Choosing a content management system can be an overwhelming task for businesses of any size. A CMS (Content Management System) is much more than just another tool for your business; it is the fundamental pillar on which your online presence rests.
In this context, Strapi stands out, a powerful open-source headless CMS, designed not only to manage your online content but also to lay the foundation for your digital marketing strategy.
After firsthand testing its features and evaluating its results, we have assigned Strapi a score of 7.9 out of 10. But… is it the CMS your business needs or is it better to opt for an alternative? To help you solve this question, in this article we will share with you a thorough analysis of Strapi.
What is Strapi?
Strapi is a headless CMS that is open source and based on JavaScript, allowing you to create, manage, and distribute content across multiple channels. Unlike competitors such as Wordpress or Joomla, Strapi uses a technology stack based on Node.js. This makes it a real gift for developers, as it simplifies the process of creating APIs and supports the framework of choice.
Why choose Strapi?
Strapi is considered by many as the best API-first content management system due to its open-source nature and its use of NodeJS. However, that’s not all, it is also an ideal tool with which any user, even without technical knowledge, can create, manage, and publish multichannel content.
Among the main reasons to choose Strapi for your business, we highlight:
- Headless architecture: It is possible to publish content through multiple channels (web, mobile apps, etc.)
- Modern content management interface: Designed so that any user can use it.
- Automatically generated REST and GraphQL endpoints: To easily distribute across digital channels.
- Compatible with any front-end: Giving developers freedom.
Optimization and analysis tools: Allowing you to easily improve the SEO of your content and achieve better positioning in search engines like Google.
The best of Strapi
Strapi is an open-source CMS and, as such, one of its strongest points is undoubtedly its flexibility and high level of customization. This is achieved thanks to its modular architecture, which can be activated and deactivated according to the needs of your business model.
As we have already mentioned, Strapi is perfect for developers. In fact, the team behind the CMS prides itself on being “created by developers and for developers”. This is due to its Node.JS architecture, a runtime environment for JavaScript that allows developing both web applications and APIs. Together with Koa (a framework for NodeJS), it enables developers to create endpoints and add new functions to the CMS. This translates into a total level of customization by the company.
The worst of Strapi
Although our experience with Strapi has been very satisfying, there are some areas where the CMS could improve.
First, we find its limited data migration system. Strapi supports various databases through two different packages: Bookshelf.js (for SQL data) and Mongoose (for MongoDB). However, it does not support traditional database migrations, and if you choose to add extensions (for example), it is necessary to develop your own migration solution.
Another disappointing point is its GraphQL plugin. Although it usually works correctly, sometimes it generates errors with add-ons such as authentication options or custom controllers.
Finally, its difficulty of use for users without technical experience must be added. Although its basic functions are accessible to everyone, they require some time to adapt. This wouldn’t be a handicap if it weren’t because Strapi does not offer the same level of documentation and tutorials as many of its competitors.
Who do we recommend Strapi for?
As is usual, not all businesses have the same needs. For this reason, we recommend Strapi for:
- Small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) with a competent development team.
- Agencies that want to develop personalized content and experiences for their clients.
- Marketing teams with technological experience seeking a CMS that allows a high level of content customization.
In short, Strapi is a headless CMS perfect for any company looking for the versatility and freedom provided by open-source software. That said, it is important to remember that this flexibility requires technical knowledge. Therefore, businesses choosing this solution will need a certain level of expertise to configure the CMS.
If you are looking for an equally versatile content management system but with tools already integrated without the need for advanced customization or configuration, we recommend alternatives such as WordPress.
Key Features: What is Strapi for?
As we have already mentioned in this review, Strapi is an open-source headless CMS designed to create, manage, and publish content. Companies and businesses that adopt Strapi use this software both for building websites and e-commerce platforms, as well as for distributing their publications across multiple channels.
The key features of Strapi are:
Content Management
Like any good CMS, one of Strapi's strengths is its content management. It has a good interface, the ability to assign users and roles, a powerful media library, as well as the basic tools of any publishing editor. Additionally, Strapi also features a strong internationalization function, allowing you to translate your content into multiple languages in just a few clicks.
Intuitive Interface
Although slightly more complex than some competitors, Strapi's interface is very easy to use. From its administration panel, content editors can easily create and distribute any type of publication for your business's marketing strategy.
Auto-generation and Automation
One of Strapi's strengths is its ability to eliminate a large number of repetitive tasks. From its interface, it's possible to automatically generate databases, controllers, services, endpoints, etc. This way, business performance can be improved by eliminating a large amount of superfluous workload.
High Level of Customization
Thanks to its open-source nature, Strapi is a versatile and highly customizable API-First CMS. With the help of your company's development team, it's possible to customize its functions by creating the plugins and extensions necessary for your content strategy. This way, Strapi can easily connect with third-party services and applications, pushing its functionalities to the limit.
Authentication and Authorization
As we have mentioned, Strapi is a CMS that allows assigning roles and permissions to its users. This is done easily and smoothly with the simple help of a plugin. Once configured, access to different application resources can be managed, maintaining the security of your data.
Plugin Store
Strapi has its own marketplace of plugins from where it's possible to enhance and customize the CMS without needing to create your own APIs. There are all kinds, from those aimed at improving your workflow to others capable of boosting the SEO of your publications and content in just a few clicks. Besides that, Strapi has a very active community, so it's possible to expand the range of available plugins by simply visiting their repositories.
Advantages and disadvantages of using Strapi
Before deciding to implement a content management system (CMS), it is important to make a balance of its strengths and weaknesses. Below we have compiled the main pros and cons of Strapi:
Pros of Strapi:
- High flexibility and customization: Strapi easily adapts to all types of content, being a perfect CMS for websites, apps, blogs, etc.
- Open-source CMS designed for developers: Thanks to its open-source nature, Strapi allows you to tailor the CMS to your needs, creating the functions necessary for your company. This way, it is possible to have full control not only over its code but also its hosting.
- Wide variety of plugins: Strapi has a marketplace from which you can download a large number of plugins to customize your CMS.
- Excellent price-quality balance: With a high level of satisfaction and an affordable price for all types of businesses, Strapi is a highly recommended CMS for SMEs and development teams.
Cons of Strapi:
- Limited customer support: Strapi has a very limited help service divided into different categories depending on our payment plan.
- Limited database migration: It is necessary to perform database migrations manually across multiple environments.
- Moderate learning curve: Users without technical knowledge may need some time to learn how to use Strapi.
- Technical service depends on our payment plans: Not all Strapi users can access the CMS technical service. Only those with the most expensive plan will receive direct assistance.
Should my company adopt Strapi?
Strapi is an open-source CMS created by developers and designed for developers. This translates into unprecedented flexibility and versatility. In this regard, it is a perfect solution for any company looking for a highly customizable content management system that fits perfectly with its business plan.
Why do some companies abandon Strapi?
Since Strapi is an open-source CMS, it is capable of adapting to the specific content needs of any company. Added to this is a very competitive price and the ability to host the CMS within the company's own servers. For these reasons, once implemented in their workflow, very few companies choose to abandon Strapi. However, if any do, it is usually due to the need for a development team with advanced knowledge to handle the configuration and maintenance of the CMS.
Plans and Pricing: How Much Does Strapi Cost?
As an open-source CMS, Strapi offers both completely free plans and paid ones providing enterprise features. These are divided between plans only for its CMS and plans for its cloud PaaS version.
Strapi CMS Plans
- Community: (Free) Includes CMS with MIT license, role assignment and management, REST and GraphQL API, content manager, customization tools, unlimited usage (entries, API requests, etc.), technical support via Discord.
- Growth: (€13.74/month/user) Includes the benefits of the Community plan plus scheduling publications, saving a backup of any change, and basic customer support service. It is also possible to add SSO by paying an extra €45.83 per month, per user.
- Enterprise: (contact sales required): Includes the benefits of the Growth plan plus SSO, workflow analysis, audits, premium support with SLAs, management of bank transfers and purchase orders, volume discounts, and SOC 2 reports.
It is possible to try Strapi CMS without needing any download thanks to its free 1-hour demos.
Strapi Cloud Plans
- Essential: (€13.75/month/project) Includes 100,000 API requests, 50GB bandwidth, 50GB asset storage, unlimited database, 1 production environment, 1 integrated email provider, high-speed CDN, real-time logging.
- Pro: (€68.73/month/project) Includes all the advantages of the Essential plan plus 1,000,000 API requests, 250GB asset storage, 500GB bandwidth, unlimited databases, multi-environment, weekly backups.
- Scale: (€343.72/month/project) Includes all the advantages of the Pro plan plus 10,000,000 API requests, 1,000GB asset storage, 1,000GB bandwidth, unlimited databases, 2 production environments, daily backups, 99.9% uptime SLA.
- Scale (annual): (contact sales required) Includes all the advantages of the Scale plan plus CMS tools and the option to pay annually.
It is important to note that Strapi Cloud offers a 14-day free trial for the Essential, Pro, and Scale plans.
Implementation: Is it easy to adopt Strapi into your business plan?
The process of implementing Strapi in your business is relatively straightforward and, depending on the user's technical knowledge level, it can take from a few minutes to days. That’s why it is advisable to have an experienced IT team, especially if choosing to implement the platform in the cloud.
To assist in this process, Strapi offers a documentation section with several guides for both users and development teams. However, these are not very comprehensive, so it is common for platform users to share questions in forums and online communities. There is also a YouTube channel with video tutorials, although these are very brief and are not updated frequently.
Usability: Is Strapi easy to use?
Regarding usability, Strapi is a platform with a user interface perhaps somewhat more complex than that of its competitors but not therefore complicated. After a short adaptation time, any user regardless of their technical knowledge will be able to create, manage, and publish content with little effort.
Security: Is Strapi a secure CMS?
Strapi includes built-in security features within the CMS. Among them are authentication options, both granular (RBAC) for user and API permissions as well as through access token management for third-party services. Additionally, all Strapi data is encrypted, and the platform holds the SOC 2 and GDPR compliance certificates.
It is important to note that Strapi also offers extra security options such as the possibility to add the single sign-on (SSO) service. However, if you choose the Growth plan, you will need to pay an additional €45.83 per month to implement it.
Customer Support: How to Contact Strapi?
Strapi CMS has a rather confusing customer support service, something that does not please most of its clients. This is because, depending on the plan contracted or if we decide to use the free CMS, we will -or will not- have access to it.
Customer Support for the Free Plan
If we choose to download and use the CMS for free, we can only contact technical support through their Discord channel. That is why most questions are shared in forums and online communities.
Customer Support for the Growth Plan
If we choose the Growth plan, we only have access to basic customer support. To contact them, we can opt for email or by opening a ticket within their support portal. The major drawback is that basic support only allows questions about license activation, payment issues, and problems with their cloud platform.
Customer Support for the Standard Plan
The Standard plan includes Standard customer support and it is possible to access it via email and through the support portal. The questions we can ask with this plan are the same as basic support, plus limited help regarding the admin panel, backend, implementation and configuration of the headless CMS, as well as its update. Strapi emphasizes that by “limited help,” they mean directing us to online documents and tutorials to assist us.
Customer Support for the Premium Plan
Finally, the Premium plan features an advanced support service that can be contacted via email, help portal, and video call. In this case, the help and support are complete and guided by Strapi’s own staff, making it the only plan that truly offers technical assistance as such.
What alternatives are there to Strapi?
It is possible that, after reading our analysis of Strapi, you are not convinced that this is the ideal CMS for your company. If that is the case, don’t worry. There are many alternatives on the market to manage your business content quickly and securely.
These are our favorites:
WordPress vs Strapi
WordPress is a true titan in the world of CMS and, due to its ease of use and versatility, it is the favorite of many marketing teams. It is characterized by:
- Ease of use.
- Wide range of built-in tools.
- It is a CMS designed to achieve optimal SEO results.
Sanity vs Strapi
Sanity is a headless CMS with features very similar to Strapi. Among its main characteristics are:
- Data and document-oriented database.
- Greater flexibility and scalability for complex structures.
- Combines JavaScript and React.
- Great customization and content management capability.
Despite its similarity, we recommend Sanity for all those companies seeking a solution whose administration and configuration is simpler than Strapi's
Contentful vs Strapi
Finally, we want to recommend Contentful, a highly customizable headless CMS but with a much less technical setup than Strapi. Its most notable features are:
- It is a Low-code/No-code solution to create websites.
- Includes an AI-based content generator.
- High-speed content delivery network (CDN)
- Framework for applications to achieve greater interaction with market apps.
Contentful is a powerful headless CMS that, being cloud-based, provides a usability much more intuitive than Strapi. Its content editor is much more complete and also offers AI functionalities. However, it does not have the level of customization of Strapi.
Do we recommend Strapi?
Yes, it definitely is one of the best options on the market for any company looking for a customizable CMS that adapts to the needs of their business. Thanks to its open-source nature, Strapi stands out for its flexibility and versatility, providing unlimited opportunities and features to a company. Additionally, its automation functions are very helpful to avoid repetitive tasks and increase your business productivity.
That is why we consider Strapi an ideal CMS for small and medium-sized businesses looking for a solution to manage their content in a scalable way and through multiple channels. Of course, this requires having a good development team to manage it and get the most out of it.
