10 Best Keystone Alternatives & Competitors (2026)

Strapi is a popular open-source headless CMS focused on developer-friendly content modeling and REST/GraphQL APIs. It offers strong plugin extensibility and quick setup but lacks Webiny's native multi-tenancy, serverless infrastructure, and AI-programmable workflow generation. Strapi is often chosen for smaller projects or teams wanting a Node.js-based solution, while Webiny targets enterprise users needing built-in permissions, self-hosting at scale, and AI-assisted platform extension without extra configuration.

Contentful is a SaaS-first headless CMS known for its robust content infrastructure and strong enterprise integrations. It provides excellent developer experience and scalability but requires ongoing subscription fees and offers limited self-hosting options. Webiny differentiates itself as a free, open-source, self-hosted alternative that adds AI-driven customization and multi-tenancy without recurring SaaS costs or data residency concerns.

Ghost is an open-source publishing platform with built-in membership and newsletter tools. It is excellent for blogs and media sites but offers far less flexibility for custom content models or enterprise multi-tenancy than Webiny. Ghost suits simple publishing needs while Webiny supports complex, AI-extensible content systems at scale.

Sanity provides a real-time headless CMS with a flexible content studio and GROQ querying. Its strength lies in collaborative editing and structured content, yet it remains primarily cloud-hosted. Webiny offers a self-hosted, open-source counterpart with built-in website and file management apps plus AI extensibility, appealing to teams that need full infrastructure control and lower long-term costs.

Directus turns any SQL database into a headless CMS with instant APIs and a no-code admin app. It excels at database-driven projects but does not include Webiny's ready-made Website Builder, multi-tenant architecture, or AI-programmable extension capabilities. Directus suits data-centric use cases while Webiny targets developers building scalable, AI-augmented content platforms.

Payload is a TypeScript-first headless CMS built on Node.js that emphasizes developer control and custom admin panels. It offers solid self-hosting but lacks Webiny's enterprise multi-tenancy, serverless scaling, and AI-driven API generation features. Payload appeals to developers wanting tight code integration, whereas Webiny provides broader out-of-the-box enterprise tooling.

Prismic is a headless CMS focused on marketing teams with slice-based page building and preview capabilities. It is primarily SaaS and does not match Webiny's open-source self-hosted model or AI extensibility. Prismic works well for content-heavy websites, while Webiny serves teams needing deeper customization, multi-tenancy, and infrastructure ownership.

Apostrophe is an open-source CMS with strong in-context editing and widget-based page building. It provides solid self-hosting but does not include Webiny's AI-programmable capabilities, serverless architecture, or advanced multi-tenant governance. Apostrophe works for traditional websites; Webiny targets modern headless and enterprise-scale deployments.

Cockpit is a lightweight, self-hosted headless CMS aimed at simple content management and API delivery. It lacks the enterprise features, scalability, and AI extensibility found in Webiny. Cockpit serves small projects needing minimal overhead, whereas Webiny supports demanding, multi-tenant enterprise workloads with production-ready apps.