Guide
Best Headless CMS Platforms for Agencies (2026)
By Red Kite Search Agency Created Updated 9 min read
Summary
Sanity is the best for developer-led custom builds; Storyblok is the best for client sites with marketer editing; Strapi is the best low-cost open-source option; Contentful is the best for enterprise clients. Prices and ratings were checked in October 2026 and change often.
What are the best headless CMS platforms for agencies in 2026?
A headless CMS stores content and delivers it through an API, so developers can build the front end in any framework. Agencies use one when a client site needs custom design, several channels or a developer-led build.
We compared four platforms. They differ most on how they price client sites, so read the labels and pick by the number of sites you will run and who edits the content.
Our shortlist, in order: Sanity, Storyblok, Strapi, Contentful. The table puts them side by side.
| Tool | Best for | Editorial score | Review-site ratings | Pricing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sanity | Best for developer-led custom builds | 4.5 / 5 | G2 4.7 | Free $0 with up to 20 seats and 2 public datasets. Growth $15 per seat a month for up to 50 seats and 2 datasets, public or private. Enterprise is custom and can be paid annually. Self-serve plans accept monthly payments only. |
| Storyblok | Best for client sites with marketer editing | 4.4 / 5 | G2 4.5 | Per space. Starter is free for 1 space. Growth costs $99 monthly or $90.75 a month billed yearly with 5 seats. Growth Plus costs $349 monthly or $319.91 billed yearly with 15 seats. Premium and Elite are custom. |
| Strapi | Best low-cost open-source option | 4.2 / 5 | No review-site rating found | Self-hosted: Community free under the MIT licence, Growth $45 a month for 3 users, Enterprise custom. Strapi Cloud, per project a month: Starter $35, Pro $90 and Business $450. |
| Contentful | Best for enterprise clients | 4 / 5 | G2 4.3 | Free $0 for 10 users and 1 starter space. Lite $300 a month for 20 users and 1 starter space, with an additional Lite space available at $850 a month. Enterprise is custom. |
How did we choose the best headless CMS platforms?
We included platforms with public pricing and review-site evidence that agencies commonly use. Pricing and features come from each vendor page, and ratings come from G2 where a score was available.
We looked at cost per client site, the editing experience and the evidence each vendor publishes. Scores reflect fit for agencies serving several clients.
What we looked for
- Pricing model: seat, space, project or self-hosted.
- Cost per client site.
- Editing experience for clients.
- Free plan or open source.
- Published security and support evidence.
- Public evidence: review-site ratings and counts.
Is Sanity a good headless CMS for agencies?
Best for developer-led custom builds: Sanity has the highest G2 score, a generous free plan and per-seat pricing, with a code-first studio. Project billing was not explained on the page.
Sanity is a headless content platform where the editing studio is built in code. It sells a free plan with up to 20 seats, a Growth plan priced per seat, and a custom Enterprise plan, with API, CDN and bandwidth limits per plan.
Who it suits: Agencies with developers that build custom editing experiences for client sites and apps.
Sanity pros
- The Free plan costs $0 and allows up to 20 seats and 2 public datasets.
- Growth costs $15 per seat a month for up to 50 seats and private datasets.
- G2 shows 4.7 from 926 reviews, the highest score in the category.
- A startup programme offers a year of Growth free, and a non-profit plan exists.
Sanity cons
- Self-serve plans are monthly only; annual billing needs Enterprise.
- The page does not say how multiple client projects are billed, so confirm before you plan an agency portfolio.
- API and bandwidth limits are fixed on Free and Growth (1M CDN requests, 250K API requests, 100 GB a month).
- Plan-level support channels and a mobile app were not stated.
Is Storyblok a good headless CMS for agencies?
Best for client sites with marketer editing: Storyblok prices per space, about $91 to $99 a month per client site on Growth, and has a visual editor clients can use.
Storyblok is a headless CMS with a visual editor for marketers. Plans are priced per space, which maps to one client site, with seats, API requests and traffic included. A free Starter plan, Growth and Growth Plus are self-serve, and Premium and Elite are custom.
Who it suits: Agencies that build client sites with developers and hand the editing to marketers.
Storyblok pros
- Starter is free for 1 space, with 1 seat (up to 2), 100K API requests and 100 GB traffic.
- Growth costs $90.75 a month billed yearly, or $99 monthly, with 5 seats and 1M API requests.
- Growth Plus costs $319.91 a month billed yearly with 15 seats and 4M API requests.
- G2 shows 4.5 from 633 reviews.
Storyblok cons
- Each client site needs its own space, so cost scales per site.
- No agency or partner programme was shown on the pricing page.
- Growth includes only 5 seats, up to 10.
- SOC 2 and a mobile app were not stated, and live chat is limited to Premium and Elite.
Is Strapi a good headless CMS for agencies?
Best low-cost open-source option: Strapi Community is free and open source, and Strapi Cloud starts at a per-project price. You carry the hosting work on self-hosted builds.
Strapi is an open-source headless CMS. The Community edition is free under the MIT licence with unlimited usage. Self-hosted Growth costs $45 a month, Strapi Cloud is priced per project from $35 to $450 a month, and Enterprise is custom with a SOC 2 report.
Who it suits: Developer-led agencies that want to self-host client CMSs or pay a low per-project cloud price.
Strapi pros
- Community is free and open source under the MIT licence, with unlimited usage.
- Strapi Cloud costs $35 per project a month and $90 for Pro.
- Self-hosted Growth costs $45 a month for 3 users, with $15 a month per extra user.
- Enterprise includes a SOC 2 report, SSO, audit logs and review workflows.
Strapi cons
- Self-hosting means you run hosting, updates and backups for each client.
- Cloud plans are per project, so cost scales with each client site.
- SSO on Growth is a $150 a month add-on.
- A mobile app and most support detail were not stated.
Is Contentful a good headless CMS for agencies?
Best for enterprise clients: Contentful has a proven platform and a free tier, but extra spaces cost $850 a month, which suits one large site, not a portfolio.
Contentful is an API-first content platform. It sells a free plan with 10 users and one starter space, a Lite plan at $300 a month with 20 users, and a custom Enterprise plan. Extra Lite spaces are sold separately at $850 a month.
Who it suits: Enterprise-bound projects and agencies building for large clients with governance needs.
Contentful pros
- The Free plan costs $0 for 10 users and 1 starter space, with 100K API calls a month.
- Lite costs $300 a month for 20 users with 1M API calls and 100 GB CDN bandwidth.
- Enterprise offers unlimited API calls and custom spaces, with partner templates.
- G2 shows 4.3 from 403 reviews.
Contentful cons
- An extra Lite space costs $850 a month, which suits a single large site, not a client portfolio.
- Free has no overages: the 100K API calls and 50 GB bandwidth are hard limits.
- No agency programme was shown on the pricing page.
- Certification status needs checking on its trust center, and a mobile app was not stated.
How much do the best headless CMS platforms cost?
Strapi is the cheapest, Sanity is cheap for small editor teams, Storyblok costs about a hundred dollars per client site, and Contentful costs the most per extra space. Compare cost per client site, not the headline price.
| Tool | Plan | Price | What stands out |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sanity | Free | $0 per seat per month (monthly billing) | Up to 20 seats, 2 public datasets |
| Sanity | Growth | $15 per seat per month (monthly billing) | Per seat, up to 50 seats, 2 datasets (private or public) |
| Sanity | Enterprise | Custom | Custom seats, datasets, API and bandwidth; annual billing |
| Storyblok | Starter | $0 per space per month (monthly billing) | 1 space, 1 seat (up to 2), 100K API requests, 100 GB traffic |
| Storyblok | Growth | $90.75 per space per month (annual billing); $99 monthly | 1 space, 5 seats (up to 10), 1M API requests |
| Storyblok | Growth Plus | $319.91 per space per month (annual billing); $349 monthly | 1 space, 15 seats, 4M API requests, 1 TB traffic |
| Storyblok | Premium and Elite | Custom | Custom seats, spaces, API and traffic |
| Strapi | Community | $0 per month (monthly billing) | Free, MIT licence, unlimited usage, community support |
| Strapi | Growth | $45 per month (monthly billing) | Self-hosted, 3 users, $15 a month per extra user |
| Strapi | Cloud Starter | $35 per month (monthly billing) | Per project, 100K API requests, 50 GB storage |
| Strapi | Cloud Pro | $90 per month (monthly billing) | Per project, 1M API requests, 250 GB storage |
| Strapi | Cloud Business | $450 per month (monthly billing) | Per project, 10M API requests, 2 environments |
| Strapi | Enterprise | Custom | SSO, review workflows, audit logs, SOC 2 report |
| Contentful | Free | $0 per month (monthly billing) | 10 users, 1 starter space, 100K API calls, no overages |
| Contentful | Lite | $300 per month (monthly billing) | 20 users, 1 starter space, 1M API calls; extra Lite space $850 a month |
| Contentful | Enterprise | Custom | Custom users and spaces, unlimited API calls |
What do reviewers say about these headless CMS platforms?
G2 evidence differs. Sanity has the highest score from a large base, Storyblok and Contentful have solid scores, and Strapi lists 206 reviews without a score in the snippet we read.
| Tool | Source | Rating | Number of reviews |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sanity | G2 | 4.7 / 5 | 926 |
| Storyblok | G2 | 4.5 / 5 | 633 |
| Contentful | G2 | 4.3 / 5 | 403 |
Reviewer themes for Sanity
- G2 shows Sanity at 4.7 from 926 reviews.
- G2 describes it as a fully customisable, all-code platform for content-driven apps.
Reviewer themes for Storyblok
- G2 shows Storyblok at 4.5 from 633 reviews.
- Reviewers praise flexible content creation that fits company-specific use cases.
Reviewer themes for Strapi
- G2 lists 206 reviews for Strapi; the snippet we read showed no overall score.
- G2 describes it as letting developers build faster with a customisable API.
Reviewer themes for Contentful
- G2 shows Contentful at 4.3 from 403 reviews.
- Reviewers describe a flexible, API-first platform that scales across channels.
How do you choose the right headless CMS for your agency?
Count the client sites you will run and who edits the content. A visual editor matters more when clients edit often.
Whichever you pick, prototype one real client site on the free plan and ask a client-side editor to try it before you commit.
Set a handover routine once a platform is chosen: a short editing guide, a recorded walkthrough, and a named owner for the admin account. Clients value an editor they can use more than a clever model.
Finally, agree who pays for seats, API limits and hosting in writing before launch, because these are ongoing costs that clients will ask about.
A quick decision guide
- Developer-led custom builds: Sanity.
- Client sites with marketer editing: Storyblok.
- Lowest cost and open source: Strapi.
- Enterprise clients: Contentful.
Frequently asked questions
- What are the best headless CMS platforms for agencies?
- Sanity for custom builds, Storyblok for client sites, Strapi for low cost, and Contentful for enterprise.
- Which is cheapest?
- Strapi Community is free to self-host.
- Which has a visual editor?
- Storyblok.
- Which has the highest G2 score?
- Sanity.
- How were the tools rated?
- Ratings come from G2 where available, and the editorial scores are our own judgement of fit for agencies.
Sources
Prices, plan limits, and ratings were gathered in October 2026 from:
- Sanity pricing page
- Storyblok pricing page
- Strapi pricing page
- Contentful pricing page
- G2