Directus vs Strapi
Both are alternatives to Contentful. Here's how they stack up — verified facts, no spin.
Also searched as Strapi vs Directus — same comparison, one verdict.
Directus
TOP PICKAn instant API and admin app over any SQL database you already have.
Directus takes a different route: point it at a SQL database — new or existing, with your own schema — and it generates a REST and GraphQL API plus an admin interface on top, without owning or altering your data model. That matters most for the very common case where content already lives in a database that other systems also use. Around 37k stars. The licence needs stating precisely: Directus uses the Business Source License 1.1, which converts to GPL after a delay and is free below a revenue threshold — source-available rather than open source, despite frequent mislabelling.
Strapi
The established open headless CMS, with the largest community.
Strapi is the most widely deployed open-source headless CMS: a content-type builder, REST and GraphQL APIs, role-based permissions, internationalisation and a large plugin marketplace. Around 73k stars. It is the safe choice in the sense that most problems you hit have already been asked about somewhere. Licensing is mixed and worth checking against your needs: the core is MIT, but a number of enterprise features — SSO, audit logs, advanced permissions — sit under a separate commercial licence.
Side by side
| Directus | Strapi | |
|---|---|---|
| Sovereignty Score | 72 | 86 |
| Open source | No | Yes |
| Self-hostable | Yes | Yes |
| Local-first | Yes | Yes |
| License | Business Source License 1.1 (source-available; free under a revenue threshold, converts to GPL in time) | MIT core, with enterprise features under a separate commercial licence |
| Pricing | Free to self-host under the BSL revenue threshold. Directus Cloud and commercial licences are paid. | Community edition free and self-hostable. Enterprise and Cloud tiers are paid. |
Directus is Macrostack's recommended Contentful alternative, so it's our pick here.
Directus
Strengths
- +Works over an existing SQL database without changing your schema
- +Instant REST and GraphQL APIs plus a genuinely good admin interface
- +Your data stays in your own database, readable by anything else
- +No per-record or per-API-call metering
Trade-offs
- −Business Source License — not open source, and commonly mislabelled
- −A revenue threshold applies before a commercial licence is needed
- −Self-hosting means running a database and an application server
- −Fewer enterprise workflow features than Contentful
Strapi
Strengths
- +Largest community and plugin ecosystem of any open headless CMS
- +Content-type builder that non-developers can use
- +REST and GraphQL out of the box
- +Mature, with years of production deployments
Trade-offs
- −SSO, audit logs and advanced permissions are commercial
- −Major version upgrades have been disruptive historically
- −Heavier to run than Payload
- −Single-vendor governance
Related alternative guides
Facts verified 2026-08-05. Licenses and pricing change — spotted something out of date? That's a correction we want.