud): $15/month - 1 user, 5,000 entries, 50K API requests
- Professional (Cloud): $99/month - 5 users, 75,000 entries, 250K API requests
See the full plan breakdown on the Directus pricing page.
#4. Sanity
Sanity is a developer-first, fully customizable headless CMS designed for structured content at scale. It offers a real-time data store (Content Lake), a code-configured React-based CMS (Sanity Studio), and powerful tools for collaboration, visual editing, and live previews.
It's built for teams that care about clean code, type safety, and rich editorial experiences, whether you're building a content-heavy site, an app, or anything in between.
Best for:
- Teams building content-driven apps with custom workflows and real-time collaboration
- Developers who want full schema control, typed queries, and Git-based config
- Organizations that need multi-market content, visual editing, and enterprise-grade workflows
Key highlights:
- React-based CMS configured in code (with TypeScript support)
- Real-time document updates and visual live preview
- Hosted content backend (Content Lake) with GROQ & GraphQL
- Portable Text for rich content as structured data
- API-first, framework-agnostic, with integrations for Next.js
Pricing:
- Free: $0 forever - 20 seats, 2 datasets (public), unlimited content types/locales
- Growth: $15/seat/month - 50 seats, private datasets, comments, AI Assist, content releases
See full pricing and add-on details on the Sanity pricing page.
#5. Storyblok
Storyblok combines the flexibility of headless architecture with a visual editor built for non-technical users.
Its component-based approach lets developers build freely with modern frameworks, while content teams get a powerful, intuitive UI for managing and previewing content across any channel.
Whether you're building a marketing site, an eCommerce platform, or a complex enterprise app, Storyblok's visual-first editing and scalable infrastructure make it a solid choice.
Best for:
- Teams that want a visual editing experience on top of a modern headless backend
- Enterprises managing multi-language, multi-site setups
- Developers looking for composable content blocks
Key highlights:
- Visual editor with drag-and-drop components and real-time preview
- API-first architecture with REST, GraphQL, and management APIs
- Roles, workflows, collaboration tools, and AI-powered SEO features
- ISO 27001 certified with up to 99.99% uptime SLA and enterprise-grade support
- Framework-agnostic with official integrations for all modern frontend stacks
Pricing:
- Starter: Free - 1 seat, visual editor, image services, asset manager
- Growth: €99/month - 5 users, 400GB traffic, collaboration suite, Storyblok Labs
- Growth Plus: €349/month - 15 users, 1TB traffic, role-based access, scheduling
Explore all plans and feature breakdowns on the Storyblok pricing page.
#6. Contentful
Contentful is a cloud-native headless CMS built for brands that need to scale content across regions, channels, and teams. With powerful APIs, AI features, and built-in personalization tools, it's ideal for organizations creating dynamic digital experiences at scale.
From developers to marketers, Contentful supports a fully modular workflow that prioritizes speed, reuse, and omnichannel delivery without the chaos of traditional CMS setups.
Best for:
- Enterprises with global teams managing complex, multi-brand content
- Product and marketing teams that want to test and iterate fast
- Developers looking for flexible APIs and deep integration options
Key highlights:
- Structured content model with reusable components
- Native AI features for on-brand content generation and personalization
- Powerful REST and GraphQL APIs, webhooks, and SDKs
- Role-based access control, scheduling, comments, and live collaboration
Pricing:
- Free: $0 - 10 users, 2 roles/locales, 100K API calls, 50GB CDN bandwidth
- Lite: $300/month - 20 users, 3 locales, 1M API calls, task management, live collaboration
Explore detailed features and limits on the Contentful pricing page.
#7. Prismic
Prismic is a slice-based headless CMS built to help developers ship fast and give marketing teams real autonomy.
With visual editing, reusable sections (called "slices"), and seamless integration with modern frameworks like Next.js, Prismic aims to reduce dev involvement and dramatically speed up content deployment.
It's not just a CMS, it's a full-featured page builder that empowers marketers without compromising your codebase.
Best for:
- Teams using modern JavaScript frameworks for static/dynamic websites
- Marketing teams that need fast, flexible publishing without breaking layout
- Agencies managing multiple client sites with shared components
Key highlights:
- Visual Page Builder for marketers with drag-and-drop workflows
- Slice Machine - a CLI + UI for creating reusable content components
- TypeScript-first SDKs with auto-generated types and mocks
- Fast, CDN-backed API with image optimization and live previews
- Supports localization, roles, backups, environments, and SSO on higher tiers
Pricing:
- Free: $0 - 1 user, 4M API calls, 100GB bandwidth, 2 locales, unlimited slices and docs
- Starter: $10/month - 3 users, 3 locales, paid CDN overages
- Medium: $150/month - 25 users, 5M API calls, 500GB CDN, 5 locales
- Platinum: $675/month - unlimited users, 10M API calls, 1TB CDN, 8 locales
Learn more on the Prismic pricing page.
#8. WordPress
WordPress powers over 40% of all websites on the internet. Originally built for blogging, it has evolved into a highly extensible content management platform with thousands of plugins, themes, and integrations.
While it's traditionally a monolithic CMS, it also offers a REST API and GraphQL (via plugins like WPGraphQL) to support headless and decoupled architectures.
That said, it's rarely a first choice for new headless projects. Most developers reach for WordPress in a headless stack because the content is already there, maybe from years of publishing, and the team wants to gradually modernize the front end without tossing everything out.
Key highlights:
- Mature ecosystem with 59k+ plugins and 11k+ themes
- REST API included by default; GraphQL available via WPGraphQL plugin
- Supports custom post types, taxonomies, roles, and permissions
- Can be hosted anywhere (shared hosting, cloud, or WordPress-specific hosts like Kinsta).
- Flexible enough for both low-code and pro-code teams
- Massive community and developer support
Pricing:
- Free: The software itself is open source and free to use
- Hosting: Varies depending on provider
- Shared hosting: ~$3-10/month
- Managed WordPress hosting: ~$20-100+/month (e.g. Kinsta, WP Engine)
- Premium themes/plugins: Optional one-time or subscription costs
#9. Drupal
Drupal is a highly flexible, enterprise-grade CMS built for extensibility, scalability, and security.
While traditionally used for large monolithic builds (governments, universities, media sites), Drupal provides APIs for everything, just like WordPress. This is ideal for headless use cases via JSON:API or GraphQL.
Its robust permission system, multilingual support, and structured content modeling make it a top choice for organizations with complex content needs.
Best for:
- Large websites with complex content models, workflows, or permissions
- Multilingual, multisite, or heavily customized content delivery
- Enterprises or institutions needing high security, compliance, and control
Key highlights:
- API-first with built-in JSON:API support and optional GraphQL module
- Extensive module system and strong community (~40,000+ contributed modules)
- Supports Next.js and other frontends via
next-drupaland other integrations - Enterprise features out of the box: access control, multilingual, content moderation
- Completely open-source and self-hosted (no license fees)
- Ideal for both traditional and fully decoupled architectures
Pricing:
- Free: 100% open source and free to use
- Hosting: Depends on infrastructure (self-hosted or enterprise PaaS like Acquia/Platform.sh)
- Maintenance cost: Can be higher than others due to complexity and dev resources required
Learn more at drupal.org or try a headless demo at next-drupal.org
#10. Ghost
Ghost is a clean, modern CMS built for independent publishing, newsletters, and paid subscriptions. It's open-source and Node.js-based and comes with built-in tools for memberships, email delivery, SEO, and analytics.
While it's not as flexible as headless CMSs, Ghost shines for creators who want an all-in-one content and monetization platform.
Best for:
- Solo creators, media startups, and indie publishers
- Newsletters, gated content, or membership-based content businesses
- Teams focused on fast publishing and direct audience monetization
Key highlights:
- Built-in email newsletters, memberships, and payments via Stripe
- Clean publishing interface with support for rich media and dynamic cards
- Powerful RESTful Content API for headless use (read-only)
- Theme marketplace and full support for custom themes via Handlebars
- Open source, self-hosted, or managed via Ghost Pro
Pricing:
- Starter: $9/mo for 500 members, 1 staff user
- Creator: $25/mo for 1,000 members, 2 users, custom themes
- Team: $50/mo for 5 users, priority support
- Business: $199/mo for 10,000 members, unlimited users, SLA-backed uptime
- Self-hosted: Free (but you manage hosting, updates, scaling, etc.)
Explore detailed features and limits on the Ghost pricing page.
#Wrapping up
At the end of the day, the ''best'' CMS API depends on your project's needs and your team's reality.
If you're building a content-heavy site with a modern frontend like Next.js, Hygraph is a strong pick. It's especially good if you want GraphQL, content federation, and a great editor experience without managing infrastructure.
Need to self-host or customize every part of the backend? Strapi gives you full control.
Want to stay in the WordPress ecosystem but go headless? That's totally valid too, especially if non-technical teammates are already comfortable with the UI.
The key is to match your CMS to:
- Your stack (React? Jamstack? Monolith?)
- Your team (Developers only? Marketers in the loop?)
- Your goals (Speed? Flexibility? Ease of use?)
Whatever you pick, don't just chase features - choose what keeps your team shipping fast and your content future-proof.
Want to see how easy it is to use Hygraph with Next.js? Check out the official Next.js CMS integration guide and start building in minutes.
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