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Head-to-head · Headless CMS

CrafterCMS vs Contentful

  • Updated Oct 2026
  • Both researched from official sources
  • 5 checks side by side
Higher score CrafterCMS #5 in Headless CMS 8.9/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 4 of 4 features Visit CrafterCMS
Contentful #10 in Headless CMS 8.4/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 4 of 4 features Visit Contentful

CrafterCMS leads on 0 checks, Contentful on 0, and 5 are even. Who comes out ahead on the 5 yes/no, price and count checks where we have data for both products. The editor score weighs everything else too.

Our verdict

  • Highest scoreCrafterCMS · 8.9/10
  • Free planboth

CrafterCMS scores higher on our rubric for headless cms: 8.9 against 8.4 out of 10; our editors rank them #5 and #10.

CrafterCMS is the better fit for enterprise teams wanting open-source DevContentOps. Contentful is the better fit for mature teams needing a broad enterprise CMS.

  • CrafterCMS fits best

    Enterprise teams wanting open-source DevContentOps

  • Contentful fits best

    Mature teams needing a broad enterprise CMS

Advertiser disclosure: iTechGuides is reader-supported. Vendors can pay for top positions in our rankings and for a place on other products' pages, and we may earn a commission when you click some links. Bought places stand at the number bought; this page and our disclosure say so. Paying vendors may get a fuller, more detailed review from our editors, and that review can change their score. How we rank.

Side by side

Feature CrafterCMS 8.9/10 Visit ↗ Contentful 8.4/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score 8.9 8.4
Ranking #5 in Headless CMS #10 in Headless CMS
Best for Enterprise teams wanting open-source DevContentOps Mature teams needing a broad enterprise CMS
Pricing model Free Free plan + paid
Starting price Free plan $300/mo
Free plan ✓ ✓
Free trial — —
Deployment Cloud, Self-hosted Cloud
Platforms Web, Windows, macOS, Linux Web
Support Email, Community, Docs · 24/7 Tickets, Docs, Community · 24/7
Compliance SOC 2, SSO/SAML SOC 2, ISO 27001, PCI DSS, SSO/SAML
Integrations 5 integrations 100+ integrations
Built for Mid-market, Enterprise Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features CrafterCMS 4/4 · Contentful 4/4
Content localization ✓ ✓
Webhooks ✓ ✓
Content preview ✓ ✓
Asset transformations ✓ ✓
Specs
API types Both Both
Role permissions Custom Custom
Our review
Pros
  • Free Community edition with Git-based DevContentOps workflows
  • REST and GraphQL APIs support multiple digital channels
  • Multisite, multilingual management with approvals and granular permissions
  • REST and GraphQL APIs support structured, omnichannel delivery.
  • Custom roles, permissions, and fine-grained policies support governance.
  • Localization, previews, webhooks, image transformations, and apps cover core workflows.
Cons
  • Paid Enterprise and Cloud editions add commercial commitments
  • Self-hosting requires responsibility for deployment and operations
  • Its broad scope may exceed the needs of a single-site team
  • The Lite plan costs $300 per month, raising the paid-entry cost.
  • Enterprise pricing and some advanced capabilities vary by plan and contract.
  • Its broad feature set is better suited to mature teams than narrow projects.
Our verdict

CrafterCMS is an open-source, Git-based headless and hybrid-headless CMS for enterprise websites, portals, intranets, mobile applications, and other content-driven experiences. It suits teams that want open-source DevContentOps workflows…

Read the review →

Contentful is a cloud-native, API-first headless CMS for teams creating, managing, localizing, and distributing structured content across websites, mobile apps, and other digital channels. It supports REST and GraphQL APIs, content…

Read the review →
  1. CrafterCMSHeadless CMS 8.9Free plan
  2. ContentfulHeadless CMS 8.4Free plan

Strengths and trade-offs

  • CrafterCMS — where it wins

    • Free Community edition with Git-based DevContentOps workflows
    • REST and GraphQL APIs support multiple digital channels
    • Multisite, multilingual management with approvals and granular permissions

    Where it doesn't

    • Paid Enterprise and Cloud editions add commercial commitments
    • Self-hosting requires responsibility for deployment and operations
    • Its broad scope may exceed the needs of a single-site team

  • Contentful — where it wins

    • REST and GraphQL APIs support structured, omnichannel delivery.
    • Custom roles, permissions, and fine-grained policies support governance.
    • Localization, previews, webhooks, image transformations, and apps cover core workflows.

    Where it doesn't

    • The Lite plan costs $300 per month, raising the paid-entry cost.
    • Enterprise pricing and some advanced capabilities vary by plan and contract.
    • Its broad feature set is better suited to mature teams than narrow projects.

More comparisons

All headless CMS comparisons → · Full ranking →

Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026

Last updated · How we research and update