What is the best headless CMS for Next.js in 2026?

This is hard to answer; there is no single “best” headless CMS, as it’s highly dependent on your requirements. If you want to self-host the CMS, then the answer will be different from if you want to store the content in Git. So, the “best” headless CMS is the one that fits your requirements the most, and the easiest way to find that headless CMS is to experiment with the various options.

Which headless CMS is best for e-commerce with Next.js

E-commerce is one of the most popular use cases for Next.js, but it is really enabled and powered by a different set of tools, such as Stripe or Shopify. With this in mind, any headless CMS can be a good pairing for e-commerce, again depending on your unique requirements. But, one thing we can recommend is that you do use a headless CMS as we explore in this post.

What's the difference between API-first and Git-based headless CMSs?

Most well-known headless CMSs are API-first, which means the content is stored in their database and then surfaced on an API for you to retrieve. However, there is a number of git-based headless CMSs, which is where all of your content is stored alongside your code in the git repository (no APIs or external databases required), and the headless CMS platform provides a nice UI for managing that content.

Can I use multiple headless CMSs with Next.js?

Of course! The beautiful thing about headless CMSs is that the content is decoupled from the presentation layer, so if you want to have multiple systems managing content, there’s no reason you can’t. All you need to do in your Next.js application is retrieve the content from both platforms and display it.

Tech stack

February 10, 2026·6 min read

Best Next.js Headless CMS Platforms in 2026

Q: Why use a headless CMS with Next.js?

If you want an intuitive way to manage the content in your Next.js application to enable non-technical users to make changes while also decoupling that content from Next.js, then a headless CMS is ideal.

By Coner Murphy

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TL;DR (key takeaways)

Next.js pairs best with a headless CMS when non-technical users need to manage content without touching code.
Prismic stands out for Next.js projects thanks to its visual page builder, Slice Machine, live previews, and strong developer tooling.
Sanity and Payload are excellent alternatives for teams prioritizing deep customization, real-time collaboration, or a code-first approach.
Open-source and Git-based options like Payload and Outstatic work well for teams that want full control or minimal overhead.
Enterprise and data-heavy use cases may benefit from platforms like Contentful or Hygraph, depending on scale and complexity.
The best approach is to evaluate 2–3 CMSs in a real Next.js project, with Prismic being an ideal starting point for most teams building marketing or brand-driven sites.

When it comes to managing content on a Next.js-powered website or application, there are a few approaches you can take depending on your requirements. One approach to strongly consider, especially if you have non-technical users, is a headless CMS platform.

In this post, we’re going to take a look at the top Next.js headless CMS platforms in 2026, including Prismic, Sanity, and Payload. We will also explore other options such as Outstatic and Ghost.

Each of these CMS platforms will satisfy your content needs in a Next.js application, but they do have their differences. In this post, we aim to help you make an informed decision by highlighting those differences. Let’s jump into it!

Next.js platform overview

Before we jump into the details of each headless CMS provider, let’s first take a high-level view of each of the providers we’re going to consider throughout this post.

It’s also worth noting that each provider we’re looking at in this post supports both TypeScript and the Next.js App Router and offers a free plan to help you trial the platform.

CMS Platform	Pricing	Ideal for	REST / GraphQL API Support
Prismic	Free, Medium ($150/month), Platinum ($675/month), Enterprise (Custom)	Teams and agencies with visual page-building requirements	REST and GraphQL API
Payload	Free (open source)	Developers and teams who want a higher level of control and avoid vendor lock-in.	REST and GraphQL APIs
Sanity	Free, Growth ($15/month/per seat), Enterprise (custom)	Complex projects with real-time collaboration needs.	HTTP API, GraphQL, and GROQ query language
Strapi	Community (Free), Growth ($45/month), Enterprise (Custom)	Self-hosting/open source requirements with full backend control	REST and GraphQL API
Contentful	Free, List ($300/month), Premium (custom pricing)	Teams wanting more emphasis on content management vs page building	REST and GraphQL APIs
Hygraph	Hobby (Free), Growth ($199/month), Enterprise (Custom)	Data-rich applications, projects needing GraphQL-native architecture	GraphQL API
Storyblok	Starter (Free), Growth (€99/mo), Growth Plus (€349/mo), Premium & Elite (Custom)	Teams building multi-channel applications across various tech stacks.	REST and GraphQL APIs
Ghost	Free (self-hosted), Starter ($15/month), Publisher ($29/month), Business ($199/month), Custom (Custom). Price changes based on audience size.	Content-driven sites, professional blogs, newsletter platforms, publishing teams	REST API
DatoCMS	Free, Professional plan (€149/month), Enterprise (Custom)	Teams that want an unobtrusive headless CMS	REST and GraphQL APIs
Outstatic	Free and open source	Cost-conscious projects needing simple content management. Developers seeking GitHub-based backend	REST and GraphQL APIs (via GitHub)

Explore more about headless CMSs

Our collection of headless CMS guides contains various in-depth resources. Explore them to learn more.

Why Use a Headless CMS With Next.js?

Next.js is an excellent tool that has significantly changed how we build web applications in recent years. However, one area where it falls short is managing content, particularly for users who may not have strong technical skills.

This is where headless CMSs come in. They allow us to connect a user-friendly content management system to Next.js, enabling anyone–regardless of their technical background– to intuitively manage content.

However, if we take a step back and focus on the bigger picture for a moment, there are many reasons you should consider using a headless CMS, whether or not it’s with Next.js.

We cover these reasons in our post here, but headless CMSs improve performance, SEO, and scalability, among other benefits. Now let's take a look at the top Next.js Headless CMS Platforms!👇

Best Next.js Headless CMS Platforms

1. Prismic

Prismic is an API-based headless CMS platform with an emphasis on visually building component-driven websites using its Slice Machine.

Standout Features

Slice Machine for building component-driven websites
Preview mode with live editing
Scheduled content releases and standalone environments

Limitations

REST-first querying: Works well with Next.js, but developers who prefer fully GraphQL-native workflows may find it less flexible.
Website-focused by design: Excellent for page-driven Next.js sites, but complex multi-channel or app-heavy use cases can require extra modeling.

Pricing

Free
Medium ($150/month)
Platinum ($675/month)
Enterprise (Custom)

Ideal For

Teams and agencies with visual page-building requirements.

Resources

2. Payload

Payload is an open-source CMS that offers native integrations with Next.js with a code-first approach and quick deployment options.

Standout Features

Self-hosted with complete control of the code
Code-first, Next.js native approach, easing integration
Native form builder from the admin panel

Limitations

Developer-heavy setup: Tight Next.js integration is a strength, but non-technical editors may need more guidance.
Self-hosting responsibility: Scaling, security, and preview reliability depend entirely on your infrastructure.

Pricing

Free (Open Source)

Ideal For

Developers and teams who want a higher level of control and to avoid vendor lock-in.

Resources

First time here? Discover what Prismic can do!

👋 Meet Prismic, your solution for creating performant websites! Developers, build with your preferred tech stack and deliver a visual page builder to marketers so they can quickly create on-brand pages independently!

Try it out for free

3. Sanity

Sanity emphasizes being flexible and developer-first, offering features like real-time collaboration and having a fully configurable editing environment.

Standout Features

Sanity Studio (Custom content editing environment)
Sanity Releases (staged content updates)
Real-time collaboration

Limitations

Steeper learning curve: Custom schemas, GROQ, and Studio configuration add complexity for new Next.js teams.
Requires ongoing engineering effort: Previews, layouts, and workflows are powerful—but rarely plug-and-play.

Pricing

Free
Growth ($15/month/per seat)
Enterprise (custom)

Ideal For

Complex projects with real-time collaboration needs.

Resources

4. Strapi

Strapi offers an impressive plugin system while also being a flexible and streamlined headless CMS that users can self-host.

Standout Features

Strapi Cloud (Fully managed hosting)
Content modelling with their visual builder
Large plugin system/marketplace

Limitations

Hosting impacts performance: Next.js API performance and preview stability depend on how well Strapi is deployed.
Unopinionated page modeling: Flexible for Next.js, but teams must define their own page-building patterns and editorial workflows.

Pricing

Community (Free)
Growth ($45/month)
Enterprise (Custom)

Ideal For

Self-hosting/open source requirements with full backend control.

Resources

First time here? Discover what Prismic can do!

Try it out for free

5. Contentful

Contentful targets more of the enterprise market, putting an emphasis on global audiences and driving engagement across multiple channels.

Standout Features

Contentful Studio
App Framework
Advanced Localisation

Limitations

High cost at scale: Pricing escalates quickly for Next.js projects with large teams or high traffic.
Page composition feels rigid: Layout-heavy Next.js sites often require more developer involvement.

Pricing

Free
List ($300/month)
Premium (custom pricing)

Ideal For

Teams that want more of an emphasis on content management vs page building.

Resources

6. Hygraph

Hygraph is a GraphQL-native headless CMS that offers powerful features like content federation and asset management.

Standout Features

Content Federation
Audience-specific personalisation
GraphQL-first architecture

Limitations

Limited visual editing: Not ideal for teams that want live page previews or component-driven page building.
Preview setup is developer-dependent: Live previews, visual editing, and page-level feedback in Next.js require custom preview infrastructure and are not available out of the box.

Pricing

Hobby (Free)
Growth ($199/month)
Enterprise (Custom)

Ideal For

Data-rich applications and projects that need a GraphQL-native architecture.

Resources

7. Storyblok

Storyblok has an impressive visual editor that makes publishing content easier with good collaboration and ideation tooling.

Standout Features

Native Visual Editor
Ideation Room
On-page collaboration

Limitations

Visual editor complexity: Deeply nested components can become difficult to manage in large Next.js projects.
Requires strong component discipline: Poor setup can lead to confusing editor experiences.

Pricing

Starter (Free)
Growth (€99/mo)
Growth Plus (€349/mo)
Premium & Elite (Custom)

Ideal For

Teams that are building multi-channel applications across various tech stacks.

Resources

8. Ghost

Ghost is an open-source publishing platform and headless CMS focused on blogs and newsletters.

Standout Features

Membership and subscription management
Newsletter functionality
Focus and intuitive writing experience

Limitations

Narrow use case: Excellent for blogs and newsletters, but not suited for complex Next.js applications.
Limited customization: Advanced layouts and dynamic content require workarounds.

Pricing

Free (self-hosted)
Starter ($15/month)
Publisher ($29/month)
Business ($199/month)
Custom (Custom).

NOTE: Price changes at each tier based on your audience size (excluding self-hosted).

Ideal For

Content-driven sites, professional blogs, newsletter platforms, and publishing teams.

Resources

9. Dato CMS

Dato CMS focuses on offering a streamlined, intuitive interface that also offers powerful features, making content management easy.

Standout Features

Real-time collaboration
Modular content blocks
Native video encoding and streaming

Limitations

Less opinionated about page structure: Next.js teams must define their own layout and preview strategy.
Smaller ecosystem: Fewer Next.js-specific examples compared to larger platforms.

Pricing

Free
Professional plan (€149/month)
Enterprise (Custom)

Ideal For

Teams that want an unobtrusive headless CMS experience.

Resources

10. Outstatic

Outstatic is a Git-based CMS that stores your content in Markdown alongside your code while also offering a focused editing environment.

Standout Features

Next.js native solution
Content stored in Git, no external dependencies
Content is stored as Markdown with your code

Limitations

Git-based workflow limits editors: Best for developer-led Next.js teams, not large editorial groups.
Minimal CMS features: No advanced workflows, permissions, or real-time collaboration.

Pricing

Free (Open Source)

Ideal For

Cost-conscious projects that need a simple content management system, as well as developers seeking a GitHub-based solution.

Resources

Choosing the Right Headless CMS for Your Next.js Project

While we’ve explored 10 different headless CMS tools in this post, it’s hard to give one definitive answer for which one is the best overall. They all have their own unique benefits, drawbacks, and features, which make picking a standout winner difficult.

So, the question then becomes, what is the best headless CMS tool for you and your current requirements? And, to find the answer to that question, you should explore the various options we’ve looked at because ultimately, what is perfect for one team might not be ideal for you.

However, to help you get started, here are some suggestions for where to begin based on some common requirements.

Developer Experience is the priority ⇒ Sanity, Payload, Prismic
Need enterprise support/features? ⇒ Prismic, Sanity, Contentful, Hygraph
Want Git-based workflows? ⇒ Outstatic

Recap

Throughout this post, we’ve explored 10 different headless CMS platforms that can be paired with Next.js. We’ve looked at their features, prices, and who they’d be ideal for to help you make an informed decision about which headless CMS you should use in your Next.js project.

And, if you’re not sure where to go from here, I’d suggest picking your two or three favourite headless CMS from the list above and experiment with them in a test Next.js project. From this, you can learn what you like and dislike and use that experience to inform your decision on which platform to use.

Finally, if you’re stuck on which platforms to try out, why not try out Prismic and follow along with the Next.js getting started guide.

FAQs

A Headless CMS is a way of managing content that is decoupled from how you present it to users. These two decoupled systems are then typically connected via an API.

This architecture gives us greater freedom than traditional CMSs do. Where in traditional CMSs you had to use the CMS's frontend, we can now use any headless CMS with any frontend technology!