Directus vs Strapi: which one to choose in 2026?
Both are open source alternatives to Contentful. We compare license, tech stack and features to help you decide which fits your team best.
| Directus | Strapi | |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Dev Tools | Dev Tools |
| License | BUSL-1.1 | MIT |
| GitHub stars | ~29k | ~64k |
| Tech stack | Node.js, Vue.js, PostgreSQL | Node.js, React, PostgreSQL |
| Replaces | Contentful | Contentful |
Strapi has more GitHub stars, which usually indicates a larger community (not necessarily that it's the best option for your use case).
Directus
Headless CMS on top of your own database, an alternative to Contentful.
Pros
- Doesn't lock your data into a proprietary format
Things to consider
- BUSL-1.1 license restricts offering it as a competing SaaS
Strapi
Open source headless CMS on Node.js, an alternative to Contentful.
ℹ️ Strapi doesn't publish any official Docker image — their own docs say so explicitly. strapi/strapi was a community courtesy image that was never updated for v4/v5 and no longer exists on Docker Hub. The recommended path is generating your own Dockerfile with create-strapi-app, following Strapi's official Docker guide.
Pros
- MIT license, with a plugin marketplace and a ready-to-use REST/GraphQL API
Things to consider
- Major version migrations need care
Key features
Directus
- Auto-generated REST and GraphQL APIs
- Configurable admin panel
- Connects to existing SQL databases
Strapi
- 100% customizable content types
- REST and GraphQL API
- Plugin marketplace
Already know which one you prefer?
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