Side by side
Directus vs Strapi
Compare what each tool does, what it costs, and how it fits your workflow.
Designed for
Headless CMS + backend for custom builds.
The leading open-source headless CMS.
Primary task
Content management
Content management
Pricing
Freemium · Free + from $129/mo
Freemium · Free + from $45/mo
Pricing details
Free + from $129/mo
Free + from $45/mo
Billing cycle
Monthly
Monthly
API access
Listed as available
Not documented
Platforms
Web
Web
Integrations
MySQL, MCP
Make
Source rating
No rating recorded
No rating recorded
Catalog views
85
62
Estimated monthly traffic
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Catalog imported
31 Aug 2026
30 Aug 2026
Listed strengths
- Supports custom builds
- Headless CMS
- Complex content management
- Digital assets handling
- Interactive permissions control
- Open-source CMS
- Entirely built with Javascript
- Design REST and GraphQL APIs
- Connect to any frontend
- Manage content across platforms
Listed limitations
- Limited NoSQL support
- No built-in versioning system
- Lacking multi-language support
- No native live preview
- No built-in content localization
- GraphQL API complexity
- Advanced customization requires coding
- Javascript knowledge required
- Limited plugins in marketplace
- No built-in review/approval workflow