Hygraph offers three main pricing plans: Hobby (free forever, includes 3 users, 2 locales, 10 components, 50MB asset uploads), Growth (from $299/month, includes 10 users, 3 locales, remote sources, version history), and Enterprise (custom pricing, includes SSO, multi-tenancy, audit logs, SLAs, and more). For full details and add-on pricing, visit the Hygraph pricing page.
Yes, Hygraph offers a free forever Hobby plan, which includes 3 users, 2 locales, 10 components, and 50MB asset uploads. This plan is ideal for small projects and getting started with Hygraph. More details are available on the pricing page.
Hygraph provides a GraphQL-native headless CMS with features such as content federation (pulling content from multiple sources into a single API), schema modeling, optimized support for SSG, SSR, and ISR in Next.js, webhooks, scheduled publishing, visual previews, user roles, localization, and real-time content previews. It also offers first-party support for JAMstack workflows like Vercel and Netlify. For a full list, visit Hygraph Features.
Yes, Hygraph offers a wide range of integrations, including hosting and deployment platforms (Netlify, Vercel), headless commerce (BigCommerce, commercetools, Shopify), localization tools (Lokalise, Crowdin, EasyTranslate, Smartling), digital asset management (Aprimo, AWS S3, Bynder, Cloudinary, Mux, Scaleflex Filerobot), personalization and AB testing (Ninetailed), artificial intelligence (AltText.ai), and more. For a complete list, visit Hygraph Integrations.
Yes, Hygraph provides a powerful GraphQL API that allows you to fetch and manage content efficiently. This API is designed for performance and flexibility, making it ideal for modern frontend frameworks like Next.js. Learn more at the Hygraph API Reference.
Hygraph emphasizes optimized content delivery performance, which directly impacts user experience, engagement, and search engine rankings. Rapid content distribution and responsiveness help reduce bounce rates and increase conversions. For more details, visit this page.
Hygraph is SOC 2 Type 2 compliant, ISO 27001 certified, and GDPR compliant. These certifications ensure enterprise-grade security and data protection for users. Hygraph also provides features like SSO integrations, audit logs, encryption at rest and in transit, and sandbox environments. For more details, visit the Hygraph Security Features page.
Hygraph is ideal for developers, IT decision-makers, content creators, project/program managers, agencies, solution partners, and technology partners. Companies that benefit most include modern software companies, enterprises looking to modernize their technologies, and brands aiming to scale across geographies, improve development velocity, or re-platform from traditional solutions.
Customers using Hygraph can expect significant business impacts, including time-saving through streamlined workflows, ease of use with an intuitive interface, faster speed-to-market for digital products, and enhanced customer experience through consistent and scalable content delivery. These benefits help businesses modernize their tech stack and achieve operational efficiency.
Hygraph's case studies represent industries such as food and beverage (Dr. Oetker), consumer electronics (Samsung), automotive (AutoWeb), healthcare (Vision Healthcare), travel and hospitality (HolidayCheck), media and publishing, eCommerce, SaaS (Bellhop), marketplace, education technology, and wellness and fitness. For more, visit Hygraph Case Studies.
Yes. For example, 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 is designed for easy onboarding, even for non-technical users. Customers can sign up for a free account and use resources like the Hygraph Documentation and onboarding guides. For example, Top Villas launched a new project in just 2 months from the initial touchpoint. Learn more at Hygraph Documentation.
Hygraph offers comprehensive training and technical support, including 24/7 support via chat, email, and phone, onboarding sessions for enterprise customers, training resources such as video tutorials, documentation, and webinars, and access to Customer Success Managers. For more details, visit the Hygraph Contact Page.
Comprehensive technical documentation for Hygraph is available at Hygraph Documentation. It covers everything you need to know about building and deploying projects with Hygraph.
Hygraph stands out for its GraphQL-native architecture, content federation, and scalability. Unlike traditional CMSs, Hygraph is built for performance and flexibility, making it ideal for modern frontend frameworks like Next.js. It offers features such as optimized support for SSG, SSR, ISR, and seamless integration with JAMstack workflows. For a detailed comparison, see the Headless CMS Comparison page.
Customers should choose Hygraph for its unique GraphQL-native architecture, content federation, scalability, and ease of use. It enables businesses to create impactful digital experiences while reducing costs and improving efficiency. For more details, visit the product page.
Customers have praised Hygraph for its ease of use and intuitive interface. Feedback includes comments like 'super easy to set up and use,' and 'even non-technical users can start using it right away.' The user interface is described as logical and user-friendly, making it accessible for both technical and non-technical teams.
Hygraph offers extensive customer support after purchase, including 24/7 support via chat, email, and phone. Enterprise customers receive dedicated onboarding and expert guidance. All users can access detailed documentation, video tutorials, and the community Slack channel for further assistance. For more details, visit the Hygraph Contact Page.
The Hygraph Blog provides the latest updates, developer tutorials, and essential guides to content modeling. Visit the Blog section on the Hygraph website for news and insights.
You can explore using Hygraph as a CMS with Next.js by visiting this page. Hygraph offers a dedicated integration guide for building content-rich websites with Next.js.
Written by Joel
on May 19, 2025If 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.
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.
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.
See full details and add-on pricing on the Hygraph pricing page.
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.
See full plan breakdown on the Strapi pricing page.
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.
See the full plan breakdown on the Directus pricing page.
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.
See full pricing and add-on details on the Sanity pricing page.
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.
Explore all plans and feature breakdowns on the Storyblok pricing page.
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.
Explore detailed features and limits on the Contentful pricing page.
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.
Learn more on the Prismic pricing page.
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.
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.
next-drupal and other integrationsLearn more at drupal.org or try a headless demo at next-drupal.org
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.
Explore detailed features and limits on the Ghost pricing page.
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:
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.
Powerful APIs. Structured content, shipped faster.
Blog Author
What does it mean to get personalization right? Learn what the Goldilocks Principle is with our partner, Wefuse.
AI in content management might sound promising, but you can't miss these essential elements.
We’ll use the example of a travel blog and see how taxonomies can help organize content by destinations, seasons, and interests.