The role of content management systems continues to evolve, and brands are increasingly turning to headless platforms to help them deliver unique experiences across different channels. Choosing a headless CMS can be tricky, as a quick search of most review platforms will yield almost 100 results.
Upon further research, you should be able to narrow down that relatively easily. Still, when you try to compare some of the leading platforms, the headaches might return, especially when dealing with robust and feature-packed solutions such as Storyblok and Contentful.
In this article, we’ll help to simplify things with a side-by-side comparison of the two to help you decide which headless CMS is the right one for you.
Storyblok is a headless CMS with a visual editor to make things easier for marketers and content editors. It empowers teams of developers and content creators to build high-quality digital experiences across any channel.
A key differentiator of Storyblok is its ability to provide visual previews of content, which reduces the need for content editors to get help from developers for simple tasks. It offers a user experience similar to that of a page builder but with headless architecture that gives developers the freedom to work with any technologies they see fit.
Storyblok’s visual editor offers a content editor that enables you to create content and collaborate with team members while leveraging composable components and publishing workflows.
The digital asset manager provides a central hub where you can organize all content assets as well as edit images and tag content.
Contentful is a composable content platform that allows brands to orchestrate content and deliver digital experiences. It provides easy customization while also integrating with any tech stack.
As a composable content platform, Contentful enables companies to meet today’s digital content demands. Its API-first architecture allows content to be published to any channel and includes tailored interfaces and content governance with role-based workflows and access management.
Contentful Studio is an editorial workspace that teams can use to streamline content operations to operate more efficiently and work faster.
The App Framework improves Contentful’s extensibility, allowing businesses to connect the additional tools they need. Developers can also create additional custom apps.
Now that you have an overview of what each headless CMS platform can do let’s look at how they stack up side by side.
Storyblok and Contentful both rely on a similar architecture to power their CMS. These MACH-based systems leverage microservices, API-first, cloud-native and headless architecture to provide a digital experience for their customers.
Both platforms also rely on Amazon Web Services (AWS) for hosting and are SaaS-based solutions that can be accessed by enterprise teams anywhere in the world.
Storyblok offers developers a component-based approach to building digital experiences. As a headless CMS, Storyblok is framework-agnostic, providing the freedom to use any technology or frontend framework needed, whether Next.js, Gatsby, React or something else.
Storyblok uses nestable content blocks to make content management easier. Developers can create components such as grids, feature sections, teasers, and more and reuse them in other layouts.
Contentful also provides the framework freedom that developers would expect from a headless CMS. They can build with Vue, React, Angular, Nuxt and others as they see fit. It also includes starters for popular frameworks and libraries such as Remix, Hydrogen from Shopify, Ruby as well as Jamstack to make getting things done with these tools easier.
Most headless CMSs use some form of content modeling. Contentful allows you to create a library of shared content models, syncing components across different experiences. This can be achieved without using code or migration scripts, whether it’s to create a hero banner, landing page, or any other content assets.
Storyblok uses two different types of components: content types and bloks. Content types act as templates, and you can create as many as you need, from product pages and FAQs to posts and pages. Bloks, or nestable components, are also available which can be used for elements such as grids, hero banners, newsletter sections, and more.
One area where Storyblok takes the lead over Contentful is the content authoring experience. Storyblok’s visual editor provides an in-context preview that enables users to create content in the interface and also preview how it will look on different channels, such as a mobile device or tablet.
On the other hand, Contentful uses a rich text or markdown editor that allows users to create content for different channels. For those familiar with the WYSIWYG-style editors of a traditional CMS, this provides a similar experience but lacks the preview capabilities offered by Storyblok.
Contentful offers an extensive marketplace of ready-made integrations with leading tools across analytics, commerce, digital asset management search and more. Developers can also use the App Framework to create custom apps that extend the functionality of the CMS.
Storyblok also offers an extensive collection of integrations as part of its Technology Ecosystem with partner technologies in areas such as marketing, personalization, and more. Both platforms are API-first, meaning they can integrate with other platforms more easily than a traditional or suite CMS.
Storyblok offers a free community plan for developers, freelancers, and small businesses. For larger businesses, its Entry plan with up to 5 members starts at $90.75 per month. Team pricing begins at $411.58 per month for growing and established teams of up to 10 members, while Enterprise customers begin at $2,999 per month. They also offer an Enterprise Plus option for businesses that need more security and scalability.
Contentful also offers a Free community plan for individual developers and up to 5 members. Team pricing begins at $489 per month with a Premium pricing option available for customization depending on what a business needs.
Storyblok and Contentful boast robust community and partner ecosystems, from agencies to technology partners, that can help companies get more out of their platforms.
The Storyblok Partner Program offers support for agencies working with Storyblok and an assortment of agencies across different specializations to help Storyblok customers get the most out of their CMS, from implementation and maintenance to design and content services.
Contentful’s Solution Partner Program is also filled with numerous agencies of varying levels, from Bronze to Silver to Gold, who can assist companies starting with Contentful with everything from implementation to change management and training or content modeling.
Storyblok offers additional features that help brands get the most out of their CMS. Personalization and localization features allow brands to translate content as well as create unique experiences for different customer segments and audiences.
Contentful facilitates campaign management with localization and personalization features as well so that global brands can orchestrate their digital campaigns and deliver content wherever it needs to go.
Review platforms like G2 offer another look at what real customers of each platform are saying about them
Contentful has a rating of 4.3 out of 5 stars from a total of 260 reviews, whereas Storyblok has a rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars from a total of 259 reviews.
For Contentful, one senior engineer at a mid-market enterprise company noted that the platform offered a user-friendly interface, allowed content to be created and managed in multiple languages, and also offered a robust API to integrate other applications and services. However, they also added that Contentful had a steep learning curve and that the platform can sometimes be complex and overwhelming for some users.
In Storyblok’s case, a CTO at a small business hailed Storyblok as the best developer-friendly CMS, stating that the visual editor was a pleasure to work with and useful for non-technical users as well. However, he added that the ecosystem around the product was still growing, there was a need for more integrations, and migrations required some work.
When the ratings and reviews are assessed side by side, it might seem apparent that Storyblok is the clear winner. However, each CMS caters to a different type of audience primarily. While almost 60% of Storyblok reviews come from small businesses, 38% of Contentful reviews come from mid-market enterprises. These audiences have different needs, which could explain why different market sizes ratings could differ
If you are a large or midsize enterprise, Contentful may be the better option. A large developer team will be able to maximize the benefits of Contentful and help accelerate the creation of digital experiences.
Storyblok could be the better choice for smaller enterprises and teams as its visual editor requires less of an adjustment than the content authoring setup in other headless CMSs and will make getting campaigns up and running much more straightforward.
Storyblok and Contentful offer leading headless CMS platforms that can help brands of different sizes accomplish their content goals. Choosing the best one will come down to the unique needs of your business, the size of your team, and your existing technology ecosystem, among other factors.
To help you decide, it is important to have the right partner to assist you. FocusReactive are experts in headless CMS consulting and can help you with everything from multichannel CMS development to content modeling, customization, and additional support. Our expertise in both platforms allows us to help you select the right choice for your business needs.
Ready to get started with a headless CMS? Contact us today.