Strapi is an open-source headless CMS built on Node.js that lets developers model content and automatically get REST and GraphQL APIs, while editors manage content in a customizable admin panel.
Because Strapi is headless, it delivers content to any frontend, including Next.js, Astro, Nuxt, mobile apps or digital signage. Teams can self-host it on their own infrastructure or deploy it on the managed Strapi Cloud, and it is one of the most widely used open-source CMSs.
Key features
- Content-Type Builder for modeling collections, single types and components
- Auto-generated REST and GraphQL APIs
- Customizable admin panel with roles and permissions
- Media library with uploads to local or cloud storage
- Internationalization for multilingual content
- Draft and publish, live preview, releases and content history on paid plans
- Plugin marketplace and extensible Node.js codebase
- Strapi AI features on Growth and higher
Who it's for
Strapi suits developers and agencies building websites, apps and omnichannel experiences that need a flexible content backend, and content teams that want an easy editing interface.
Common use cases
- Powering a Next.js or Astro marketing site
- Managing content for mobile apps
- Running a multilingual corporate website
- Building a custom content API for a product
Pricing
The self-hosted Community edition is free and open source. Strapi's pricing pages also list:
- Self-hosted Growth: $45 per month, including 3 users (+$15 per user per month). A 30-day free trial is available.
- Strapi Cloud Starter: $35 per project per month.
- Strapi Cloud Pro: $90 per project per month.
- Strapi Cloud Business: $450 per project per month.
- Enterprise: custom pricing.
Alternatives
- Sanity: structured content platform with a customizable studio
- Payload CMS: TypeScript CMS that runs inside Next.js
- Contentful: enterprise SaaS headless CMS
FAQ
Is Strapi free?
Yes. Strapi's self-hosted Community edition is free and open source; paid plans add advanced features and cloud hosting.
What is Strapi used for?
Strapi is used to manage content and expose it through REST or GraphQL APIs to websites, apps and other frontends.
Strapi vs Sanity: which is better?
Strapi is open source and self-hostable with a Node.js backend you control, while Sanity is a hosted content platform with real-time collaboration. The choice depends on hosting preference and team workflow.
Strapi vs Contentful: what's the difference?
Contentful is a proprietary SaaS CMS, while Strapi can be self-hosted for free and customized at the code level.
Does Strapi support GraphQL?
Yes. Strapi provides REST by default and GraphQL through its official plugin.
How much does Strapi Cloud cost?
Strapi Cloud starts at $35 per project per month for the Starter plan.