The Best Self-Hosted Headless CMS

What is a Self-Hosted Headless CMS?

A headless CMS is a content management system that separates the backend (where content is created and stored) from the frontend (where content is displayed). This “headless” approach makes it possible to publish the same content across different channels—websites, mobile apps —without being locked into one presentation layer.

In 2025, this model is more relevant than ever. Organizations are looking for flexible, scalable, and secure ways to handle their content, and running a CMS on their own infrastructure gives them full control over performance, security, and customization.

Market Outlook in 2025

The headless CMS market is growing fast:

• The global market is worth around $973.8 million in 2025, and forecasts suggest it could exceed $7 billion by 2035.
• Other studies expect growth to $4.59 billion by 2033, showing how widespread adoption has become across businesses of all sizes.
• Surveys show that 73% of organizations are either using or planning to use a headless CMS, and 44% already run one in production.
• AI is becoming a key part of the story: many platforms are adding tools for automated content generation, SEO optimization, and real-time personalization.

In short, self-hosted headless CMS platforms are not just a niche option anymore—they’re becoming a standard part of modern digital strategies.

Why Choose a Self-Hosted Headless CMS?

• Full Control: You decide how and where your content is stored and delivered, which is vital for compliance and security.
• Customization: Extend or reshape the CMS to match your workflows, whether through plugins, APIs, or custom logic.
• Scalability: Handle traffic spikes and growing content libraries with infrastructure you manage and optimize.
• Security: Apply your own policies, patches, and monitoring to reduce risks.
• Data Ownership: Keep your content under your governance, with control over backups and storage.
• No Vendor Lock-In: Avoid being tied to a SaaS provider’s roadmap or pricing model.

Popular Self-Hosted Headless CMS Options

Among the top contenders in the self-hosted headless CMS market are: Payload CMS, Sanity CMS, Strapi CMS, and Directus. Below is a comparative analysis of their features, based on user reviews and ratings from G2. This analysis will provide insights into each platform's strengths and weaknesses according to real user experiences.

Payload

Payload

• Overview: Payload CMS is a modern headless CMS designed for developers. It focuses on flexibility and provides a great user experience for content creators.
• User Ratings: On G2, Payload CMS has garnered positive reviews for its developer-friendly features and customization options.
• Pros:
  • Customizable: Highly flexible schema design allows for personalized content models.
  • User Interface: Users appreciate the intuitive and clean admin panel.
  • API First: Powerful API capabilities enable easy integration with various front-end frameworks.
• Cons:
  • Learning Curve: Some users mention a learning curve for those unfamiliar with coding.
  • Documentation: While improving, some users find the documentation lacking in certain areas.
• Latest Version: v3.54.0 (August 2025)
• Recent Updates: New features like Trash Support, Job Scheduling, developer experience improvements, and a Vigilant Mode for tighter security.
• Security Note: Earlier versions (before v3.44.0) had vulnerabilities (CVE-2025-4643, CVE-2025-4644). Teams should upgrade to stay protected.

Sanity

Sanity

• Overview: Sanity CMS offers both cloud hosting and the option to self-host. It’s known for its real-time collaboration and structured content model, which make it a favorite for developer teams.
• User Ratings: Sanity CMS has received high ratings on G2, especially for its collaborative features and developer experience.
• Pros:
• Excellent collaboration features. Users highlight the ability to collaborate in real-time, making it ideal for teams.
  • Structured Content: Offers advanced content modeling with a focus on structured content.
  • Rich Ecosystem: Integrates well with various tools and provides extensive plugins.
• Cons:
  • Pricing: Some users feel that the pricing can become high for larger teams or projects.
  • Setup may feel complex for non-technical users.

Strapi

Strapi

• Overview: Strapi CMS is a popular open-source, self-hosted headless CMS known for its developer-centric approach and flexibility. It offers a rich content management experience and is highly customizable through plugins and APIs.

• User Ratings: On platforms like G2, Strapi is often praised for its ease of use and flexible customization options, particularly suited for developers with varying levels of experience.

• Pros:

  • Customization: Easy to start with, strong plugin ecosystem.
  • Ease of Use: Admin interface is intuitive, even for non-technical users.
  • Supports both REST and GraphQL APIs.

• Cons:

  • Performance Issues: Can slow down with very large datasets
  • Limited Support: premium support requires an enterprise plan.

• New Features in 2025:

  • AI-assisted schema generation
  • Live Preview for content editors
  • Customizable dashboards
  • Free tier in Strapi Cloud for smaller teams
  • Scheduling for Releases to plan content publishing ahead of time

Directus

Directus

• Overview: Directus is an open-source platform that turns any SQL database into a headless CMS, making it highly adaptable for projects that rely on structured data.
• Highlights:
• User Ratings: Directus has positive ratings on G2 for its powerful API, flexibility, and its ability to integrate with existing databases.
• Pros:
  • Database Flexibility: Can integrate with any SQL-based database, providing more options for backend infrastructure.
  • Customization: Highly customizable and suited for projects that require fine-tuning of content structures.
  • Real-time API: Includes a real-time GraphQL API for content delivery.
• Cons:
  • Setup Complexity: The initial setup can be challenging for less experienced developers.
  • Limited Documentation: documentation is not always consistent.

Comparative Overview (2025)

User Experience and Insights

Payload

• User Reviews: Payload CMS is ideal for technical teams that want high performance and modern APIs, but requires staying on top of updates.
• Example Review: "Payload’s customizable nature allows us to adapt it to our unique needs, and the UI is straightforward for content editors."

Sanity

• User Reviews: Sanity CMS is the best choise when collaboration and structured content are priorities, but costs can climb as usage grows.
• Example Review: "Sanity's real-time collaboration has altered our productivity. The organized content strategy is also a game changer for handling massive datasets."

Strapi

• User Reviews: Strapi CMS provides a good balance of accessibility and power, with 2025 bringing AI tools and a free cloud tier.
• Example Review: "Strapi’s interface is clean, and the setup is straightforward even for beginners. I appreciate the flexibility of adding custom fields and the ease of integrating external services."

Directus

• User Reviews: Directus is a good choice for SQL-heavy projects and enterprise data models.
• Example Review: "Directus has given us the ability to manage our complex database with ease. The real-time API is especially useful for building dynamic applications."

Conclusion

Each of the four CMS platforms: Payload, Sanity CMS, Strapi, and Directus – offers distinct advantages depending on the needs of the organization:

• Payload CMS is a great choice for developer-focused teams seeking high customizability and a straightforward UI, but it may present a learning curve for non-technical users.
• Sanity CMS shines with its real-time collaboration features and flexible content modeling, making it ideal for teams that prioritize cooperation and handling structured content. However, its pricing can be a concern for larger teams.
• Strapi CMS offers a balance of flexibility and ease of use, making it an excellent choice for teams of varying technical expertise. Its support for both RESTful and GraphQL APIs adds to its flexibility, though performance can slow with large datasets.
• Directus stands out for its database flexibility, which allows easy integration with any SQL-based system. It’s ideal for projects focused on managing structured content at scale, though it requires more technical expertise to set up and maintain.

Pros and Cons of Self-Hosted Headless CMS Solutions

Pros

• Full Control: You decide how your data is stored, managed, and secured, making it easier to stay compliant with regulations and apply your own security standards.
• Customization: A self-hosted setup can be customized to fit your exact business needs, from workflows to integrations, giving you freedom that SaaS tools often can’t suggest.
• Performance: With the right infrastructure, you can fine-tune performance to your own requirements—faster load times, smoother scaling, and more predictable reliability.
• Cost Efficiency: While setup may require upfront investment, over time self-hosting can be more budget-friendly than recurring subscription fees, particularly for larger teams.
• No Vendor Lock-In: You’re not stuck in a single provider’s ecosystem, which means more flexibility to adopt new technologies and adapt as your stack evolves.

Cons

• Technical Expertise Required: Setting up and managing a self-hosted CMS requires technical knowledge, making it less accessible to non-technical users.
• Maintenance and Updates: You are responsible for regular maintenance, security updates, and backups. This gives you control, but also means extra time and responsibility for your team.
• Scalability Challenges: Scaling can be more complicated and may require more servers, resources, or infrastructure planning as your needs expand.
• Initial Setup Time: The setup procedure might be difficult, particularly if specific features are required.
• Limited Support: While many self-hosted solutions include communities and forums, official support may be less extensive than cloud-based services.

Conclusion

In today’s fast-moving digital environment, self-hosted headless CMS platforms such as Payload CMS and Sanity CMS stand out as powerful options for teams that need more than just an out-of-the-box content tool. They offer flexibility, control, and the ability to shape workflows around specific business needs rather than the other way around.

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Choosing a self-hosted solution also means keeping ownership of your data, applying your own security policies, and scaling infrastructure on your terms. On the other side it requires more technical effort and ongoing maintenance, so organizations need to weigh control against complexity.

Finally, investing in a self-hosted headless CMS is a strategic decision that improves operational efficiency while also enabling firms to adapt quickly to market developments. Embracing these technologies can help firms realize the potential of their content strategy and achieve success in an increasingly competitive market.

We’re a specialist Headless CMS agency helping teams transition to modern content platforms with clean architecture, scalability, and editorial control. If you’re planning a replatform or building from scratch, get in touch — or book an intro call with our team.