Best Content Management Systems
From WordPress to headless: choose the CMS that matches how you actually build
TL;DR
WordPress still powers 40% of the web and works great for most websites. Contentful is the enterprise headless leader for multi-channel content. Sanity offers developer-friendly headless with real-time collaboration. Strapi is the best open-source headless option. Don't go headless unless you have developer resources and multi-channel needs.
The CMS landscape has split. Traditional systems like WordPress give you everything out of the box but opinions about how to build. Headless systems like Contentful give you freedom but require development work. The 'best' CMS depends entirely on your team: content creators need easy editing, developers want flexibility, and business needs budget and speed. Here's how to navigate the split.
What is a CMS?
A Content Management System stores, organizes, and delivers content—typically for websites but increasingly for apps, kiosks, and any digital channel. Traditional CMS combines content management with website rendering (WordPress, Drupal). Headless CMS provides content via API, letting you build any frontend (Contentful, Sanity). Hybrid CMS tries to do both.
Why Your CMS Choice Matters
You'll live with your CMS for years, and migration is painful. The wrong choice means: frustrated content editors fighting the interface, developers constrained by inflexible architecture, mounting technical debt, and eventually a costly rebuild. The right CMS matches your team's skills, content complexity, and channel strategy today while supporting where you're going.
Key Features to Look For
Content Modeling
essentialFlexibility to structure content types and relationships for your needs
Editor Experience
essentialIntuitive interface for content creators—previews, scheduling, workflows
API Quality
essentialFor headless: well-documented, performant APIs for content delivery
Media Management
importantHandle images, videos, documents with optimization and organization
Localization
importantMulti-language content management for global sites
User Permissions
importantGranular roles and workflows for editorial teams
Version Control
nice-to-haveContent history, rollback, and branching for complex workflows
Real-time Collaboration
nice-to-haveMultiple editors working simultaneously without conflicts
Key Factors to Consider
- Traditional vs. headless: do you need multi-channel delivery or just a website?
- Who's editing content? Technical comfort level shapes which CMS works
- Developer resources: headless needs frontend development, traditional doesn't
- Content complexity: simple blogs vs. complex structured content have different needs
- Hosting preference: self-hosted control vs. managed simplicity
Pricing Overview
Traditional CMS can be free (WordPress) while headless typically charges by API calls and editors.
Free/Open Source
$0 + hosting
Budget-conscious, technical teams
Professional
$50-$300/month
Small teams, moderate content volume
Enterprise
$500-$3000+/month
Large teams, high volume, complex needs
Top Picks
Based on features, user feedback, and value for money.
WordPress
Top PickThe default choice powering 40% of the web
Best for: Most websites—blogs, business sites, WooCommerce stores
Pros
- Massive ecosystem of plugins and themes
- Easy content editing
- Huge community and resources
- Can do almost anything
Cons
- Security requires attention
- Can become slow/bloated
- Developer experience dated
- Plugin dependency
Contentful
Enterprise headless CMS for multi-channel content
Best for: Large organizations delivering content across web, mobile, IoT
Pros
- Excellent content modeling
- Enterprise-grade reliability
- Strong API performance
- Good editor experience
Cons
- Expensive at scale
- API call pricing adds up
- Learning curve for editors
- No built-in preview
Sanity
Developer-friendly headless with real-time collaboration
Best for: Developer teams wanting flexibility and real-time editing experience
Pros
- Real-time collaboration
- Extremely flexible content modeling
- Great developer experience
- Generous free tier
Cons
- Requires more dev setup
- Steeper learning curve
- Less polished editor UI
- Smaller ecosystem
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Going headless because it's trendy when WordPress would work fine
- Underestimating editor experience—content people will fight a bad CMS daily
- Not considering total cost: headless needs frontend development budget
- Choosing based on developer preference when editors are the primary users
- Ignoring migration complexity—plan your exit strategy upfront
Expert Tips
- Start with WordPress unless you have specific reasons not to
- Test with real content editors before committing—their experience matters most
- For headless, prototype before purchasing—build a proof of concept
- Consider WordPress as headless backend with modern frontend if you want both
- Budget for ongoing maintenance regardless of which CMS you choose
The Bottom Line
WordPress remains the right choice for most websites—don't overcomplicate it. Go headless only if you're delivering content to multiple channels (web, apps, etc.) AND have developer resources. Contentful is the safe enterprise choice for headless. Sanity is better for developer-led teams wanting flexibility. The best CMS is one your content team will actually use well.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is WordPress still relevant in 2026?
Very much—it powers 40%+ of websites for good reason. The ecosystem is unmatched, editing is easy, and it can handle complex sites. Headless CMS is better for specific use cases, not a universal upgrade.
What's the difference between headless and traditional CMS?
Traditional CMS handles both content and website rendering (WordPress shows you the site). Headless CMS only stores content and delivers via API—you build the frontend separately. Headless is more flexible but requires more development.
Should a small business use a headless CMS?
Probably not. Headless adds complexity and cost without benefit unless you need multi-channel delivery. WordPress, Squarespace, or Webflow make more sense for most small business websites.
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