Try the demoGet Started
  • CMS comparison

Compare ApostropheCMS with leading CMS platforms

Learn how ApostropheCMS compares with Contentful, Drupal, Storyblok, Strapi, and CloudCannon across editing experience, architecture, deployment, content operations, and support for multiple sites.

No one CMS is the best choice for every team. This comparison focuses on the differences that affect how developers build, how editors work, and how the platform is operated over time.

CMS comparison at a glance

The table describes different product and operating models rather than assigning scores. Availability may vary by edition or plan; important qualifications are included within the table.

Last reviewed: July 2026

Platform and architecture
Features
Apostrophe
Contentful
Drupal
Storyblok
Strapi
CloudCannon
Product and source model
MIT-licensed open source; paid extensions available Proprietary managed SaaS GPL open source Proprietary managed SaaS MIT-licensed open source; paid products available Proprietary Git-based SaaS
Deployment model
Self-host or use managed application hosting Vendor-hosted content platform Self-host; third-party managed hosting available Vendor-hosted content platform Self-host or use Strapi Cloud SaaS CMS connected to your Git repository
Architecture
Full-stack or headless Headless and API-first Full-stack or decoupled Headless Headless backend Git and static-site-generator model
Software Stack
Node.js & JavaScript Proprietary PHP Proprietary Node.js & JavaScript Proprietary
Frontend and Astro support
Official Astro integration; framework choice through Astro Any frontend through APIs; Astro integration guides Any frontend when decoupled; community Astro guidance Official Astro SDK Any frontend through APIs; community Astro integration First-class Astro support

Editing and content operations
Features
Apostrophe
Contentful
Drupal
Storyblok
Strapi
CloudCannon
Editing experience
Edit directly on the rendered page Form editing with Live Preview; visual builder through Studio Experiences On-page visual editing with Drupal Canvas Select in the preview; edit in a sidebar Form-based admin with full-screen Preview included; side-by-side Live Preview on paid plans Developer-configured inline editing
Page composition
Compose developer-defined widgets on the page Visual composition through Studio Experiences Canvas and Layout Builder components Visual Blok composition Dynamic Zones configured through forms Visual composition with developer-defined components
Structured content modeling
Schemas, relationships, and REST APIs Content types, references, REST, and GraphQL Entities, fields, and references Components, Bloks, and stories Content types, components, REST, and GraphQL File and front-matter schemas
Draft and publishing workflow
Draft, submission, shareable previews, publishing, and scheduled publishing included in open source Draft, preview, publishing, and scheduled publishing; multi-stage workflows vary by plan Configurable editorial workflows in core Draft and preview; approvals and releases on higher tiers Draft, publish, and full-screen Preview included; scheduled Releases on Growth; Review Workflows on Enterprise Inline editing; branch-based review on higher tiers
Version history and rollback
Available through Document Versions in Pro and Assembly Entry versioning and rollback included Revisions and rollback included Available; retention varies by plan Content History on paid plans History and reverts managed through Git
Roles and permissions
Three built-in roles; advanced permissions in Pro and Assembly Roles included; custom roles on higher tiers Granular permissions in core Roles included; custom roles on higher tiers Role-based access in the free core Default permissions; custom permissions on higher tiers
Localization and translation
Localized content and translatable admin UI included; manual and automatic translation tools available in Pro and Assembly Localization varies by plan; translation available through apps Extensive multilingual capabilities in core Multilingual content; AI translation on higher tiers Unlimited locales included; AI-powered translation available on Growth File-based localization workflows on paid plans

Understanding what "visual editing" means across platforms

Several platforms in this comparison provide a visual editing experience, but the mechanics differ. These models can all be useful. The practical question is how much context the editor retains, how much frontend configuration is required, and whether the workflow matches the way the team creates pages.

Edit directly on the rendered page

Editors make changes through the page itself. Text, images, components, and page structure may be edited within the rendered experience.

Used by

ApostropheCMS, Drupal Canvas, and developer-configured CloudCannon projects.

Select in a preview and edit in a panel

Editors click a component in a rendered preview, then update its fields through an adjacent sidebar or form.

Used by

Storyblok and Contentful Studio Experiences.

Edit forms beside a live preview

Editors update fields in the CMS administration interface while a separate preview displays the result. Strapi’s included full-screen Preview is not the same side-by-side interaction.

Used by

Contentful Live Preview and Strapi Live Preview on paid plans. Apostrophe falls back to this for content that does not map naturally to direct on-page editing.

Experience in-context visual editing for yourself

See how ApostropheCMS handles in-context editing, developer-defined components, structured content, localization, editorial review, and scheduled publishing.

  • Platform Guidance

Choose the operating model that fits your team

Every platform in this comparison has situations where it may be the stronger choice. Use these summaries to identify the operating model that best matches your team, technology, and content requirements.

Apostrophe CMS icon

ApostropheCMS

Consider ApostropheCMS when you want an open-source JavaScript CMS that combines structured content, on-page editing, self-hosting, and an architecture developers can extend around a custom website or digital product.

Explore ApostropheCMS
Contentful icon

Contentful

Consider Contentful when you want a fully managed composable content platform for delivering structured content across multiple channels. Its APIs work with any frontend; its Studio Experiences visual builder uses React.

Compare ApostropheCMS and Contentful
drupal

Drupal

Consider Drupal when you have established PHP or Drupal expertise, need its extensive module ecosystem, or require mature multilingual and governance capabilities.

Compare ApostropheCMS and Drupal
Storyblok icon

Storyblok

Consider Storyblok when you want a polished visual-headless SaaS product with strong collaboration and content-operations capabilities, and its preview-and-sidebar editing model fits your team.

Strapi icon

Strapi

Consider Strapi when your primary requirement is an open-source, customizable content backend and API layer, and form-based authoring or a paid Live Preview experience meets your editing requirements.

Compare ApostropheCMS and Strapi
CloudCannon icon

CloudCannon

Consider CloudCannon when Git-managed content, static-site delivery, and visual editing for Astro or another static-site generator are central to your workflow.

Building and operating sites for your own customers?

Choosing a CMS for one website is different from choosing a platform for delivering independent websites as part of your own product.

You may also need to:

  • Provision new customer sites from a shared application

  • Embed your own data, integrations, and business logic

  • Isolate each customer’s content, users, permissions, and media

  • Give customers control only over their own sites

  • Share components and application updates across the platform

  • Oversee every site from one place

Apostrophe Assembly extends ApostropheCMS with the architecture and operational tools required to run that kind of multitenant customer-site platform.

How this comparison was researched

This comparison is based primarily on current official product documentation, pricing and plan information, licensing repositories, release notes, and integration guides.

For each capability, we considered:

  • How it works in practice

  • Whether it is included, paid, configured, plugin-based, or custom

  • Which product edition or plan provides it

  • What the platform hosts and what the implementing team operates

  • Whether “multiple sites” means a shared application, separate workspaces, separate instances, or separate repositories