Best Headless CMS for React in 2023

Discover the best headless CMS platforms for React in 2023. Explore our top picks, including Contentful, Strapi, Prismic, Sanity and Kentico Kontent

We've just released an updated article for 2024 on the best React CMS, providing fresh insights and the latest recommendations for developers

What is a Headless CMS?​

Headless CMS is a type of content management system that provides a content repository and APIs for delivering content to different digital channels, such as websites, mobile applications, and digital displays. Unlike traditional CMSs, Headless CMS does not provide a predefined front-end delivery system and instead focuses solely on content management, allowing developers to choose their preferred front-end technology and design the user interface separately from the content management system. This approach provides greater flexibility, scalability, and faster time-to-market for businesses to deliver content to their users across multiple channels.

What is React?​

React is a JavaScript library used for building user interfaces, particularly for web applications. Developed by Facebook, React allows developers to create reusable UI components and manage the state of those components dynamically, enabling a faster and more efficient rendering of changes to the UI.

Comparison criteria​

When comparing Headless CMS options for React, several factors are important to consider.

Firstly, the CMS's flexibility and ease of integration with React are key, as a Headless CMS that can easily integrate with React will simplify the development process and enable developers to build a more cohesive application.

Secondly, the CMS's ability to handle complex data models and provide an intuitive user interface for content editors is important, as it will impact the speed and efficiency of content creation and management.

Thirdly, the CMS's performance and scalability, including its ability to handle large volumes of content and users, should be evaluated to ensure that the CMS can meet the demands of the application.

Finally, the CMS's pricing and licensing models should be taken into consideration to ensure that the chosen solution is cost-effective and aligns with the business's budget and requirements.

We at FocusReactive would highlight 5 Headless CMS to compare: Storyblok, Sanity.io, Contentful, Kentico Kontent, Dato CMS

Storyblok​

Storyblok is a Headless CMS that offers a range of features aimed at enabling developers to build scalable and flexible web applications. When evaluating Storyblok as a Headless CMS, several key criteria can be examined.

1. Storyblok provides a high degree of flexibility of integration with React, making it an attractive option for developers. The CMS offers a React SDK that enables developers to create custom components that can be seamlessly integrated into React applications. Additionally, Storyblok's visual editor provides an intuitive interface that enables non-technical users to create and manage content within the CMS.

2. This Headless CMS offers a highly customizable data modelling system that allows developers to create complex data models tailored to the specific needs of their application. This capability is particularly useful for managing large and complex content sets. Storyblok also provides a range of advanced features, such as versioning and content locking, that facilitate efficient content management.

3. Storyblok is designed to be highly scalable and performant, with features such as content delivery network (CDN) caching and serverless architecture. These features enable applications to scale seamlessly as traffic increases, without compromising on performance or reliability.

4. Finally, it offers a range of pricing plans that cater to businesses of all sizes. The paid plans are based on usage, with pricing determined by the number of content items, users, and API requests. This pricing model makes Storyblok accessible to businesses with varying budgets, and enables them to get started with the CMS without making a large upfront investment. In addition to the above criteria, Storyblok also offers several other features that make it a standout Headless CMS option. For instance, Storyblok allows users to create multilingual content, which is particularly useful for businesses operating in different countries or catering to diverse audiences. The CMS also provides robust analytics and reporting tools that enable businesses to track user behaviour and make data-driven decisions.

More about Storyblok pricing here

Sanity.io​

Sanity is the platform for structured content. With Sanity.io you can manage your text, images, and other media with APIs. You can also use the open-source single page application Sanity Studio to quickly set up an editing environment that you can customize.

1. If you're a developer who loves working with React, you'll love how easily Sanity.io integrates with it. The React SDK makes it a breeze to create custom components, and the real-time collaboration feature makes it simple for non-technical users to manage content within the CMS. Plus, Sanity.io provides a highly intuitive interface that's perfect for businesses of all sizes.

2. Sanity.io's data modelling system is highly customizable, which is perfect for businesses that deal with large and complex content sets. With versioning and content locking features, Sanity.io makes content management a breeze, even for the most complicated content.

3. This Headless CMS is built to be highly scalable and performant, with features like CDN caching and serverless architecture. These features ensure that your applications can scale seamlessly without any loss of performance or reliability. Plus, Sanity.io provides a range of tools and features that help you optimize your applications for speed and efficiency, making it a great choice for businesses of all sizes.

4. The pricing is always an important consideration, and Sanity.io offers a range of pricing plans that cater to businesses of all sizes. The usage-based pricing model makes it easy for businesses with varying budgets to get started with the CMS without making a large upfront investment. This pricing model also enables businesses to scale their usage up or down based on their needs, making it a highly cost-effective solution.

More about Sanity pricing here

Kentico Kontent​

Kentico Kontent is a Headless CMS that allows you to unify content across your organization and manage its entire lifecycle in a single location.

1. In case you you're using React, you'll love how easily Kentico Kontent integrates with it. With a range of tools and features designed specifically for React, Kentico Kontent makes it easy to create custom components and manage content seamlessly. This flexibility makes it a great choice for businesses of all sizes.

2. Kontent has got a highly customizable data modelling system that's perfect for managing complex content sets. With features like versioning and content locking, Kentico Kontent makes content management a breeze, even for the most complicated content. Plus, the user-friendly interface makes it easy for non-technical users to create and manage content within the CMS.

3. Kentico Kontent is created to be highly performant and scalable. Having features like caching and serverless architecture, your applications can scale smoothly without any loss of performance or reliability. Plus, Kentico Kontent provides a range of tools and features that help you optimize your applications for speed and efficiency, making it a great choice for businesses of all sizes.

4. It's pretty difficult to find the exact prices for Kentico.ai - they have a free tier for 1 developer and the rest is custom, so as long as your project is somerthing more that just a non-commercial website - reach out to Kentico sales team to figure out the pricing

More about Kentiko pricing here

In addition to the above, Kentico Kontent offers a range of other great features, such as the ability to manage content across multiple languages and channels. Plus, there are integrations with popular tools and services like Gatsby and Next.js, making it even easier to create a seamless user experience across different channels.

DatoCMS​

DatoCMS - is a a friendly, secure and powerful platform that enables marketer, editorial or developer team to build complex backend in minutes and to bring any kind of content everywhere.

1. DatoCMS is highly compatible with React, and it offers an easy-to-use SDK that makes integrating with React a breeze. The GraphQL API also makes it simple for non-technical users to manage content within the CMS. Whether you're a seasoned React developer or just getting started, you'll appreciate how seamless and user-friendly DatoCMS is when it comes to integrating with React.

2. This Headless CMS that offers highly customizable and complex data models, making it an excellent choice for businesses dealing with complex content sets. With versioning and content locking features, DatoCMS makes content management a breeze, even for the most complicated content. Whether you're dealing with intricate product catalogs or multi-language websites, DatoCMS's data modelling system can handle it all.

3. DatoCMS is designed to be highly scalable, with features like CDN caching and serverless architecture. Moreover, DatoCMS provides a range of tools and features that help you optimize your applications for speed and efficiency, making it a great choice for businesses of all sizes. Whether you're dealing with low traffic websites or high traffic e-commerce stores, DatoCMS can handle it all with ease.

4. Their plans start with a free tier, which allows up to 2,000 records, 500 media assets, and one user. This plan is perfect for small businesses and personal projects.

For larger businesses and more complex projects, DatoCMS offers paid plans with higher limits on records, media assets, and users.

More about DatoCMS pricing here

Contentful​

Contentful - is a headless content management system and content platform that is both cloud-native and highly extensible.

1. Contentful provides a React SDK that makes it easy to integrate your content with React applications. The SDK provides a range of features, including content previews, content search, and content synchronization, making it easy to manage your content and deliver it to your React application. Additionally, Contentful provides a range of integrations and add-ons that can help you optimize your workflow and improve your content management capabilities. Overall, Contentful is a great choice for businesses looking for a Headless CMS that can integrate seamlessly with React.

2. All the CMSs above have the same customazible datat modelling system so is Contentful. It is a highly customizable Headless CMS that offers a range of features designed to help businesses manage and deliver content across various channels. Its data modelling system is highly flexible, allowing you to create complex data structures that can support even the most complicated content.

3. Contentful is a CMS that is made to be scalable and performant, with features like CDN and a highly optimized API.

4. The pricing plans are also tiered based on usage and features, with the cost increasing as you move up to higher tiers. The plans include features such as custom domains, API requests, roles and permissions, and dedicated support. Additionally, Contentful offers custom pricing for businesses with unique needs, ensuring that everyone can find a plan that works for them. With its range of pricing options and features, Contentful is a highly flexible and cost-effective Headless CMS solution.

More about Contentful pricing here

Summary​

Flexibility and ease of integration with React​

Sanity.io stands out, offering extensive support for React-based development and server-side rendering. Storyblok and Contentful also provide robust integration options with React.

Modelling and Content management​

When it comes to data modelling and content management, DatoCMS offers a highly customizable data modelling interface, while Kentico provides advanced workflows and versioning capabilities.

Performance and scalability​

Contentful offers advanced content delivery capabilities with support for CDN caching and fast delivery of content. Kentico offers a scalable cloud hosting solution, while DatoCMS and Sanity.io offer serverless architecture for high scalability.

Pricing and licensing​

This point also varies among these CMS options. DatoCMS offers a flexible pay-as-you-go pricing model, while Kentico offers both a free and paid plan based on usage. Sanity.io and Contentful offer fixed plans with limits on content and users, while Storyblok offers a free plan with limited features and a paid plan based on usage.

Overall, the best Headless CMS option for React will depend on the specific needs and requirements of the project, with each CMS offering its own strengths and weaknesses in terms of integration, content management, performance, and pricing.

Personally we at FocusReactive take immense pleasure in working with Sanity and Storyblok, two powerful and versatile headless CMS that have revolutionised the way we create and manage digital content. The flexibility and scalability these platforms offer enable us to craft tailor-made, content-rich experiences for our clients, whilst adhering to the highest standards of the English (UK) language. We appreciate the real-time collaboration and lightning-fast content delivery provided by Sanity, which allows our team to streamline workflows and maintain a seamless content production process. In addition, Storyblok's intuitive visual editor and modular content blocks empower us to build feature-rich websites without compromising on design or performance. Ultimately, these tools help us to deliver an unparalleled user experience and remain at the forefront of the digital landscape.

Also, delve into our curated insights on headless CMS for NextJS in our companion article.