Choosing an open-source headless CMS comes down to three questions: what kind of content you publish, how much control you need over the data model and API, and how much editorial tooling your team expects out of the box. A headless CMS stores and manages content and exposes it through APIs, so your website or app can render it however you like. Some platforms focus on publishing for readers, while others focus on generating content APIs for developers. This guide walks through the criteria that matter and compares five options from the Web Apps category.

Criteria to evaluate first

Before comparing products, settle these points:

  • Primary use case. Are you running a blog, a membership or newsletter business, a marketing site, or an application backend with structured data?
  • API model. Do you need REST, GraphQL, or both? Do you want to point the CMS at an existing SQL database or define content types inside the CMS?
  • Editing experience. Will non-technical editors work in the tool daily? Do you need a visual page builder?
  • Hosting and ownership. Can you self-host, and does the license fit your legal and procurement requirements?
  • Extensibility. Can developers customize the admin interface, add business logic, or build on a framework you already use?
  • Community and activity. Star counts and an active repository are useful signals, though not guarantees of long-term fit.

Ghost: publishing for blogs, memberships and newsletters

Ghost is an open-source, headless Node.js publishing platform for blogs, memberships, subscriptions and newsletters, released under the MIT license. It has 55,543 stars on GitHub, published by TryGhost.

Strengths: Ghost is purpose-built for publishing. If your core business is written content plus subscriptions or newsletters, you get those capabilities in one product rather than assembling them.

Trade-offs: Ghost is narrower than a general-purpose CMS. If you need to model arbitrary business data or back a non-publishing application, it is a poor fit.

Strapi: a headless CMS with generated content APIs

Strapi is an open-source, self-hosted headless CMS that generates content APIs for developers and an editing interface for content creators. It has 73,319 stars, the highest count among the options here, published by strapi.

Strengths: Strapi is a general headless CMS. Developers define content types and get APIs, while editors get an interface to manage that content. It suits websites, mobile apps and other clients that consume content over an API.

Trade-offs: The listing does not specify a license, so verify licensing terms directly before adopting it for commercial work. Because it is a general platform, you will still design your own content model.

Directus: APIs on top of your existing database

Directus is a self-hosted open-source headless CMS and backend that turns any SQL database into REST and GraphQL APIs, with a visual admin Studio and an MCP server. It has 38,524 stars, published by directus. Its MCP server is relevant if you also work with agents; you can browse other servers in the MCP servers catalog.

Strengths: Directus fits teams that already have a SQL database. It wraps the database in APIs and an admin Studio without requiring a separate content schema.

Trade-offs: The license is not stated in the listing, so check it before committing. Your schema discipline now matters more, since the database is the source of truth.

Frappe: a low-code framework for business applications

Frappe is an open-source low-code full-stack web framework in Python and JavaScript for building business web applications like ERPs, CRMs and CMSs. It is MIT licensed, with 10,943 stars, published by frappe.

Strengths: Frappe is the right choice when the CMS is one part of a larger business system. Its scope goes well beyond content.

Trade-offs: For a plain website or blog, Frappe is heavier than needed. Expect to learn its framework conventions.

Plasmic: visual building on your own components

Plasmic is an open-source visual builder for React. It lets teams design apps and websites by dragging their own codebase components onto the canvas. It is MIT licensed, with 7,104 stars, published by plasmicapp.

Strengths: Plasmic suits React teams that want marketing or design staff to assemble pages from components developers already maintain.

Trade-offs: Plasmic is a visual builder rather than a content store, so it complements a CMS more than it replaces one. It also assumes a React codebase.

Who should pick what

  • Writers, newsletters and paid memberships: start with Ghost.
  • Developers who need a general headless CMS for websites and apps: evaluate Strapi, after confirming its license terms.
  • Teams with an existing SQL database who want instant APIs and an admin UI: evaluate Directus.
  • Organizations building business software where the CMS is one module: consider Frappe.
  • React teams whose designers want visual page assembly: pair a CMS with Plasmic.

For more open-source options across the catalog, browse Self-hosted web apps and Developer tools.

Recommendation

Define your content model and editing workflow before choosing a tool. A publishing business should start with Ghost. A developer-led project needing general content APIs should shortlist Strapi and Directus, then compare them on your database strategy and license requirements. Verify each license and run a short proof of concept with real content before committing.