Open-source Prismic alternatives

Strapi is a headless content management system. Developers define content models, and Strapi generates a complete API that a website, mobile app or other client can consume, while editors get a friendly admin interface for writing and managing content. It is written entirely in JavaScript and TypeScript on Node.js.

A visual Content-Type Builder lets you design structures without code, and every content type gets REST and GraphQL endpoints automatically. Granular roles and permissions, a media library, internationalization and draft and publish workflows are built in. It works with SQLite, PostgreSQL, MySQL and MariaDB, and offers a plugin system and a customizable admin dashboard. Requests pass through routes, middlewares, controllers and services, which is where backend customization happens. Strapi AI adds help with content modeling, media alt text and translations.

You can self-host Strapi on your own infrastructure or use Strapi Cloud, the managed service. Its license is listed as 'Other' in the repository metadata, so confirm the terms for any enterprise features. It suits teams building Jamstack or multi-channel sites that want a flexible, developer-first backend.

Payload is an open-source CMS and application framework built on Next.js. Rather than running as a separate service, it can be installed directly into an existing Next.js app folder, giving you a TypeScript backend and an admin panel in the same codebase. You can use it as a headless CMS or as the foundation for a full application.

Because the backend lives alongside the front end, you can query your database straight from React Server Components and deploy anywhere, including serverless platforms such as Vercel. Both the admin interface and backend logic are described as fully extensible, with GraphQL and REST access, support for MongoDB and PostgreSQL, and no dependence on another SaaS vendor. A website template demonstrates rich text blocks, on-demand revalidation and live preview.

Payload is MIT licensed and written in TypeScript. It suits development teams that already build with Next.js and React and want content management they fully control, as an alternative to hosted headless CMS products or to maintaining a traditional PHP-based system.

Decap CMS, previously known as Netlify CMS until early 2023, is an open-source content editor designed for sites built with static site generators. It gives non-developers a simple interface for adding and editing content, while the content itself is stored as files in a Git repository.

It works as a single-page React app that you include under the /admin path of your site. A YAML configuration file describes your content model, and you can adjust the CMS layout to match the site. When someone visits /admin they log in and can then create or edit entries, with changes committed to Git. There are two ways to set it up: a quick install with a single HTML file plus a config file that loads scripts from a CDN, or a fuller installation integrated into your static site build for more flexibility.

Decap CMS is licensed under MIT and is a client-side app, so there is no database server to run. It is a popular choice for Jamstack sites on generators like Hugo, Jekyll and Eleventy, where teams want editors to manage content without touching code.

TinaCMS is an open-source headless content management system built around files in Git. Content in Markdown, MDX, JSON, YAML and other formats lives in your own GitHub repository, and editors work on it through an admin interface instead of editing raw files.

Content is exposed through a GraphQL API that supports queries on fields such as an author's first name, references between documents, and both statically generated and server-side rendered pages. An optional, opt-in live preview lets less technical editors see changes to Markdown content as they edit. It is commonly paired with Next.js and React sites.

Tina is written in TypeScript and licensed under Apache-2.0. You can test a starter site locally or try a demo on TinaCloud, the hosted service from the same team. Documentation, a public roadmap, GitHub Discussions and a community Discord are available for support.

ApostropheCMS is a full-stack content management system and framework built on Node.js and MongoDB. Editors change content right on the live page and see results immediately, rather than switching between a separate admin interface and a preview. Developers can work in current JavaScript, or run it as a headless back end behind any front-end framework.

The project describes its key features as in-context editing and headless readiness, so teams can pick between a traditional website approach and a decoupled one. It is positioned for developers and content teams who want a unified JavaScript environment from the database to the browser. Documentation, a demo and a roadmap are linked from the repository, and topics include the Jamstack and website builder keywords.

The repository metadata does not state a license, so check the project terms before adopting it. ApostropheCMS runs on your own Node.js hosting with a MongoDB database. It suits organizations wanting an editor-friendly CMS written in JavaScript.

Pages CMS is an open-source CMS that edits content and media directly in a GitHub repository. It works especially well for static websites and content-led apps made with Jekyll, Hugo, Next.js or Astro, and the topic list also mentions Eleventy, Gatsby, Docusaurus, VitePress and VuePress.

Because content lives as files in your repo, editors get a friendly interface while developers keep the Git workflow and ownership of the content. You can either use the hosted app at app.pagescms.org or run a development copy yourself from the repository, which involves creating a GitHub App and setting environment variables. Documentation covers installing locally and upgrading to version 2.

Pages CMS is written in TypeScript with Next.js and is licensed under MIT. It suits developers who build sites for clients or teams and want non-technical editors to update content without touching Git.

Sveltia CMS is a Git-based headless content management system for static and Jamstack websites. It is a full rewrite of Netlify CMS, now known as Decap CMS, and keeps high compatibility with existing configurations while improving performance, security, and user experience. It is open source under the MIT license and runs as a small single-page web app served from a CDN.

It is designed for both content editors and developers, with first-class internationalization, dark mode, and mobile support. The topics mention integrations with GitHub and stock-photo providers such as Pexels, Pixabay, and Unsplash, plus digital asset management features. The maintainers say hundreds of issues from the Decap repository have been resolved, and the project shows migrated sites from Decap and WordPress in its showcase.

Sveltia CMS is framework-agnostic and works with static site generators like Astro, Eleventy, and Hugo, from personal blogs and portfolios to marketing sites and knowledge bases. It suits teams that want to keep content in Git while giving non-developers a friendly editing interface.

Keystatic is a content management system that keeps content as Markdown, YAML, or JSON files in your own repository instead of in a database. It offers a TypeScript API and a visual editing interface, connects directly to GitHub, and does not alter your source code. It carries over ideas from Keystone, a previous project from the same team, Thinkmill. It is released under the MIT license.

It is designed for modern front-end frameworks such as Next.js, Remix, and Astro, and is meant to fit into existing developer workflows. Because content is plain files, it can be versioned, reviewed, and deployed along with the rest of a site, and editors who are not developers get a friendly interface to change it.

The README describes the project as experimental while it is being developed and points readers to keystatic.com, guides, templates, and the CLI to try it. Development of the monorepo requires Node.js 18 and pnpm. Keystatic suits developers building content-driven sites who want a lightweight CMS without running a separate backend.

Prime is a standalone, self-hosted headless content management system with a GraphQL API, aimed at teams who want to run a headless CMS on their own infrastructure instead of a closed SaaS platform. It positions itself for cases where self-hosting is required but existing open-source options are missing key features found in commercial services.

Content is modeled using slices and groups of fields, with support for creating entirely custom field types, multiple languages, previewing drafts and releases before publishing, and planning and scheduling releases ahead of time. Access control covers both resources and users, and the README compares Prime's feature set directly against Prismic, Contentful and Strapi. Example integrations are provided for Gatsby and Next.js, along with an Apollo Link package and an official Docker container.

Prime is written in TypeScript using React, Ant Design, MobX State Tree, TypeORM, TypeGraphQL and GraphQL Modules. The README notes the project is currently in beta, with a one-click sandbox deploy button and video tutorials covering installation on Heroku and adding Cloudinary for asset storage. It is released under the MIT license.