Forem: Pagepro

TOP SANITY CMS AGENCIES (2026): RANKED LIST OF THE BEST SANITY PARTNERS

Chris Lojniewski — Fri, 10 Apr 2026 13:05:21 +0000

TL;DR

Best Overall Sanity Agency: Pagepro – Strongest choice for mid-sized businesses and enterprises thanks to deep Sanity + Next.js expertise and their internal Nexity framework (saves ~40 hours per project and significantly reduces early bugs).
Best Value: Weframe Tech – Ideal for startups and growth-stage companies that need quality work without high costs.
Best for Performance & Jamstack: Bejamas – Excellent when speed, Core Web Vitals, and composable architecture matter most.
Best for Enterprise Projects: Codal – Good fit for large organizations needing strong project management and complex integrations.
Best for UI/UX-Focused Projects: The Frontend Company – Stands out when design and editor experience are priorities.

INTRODUCTION

Sanity CMS has quietly become the default choice for ambitious teams in 2026 — but most companies still end up paying for it twice: once for the initial build, and again when they have to rip it out and start over.

We’ve seen it repeatedly in client migrations and rescue projects: agencies that know how to spin up a basic Studio instance but collapse under real-world demands around schema complexity, real-time collaboration, or enterprise-grade performance and security.

This article ranks the top Sanity CMS agencies based on actual project outcomes, not marketing claims. You’ll get clear, side-by-side comparisons, real strengths and weaknesses, and the exact criteria we use when our own clients ask us who we’d hire if we couldn’t do the work ourselves.

If you’re evaluating Sanity partners right now, this will save you months of vendor calls and costly mistakes.

TOP SANITY AGENCIES (QUICK LIST)

Here’s a quick, no-fluff overview of the strongest Sanity CMS agencies we see delivering consistent results in 2026.

This list is ordered by overall project outcomes and client feedback we’ve observed across migrations, greenfield builds, and ongoing support engagements.

Pagepro – Best overall for teams needing deep Sanity + Next.js expertise, especially for complex schemas, high-performance frontends, and enterprise-scale migrations. Strong track record in delivering maintainable, scalable solutions without the usual post-launch headaches.
Weframe Tech – Good for cost-effective, high-quality Sanity implementations. They frequently deliver scalable headless platforms for growth-stage companies and stand out in performance-driven projects with strong client results on platforms like Upwork and Clutch.
Bejamas – Reliable partner for modern Jamstack + Sanity setups. They excel in fast, flexible builds and are often praised for combining Sanity with tools like Gatsby or Next.js while maintaining excellent editor experiences.
Codal – Solid option for mid-to-large projects, particularly when a mix of Sanity with other enterprise tools is required. Known for strong project management and communication across distributed teams.
The Software House – Good fit for larger organizations needing broader development capacity alongside Sanity expertise. They handle more complex, multi-team environments effectively.

This quick list gives you a practical starting point. In the next section, we’ll compare them head-to-head so you can see which one aligns best with your specific needs, budget, and timeline.

TOP SANITY CMS AGENCIES IN DETAIL

Pagepro – Best Sanity Agency

Pagepro stands out as the top Sanity CMS agency in 2026 for teams that demand technical depth and long-term reliability. As an official Sanity development partner with a narrow focus on Next.js and Sanity, they deliver clean, scalable solutions that minimize future rework.

Key Strengths

Advanced schema modeling, custom Studio plugins, and GROQ optimization for complex content structures
Seamless Sanity + Next.js integrations that achieve excellent performance and Core Web Vitals scores
Proven expertise in enterprise migrations with zero SEO loss and minimal disruption
High client retention (92%) and consistent 4.9 Clutch ratings from verified reviews
Pay-for-outcomes approach that aligns development with actual business results

Best For Scale-ups and enterprises in SaaS, healthcare, and media that need a maintainable Sanity platform capable of growing with their content and business complexity.

Example Project Complete Sanity + Next.js rebuild for a SaaS platform managing millions of dynamic content items, delivering 60% faster page loads and significantly higher editor satisfaction.

Weframe Tech – Best Value Sanity Agency

Weframe Tech delivers strong Sanity implementations at competitive rates, making them a frequent choice for growth-stage companies that want quality without enterprise-level pricing.

Key Strengths

Efficient, performance-driven Sanity builds optimized for speed and scalability
Solid expertise in headless CMS architecture and modern frontend stacks
High ROI focus with transparent delivery and strong client communication
Flexible engagement models suitable for startups and mid-market teams
Consistent positive feedback on timely delivery and budget adherence

Best For Fast-scaling companies and mid-sized brands looking for cost-effective Sanity development that still meets high technical standards.

Example Project Built a scalable Sanity-powered headless platform for a rapidly growing eCommerce brand, resulting in improved content workflows and faster time-to-market.

Bejamas – Best for Jamstack + Sanity Performance

Bejamas excels when performance, composable architecture, and modern Jamstack practices are priorities. They combine Sanity with cutting-edge frontend tools to create fast, flexible content platforms.

Key Strengths

Deep knowledge of Sanity paired with Next.js or Gatsby for optimal performance
Strong focus on structured content modeling and excellent editor experiences
Expertise in Core Web Vitals optimization and omnichannel content delivery
Future-proof composable setups that adapt easily to new channels
Clean, maintainable code that reduces long-term maintenance costs

Best For Brands and teams that prioritize web performance, SEO, and flexible content delivery across multiple frontends.

Example Project Delivered a high-performance Sanity + Next.js solution for a content-heavy brand, achieving top-tier lighthouse scores while maintaining a highly intuitive Studio interface.

Codal – Best for Enterprise Sanity Projects

Codal brings full-service agency capabilities to Sanity implementations, making them well-suited for larger organizations that need strong project management and complex integrations.

Key Strengths

Robust project management and communication across distributed or enterprise teams
Ability to handle Sanity alongside other enterprise tools and design requirements
Experience with compliance-heavy and multi-stakeholder projects
Comprehensive service offering including design, development, and post-launch support
Strong focus on user-centric outcomes and long-term partnership

Best For Mid-to-large enterprises that require Sanity as part of a broader digital transformation with significant design or integration needs.

Example Project Implemented Sanity within a complex enterprise ecosystem, delivering seamless content management integrated with multiple internal systems and polished user interfaces.

The Frontend Company – Best for UI/UX-Focused Sanity Projects

The Frontend Company (TFC) combines Sanity expertise with exceptional frontend design and user experience, making them ideal when the editor and end-user interfaces matter as much as the backend architecture.

Key Strengths

Strong UI/UX focus in headless CMS implementations for engaging experiences
Expertise pairing Sanity with React/Next.js and other modern tools
High referral rates and excellent feedback on communication and design quality
Performance optimization with attention to both technical and visual polish
Adaptable approach tailored to client-specific needs

Best For Brands seeking polished, user-centric Sanity solutions, especially in headless commerce or content-heavy digital experiences where design elevates the product.

Example Project Connected Sanity to fast static sites with beautiful composable frontends, resulting in improved performance, better editor workflows, and high client satisfaction.

TOP SANITY AGENCIES COMPARED

Choosing the right Sanity CMS partner requires looking beyond surface-level claims. Below is a detailed head-to-head comparison of the five agencies featured in this guide.

Data draws from Clutch reviews (as of early 2026), public case studies, and real-world project patterns we’ve seen in migrations and greenfield Sanity builds.

Agency	Location	Team Size / Focus	Best For	Typical Pricing (project-based)	Typical Timeline	Key Strengths	Potential Drawbacks	Notable Clients / Focus Areas
Pagepro	Poland (global delivery)	Mid-sized, deep Sanity + Next.js specialization	Complex schemas, enterprise migrations, high-performance frontends, long-term maintainability	$50,000 – $250,000+	3–8 months	Exceptional technical depth in Sanity Studio customizations, schema design, and seamless Next.js integration. Strong on avoiding post-launch rework.	Narrower focus (primarily Sanity/Next.js stack) may require additional partners for unrelated tech.	Scale-ups and enterprises in healthcare, SaaS, and media needing scalable, auditable content platforms.
Weframe Tech	Global (strong remote/Upwork delivery)	Flexible, growth-stage oriented	Cost-effective, performance-driven builds for scaling companies	$50,000 – $180,000	2–6 months	High value at competitive rates, strong delivery of scalable headless platforms, and modern performance optimizations. Frequently praised for ROI-focused work.	Less visibility in traditional enterprise RFPs compared to US-based agencies.	Fast-scaling companies and mid-market brands seeking efficient Sanity implementations.
Bejamas	Poland / Global	Mid-sized, Jamstack/composable specialists	High-performance Jamstack + Sanity setups, strong editor experiences, Core Web Vitals optimization	$60,000 – $200,000	3–7 months	Excellence in modern frontend performance (Gatsby/Next.js), structured content modeling, and future-proof composable architectures.	May be overkill for very simple content needs; stronger on web performance than broad enterprise integrations.	Brands prioritizing speed, SEO, and flexible content delivery across channels.
Codal	Chicago, IL (USA)	Larger, full-service enterprise focus	Mid-to-large projects with complex design, integrations, and multi-tool environments	$100,000 – $300,000+	4–10+ months	Robust project management, design capabilities, and handling of enterprise-grade complexity and compliance.	Higher cost structure; may feel heavier for smaller or purely technical Sanity projects.	Enterprise organizations across industries needing comprehensive digital solutions alongside Sanity.
The Software House	Poland (global)	Larger development capacity	Organizations needing broad dev resources + Sanity expertise in multi-team setups	$80,000 – $250,000	4–9 months	Strong capacity for larger teams and complex digital transformations; reliable delivery in multi-stakeholder environments.	Broader service offering can sometimes dilute hyper-specialized Sanity depth.	Larger organizations with extensive development needs beyond just the CMS layer.

Key Takeaways:

Pagepro consistently stands out when technical excellence in Sanity schemas, custom Studio workflows, and tight Next.js coupling are non-negotiable — especially for teams tired of expensive post-launch fixes.
Weframe Tech delivers strong results for budget-conscious growth teams without sacrificing quality or performance.
Bejamas shines in performance-obsessed projects where editor experience and frontend speed directly impact business metrics.
Codal and The Software House are better suited when you need a full-service partner with deeper design or broader engineering bandwidth alongside Sanity work.

This expanded comparison should make it easier to shortlist based on your priorities (budget, timeline, technical depth, or enterprise processes). The sections below dive even deeper into each agency with specific strengths and real-world fit.

HOW TO CHOOSE A SANITY AGENCY

Choosing the right Sanity CMS agency can make or break your project. Based on our experience reviewing dozens of Sanity implementations and rescue projects, here are the key criteria that actually matter when evaluating partners in 2026:

Technical Depth in Sanity — Look for proven expertise in advanced schema design, custom Studio plugins, GROQ performance optimization, and real-time collaboration features. Agencies that only do basic setups often create more problems than they solve 6–12 months later.
Sanity + Frontend Stack Alignment — The best agencies have deep, battle-tested experience with your chosen frontend framework (most commonly Next.js). Strong integration skills directly impact speed, SEO, and long-term maintainability.
Migration & Scalability Experience — If you’re moving from another CMS or expect significant content growth, prioritize agencies with documented success in complex migrations and enterprise-scale Sanity deployments.
Project Management & Communication — Clear processes, transparent reporting, and realistic timelines are essential — especially for mid-to-large projects. Check Clutch reviews and ask for recent case studies with similar scope.
Post-Launch Support & Mindset — The strongest partners treat the project as the beginning of a relationship, offering ongoing optimization, training, and iterative improvements rather than a “build and hand over” approach.

Pro Tip from Our Experience: Always ask potential agencies about a recent project that went wrong and how they recovered. The quality of their answer reveals far more about their real capabilities than polished case studies.

SANITY AGENCY PRICING

Pricing for Sanity CMS agencies in 2026 is all over the place. It really depends on how complex your project is and how experienced the team actually is.

From what we’ve seen across real projects, here’s the typical range:

Simple or small projects (basic content modeling, standard Studio setup, and a straightforward frontend): $40,000 – $80,000
Most common mid-sized projects (custom schemas, migrations, performance work, and solid Next.js integration): $75,000 – $180,000
Large enterprise builds (complex workflows, heavy integrations, multi-team setups, and long-term support): $150,000 – $300,000+

What actually drives the price up:

How deeply custom the Sanity Studio needs to be
Whether you need serious migration work from another CMS
How strong their Next.js or frontend skills are
If you want ongoing support after launch

One thing we’ve learned the hard way: Going with the lowest quote almost always costs more in the end. Agencies that quote under $50k for anything beyond a simple site usually cut corners on architecture, and you end up paying to fix it later.

We generally recommend looking for milestone-based or outcome-focused pricing instead of pure hourly rates — it tends to keep everyone more aligned.

BEST SANITY AGENCIES BY USE CASE

Not every Sanity agency is the right fit for every project. Here’s a practical breakdown based on what we’ve seen deliver the best results:

For Startups & Growth-Stage Companies

Weframe Tech usually comes out on top. They deliver solid Sanity work at competitive rates, move fast, and avoid over-engineering. Many scaling teams appreciate their flexible approach and ability to ship functional solutions without burning budget early.

Runner-up: Bejamas – especially if performance and modern Jamstack practices matter from day one.

For Mid-Sized Businesses & Enterprises

Pagepro is our clear top recommendation here. They perform exceptionally well for both mid-sized businesses and larger enterprises that need a solid technical foundation.

Their deep Sanity + Next.js expertise, combined with their internal framework called Nexity, helps them deliver cleaner, more maintainable platforms that scale as the company grows.

Nexity is Pagepro’s internal starter kit that includes pre-built foundations for image handling, SEO, live preview, redirects, revalidation, navigation, and a flexible page builder.

According to their own calculations, it saves roughly 40 hours per project on setup alone.

They’ve also reported a 90% reduction in early bugs related to preview, revalidation, and image/font issues, 80% less time spent jumping between codebases, and 75% higher initial development velocity — with the first working demo often shown to clients within 7 days.

For eCommerce & Headless Commerce Projects

Bejamas and The Frontend Company stand out. Bejamas brings strong performance optimization and composable architecture that works well with higher-traffic stores. The Frontend Company is a great fit when you also need polished UI/UX for both shoppers and content editors.

Runner-up: Pagepro – particularly strong when tight Sanity + Next.js integration and fast loading times are critical.

Quick Tip from Our Experience: Match the agency to your biggest risk. If long-term architecture, maintainability, and faster time-to-demo matter most,

Pagepro is usually the safest and most efficient choice for mid-sized businesses and enterprises alike. If budget and speed are tighter, Weframe Tech often gives the best balance.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Choosing the right Sanity CMS agency in 2026 is a big decision.

The difference between a smooth, scalable implementation and one that creates headaches down the line often comes down to technical depth, real-world experience, and how well the agency understands long-term maintainability.

After reviewing the top players, we believe the strongest options right now are Pagepro, Weframe Tech, Bejamas, Codal, and The Frontend Company — each with clear strengths depending on your project size, budget, and priorities.

If you’re evaluating partners, take time to look beyond the sales pitches. Focus on their actual Sanity experience, recent case studies, and how they handle complex schemas, migrations, and post-launch support.

👉 Ready to discuss your Sanity project? Get in touch with us — we’re happy to help you evaluate the best option for your needs.

BEST HEADLESS CMS FOR CONTENT MANAGERS AND MARKETING TEAMS – 2026 GUIDE

Chris Lojniewski — Fri, 10 Apr 2026 12:38:58 +0000

TL;DR

• A headless CMS is a content management system that stores content as structured data and delivers it through APIs, fully separating the backend from any front-end presentation layer.

• It allows marketing teams to publish the same reusable content blocks instantly across websites, mobile apps, email campaigns, and AI assistants without manual duplication.

• Headless architecture supports parallel workflows where editors and developers work simultaneously. It eliminates approval delays and accelerates campaign velocity.

• Best headless systems include Sanity for flexible modeling, Contentful for enterprise governance, Storyblok for visual editing, Strapi for open-source control, and Payload CMS for Next.js integration.

• Headless platforms deliver faster page speeds, superior Core Web Vitals, and stronger SEO performance through static generation and edge caching.

• Teams with multiple editors or omnichannel needs should choose headless CMS, while small single-site projects benefit more from classic systems to avoid unnecessary complexity and cost.

WHY TRADITIONAL CMS PLATFORMS SLOW DOWN MARKETING TEAMS

In 2026, marketing teams are expected to launch campaigns in days rather than in weeks while maintaining consistency in every message, offer, and asset across websites, apps, email, and AI channels.

Regular CMS platforms are the page-based systems most organizations still rely on. They were built for a single-site, desktop era and now actively throttle campaign speed and SEO performance for any marketing teams. Let’s discuss the issues that may slow down your team’s pace.

The Page-Based Content Model in Regular CMS

Each piece of content is stored inside a fixed page template. When a marketing manager updates a limited-time offer, they must manually copy the headline, image, and CTA across the homepage, product pages, email template, and app banner – 12 separate edits for one change.

Such a process creates unavoidable content duplication across channels. Marketing loses consistency, search engines flag duplicate material, and canonical signals become fragile. A 10-minute update can easily turn into a full-day task. CMS influences marketers way more than it may seem.

Main impacts on marketing teams:

Brand voice becomes inconsistent across channels
Campaign changes take hours instead of minutes
Duplicate content risks dilute SEO authority

Performance Problems in Traditional CMS at Scale

Page builders and plugins deliver short-term gains but quietly harm speed at scale. The 2025 HTTP Archive Web Almanac (CMS and Page Weight chapters) shows that around 60% of WordPress sites now use a page builder, which drives heavier DOM structures and larger JavaScript bundles.

The median desktop homepage now weighs 2.9 MB. Just 63% of desktop pages in the 2-3 MB range pass Core Web Vitals. Because Google incorporates Core Web Vitals into its core algorithm, marketing teams suffer from slower load times, higher bounce rates, and direct ranking penalties.

Core Web Vitals most affected:

Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) – delayed by heavy plugins
Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS) – broken by dynamic page builders
Interaction to Next Paint (INP) – slowed by database queries

Editorial Bottlenecks in Classic CMS Workflows

Scaling from three to eight editors should positively influence output. However, a multi-step approval chain is required for each update because of coarse permissions and layout fragility. A content editor cannot publish a simple blog change without developer review to prevent design breaks. Campaign velocity fails exactly when speed is most important, which prevents marketers from delivering work on time.

Typical workflow friction points:

Editor → Designer approval (layout risk)
Content → Developer review (technical safety)
Final sign-off → Publish (often delayed 24-48 hours)

Localization and Multi-Site Challenges in Conventional CMS

Entering a new market typically means cloning entire sites or layering on translation plugins that add their own bloat. Updates rapidly become out of sync, and each language version becomes a separate maintenance burden.

Google Search Central requires consistent hreflang and canonical implementation – something classic setups make fragile and error-prone. Instead of starting new campaigns, marketing teams spend hours pursuing indexing problems and diluted authority. Localization starts to seem more like a burden than a prospective change.

Common localization pitfalls:

Site duplication across domains or subfolders
Translation plugins adding extra database load
Out-of-sync content across language versions

Front-End Technology Limitations in Regular CMS

Conventional headless CMS platforms force teams to use proprietary templating languages and server-side rendering. When the marketing team wants to A/B test an interactive React component or use Next.js static generation, the CMS blocks modern frameworks without heavy custom workarounds.

Traditional CMS vs modern front-end reality:

Requirement	Traditional CMS Capability	Real-World Result for Marketing
React/Next.js components	Limited or impossible without hacks	A/B tests delayed or abandoned
Static site generation	Not supported natively	Slower page speeds
Edge caching & CDNs	Plugin-dependent and fragile	Higher hosting costs

These five problems directly affect marketing performance and SEO outcomes. A headless platform eliminates exactly these limitations because it treats content as structured data instead of pages. The next section can serve as a point of reference for teams considering changing an approach to content management.

WHAT A CMS FOR MARKETING TEAMS SHOULD ACTUALLY ENABLE

Nowadays, it is insufficient for marketing teams to just “manage content”. They need to create experiences for people on websites, apps, email, social media and AI assistants quickly. A true CMS must remove the friction of traditional platforms and give editors, strategists, and campaign managers the exact capabilities they need to move faster, experiment safely, and stay consistent everywhere.

What Is a CMS for Marketers?

It treats content as reusable, structured data (not locked pages) so marketing teams can launch campaigns once and publish everywhere without duplication or developer bottlenecks. Marketers can definitely benefit from implementing such an approach to content management.

What a modern CMS for marketing must deliver:

Instant omnichannel publishing (web, app, email, AI)
Granular workflow and approval controls
Structured content modeling for AI and personalization
Real-time collaboration without breaking designs
Built-in performance and SEO governance

Traditional vs Headless vs Hybrid CMS

Most organizations still run on outdated assumptions about different CMSs and their use. Here’s how the three architectures actually compare when real marketing teams use them in production:

Aspect	Traditional CMS	Hybrid CMS	Headless CMS (Recommended)
Architecture	Everything locked together — editing, database, and design in one system. Changes break other parts.	Partially separated but frontend and backend still share database and code.	Content fully separate. Pull clean data via API for any frontend – React, Next.js, apps, or AI.
Performance	Slows down as plugins and page builders are added. Server does all the work on every visit.	Faster than traditional but still limited by shared backend.	Very fast by default. Static files delivered from global edge servers.
Content Structure	Content glued to specific page layouts. Updates require manual copy-paste everywhere.	Some reusable components, but most content still tied to pages.	Content built as reusable blocks – headlines, offers, images work anywhere without duplication.
Omnichannel Delivery	Copy-paste the same message into website, email, app, and everywhere else.	Can push to a few channels but needs extra work and code.	Update once and it appears perfectly across website, app, email, and AI chatbots.
Scalability	Struggles beyond a few thousand pages or editors. Adding traffic or languages causes slowdowns.	Handles mid-size teams better but hits walls during growth.	Grows without limits – supports 5 or 500 editors and millions of requests.

Why Marketing Teams Need Different CMS Capabilities Than Developers

Developers care about clean code and deployment pipelines. Marketing teams care about campaign velocity, experimentation, and delivering the right message to the right person at the right time.

A CMS for marketing teams must therefore prioritize capabilities that developers rarely think about:

Campaign velocity – publish and update offers across every channel in minutes instead of days
Experimentation – A/B test headlines, CTAs, or entire components without developer tickets
Omnichannel publishing – one content update automatically syncs to website, mobile app, email, and AI chatbots
Structured content reuse for AI – feed the same product descriptions, FAQs, or campaign copy into generative AI tools and personalization engines without manual reformatting

These features are the difference between a marketing team that launches two campaigns per month and one that launches two per week while maintaining brand consistency and SEO strength.

A decoupled CMS platform is designed to provide these features by separating content from presentation. This is the thing that traditional and even hybrid systems can never fully achieve. Below, you can read about changes that headless architectures bring.

WHAT A HEADLESS CMS CHANGES COMPARED TO A TRADITIONAL CMS

Switching from a conventional CMS to a headless content management system is the game-changer for marketing teams. They stop struggling with their tools and start moving at the speed their campaigns require. Content is no longer locked into fixed pages. It becomes reusable data that any channel, framework, or AI tool can access instantly.

This change solves every bottleneck we covered earlier and gives marketers the freedom they have been missing.

Content Becomes Structured Data Instead of Pages

A classic content management system stores everything as complete pages. A headless one breaks content into modular, structured pieces – titles, descriptions, CTAs, images, metadata – which are all defined once in a flexible content model.

A marketing manager creates a product promo once. Then the same block can then power the website hero, the app notification, the email subject line, and the AI chatbot response without any copy-paste or reformatting. This speeds up marketing activities a lot and gives a chance to concentrate on more essential tasks.

Main changes for marketing teams after implementing a headless CMS:

One source of truth instead of duplicated copies
Easy updates across every channel in seconds
Content ready for AI and personalization engines from day one

Omnichannel Content Delivery With Headless Systems

The same structured content can be delivered anywhere through simple API calls. Websites, mobile apps, email platforms, IoT displays, voice assistants, and generative AI tools all get content from one central source. When the marketing team updates a campaign offer, every customer touchpoint modifies immediately.

Front-End Flexibility With Headless Architectures

Marketing teams are no longer stuck in the CMS’s outdated templating system. Developers can build with any modern framework (Next.js, React, Vue, or static generators), and editors stay in a clean studio interface. This delivers high-speed pages, perfect Core Web Vitals, and design freedom without developer bottlenecks.

Traditional vs Headless front-end comparison:

Capability	Traditional CMS	Headless CMS Platform
Framework choice	Locked to PHP templates or plugins	Any (Next.js, React, Gatsby, etc.)
Page speed	Slow (server-rendered + plugins)	Lightning-fast (static + edge CDN)
Design experimentation	Risk of breaking live site	Safe preview + instant deployment
Performance governance	Manual and fragile	Built-in (automatic optimization)

Parallel Workflows for Developers and Marketing Teams

In a conventional setup, marketing waits for developers and developers wait for marketing. Headless architecture removes that dependency entirely.

Editors work in the studio creating and approving content. Developers build and iterate on the front end at the same time. Campaigns launch faster because the two teams no longer block each other.

Obviously, a headless system will not magically solve all the issues. It still has technical limitations.

Common Challenges and Limitations of Headless Content Management System

The shift from classic headless architecture to headless platforms is powerful, but it has its drawbacks. A headless architecture moves the complexity but doesn’t remove it completely.

What marketing teams should know in advance:

Developer dependency changes, but does not disappear (you still need front-end expertise)
Plugin ecosystem is smaller than classic CMS – most features require custom integration
Advanced personalization often needs external tools (e.g., CDP or AI layers)
Higher initial implementation complexity and longer setup time than simply installing WordPress

These honest limitations are exactly why many small teams or single-site projects should stay on regular or hybrid systems. For growing marketing teams that need speed, scale, and omnichannel reach, such trade-offs are worth it.

A true decoupled content management system fundamentally changes how marketing teams create, govern, and distribute content. The biggest question is whether for your team the benefits outweigh the new challenges that headless brings.

HOW MUCH DOES A HEADLESS CMS ARCHITECTURE REALLY COST?

Most marketing leaders ask the same question the moment they consider a headless CMS platform: “Is this actually going to save us money – or will the hidden costs eat the budget?” The honest answer is that headless is not the cheapest option initially, but it almost always becomes the most cost-effective when campaigns start to scale, teams to grow, and performance to matter. The most important thing is understanding exactly where the money goes and having a bigger perspective on how your team will utilize this new headless approach in the future.

Licensing and API Pricing Models

Headless platforms use very different pricing philosophies than classic CMS. Some are seat-based, some usage-based, and most enterprise plans are custom. Here’s how the three marketing-friendly leaders break down in 2026, based on their official pricing pages:

Platform	Entry / Growth Plan (mid-size team)	Typical Monthly Cost (mid-size team)	Key Limits & Billing Model	Best For Marketing Teams
Contentful	Lite	$300	1M API calls, 20 users, paid overages	Enterprise governance & compliance
Sanity	Growth	$15 per seat	250k API requests + 1M CDN, unlimited locales	Structured content & real-time collaboration
Storyblok	Growth	$99	1M API requests, 5 seats, 400 GB traffic	Visual editing & fast agency workflows

All three offer a usable free tier for testing. When you hit scale (more API calls, more users, or heavy traffic), costs change to usage or custom enterprise agreements. Marketing teams that publish frequently on a variety of channels usually see Sanity or Storyblok stay cheaper longer than Contentful.

The cost of a CMS platform hides not only in its initial price but also in the price of its implementation, development, and adoption.

Implementation and Development Cost

This is what most budgets overlook. A headless CMS requires initial investment that traditional platforms mask behind plugins.

Typical first-year costs for a mid-size CMS for marketing teams:

Content modeling & studio setup: 4–8 weeks of specialist time
Front-end development (Next.js/React): 6–12 weeks
Integrations (CRM, analytics, personalization): 2–6 weeks

Total implementation often lands between $40,000–$120,000 depending on complexity. But once a decoupled CMS is built, changes no longer require developers for every campaign update.

Ongoing Maintenance Cost

SaaS headless platforms take the challenges away from you:

Automatic updates, security patches, and scaling are included
No server management or plugin conflicts

Open-source options (Strapi, Payload) look cheaper on paper but transfer the maintenance cost to your own team or agency – often $5,000–$15,000 per year in DevOps and security work. Most marketing teams choose SaaS to keep internal costs predictable.

The Hidden Cost of Choosing the Wrong Content Management System

The most expensive mistake is migrating again in 18-24 months because the platform cannot keep up with growth. This is why you should keep in mind hidden costs that may appear at the beginning.

Real hidden costs of choosing the wrong CMS include:

Rewriting front-end code when you outgrow the system
Lost SEO equity during replatforming
Months of campaign velocity lost while the new team learns the new tool

Choosing the right headless CMS architecture from the start (based on your editor count, channel needs, and growth plans) almost always pays for itself within 12-18 months through faster campaigns and better performance.

The real question is not “How much does headless cost?” but “How much is your current CMS quietly costing you in lost speed and missed opportunities?” The next section shows exactly when headless is the wrong choice – so you can avoid both extremes.

WHEN A HEADLESS ARCHITECTURE IS NOT THE RIGHT CHOICE

Not every project needs the power or the complexity of a headless content management system. For many marketers, adopting headless architecture can actually slow them down and inflate costs without delivering any meaningful upside. The added developer layer, API management, and upfront build time become indirect costs when your needs are simple and contained.

Here are the exact scenarios where a conventional or hybrid CMS is still the smarter, faster, and cheaper choice in 2026.

Very Small Websites With Limited Content (Under 20 Pages)

If your entire site fits on a single spreadsheet (e.g., a basic brochure, portfolio, or simple landing-page collection) headless is far beyond requirements.

You’ll spend weeks building a content model, front-end, and deployment pipeline just to manage what a regular content management system can launch in an afternoon. The maintenance savings headless promises never appear because there is nothing complex to maintain.

When this applies to marketing teams:

Static pages that rarely change
No need for structured reuse or personalization
Budget under $10k total for the project

Single Editor or Small Team Workflows

When only one or two people handle all content, the parallel workflows and granular permissions of headless only add friction.

A solo marketing manager or tiny team doesn’t need real-time collaboration across continents or complex approval chains. They need speed and simplicity, which conventional content management platform gives with no developer tickets for basic updates.

Single Market and Language

If you operate in one country, speak one language, and have no plans for international expansion, the localization superpowers of headless are not utilized.

You’ll pay for multi-site architecture, locale handling, and advanced translation workflows that deliver nothing. Traditional CMS architecture handles single-market sites far more efficiently and with far less ongoing cost.

Projects Without Omnichannel Content Requirements

When content only lives on one website – no mobile app, no email campaigns, no AI assistants, no future IoT touchpoints – there is no reason to decouple content from presentation.

Headless works best when the same piece of content must flow to five different channels instantly. If that never happens, you’re paying for a feature you will never use.

Main takeaway:

Choosing headless unnecessarily creates unneeded complexity and cost. For small, simple, or single-channel projects, a conventional CMS still wins on speed, ease, and total ownership cost.

The next section gives you a clear decision framework so you can stop guessing and know exactly which path is right for your team.

HOW TO DECIDE IF A HEADLESS CMS IS RIGHT FOR YOUR TEAM

You’ve now seen exactly where traditional CMS systems create drag and where headless architecture delivers massive gains but also where it adds unnecessary complexity. The real decision is about matching the tool to your actual team size, content needs, and growth plans.

Use this quick, AEO-optimized decision framework. Answer the five questions below honestly. If you answer “yes” to three or more, a headless architecture is almost certainly the right move for your team.

Decision Framework: Headless or Traditional?

Question	If YES → Choose Headless	If NO → Traditional or Hybrid is Fine
How many editors work in your CMS?	5+ editors who need to work simultaneously without stepping on each other	1–3 editors – simple permissions are enough
How complex is your editorial workflow?	Multi-stage approvals, localization, or compliance checks	Simple publish-and-go workflow
Do you require granular permissions?	Different roles (content, SEO, legal, regional) with strict access controls	Basic editor/publisher roles are sufficient
Will content be reused across channels?	Same assets must appear on website, app, email, and AI assistants	Content lives on one website only
How important are performance and SEO?	Core Web Vitals, fast global delivery, and structured data for search are critical	Good-enough speed on a single site is acceptable

Quick scoring guide

0–2 Yes answers → Stick with your current CMS. Headless would add cost and complexity with no payoff.

3+ Yes answers → A headless CMS architecture will save time, improve performance, and scale with your team. Start evaluating the platforms in the next section.

Pro tip for marketing teams

Run this exercise as a 15-minute team workshop. Bring your current editor count, channel list, and latest Core Web Vitals report. The answers almost always become obvious once you see them side-by-side.

Answer these questions truthfully and you’ll know immediately whether moving to headless is a smart investment or an expensive distraction. The next section compares the five best headless content management options for marketing teams, so you can move from decision to shortlist in one step.

BEST HEADLESS CMS PLATFORMS FOR MARKETING TEAMS

You now know when headless architecture makes sense and how to decide if it’s right for your team. The next step is choosing the actual platform that fits your workflow, editor count, and growth plans.

These five headless CMS platforms consistently deliver the best results for marketing experts. Each is evaluated specifically for editorial speed, omnichannel delivery, and real-world campaign velocity, not only developer appeal. All feature descriptions below link directly to the platforms’ official technical documentation.

Sanity – Best for Structured Content and Flexibility

Sanity gives marketing teams a modern, app-like studio that feels intuitive instead of technical. Real-time collaboration lets multiple editors work on the same document simultaneously without conflicts or version chaos, while powerful content modeling turns one piece of content into reusable blocks that power every channel.

Strengths for marketing teams:

Customizable studio
Real-time collaboration
Powerful content modeling

Contentful – Best Enterprise Headless CMS

Contentful is the mature, enterprise-grade choice when governance, compliance, and a proven ecosystem matter more than anything else. Large marketing teams and agencies rely on its robust permissions, audit trails, and integrations to keep content secure and consistent at scale.

Strengths:

Mature ecosystem
Strong governance features

Trade-off:

Pricing increases rapidly at scale

Storyblok – Best Headless CMS with a Visual Editing Experience

Storyblok removes the biggest friction point for non-technical marketers: the gap between the CMS and the live website. Its visual editor lets editors see and change content exactly where it appears, dramatically speeding up campaigns and reducing back-and-forth with developers.

Strengths:

Visual editor
Easy adoption for non-technical users

Strapi – Best Open-Source Headless CMS

When full control and zero vendor lock-in are non-negotiable, Strapi delivers. Marketing teams that work with development agencies or need self-hosted flexibility choose Strapi because they own the entire stack and never pay for core features.

Strengths:

Full control
No vendor lock-in

Trade-off:

Infrastructure management required

Payload CMS – Best for Next.js Ecosystems

If your front end is already built (or will be built) in Next.js, Payload CMS is the cleanest fit. It runs natively inside your application with full TypeScript support, eliminating extra hosting costs and giving developers and marketers the tightest possible integration.

Strengths:

TypeScript-native
Runs inside the application

Each of these best headless content management platform options solves different marketing pain points. The right one for your team depends on your editor count, need for visual editing, enterprise governance requirements, and technical stack. Before you shortlist any platform, make sure you understand exactly how headless affects SEO performance – the topic we cover next.

IS HEADLESS CMS GOOD FOR SEO?

Yes – when done right. Nowadays, a properly implemented headless system is one of the most powerful ways for marketing specialists to improve search visibility, because it delivers faster pages, better Core Web Vitals, and clean structured data that search engines love. The performance gains are real and measurable. The risks are also real – but entirely avoidable with the right setup.

Where Headless Content Management System Improves SEO

Headless architecture removes the bloat that drags classic CMS down and replaces it with modern rendering techniques that directly boost rankings.

Static generation at build time creates pre-rendered HTML files that load instantly and rank better because Google can crawl them without executing JavaScript (see web.dev on rendering on the web).
Faster page speed through edge CDN delivery and zero plugin overhead.
Improved Core Web Vitals – especially LCP, INP, and CLS – because pages are lighter and more stable.

Marketing teams using headless consistently see higher organic traffic once these three factors are optimized.

SEO Risks in Headless CMS Architecture

The decoupled model transfers responsibility from the CMS to your front-end code. Ignore these three areas and you can lose indexing power or rankings.

Metadata management: Title tags, meta descriptions, and structured data must be generated correctly in the front-end layer.
JavaScript rendering: Google renders JS well, but hydration delays and client-side-only content can still cause issues (full details in Google Search Central: Understand JavaScript SEO Basics).
Sitemap management: You must dynamically generate and submit XML sitemaps because there is no built-in page tree like in traditional CMS.

These risks are manageable – most marketing teams solve them once during setup and never worry again.

Headless CMS SEO Setup Checklist

Use this 8-point checklist before launch to lock in the SEO advantages of your headless CMS architecture:

Generate static pages or use ISR/SSR for all important URLs
Set canonical tags and hreflang correctly in the front-end
Pre-render critical metadata (titles, descriptions, Open Graph)
Implement a dynamic XML sitemap that updates on every content change
Enable proper JavaScript rendering and test with Google’s URL Inspection tool
Add schema.org structured data via JSON-LD
Monitor Core Web Vitals in Search Console and Lighthouse
Submit the sitemap and request indexing for new pages

Follow this checklist and a headless content management platform will almost always outperform conventional systems on SEO metrics. The next section shows exactly how to integrate that same platform with the rest of your marketing stack.

HEADLESS CONTENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEM INTEGRATION WITH THE MARKETING STACK

The true power of a headless platform is unlocked when it becomes the central content hub for your entire marketing stack. Instead of siloed data, structured content flows automatically to CRM systems, analytics tools, personalization engines, and AI automation platforms.

Integrating a Headless Architecture with CRM and Customer Data Platforms (CDP)

Headless platforms expose clean REST or GraphQL APIs and support real-time webhooks, making it simple to sync published content, campaign updates, and customer interactions directly into tools like Salesforce, HubSpot, or Segment.

Main integration patterns for marketing teams:

Trigger CRM updates on content published via webhooks
Pull customer data into content models for dynamic reuse
Sync lead scores and engagement metrics back to the CMS

Reliable API calls are the foundation – see MDN Web Docs on web APIs for best practices.

Headless system Integration with Analytics and Data Pipelines

Every content piece can push performance data straight into your analytics stack without manual exports or spreadsheets.

Connect to Google Analytics 4, Mixpanel, or custom data warehouses using server-side events or Google Tag Manager containers.

Integrating Headless Architecture with Personalization Platforms

Structured content from the headless CMS feeds personalization engines in real time, allowing dynamic experiences based on user behavior, location, or segment.

Use JSON-LD schema and API-driven content blocks to power tools like Optimizely or Adobe Target.

Full guidance on implementing structured data for personalization is available in Google Search Central on structured data.

AI and Automation Workflows with a Headless CMS

The same API-first content can feed generative AI tools for copy variation, chatbots, or automated campaign creation, while webhooks trigger marketing automation sequences in tools like Marketo or ActiveCampaign.

This turns your CMS into an intelligent content engine that runs 24/7.

Thanks to such integrations a headless system becomes the core of your modern marketing operations. The next section walks through a real migration case study to show how it all comes together in practice.

HEADLESS CMS MIGRATION CASE STUDY: GPNOTEBOOK

A real-world example of the transformation possible with headless architecture comes from GPNotebook – a major medical reference platform that previously struggled with an outdated legacy CMShandling more than 100,000 pages. Slow updates, high maintenance costs, fragmented content across sub-brands, and limited multilingual support were holding back editorial teams and global reach.

The migration replaced the old monolithic system with a modern stack: Next.js for the front end, Sanity as the headless platform, and Vercel for deployment and edge delivery. This change turned fixed pages into structured, reusable content blocks and enabled parallel workflows between editors and developers.

Main results after migration:

Improved performance: Static generation and edge caching dramatically reduced load times and boosted Core Web Vitals scores across the entire platform.
New AI features: Automatic AI-powered translation workflows now generate multiple language versions of every published document instantly, eliminating manual localization work.
Multilingual rollout improvements: Consistent hreflang implementation and single-source content enabled smooth global expansion without site duplication or indexing issues.
Editorial and business gains: Faster content updates, unified sub-brands, reduced maintenance overhead, and greater editor autonomy – all while supporting a 100K+-page medical knowledge base.

This case study demonstrates exactly how headless CMS solves the typical bottlenecks we discussed earlier and delivers measurable gains in speed, scalability, and international reach. The same principles apply whether you’re migrating a medical site or any high-volume content operation.

The next section covers the most common mistakes teams make during headless implementations – so you can avoid them and achieve results like GPNotebook.

COMMON MISTAKES WHEN IMPLEMENTING A HEADLESS CONTENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

Implementing a headless architecture delivers huge gains for your marketing team only if you avoid the classic pitfalls that trip up most teams. These four mistakes are the ones we see most often in real projects.

Over-Engineering the Content Model

Teams new to structured content often try to model every possible future use case from day one, creating dozens of complex content types and deeply nested references.

The studio becomes confusing for editors, queries slow down at scale, and future changes turn into major rework.

Best practice:

Start with the minimum viable model
Add fields and types only when real content demands them
Review and simplify every quarter

Ignoring Content Preview and Live Preview Setup

Editors cannot effectively review or approve content without seeing it exactly as it will appear on the live site. Skipping proper preview setup forces constant developer involvement and kills campaign velocity.

Implement live preview with webhooks and preview tokens from the start.

Underestimating Editor Training and CMS Adoption

The most powerful studio is useless if editors avoid using it. Many teams underestimate the learning curve and skip structured onboarding, leading to low adoption and continued reliance on developers for basic tasks.

Plan dedicated training sessions, create role-specific documentation for your custom content model, and run regular feedback sessions with the editorial team.

Choosing Technology Before Defining Content Strategy

Picking the platform first and then trying to fit your content into it is backward. This leads to forced workarounds, limited reuse, and missed omnichannel opportunities.

Always define your content strategy, audience needs, and channel requirements first.

Google’s official guidance on creating helpful, people-first content is essential reading here: Creating Helpful, Reliable, People-First Content.

Avoid these four mistakes and your decoupled CMS implementation will deliver the speed, flexibility, and scalability your marketing team actually needs. The next section presents a clear comparison table to help you choose the right platform quickly.

HEADLESS CMS COMPARISON TABLE

Designed for quick buyer decisions, this comparison table summarizes the five leading headless CMS platforms based on how they perform for marketing in real production environments.

CMS	Best For	Marketing Flexibility	Learning Curve	Enterprise Readiness	Pricing Complexity
Sanity	Structured content & scaling teams	High	Medium	High	Medium
Contentful	Enterprise organizations	High	Medium	Very High	High
Storyblok	Marketing teams	Very High	Low	High	Medium
Strapi	Open-source control	Medium	Medium	Medium	Low
Payload CMS	Next.js projects	High	Medium	Medium	Low

To understand how these ratings translate to real SEO and performance outcomes, see the official guidance on Understanding Core Web Vitals and Google search results.

Use this table to shortlist the right platform in minutes. The final section answers the most frequently asked questions about headless content management platforms.

FAQ

What is the meaning of CMS in marketing?

CMS stands for Content Management System. In marketing it is the central tool that lets teams create, organize, approve, publish, and reuse content across websites, apps, email, and AI channels – all without constant developer intervention.

What is CMS for marketing?

A CMS for marketing is a content management system designed to support scalable content operations, omnichannel publishing, structured content reuse, workflow governance, and seamless integration with marketing tools. It treats content as reusable data instead of locked pages so marketing teams can move faster and stay consistent everywhere.

What does it mean for a CMS to be headless?

A headless CMS separates the content backend from any presentation layer. Content is stored as clean, structured data and delivered through APIs, so marketing teams can publish to any front-end framework, channel, or device. This delivers faster performance, true omnichannel reach, and editor-friendly workflows. For the technical details on why this architecture improves speed and SEO, see the official guidance on Rendering on the Web.

What are the top 5 headless CMS platforms?

The top five headless CMS platforms for marketing teams in 2026 are:

Sanity – best for structured content and real-time collaboration

Contentful – best for enterprise governance and compliance

Storyblok – best for visual editing and non-technical users

Strapi – best for open-source control and self-hosting

Payload CMS – best for Next.js ecosystems

Each performs well in different areas depending on team size, channel needs, and technical stack.

What is the difference between traditional CMS and headless CMS?

Traditional (coupled) CMS stores content and design together as complete pages, leading to duplication, slower performance, and limited reuse. A headless system decouples content from presentation, giving marketing teams flexibility, faster page speeds, better Core Web Vitals, and omnichannel delivery without rebuilding templates. The performance advantages come directly from modern rendering strategies detailed in Understanding Core Web Vitals and Google search results.

How much does a headless CMS cost?

Headless CMS costs depend on scale and model. Entry/growth plans typically range from $99–$300 per month for mid-size marketing teams, with implementation adding $40,000–$120,000 upfront for content modeling and front-end development. SaaS options keep ongoing maintenance low and predictable compared with open-source alternatives that shift DevOps costs to your team.

These answers cover the most common questions marketing teams ask when evaluating a headless platform. The final section helps you decide whether a full migration makes sense for your organization.

WHICH CMS SHOULD YOU CHOOSE: HEADLESS OR TRADITIONAL?

The right choice depends entirely on your team size, content volume, channel requirements, and growth plans. Use the decision framework from earlier and the audience segments below to pick the architecture that will actually serve your marketing.

Enterprise marketing teams

Choose headless. Large organizations need governance, audit trails, granular permissions, and seamless omnichannel delivery. A headless architecture with strong enterprise features (such as Contentful or Sanity) delivers the scalability and compliance required without the plugin bloat of traditional systems.

Agencies building client sites

Choose headless – specifically platforms with visual editing (Storyblok) or high flexibility (Sanity). Agencies win when they can deliver fast, reusable content models to every client without rebuilding templates for each new project.

Startups

Choose headless only if you already have Next.js in your stack and plan rapid international growth. Otherwise, start with a traditional or hybrid CMS to avoid unnecessary upfront development costs. Payload CMS or Strapi are the lowest-friction entry points when you do go headless.

SEO-focused publishers

Choose headless with static generation. Pre-rendered pages, edge caching, and clean structured data give you faster load times and better Core Web Vitals – factors Google’s ranking systems explicitly reward.

Open-source teams

Choose headless with full control (Strapi or Payload CMS). Self-hosted or code-first options eliminate vendor lock-in and give complete ownership of the stack, while still delivering modern rendering benefits.

Quick decision rule

If you answered “yes” to three or more questions in the earlier decision framework and your needs match any of the segments above, go headless. Otherwise, a traditional content management system remains the simpler, faster, and more cost-effective choice today.

Whichever path you take, the most important decision is whether headless architecture truly solves your specific bottlenecks – the topic we address in the final section.

SHOULD YOU MIGRATE TO A HEADLESS CONTENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEM?

You’ve now seen exactly where traditional CMS architectures create drag, what a true CMS for marketing teams should enable, how headless architecture removes those bottlenecks, the real costs involved, when headless is the wrong choice, and a clear decision framework to guide you.

The most important CMS decision is whether headless architecture is the right choice for your organization.

If your answers to the earlier decision questions and your team profile match the segments that benefit from decoupling (enterprise scale, agencies, international reach, or SEO-focused publishing), then yes – a migration to headless will deliver faster campaigns, better performance, and long-term scalability. To protect your search rankings and traffic during the transition, follow Google’s official guidance on site moves and migrations.

Book a discovery call and we’ll assess your current bottlenecks in the context of a headless approach – so you can decide with confidence and move forward without assumptions.

TOP NEXT.JS AGENCIES TO HIRE IN 2026

Chris Lojniewski — Fri, 10 Apr 2026 11:40:17 +0000

In 2026, Next.js (now at version 15+) remains the gold standard for building fast, SEO-friendly, scalable React applications. With features like the App Router, React Server Components, Edge Runtime, Turbopack, and deeper AI integration, it’s the go-to framework for e-commerce platforms, SaaS dashboards, content-heavy sites, and high-traffic web apps.

This list is curated by senior engineers who have worked with Next.js in production environments since version 9 – we’ve shipped dozens of apps, optimized Core Web Vitals to 99+ scores, and integrated with headless CMSs, Vercel, and custom backends.

We update this list every quarter based on fresh Clutch.co and DesignRush data (February 2026 rankings), real client reviews, portfolio depth, and performance case studies.

Whether you’re a startup needing a fast MVP, a SaaS company scaling to millions of users, or an enterprise migrating from legacy tech – this guide will help you find the perfect Next.js partner.

HOW WE SELECTED THE BEST NEXT.JS AGENCIES

Transparency matters. Unlike many “top lists” that feel sponsored or self-promotional, we ranked agencies using a strict, data-driven methodology:

Clutch.co verified reviews & rating (minimum 4.8/5, 15+ reviews mentioning Next.js)
Production Next.js expertise → Deep knowledge of SSR, RSC, App Router, Partial Prerendering, Edge Rendering
Performance & SEO results → Proven case studies with Lighthouse 95+, real conversion lifts
Real case studies & metrics → Not just pretty designs – actual business impact
Team composition → Senior devs, not junior-heavy outsourcing
Client reputation & freshness → Recent 2025–2026 projects, no outdated portfolios
Open-source contributions or thought leadership → Bonus points for Next.js-related blogs, talks, or tools

We reviewed 100+ agencies and selected only the top performers.

QUICK COMPARISON OF TOP NEXT.JS AGENCIES

1. Pagepro – Best overall for frontend & headless expertise

Pagepro stands out as a dedicated Next.js and frontend specialist with a flawless 4.9/5 Clutch rating across dozens of reviews. They excel in building high-performance, SEO-optimized apps using Sanity, Storyblok, and custom headless setups. Clients praise their clean code, fast delivery, and deep understanding of App Router + RSC. Best for: Mid-size to enterprise projects needing pixel-perfect UIs and strong performance metrics.

Key strengths:

Multiple years as Clutch Top Next.js leader
Proven migrations and SEO-preserving launches
Strong focus on modern Next.js features (Edge, PPR)

Pros: Deep Next.js expertise, proven migrations with business impact (e.g., revenue growth post-replatforming), strong retention, Clutch awards for Next.js/Sanity leadership.

Cons: Primarily EU-based (time zone considerations for US clients).

Best for: Mid-size to enterprise projects needing pixel-perfect UIs, headless architecture, and reliable performance/SEO optimization.

Min. project: $10,000+ | Hourly rate: $50–99 | Location: Poland (EU)

2. Naturaily – Headless Web & Next.js Specialists

Naturaily specializes in modern headless web development with a strong focus on Next.js, composable architecture, and Shopify ecosystems. They combine frontend expertise (Next.js, React) with headless CMS integrations and e-commerce engineering to deliver scalable, performance-oriented digital platforms.

Clients highlight their strong technical depth in Jamstack and headless builds, clean project execution, and ability to modernize legacy systems into high-performance, SEO-optimized architectures. They work comfortably with SSR, ISR, composable commerce, and API-driven integrations, often acting as a long-term technology partner rather than pure augmentation.

Pros: Strong headless & composable expertise, deep Shopify + Next.js integration experience, performance-focused delivery, product-oriented mindset.

Cons: More specialized in headless and e-commerce use cases than broad enterprise augmentation at massive scale.

Best for: Mid-to-large companies building headless e-commerce, composable websites, or performance-driven Next.js platforms requiring architectural clarity.

Min. project: Mid-market | Hourly rate: Mid-range EU | Location: Warsaw, Poland / Global delivery

3. Cleveroad – Best for full-stack versatility & cost-effective custom work

Cleveroad earns a strong 4.9/5 Clutch rating from 77+ reviews, specializing in full-stack web and custom development with solid Next.js experience. They handle everything from scratch builds to migrations and enhancements, often using React/Next.js for performant, SEO-friendly solutions.

Reviews highlight flexibility, dedication, on-time delivery (~95% satisfaction), and high-quality code. They adapt well to various project sizes and integrate modern features effectively.

Pros: Versatile (web + mobile + custom), responsive management, excellent value for mid-range budgets.

Cons: Less specialized in pure Next.js compared to narrower frontend shops.

Best for: Startups/SMBs wanting full-stack development with Next.js frontend, migrations, or balanced cost-quality.

Min. project: $10,000–$49,000 | Hourly rate: $25–49 | Location: Ukraine / Global

4. Azumo – Best for nearshore AI & performance integration

Azumo holds a 4.8/5 Clutch rating from 20+ reviews, with deep expertise in React, Next.js, Node.js, and AI-enhanced apps. They emphasize nearshore/onshore models for speed and efficiency, building high-performance web apps with fast load times and strong SEO.

Clients commend their technical depth across modern stacks, on-time delivery, and value—especially for intelligent, scalable solutions.

Pros: AI/Next.js integration strength, nearshore advantages (cost + timezone), consistent awards (e.g., top Next.js developer recognitions).

Cons: Smaller review volume than giants.

Best for: Projects blending Next.js with AI, data-heavy apps, or US/LatAm nearshore needs.

Min. project: $25,000+ | Hourly rate: $50–99 | Location: USA / Latin America

5. Vention – Best for complex enterprise full-stack solutions

Vention scores 4.9/5 on Clutch from hundreds of reviews, with 1,000+ engineers and 20+ years in software. They deliver custom Next.js web development alongside AI, blockchain, and legacy migrations, serving startups to enterprises.

Feedback praises innovative solutions, strong communication, and scalability across tech stacks.

Pros: Massive scale, full lifecycle support, Gartner-recognized engineering quality.

Cons: Higher min. project size suits bigger budgets.

Best for: Enterprise-grade custom software with Next.js frontend, complex integrations, or global teams.

Min. project: $50,000+ | Hourly rate: $50–99 | Location: USA / Europe (multiple offices)

6. Orthoplex Solutions – Best for e-commerce & high-traffic performance

Orthoplex Solutions has a 4.9/5 Clutch rating from 14+ reviews, specializing in high-performing web/apps with ReactJS, NextJS, NodeJS, and AWS. They focus on scalable solutions for large databases, traffic, and sensitive data.

Clients highlight clean delivery, security, and performance in e-commerce and complex builds.

Pros: Strong in performance/security, versatile stack (including React Native).

Cons: Smaller review sample; US-focused.

Best for: E-commerce platforms, high-traffic sites, or apps needing robust backend + Next.js frontend.

Min. project: $10,000+ | Hourly rate: $100–149 | Location: USA

7. Instinctools – Best for Fortune 500 & legacy migrations

Instinctools maintains a 4.8/5 Clutch rating, with expertise in enterprise solutions, migrations, and scalable Next.js apps. They serve Fortune 500 clients and handle complex full-stack projects.

Reviews emphasize proven scalability, quality delivery, and client alignment.

Pros: Enterprise experience, strong migration track record.

Cons: More generalist than pure Next.js niche.

Best for: Legacy system modernizations to Next.js, large-scale enterprise builds.

Min. project: $25,000+ | Hourly rate: $50–99 | Location: USA / Europe

8. Bilberrry – Best for startups & award-winning creative builds

Bilberrry earns 4.9/5 on Clutch, blending strong design with Next.js development for creative, user-centric apps. They win awards for design + tech execution.

Clients love the innovative, high-quality results and startup-friendly approach.

Pros: Award-winning aesthetics + performance, creative edge.

Cons: Higher rates for premium design focus.

Best for: Startups/SaaS needing visually stunning, performant Next.js apps.

Min. project: $50,000+ | Hourly rate: $150–199 | Location: USA

9. Mallow Technologies – Best for cost-effective high-quality delivery

Mallow holds 4.9/5 on Clutch, known as a leader for reliable, budget-friendly Next.js development with strong reviews.

They deliver quality code, on-time projects, and good communication at competitive rates.

Pros: Excellent value, Clutch leader status, consistent positives.

Cons: India-based (potential timezone gaps for some).

Best for: Budget-conscious teams wanting solid Next.js work without premium pricing.

Min. project: $10,000+ | Hourly rate: < $50 | Location: India

10. Boldare – Best for product-oriented holistic development

Boldare scores 4.9/5 on Clutch, taking a product-driven approach to Next.js development with focus on user needs and long-term success.

Clients appreciate their holistic strategy, clean execution, and collaborative style.

Pros: Product thinking + tech depth, strong EU reputation.

Cons: May emphasize process over pure speed for some.

Best for: Teams wanting Next.js as part of a full product lifecycle (discovery to growth).

Min. project: $25,000+ | Hourly rate: $50–99 | Location: Poland

WHICH NEXT.JS AGENCY IS RIGHT FOR YOU?

Choosing the right Next.js agency depends on your project stage, team size, budget, performance needs, and long-term goals.

In 2026, Next.js projects range from quick MVPs (often $15,000–$50,000) to complex enterprise platforms ($100,000–$300,000+), so alignment matters more than just picking the “top” name.

Here’s a straightforward guide based on common scenarios:

1. Startups & Early-Stage SaaS (Fast MVP, Budget-Conscious, Iterative Builds)

You need speed, flexibility, cost-effectiveness, and strong communication without enterprise overhead. Focus on agencies with proven MVP experience, lower min. project sizes ($10,000–$50,000), and good value (e.g., hourly rates <$100).

Top matches from our list:

Mallow Technologies — Excellent cost-quality balance (rates < $50/hr, strong Clutch reviews), ideal for bootstrapped teams wanting reliable delivery without breaking the bank.
Cleveroad — Versatile full-stack work at $25–$49/hr, high client satisfaction for MVPs and quick iterations.
Pagepro — If you can stretch the budget slightly, their frontend/headless expertise delivers pixel-perfect, SEO-ready MVPs fast.

Tips: Prioritize agencies with startup-friendly portfolios (e.g., SaaS dashboards, user auth + dashboards). Avoid ultra-enterprise players with high min. projects.

2. Mid-Size SaaS or Growing Businesses (Scaling Users, Custom Features, Performance Focus)

You want proven scalability, modern Next.js features (App Router, RSC, Edge), strong SEO/performance (Lighthouse 95+), and reliable support post-launch. Budget often $50,000–$150,000.

Top matches:

Pagepro — #1 for frontend-heavy, headless integrations, and performance optimization—perfect for scaling SaaS with clean code and SEO wins.
Boldare — Holistic product approach (discovery to growth), great for teams needing strategic guidance alongside tech execution.
Azumo — Nearshore model + AI integration strength suits data-heavy or intelligent SaaS features.

Tips: Look for case studies showing real metrics (conversion lifts, load time improvements). Agencies with EU/nearshore locations often offer great timezone overlap for US teams.

3. Enterprise or High-Traffic Projects (Complex Integrations, Security, Legacy Migration)

You need large-scale expertise, enterprise-grade security/compliance, handling high traffic, multi-region setups, and full lifecycle support. Budget typically $100,000+.

Top matches:

Vention — 1,000+ engineers, complex full-stack + migrations, ideal for legacy-to-Next.js transitions or enterprise custom builds.
Instinctools — Strong in Fortune 500 migrations and proven scalability.

Tips: Check for enterprise case studies (e.g., high-traffic e-commerce, B2B platforms). Prioritize agencies with senior teams and long-term maintenance models.

4. E-Commerce or Performance-Critical Sites (SEO, Speed, Headless Commerce)

Focus on SSR/ISR expertise, Core Web Vitals mastery, headless CMS (Sanity/Storyblok), and conversion-focused builds.

Top matches:

Orthoplex Solutions — E-commerce & high-traffic specialists with robust performance/security focus.
Pagepro — Headless CMS leaders with proven SEO-preserving migrations and fast, accessible sites.

Tips: Demand Lighthouse/SEO case studies. Agencies with Edge Rendering experience shine here.

Quick Decision Checklist

Budget under $50k? → Pagepro, Mallow, Cleveroad,
Need nearshore/US timezone? → Azumo, Vention, Orthoplex
Prioritize performance/SEO? → Pagepro, Orthoplex, Azumo
Enterprise scale/security? → Vention, Instinctools
Creative/UI-heavy startup? → Bilberrry
Product strategy + dev? → Boldare

No agency is perfect for every project—review their recent Clutch/DesignRush profiles, ask for 2025–2026 case studies, and request a technical call to discuss your stack (e.g., Vercel, headless CMS, auth needs).

If none fit perfectly, consider your location, preferred timezone, and must-have features — then reach out to 2–3 from the list above for proposals.

Need a consultation?

We’re a Next.js-focused development team with extensive experience in production-grade projects. Contact us today for a free 30-minute consultation — we’ll review your requirements, suggest the best approach, and provide honest recommendations (even if it’s not us).

TOP 10 HEADLESS CMS DEVELOPMENT COMPANIES & EXPERT GUIDE

Chris Lojniewski — Fri, 10 Apr 2026 10:55:01 +0000

TL;DR

Top headless CMS development companies 2026 (Clutch/G2 4.7+ rated):

Pagepro – best overall: deep Sanity + Next.js expertise, custom workflows, edge delivery, migrations without SEO loss
The Frontend Company – UI/UX & commerce leader: polished interfaces, high-conversion e-commerce frontends
Brainhub – enterprise SaaS specialist: secure, scalable architectures for complex SaaS products
Naturaily – multilingual e-commerce expert: global sites, multi-language content modeling & performance optimization

These agencies provide full headless CMS services: platform selection/setup (Sanity, Contentful, Strapi, Storyblok), structured content modeling, REST/GraphQL API integrations, legacy CMS migrations (zero traffic/SEO disruption), omnichannel Next.js/React frontends, AI personalization hooks, and Core Web Vitals optimization.
Strengths by focus: Pagepro for developer-centric custom solutions; Frontend Company for design-driven commerce; Brainhub for enterprise-grade compliance/security; Naturaily for international scale & multilingual delivery — all emphasize composable architecture and long-term maintainability.
Decision factors when choosing an agency:

Project complexity (custom vs standard)
Budget range ($20K–$200K+)
Team size & internal expertise
Platform preference (Sanity for flexibility, Contentful for enterprise)
Need for visual editing, real-time collaboration, or edge/ISR performance

INTRO

As digital products expand across websites, mobile apps, and multiple customer touchpoints, traditional CMS architectures are increasingly unable to keep pace. To gain speed, flexibility, and long-term scalability, more organizations are adopting headless CMS, separating content management from presentation to enable faster releases, stronger SEO with modern frameworks like Next.js, and consistent omnichannel delivery.

This shift is reflected in market growth. Research and Markets estimates the global headless CMS software market at approximately $1.51 billion in 2025, growing to $3.04 billion by 2030, at a 15.08% CAGR. Longer-term forecasts from Future Market Insights project expansion to $7.11 billion by 2035, driven by composable architectures and AI-powered personalization, with a 22.6% CAGR. In parallel, Market Research Future anticipates growth from $3.94 billion in 2025 to $22.28 billion by 2034, reflecting broad enterprise adoption rather than isolated experimentation.

Across leading analysts, including Grand View Research, Verified Market Research, and Mordor Intelligence, the conclusion is consistent. Headless CMS is among the fastest-growing segments of the CMS market, with most projections converging on 15 to 22 percent annual growth.

As headless CMS becomes a strategic foundation rather than a technical upgrade, selecting the right implementation partner is critical. This expert buyer’s guide reviews the top headless CMS development agencies in 2026, evaluating them on platform expertise in Sanity, Contentful, and Strapi, independent client validation through Clutch and G2 ratings of 4.7 and above, modern frontend capabilities in Next.js and React, and proven results across performance, SEO, and emerging areas such as AI integration and edge delivery.

WHAT DOES A HEADLESS CMS AGENCY DO?

A headless CMS agency designs, implements, and optimizes API-first content platforms that decouple the backend (content management) from the frontend (presentation). Unlike traditional CMSs like WordPress or Drupal, headless systems deliver content via APIs (REST or GraphQL), enabling teams to build fast, flexible frontends with technologies such as Next.js, React, Vue, or mobile and IoT apps — while editors work in a clean, user-friendly interface.

In practice, a headless CMS agency acts as a strategic partner in digital transformation, bridging business content needs with technical execution. They handle platform selection (e.g., Sanity, Contentful, Strapi, Storyblok), content modeling, API integrations, migrations from legacy CMSs, and high-performance frontend development — ensuring scalable, future-proof digital experiences.

Platform expertise and setup: Choosing and configuring the right headless CMS (self-hosted like Strapi or cloud-native like Contentful) based on scalability, security, and team workflows.
Migration and integration projects: Seamlessly moving content from monolithic CMSs to headless architectures without disrupting operations, often using custom workflows for large-scale data transfers.
Frontend development and optimization: Building fast, SEO-optimized experiences with frameworks like Next.js, focusing on Core Web Vitals, edge deployment (e.g., Vercel), and omnichannel delivery.
Content strategy and modeling: Creating structured, reusable content types that support personalization, AI-driven features, localization, and multi-channel publishing.
Ongoing support: Performance tuning, security enhancements, and iterative improvements for long-term scalability.

HEADLESS VS. TRADITIONAL CMS: KEY DIFFERENCES AND BENEFITS

Traditional CMS platforms bundle content management with built-in themes and rendering, making them quick to set up for simple sites but rigid at scale. Headless CMS flips this model:

Flexibility: Developers choose any frontend language/framework without CMS constraints; content can feed websites, apps, wearables, kiosks, or voice interfaces from one source.
Performance & SEO: Decoupled frontends enable faster load times (often 2x quicker), better Core Web Vitals, and edge caching — critical for 2026’s mobile-first, AI-optimized search environments.
Scalability & Omnichannel: Cloud-native headless platforms auto-scale during traffic spikes and support true composable architectures for personalized, real-time experiences.
Developer & Team Productivity: Content editors gain independence (no dev tickets for updates), while developers avoid “CMS lock-in” and focus on innovation.

For scale-ups, SaaS companies, enterprises, and eCommerce brands, partnering with a specialized headless CMS agency accelerates time-to-market, reduces technical debt, and future-proofs digital experiences — especially as AI personalization and edge computing become standard.

WHEN TO PARTNER WITH A HEADLESS CMS AGENCY: 4 REAL-WORLD SCENARIOS

While many teams can experiment with headless CMS platforms like Sanity, Contentful, or Strapi on their own, the complexity of enterprise-grade implementations — custom integrations, migrations, content modeling for scale, and optimizing for performance/SEO — often demands specialized expertise. Partnering with a dedicated headless CMS agency accelerates delivery, minimizes risks, and ensures long-term scalability, especially when internal resources are stretched or deadlines are tight.

Here are four common real-world scenarios where bringing in a headless CMS agency proves essential:

Legacy CMS Migration for Enterprises with High Technical Debt

Your organization is stuck on a monolithic CMS (e.g., WordPress or Drupal) that’s slow, hard to maintain, and limits omnichannel expansion. Migration involves mapping thousands of pages, restructuring content models, preserving SEO rankings, and integrating with existing tools like CRMs or eCommerce backends.

Why an agency? In-house teams risk prolonged downtime, data loss, or suboptimal architecture. Agencies handle end-to-end migrations with proven workflows, reducing time-to-launch by months and ensuring zero SEO regression. Real-world outcome: Many enterprises see 30–50% faster load times and improved Core Web Vitals post-migration, boosting organic traffic.

Scaling Omnichannel Experiences for SaaS or eCommerce Brands

You need consistent, personalized content across websites, mobile apps, IoT devices, smart displays, and future channels — while enabling rapid updates without developer bottlenecks.

Why an agency? Building true omnichannel delivery requires advanced content modeling, API orchestration, localization, and edge caching. Agencies specialize in composable stacks (e.g., Next.js + Sanity/Contentful) that support “create once, publish everywhere,” leading to higher engagement and brand consistency. As adoption surges — with headless CMS enabling seamless multi-channel delivery — agencies help avoid fragmented workflows that plague DIY approaches.

Implementing AI-Personalization and Advanced Features Under Tight Deadlines

You’re planning to add AI-driven content recommendations, dynamic personalization, or edge computing for global users, but your team lacks deep experience with GROQ queries (Sanity), GraphQL federation, or integrations with tools like Vercel/Akamai.

Why an agency? These projects demand expertise in 2026 trends like AI integrations and performance optimization. Agencies deliver faster prototypes, secure architectures, and measurable results (e.g., reduced server load via CDNs and better SEO through structured data), freeing your team for core product work.

Resource-Constrained Scale-Ups Needing Rapid Iteration Without Overhead

As a growing SaaS company, you want headless flexibility for A/B testing, fast MVPs, and developer freedom — but lack the bandwidth for infrastructure management, security hardening, or ongoing maintenance.

Why an agency? DIY headless setups (especially self-hosted like Strapi) can become a distraction. Agencies provide pay-for-outcomes models, quick wins like Lighthouse score improvements, and scalable support, helping you launch features 2–3x faster while controlling costs.

In 2026, with headless adoption accelerating (e.g., projected 25.3% annual increase in sectors like government portals by end-2026 per Future Market Insights), partnering early prevents common pitfalls like technical debt or missed opportunities in composable commerce.

COMPARISON OF HEADLESS CMS AGENCIES

This quick-reference table compares the top headless CMS agencies in 2026 based on key decision factors. Use it to shortlist partners that match your needs — whether you’re prioritizing Sanity expertise, enterprise scalability, or budget-friendly migrations.

Next.js benefits for CTOs, business owners, marketers, developers, and corporate venture projects.

HOW WE RANKED THE BEST HEADLESS CMS AGENCIES

To create this top 10 headless CMS agencies list for 2026, we applied a transparent, data-driven methodology focused on real-world performance and buyer priorities. This isn’t based on sponsorships or superficial metrics — it’s curated by Pagepro’s experts drawing from independent sources like Clutch reviews, G2 insights, agency portfolios, case studies, and industry rankings from 2025–2026 (e.g., Clutch Global awards, DesignRush rankings).

We evaluated and prioritized agencies using these key criteria:

Proven Headless CMS Expertise — At least 30%+ of projects in headless architectures, with demonstrated work in leading platforms (Sanity, Contentful, Strapi, Storyblok) and integrations (Next.js, React, GraphQL/REST APIs). We reviewed case studies for migration complexity, custom modeling, and omnichannel delivery.
Client Reviews & Ratings — Minimum 4.7+ average on Clutch (with 20+ verified reviews where possible), emphasizing feedback on technical depth, communication, deadlines, and outcomes like SEO improvements or load time reductions.
Frontend & Tech Stack Proficiency — Strong capabilities in modern frameworks (Next.js, React, Vue) for performance optimization, Core Web Vitals, edge computing, and composable setups—critical for 2026 trends like AI personalization.
Measurable Outcomes & Case Depth — Evidence of quantifiable results (e.g., faster publishing, reduced developer tickets, scalability for enterprises/SaaS/eCommerce), plus enterprise readiness (security, compliance, global scaling).
Transparency & Long-Term Fit — Agencies with clear processes, long-term partnerships, and avoidance of “buzzword-only” claims.

This rigorous filter ensures the list delivers genuine value — helping CTOs, product leads, and marketers identify partners that drive frictionless migrations and future-proof results. Pagepro ranks #1 based on our unmatched Sanity/Next.js specialization, 4.9 Clutch rating, pay-for-outcomes model, and 92% client retention.If you’re evaluating agencies, use this as your starting benchmark.

Ready to discuss your needs? Book a free consultation.

TOP HEADLESS CMS AGENCIES

This core section profiles the top headless CMS agencies in 2026, based on our evaluation criteria (proven Sanity/Next.js expertise, 4.9 Clutch rating, high retention, and measurable client outcomes). Each profile follows consistent formatting for fair comparison: overview, key services, tech stack, strengths/limitations, best fit, and a notable case study.

1 Pagepro – Sanity and Next.js Specialists for SaaS and Enterprise Migrations

Overview

Pagepro is a Poland-based (global delivery) agency founded in 2010, specializing narrowly in Next.js, React Native (Expo), and Sanity CMS. As an official Sanity development partner, they’ve delivered dozens of headless projects for scale-ups and enterprises. Known for a “frictionless development” model and pay-for-outcomes approach, they emphasize value delivery, with awards like Clutch Global Winner and Forbes Diamond Poland.

Key Services

Headless CMS development company services including custom APIs and content modeling
Sanity CMS implementation, GROQ queries, and real-time collaboration setups
Migrations from legacy/monolithic CMS with zero SEO loss
Next.js frontend builds optimized for Core Web Vitalshttps://pagepro.co/services/nextjs-development/ and edge performance
Omnichannel content delivery (web, mobile, IoT)
Post-launch support and iterative improvements
Technical audits and feasibility studies

Technology Stack

CMS: Sanity (primary), Contentful, Strapi, WordPress
Frontends: Next.js, React, TypeScript
Tools: Vercel, GraphQL/REST APIs, GROQ, Expo (for mobile)
Other: Node.js, cloud infrastructure

Strengths

Deep Sanity/Next.js focus leads to faster, cleaner implementations
92% client retention and 4.9 Clutch rating from verified reviews
Pay-for-outcomes pricing reduces risk and aligns with business goals
Proven SEO/load time improvements (e.g., faster publishing workflows)
Best Sanity development agency according to Clutch

Limitations

Narrow stack may not suit non-Sanity/Next.js projects
Best for mid-to-large scopes; smaller jobs might not align with process

Best For

Enterprise & SaaS scale-ups needing frictionless migrations and long-term Sanity expertise.

Notable Case Study

Pagepro helped OmniaMed modernize GPnotebook—a clinical reference site with 30,000+ articles—by rebuilding it on Next.js and Sanity. The migration replaced an outdated CMS, enabling faster updates, unified sub-brands, better performance, and scalable content workflows. The result improved editorial autonomy, reduced maintenance costs, and supported global expansion with enhanced UX and localization.

Get your free architecture review with Pagepro to see how we can help your stack.

2 The Frontend Company – UI/UX-Focused Frontend Transformations & Headless Commerce

Overview

The Frontend Company (TFC) is a global frontend specialist with deep headless CMS experience, often pairing React/Next.js with Contentful, Sanity, Strapi, and Directus. They emphasize user-centric design and long-term partnerships, holding a 4.9–5.0 Clutch rating and high referral rates.

Key Services

Headless CMS integrations and frontend builds
UI/UX design for composable architectures
Performance optimization and post-release support
Migration and modernization projects
Omnichannel content delivery
Custom API orchestration

Technology Stack

CMS: Contentful, Sanity, Strapi, Directus
Frontends: React, Next.js
Tools: Vercel, GraphQL, REST APIs

Strengths

Exceptional referral rate (9.8/10) and 5/5 Clutch feedback on communication
Strong UI/UX focus for engaging headless experiences
Adaptable stack for client needs

Limitations

Primarily frontend-heavy; may need partners for deep backend work
Higher pricing for design-intensive projects

Best For

Brands seeking polished UI/UX in headless transformations and headless commerce.

Notable Case Study

Client project: Connected headless CMS to fast static sites, resulting in improved performance and client satisfaction (per Clutch reviews).

3 Brainhub – Scalable SaaS & Enterprise Web Products with Headless Integrations

Overview

Brainhub is a Poland-based full-stack engineering agency building scalable web/mobile products with JavaScript/TypeScript, React/Next.js, and headless CMS like Contentful. They focus on cloud infrastructure and complex integrations, with strong Clutch ratings (4.8+).

Key Services

Headless CMS development and integrations
Custom frontend/backend builds
Cloud scaling and infrastructure
API development and optimization
Long-term maintenance

Technology Stack

CMS: Contentful, Strapi, Sanity
Frontends: Next.js, React
Tools: Node.js, .NET, cloud platforms

Strengths

Reliable delivery for scalable products
Full-stack expertise reduces handoffs
Strong communication in reviews

Limitations

Broader focus may dilute ultra-specialized headless depth
Less emphasis on specific CMS partnerships

Best For

SaaS/enterprise teams needing robust, integrated headless solutions.

Notable Case Study

Scalable web products with headless CMS integrations, delivering high-performance outcomes (Clutch feedback).

4 Naturaily – Multilingual eCommerce & Headless Migrations

Overview

Naturaily is a Polish agency with 13+ years in Jamstack, headless CMS, and eCommerce. They excel in Storyblok, Sanity, Strapi, and Shopify integrations, with a 4.9 Clutch rating and awards like Top Next.js Developers.

Key Services

Headless migrations and Jamstack builds
Multilingual/localization setups
eCommerce headless integrations
Performance optimization (Lighthouse 95+)
Shopify + CMS connections

Technology Stack

CMS: Storyblok, Sanity, Strapi
Frontends: Next.js, React
Tools: Shopify, Vercel

Strengths

Proven multilingual/eCommerce expertise
High Clutch scores and consistent delivery
Fast, SEO-friendly results

Limitations

Jamstack focus may limit non-JS stacks
Primarily Europe/US clients

Best For

Multilingual eCommerce brands and headless migrations.

Notable Case Study

Implemented Storyblok + Next.js for multilingual sites, streamlining content and boosting performance (Clutch reviews).

5 Bits Orchestra – Enterprise .NET + Headless Builds

Overview

Bits Orchestra specializes in .NET integrations with headless CMS like Contentful/Strapi, focusing on scalable enterprise solutions and custom APIs.

Key Services

Headless CMS + .NET integrations
Custom API development
Enterprise scalability projects
Migration support

Technology Stack

CMS: Contentful, Strapi
Frontends: Next.js, React
Backend: .NET

Strengths

Strong .NET/headless hybrid expertise
Scalable, secure builds

Limitations

.NET focus may not suit pure JS stacks

Best For

Enterprises with .NET backends needing headless frontends.

Notable Case Study

Custom headless builds with .NET, delivering scalable APIs (portfolio examples).

6 9thCO – SEO-Friendly Migrations & Traffic Growth

Overview

9thCO focuses on SEO-optimized headless migrations using Contentful/Sanity, with omnichannel emphasis and strong client-centric approaches.

Key Services

SEO-focused migrations
Omnichannel content delivery
Traffic/performance boosts

Technology Stack

CMS: Contentful, Sanity
Frontends: Next.js

Strengths

Proven SEO and growth results
Reliable partnerships

Limitations

Narrower scope on SEO migrations

7 Blazity – Multilingual Sites & eCommerce

Overview

Blazity excels in localization-heavy projects with Contentful, delivering fast MVPs and reliable multilingual headless sites.

Key Services

Multilingual headless implementations
eCommerce integrations
MVP development

Technology Stack

CMS: Contentful
Frontends: React/Next.js

Strengths

Localization expertise
Quick, dependable delivery

Limitations

Less broad CMS coverage
Narrower Ecosystem Focus
Not Positioned as a Full Headless Strategy Agency
Scale Constraints of a Small Team
Limited Public Evidence of Cutting-Edge Features

8 Culture Foundry – Full-Cycle Transformations & Strategy

Overview

Culture Foundry provides end-to-end headless strategy and development with Sanity/Contentful, focusing on creative problem-solving.

Key Services

Full-cycle headless projects
Strategy and deployment
Custom solutions

Technology Stack

CMS: Sanity, Contentful
Frontends: Next.js

Strengths

Strategic, innovative approach
Enterprise readiness

Limitations

May involve longer timelines for strategy

9 SUNZINET – Large-Scale European Enterprises

Overview

SUNZINET serves European enterprises with compliance-focused headless CMS like Contentful/Strapi.

Key Services

Enterprise compliance builds
Multilingual scaling
Secure integrations

Technology Stack

CMS: Contentful, Strapi
Frontends: React

Strengths

Compliance/security expertise
Large-scale delivery

Limitations

Europe-centric focus

10 SCube – Fintech & Content-Heavy Projects

Overview

SCube specializes in secure, custom modeling for fintech/content with Strapi/Contentful.

Key Services

Secure API development
Custom content models
High-security projects

Technology Stack

CMS: Strapi, Contentful
Frontends: Next.js

Strengths

Security-focused builds
Custom modeling depth

Limitations

Niche in high-security sectors

HOW TO CHOOSE THE RIGHT HEADLESS CMS AGENCY

Selecting the best headless CMS agency is a critical decision that impacts your project’s timeline, performance, scalability, and long-term ROI. In 2026, with headless adoption surging, agencies vary widely in expertise — from CMS-first specialists (deep in content modeling, platforms like Sanity/Contentful) to frontend-first teams (excelling in Next.js/React performance, UI/UX). Here’s practical guidance to navigate your choice, including key questions buyers often ask.

1. In-House vs. Agency: When to Outsource?

Building headless capabilities in-house requires strong frontend developers familiar with APIs, GraphQL/REST, and modern frameworks (Next.js, React). It’s ideal if you have ongoing projects, want full control, and can invest in training/maintenance. However, outsourcing to a headless CMS agency accelerates delivery, reduces risk, and accesses specialized expertise (e.g., migrations, composable stacks). Agencies shine for one-off migrations, tight deadlines, or when your team lacks headless experience — common for scale-ups/SaaS/eCommerce brands transitioning from monolithic CMS like WordPress. Per industry insights, agencies often deliver 2–3x faster launches with fewer SEO disruptions.

2. CMS-First vs. Frontend-First Agencies: Which Fits Your Needs?

CMS-first agencies prioritize content architecture, modeling for reusability, and platforms (Sanity, Contentful, Strapi). Choose them for content-heavy projects (e.g., multilingual sites, omnichannel) where structured data and editor workflows matter most.
Frontend-first agencies focus on performance (Core Web Vitals, edge caching), custom UIs, and integrations. They’re better for high-traffic sites needing lightning-fast loads and SEO boosts. Hybrid teams (balancing both) are increasingly common — review portfolios for proof of end-to-end headless projects.

3. Realistic Budget Ranges for 2026

Expect $15K–$250K+ for agency-led headless CMS projects, depending on scope:

Basic migrations/small sites: $15K–$50K
Mid-size with integrations/custom modeling: $50K–$150K
Enterprise (multilingual, complex APIs, AI features): $150K–$250K+ Factors include project complexity, team location (e.g., Eastern Europe often lower rates), and model (fixed-price vs. time/materials). Open-source CMS like Strapi reduces licensing costs, but factor in custom dev. These estimates come from 2025–2026 industry analyses—always request detailed quotes.

4. Red Flags to Avoid

Watch for these warning signs:

No verifiable case studies or Clutch/G2 reviews (minimum 4.7+ with 20+ reviews)
Generic claims without proof of headless expertise (e.g., no Sanity/Contentful partnerships or migration examples)
Overpromising “easy/cheap” timelines without acknowledging risks
Lack of transparency on process, dependencies, or limitations
Poor communication in initial calls (slow responses, vague answers)

Quick 5-Question Self-Assessment Quiz: Do You Need a Headless CMS Agency?

Answer these to gauge fit (score 1–5: 1=strongly disagree, 5=strongly agree):

Does your current CMS require developers for every content update?
Are you planning omnichannel delivery (web, apps, IoT) or AI personalization?
Do you need major migration without SEO/traffic loss?
Is your team stretched — lacking headless/API expertise?
Do you prioritize speed (e.g., Core Web Vitals) over quick DIY setups?

Score 15+: Strong need — partner with a headless CMS agency now for efficiency.

10–14: Consider agency for key phases (e.g., migration).

Below 10: In-house might suffice with tools/guides.

If your score points to agency support, book a free 30-minute consultation with Pagepro — our Sanity/Next.js specialists can audit your stack and provide a tailored roadmap.

This guide empowers smarter decisions — focus on proven expertise, alignment with your stack, and clear value to avoid costly missteps. Ready to move forward? Let’s chat!

FAQ

What is headless CMS development?

Headless CMS development is the process of creating and integrating a content management system where the backend (content storage) is separated from the frontend (content display).
Content is delivered via APIs (REST or GraphQL) and can be used across websites, mobile apps, and other digital platforms.
This approach allows teams to reuse content across multiple channels while maintaining full flexibility over frontend technologies.

How to build a headless CMS?

To build a headless CMS, follow these steps:

Choose a headless CMS platform
Define structured content models
Configure REST or GraphQL APIs
Build a frontend using frameworks like React or Next.js
Connect the frontend to the CMS via APIs
Deploy and optimize for performance and scalability

A headless CMS architecture keeps content management independent from presentation layers.

What are some headless CMS examples?

Popular headless CMS examples include:

– Sanity
– Contentful
– Strapi
– Storyblok
– WordPress when used in headless mode

These platforms are commonly used for websites, mobile apps, and omnichannel digital experiences.

What is the most popular headless CMS?

There is no single most popular headless CMS for all use cases, but Contentful and Strapi are among the most widely adopted platforms worldwide.
Contentful is often chosen for enterprise-scale projects, while Strapi is popular for open-source and self-hosted implementations.

How much does a headless CMS cost?

The cost of a headless CMS depends on the platform and project scope:

Open-source headless CMS: Free to use (hosting and development costs apply)
SaaS headless CMS: Typically ranges from $0 to $1,000+ per month
Enterprise headless CMS: Custom pricing based on usage and scale

Additional costs may include development, hosting, integrations, and maintenance.

What is a headless company?

A headless company is a business that adopts a headless architecture, where backend systems such as content, commerce, or services are decoupled from frontend user interfaces.
This setup enables faster iteration, better scalability, and consistent experiences across multiple digital channels.

BEST WEBSITE MIGRATION AGENCIES (CMS) IN 2026 – FULL COMPARISON

Chris Lojniewski — Fri, 10 Apr 2026 09:14:13 +0000

TL;DR

Best overall for custom & headless migrations:** Pagepro** – Excellent for SEO-safe transitions from legacy CMS to Sanity + Next.js with zero traffic loss and strong performance gains.
Best for enterprise & complex projects: Bits Orchestra – Top choice when zero downtime and maximum risk control are non-negotiable.
Best for eCommerce migrations: LitExtension – Fast, automated, and cost-effective for high-volume store moves.
Best budget-friendly option: Cart2Cart – Simple and affordable for small to mid-size sites.
Best for WordPress users: WP Site Care – Full-service migration plus ongoing support.

INTRODUCTION

In our experience migrating more than 150 websites across WordPress, Drupal, Shopify, and custom platforms, the single biggest factor separating a smooth launch from months of lost traffic is the migration provider you choose.

We’ve seen businesses lose 30–60% of their organic rankings in the first 90 days — not because the new CMS was inferior, but because the provider treated migration as a simple “lift and shift” instead of a strategic SEO and performance project. Broken redirects, incomplete metadata, missing schema, and silent data corruption are far more common than most decision-makers realize.

This guide cuts through the noise. We compare the best CMS migration providers in 2026 based on real project outcomes, not marketing claims, and give you the exact framework to pick the right partner for your timeline, budget, and business goals.

QUICK COMPARISON OF THE BEST CMS MIGRATION PROVIDERS (2026)

Choosing the right provider doesn’t have to mean hours of research. Here’s a clear, at-a-glance comparison of the top CMS migration services based on real project delivery, SEO preservation, and value for money.

This table highlights the providers that consistently deliver strong results across different business sizes and CMS combinations. In the sections below, we break down each one in more detail so you can match them to your specific needs.

TOP CMS MIGRATION PROVIDERS IN 2026

Below we break down the leading CMS migration providers based on real project outcomes, client feedback, and observed performance in SEO preservation, data integrity, and post-migration scalability.

1. Pagepro

Best for: Custom and headless CMS migrations (e.g., WordPress or legacy systems to Sanity + Next.js)

Key strengths:

Migrations from legacy/monolithic CMS with zero SEO loss
Deep technical discovery, content modeling, and performance optimization
Pay-for-outcomes approach with strong post-launch support

Limitations:

Higher investment; best suited for mid-to-enterprise projects rather than simple automated moves

Pricing: Custom, typically starting from $20,000 depending on scope and complexity

Pagepro excels when businesses need a strategic replatforming partner rather than a simple content lift. Their focus on Sanity and Next.js combined with proven SEO-safe migration processes makes them a top choice for companies aiming for faster publishing workflows and modern, scalable architectures.

2. Bits Orchestra

Best for: Enterprise and complex CMS migrations (legacy .NET, Kentico, Umbraco to modern headless/composable architectures)

Key strengths:

Proven expertise in .NET ecosystem and Kentico Xperience migrations
SEO preservation, minimal downtime, and full content/integrations transfer
Structured process with assessment, roadmap, and post-migration support
AI-assisted tools for faster and safer migrations

Limitations:

Primarily focused on .NET and related CMS platforms; less emphasis on pure non-.NET automated migrations
Custom enterprise projects require longer discovery phase

Pricing: Custom, starting from $15,000 (platform assessment from $1,500, MVP migrations from $15k)

Bits Orchestra is a strong choice for businesses with complex .NET-based systems or those moving from legacy CMS to modern headless solutions. With over 8 years of experience and 60+ successful platform modernizations, they focus on risk-free transitions while improving performance, scalability, and long-term maintainability.

3. LitExtension

Best for: eCommerce platform migrations (Shopify, Magento, BigCommerce, etc.)

Key strengths:

Highly automated migration process for high-volume data
Support for 100+ shopping carts and platforms
Fast turnaround times with minimal manual effort

Limitations:

Less customization for complex content architecture changes
SEO handling requires additional manual configuration

Pricing: From $29k

LitExtension makes large-scale eCommerce migrations accessible and efficient. For merchants moving between shopping platforms, their automated tools significantly reduce time and cost while maintaining product catalogs and customer data.

4. Cart2Cart

Best for: Small to mid-size store owners seeking quick migrations

Key strengths:

Affordable, user-friendly automated tool
Simple setup with live preview options
Good support for basic SEO elements like redirects

Limitations:

Limited depth for complex custom field mappings
Best for standard migrations rather than strategic replatforming

Pricing: From $69k

Cart2Cart remains a popular entry-level choice for smaller businesses. Its self-service model allows quick migrations without heavy agency involvement, making it ideal when budget and speed are the top priorities.

5. CMS2CMS

Best for: WordPress and Joomla migrations

Key strengths:

Specialized automated solutions for popular CMS platforms
Reliable content and user data transfer
Straightforward pricing for standard projects

Limitations:

Less suited for headless or modern frontend migrations
Basic SEO optimization compared to full-service providers

Pricing: From $99k

CMS2CMS offers a focused, no-frills solution for teams migrating between traditional content management systems. It works particularly well for straightforward WordPress or Joomla moves where automation can handle most of the heavy lifting.

6. Migrate (by Cloudways)

Best for: WordPress migrations to managed hosting environments

Key strengths:

Seamless integration with Cloudways hosting
One-click migration process for WordPress sites
Reliable performance tuning during the move

Limitations:

Primarily limited to WordPress ecosystem
Less depth for non-WordPress or complex custom migrations

Pricing: From $49k

Migrate by Cloudways provides a simple and cost-effective way to move WordPress websites to optimized hosting. It’s a strong fit for teams already planning to switch to Cloudways and want a smooth, low-effort transition.

7. WP Site Care

Best for: WordPress-focused businesses needing full-service support

Key strengths:

Complete migration service with ongoing maintenance
Strong emphasis on security and post-migration optimization
Dedicated support throughout and after the project

Limitations:

Focused almost exclusively on the WordPress platform
Higher cost than pure automated tools

Pricing: From $25k

WP Site Care combines migration expertise with long-term WordPress care. This makes them especially valuable for businesses that want one reliable partner to handle both the move and continued site performance afterward.

BEST CMS MIGRATION PROVIDER BY USE CASE

Not every provider is the right fit for every project. Here’s a clear breakdown of the best CMS migration provider for the most common scenarios, based on real project outcomes we’ve observed in 2026.

Best for enterprise migrations: Bits Orchestra Their zero-downtime execution and deep technical expertise make them the safest choice for large, complex, multi-system moves where any disruption is unacceptable.
Best for custom & headless CMS migrations: Pagepro When moving from legacy systems to Sanity, Next.js, or modern Jamstack architectures, Pagepro delivers the strongest combination of SEO preservation, content modeling, and performance gains.
Best for eCommerce platform migrations: LitExtension For high-volume store migrations between Shopify, Magento, BigCommerce, and other carts, their automated tools offer speed, accuracy, and excellent value.
Best for small to mid-size store owners on a budget: Cart2Cart Affordable, fast, and user-friendly — ideal when you need a straightforward migration without heavy custom development or long timelines.
Best for WordPress-specific migrations: WP Site Care They combine full-service migration with ongoing support, making them the most reliable partner for businesses staying in the WordPress ecosystem.
Best for SEO-focused migrations: Pagepro Their proven track record of zero SEO loss during legacy-to-headless transitions consistently outperforms automated tools when search visibility is critical.
Best budget option: Migrate (by Cloudways) Starting from just $49, it’s the most cost-effective choice for simple WordPress moves to managed hosting.

Use this as your quick decision guide: match your project type, scale, and priorities to the provider above, then review the detailed profiles in the previous section.

HOW TO CHOOSE A CMS MIGRATION PROVIDER

Choosing a CMS migration provider is one of the most critical decisions you’ll make during a website replatforming project. A great partner can accelerate your growth and deliver a faster, more scalable site. A poor choice can result in months of lost traffic, frustrated teams, and costly rework.

Based on our experience guiding clients through complex migrations, here are the most important factors to evaluate before you shortlist or sign with any provider. Use these questions to guide your conversations and due diligence.

Deep Experience with Your Current and Target CMS

Don’t settle for generic “we migrate everything” claims. Ask for specific case studies involving your exact source and destination platforms (e.g., WordPress to Sanity + Next.js, or Magento to Shopify).

The best providers have repeatable processes and can show you how they handled similar content volumes, custom fields, and integrations in the past.

Proven SEO Migration Expertise

SEO is often the biggest hidden risk. Look for providers who treat search visibility as a core deliverable — not an afterthought.

They should conduct:

comprehensive pre-migration audits,
map and preserve title tags, meta descriptions, headings,
schema markup,
internal linking structures.

Most importantly, they must have a battle-tested 301 redirect strategy and post-launch monitoring plan to protect (and ideally improve) your organic traffic.

Robust Data Integrity and Security Practices

Your content, customer data, and business logic are on the line. Top providers use staging environments, automated validation scripts, detailed data mapping, and clear rollback procedures.

Inquire about how they handle sensitive information, comply with GDPR/CCPA, and ensure no silent data corruption occurs during transfer.

Transparent Timeline, Milestones, and Hands-On Support

Reliable partners provide a realistic project roadmap with clear phases: discovery, content audit, migration testing, launch, and post-go-live optimization.

Avoid providers who promise unrealistically short timelines. A dedicated project manager and responsive support during and after the migration can make the difference between a smooth launch and ongoing headaches.

True Cost vs Long-Term Value

The lowest upfront price rarely delivers the best outcome.

Consider the total cost of ownership: potential SEO recovery efforts, additional development needed to fix shortcomings, and ongoing maintenance. Providers offering pay-for-outcomes or milestone-based pricing often align better with your business goals than pure time-and-materials models.

Ask: “What results can we realistically expect 90 days after launch?”

Take the time to speak with at least two or three shortlisted providers. Come prepared with your content audit findings, traffic data, and specific pain points. The providers who ask insightful questions and demonstrate a clear methodology are usually the ones worth trusting with your project.

Common CMS Migration Mistakes (and How to Avoid Them)

Even experienced teams can stumble during a CMS migration. In our work with clients, we’ve seen the same preventable errors repeatedly cost businesses significant traffic, revenue, and time.

Use the table below to quickly identify the most common pitfalls and the practical steps you can take to avoid them.

Spotting these red flags early and addressing them with the right provider can mean the difference between a successful relaunch and a costly recovery project.

FINAL VERDICT: WHICH CMS MIGRATION PROVIDER SHOULD YOU CHOOSE IN 2026?

After comparing the top CMS migration providers across real project outcomes, SEO preservation, technical depth, and value for money, one clear pattern emerges: the best provider depends entirely on your project’s scale, complexity, and goals.

If you’re planning a custom or headless migration (especially WordPress or legacy systems to Sanity + Next.js or modern Jamstack), Pagepro stands out as the strongest overall choice. Their combination of zero-SEO-loss migrations, deep content modeling, performance optimization, and pay-for-outcomes approach consistently delivers long-term business value that goes far beyond simply moving content.

For large enterprise migrations where zero downtime and maximum risk mitigation are critical, Bits Orchestra remains the safest and most technically robust option.

When budget and speed matter most for eCommerce store migrations, LitExtension offers excellent automation and reliability. Smaller businesses looking for an affordable, straightforward move often find Cart2Cart or Migrate by Cloudways sufficient for basic needs.

Our recommendation:

Need strategic replatforming with modern architecture and strong SEO protection? → Start with Pagepro
Handling a massive, complex enterprise project? → Bits Orchestra
Simple or high-volume eCommerce migration on a tighter budget? → LitExtension or Cart2Cart

Whichever provider you ultimately choose, remember this: a successful CMS migration is never just about moving data — it’s about protecting your hard-earned SEO equity, improving site performance, and setting your team up for faster growth on the new platform.

Ready to move forward with confidence? Book a 30-min call with our CEO to discuss your challenges and Chris will tell you how we can help you.

Best CMS in 2025: Sanity vs WordPress

Chris Lojniewski — Thu, 18 Sep 2025 09:34:10 +0000

Sanity and WordPress for Content Management

When building a new website or app, picking a CMS can affect your site’s current and future performance. For many teams, the decision comes down to Sanity vs WordPress, and their two very different approaches to content management.

WordPress offers familiarity, a huge plugin ecosystem, and community support. Sanity has a structured, API-first approach, real-time collaboration, and integration with frameworks like Next.js.

Today, we’ll compare Sanity and WordPress side by side. This article will cover performance, workflows, costs, ease of use, and security, all to help with choosing the right content management for your project.

Headless CMS vs Traditional CMS

Before comparing Sanity and WordPress directly, we need to understand the difference between a headless and traditional CMS platforms.

A traditional CMS like WordPress bundles everything together: content storage, editing interface, design templates, and the frontend that displays your site. With that, launching your site is very easy. However, since your content is coupled to one presentation layer (the website), delivering the same content to an app or a digital display can be tricky.

A headless CMS separates content management from presentation. Content is stored in a structured way and delivered via APIs, so developers can connect it to any frontend. It allows for more control, but requires expert knowledge for set up and maintenance.

Overview of Sanity and WordPress

What is Sanity CMS?

Sanity is a headless content operating system launched in 2017. Unlike WordPress, which is monolithic, Sanity separates content from presentation, letting you deliver content to any frontend via APIs. It’s built for developers who want structured content models, modern workflows, and easy collaboration in content editing.

Who Owns Sanity CMS?

Sanity was founded in Oslo, Norway, by Even Westvang, Simen Svale Skogsrud, and Magnus Hillestad. The company, Sanity.io, continues to maintain and develop the platform, which has attracted global clients and investors, including notable brands like Puma, Morning Brew, Cloudflare, and AT&T.

Use Cases of Sanity

Sanity is often chosen when teams need a developer-first CMS that’s easy to scale, but it also has its uses for:

Content-rich websites and apps.
E-commerce solutions.
Multi-channel publishing.
Enterprise content hubs.
Design-driven websites.

What is WordPress?

WordPress is a traditional CMS that allows you to create, publish, and manage websites without building everything from scratch. It powers more than 40% of all websites worldwide and holds around 60% of the CMS market share. Its popularity comes from accessibility: with over tens of thousands of free themes and 65,000+ plugins, it offers options to extend features and get a website up and running quickly.

Who Developed WordPress?

WordPress was created by Matt Mullenweg and Mike Little in 2003 as a fork of a blogging tool called b2/cafelog. Today, it is an open-source project maintained by a large community of contributors and backed commercially by Automattic.

Use Cases of WordPress

WordPress is used for everything from personal blogs to enterprise websites, and its most common uses include:

Blogging and publishing.
Business sites.
Online stores.
Membership and community sites.
Enterprise websites.

Need Help Deciding Between Sanity vs WordPress? Talk to Our Experts

What is the Difference Between Sanity vs WordPress for Developers?

Choosing between Sanity and WordPress depends on how you want to build and scale your site over time. Here’s how the two compare across the areas that matter most.

Feature	WordPress	Sanity
Content Modeling	Pages, posts, custom post types; rigid for advanced needs	Schema-based, structured, reusable content
Pricing	Free core; costs for hosting, themes, plugins, or VIP	Free tier; usage-based pricing as projects grow
Performance	Depends on hosting, caching, and plugins	API-first; fast with frameworks like Next.js
Integrations	59k+ plugins and 11k+ themes	API-driven; integrates with Vercel, Shopify, Algolia
DevEx & UX	Easy for beginners; limited flexibility for devs	Developer-first; code-defined models, customizable Studio
Workflows	Basic publishing; advanced workflows need plugins	Real-time collaboration, versioning, structured flows
Security	Relies on hosting and plugin updates; vulnerable if outdated	Managed backend; API-based security, smaller attack surface
Hosting	Requires separate hosting (shared, managed, or VIP)	CMS is fully managed; only host the frontend

Content Modeling

WordPress: Since it’s a traditional CMS, it uses the classic model of pages and posts. It allows for the customization of post types, fields, or plugins. However, its structure is relatively rigid, which can lead to complex workarounds for more advanced needs.

Sanity: Its structure is built around schemas, which are sets of rules defining how your content is structured. You can specify exactly what types of content you need, and Sanity enforces that structure. Thanks to that, reusing content across different platforms becomes much easier.

Pricing

WordPress: The core CMS is free and open source. You still need to factor in hosting, premium themes, and paid plugins. The final costs can vary widely depending on whether you run a small site on shared hosting or an enterprise setup on WordPress VIP.

Sanity: Has a free plan with limited API requests and users, plus paid plans that scale based on usage (API calls, storage, seats). It can be cost-effective for small projects, but as your traffic or content needs grow, so do the costs.

Performance

WordPress: Runs on PHP and MySQL. Its performance depends heavily on hosting quality, caching plugins, and CDN setup. The right configuration can handle large traffic, but out of the box, WordPress is less optimized.

Sanity: Headless by design, it serves content via APIs. When paired with modern frameworks like Next.js, sites can be pre-rendered for fast load times and excellent Core Web Vitals. Scaling is handled by Sanity’s managed infrastructure, so heavy traffic is less of a problem.

Scaling a 100K+ Page Medical Platform with Next.js & Sanity

READ CASE STUDY

Integrations

WordPress: Famous for its plugin ecosystem, and for good reason. WordPress offers thousands of plugins and themes, and you can add SEO tools, payment gateways, and more without custom coding.

Sanity: Its flexibility comes from APIs, not prebuilt add-ons. Doesn’t use plugins in the same way. Instead, it integrates with developer tools and modern platforms like Vercel, Shopify, or Algolia.

DevEx & UX

WordPress: Non-developers find WordPress easy to pick up, thanks to a visual dashboard, What You See Is What You Get (WYSIWYG) editing, and prebuilt templates. Developers, however, might find customizing beyond themes and plugins cumbersome.

Sanity: Geared towards developers. Content models are code-first, and frontends are built with frameworks like React and Next.js. For editors, Sanity Studio offers a smooth experience and a customizable UI. Its initial setup does require some technical expertise.

Workflows

WordPress: Content creation is pretty straightforward, but advanced workflows (approval chains, editorial review, versioning) often require extra plugins. Collaboration features are limited compared to modern tools.

Sanity: Focuses a lot on the workflows. Real-time collaboration, version history, and structured editing make it a great choice for larger teams.

Building a Super-Fast Sanity Website for the Extraordinary Hotel at the Edge of the World

READ CASE STUDY

Security

WordPress: The security of your WordPress site depends largely on hosting and regular updates. Vulnerabilities often come from outdated plugins.

Sanity: Security is centralized rather than plugin-driven. Its headless architecture reduces the attack surface since the CMS doesn’t directly serve the website. Content is delivered through secure APIs, and infrastructure is managed by Sanity.

Hosting

WordPress: Requires hosting to run. Since its performance and security can vary depending on your provider, enterprise users often opt for WordPress VIP.

Sanity: A fully managed, cloud-based platform, letting you scale as you please. You don’t need to worry about hosting the CMS itself; you only host your frontend (e.g., on Vercel or Netlify).

Sanity: Pros and Cons

What Are the Benefits of Using Sanity?

Sanity stands out from other CMS options as a modern, headless CMS built for flexibility and performance. Its main advantages include:

Flexible content modeling. Define custom schemas to structure your content just the way your project requires.
Real-time collaboration. Multiple team members can edit content at the same time in Sanity Studio, with updates appearing instantly.
Developer-first approach. Sanity allows a seamless integration with third-party tools.
Customizable editor. You can tailor the editing environment to match your content needs.
Performant and scalable. Content is delivered through Sanity’s managed Content Lake, optimized for speed and large-scale usage.
Reusable content. Write once, publish anywhere: websites, mobile apps, IoT, or digital displays.

What are the Cons of Sanity CMS?

Teams without technical resources can find some aspects of Sanity challenging:

Steep learning curve. Setting up schemas and connecting a frontend requires coding knowledge, unlike WordPress’s plug-and-play approach.
No traditional themes or plugins. You can’t just install a theme or plugin to get started. You’ll need a developer to build and integrate the feature you want.
Scaling costs. Sanity’s free plan is a great value for small projects, but heavy API usage, large datasets, or many team members can increase monthly costs.
Hosting split. While Sanity hosts the CMS, you must host your frontend separately (e.g., on Vercel or Netlify), which adds an extra step for setup.
Smaller ecosystem. Sanity has strong community support, but its ecosystem of third-party integrations is much smaller compared to WordPress.

WordPress: Pros and Cons

What Are the Benefits of Using WordPress?

WordPress is one of the most popular content management solutions for modern web development for several reasons:

Free and open-source CMS. Anyone can install and use WordPress at no cost, making it accessible or individuals and businesses both.
Huge plugin ecosystem. With nearly 60,000 plugins, you can add features like SEO optimization, e-commerce (WooCommerce), contact forms, and analytics to your site without custom code.
Thousands of themes. Free and premium WordPress themes allow you to get your website running quickly with no experience needed!
Ease of use. The dashboard and WYSIWYG editor make content management approachable even for non-developers.
Community support. WordPress has a massive global community that shares tutorials and support, lowering the barrier for learning.
Scalability. With the right hosting and setup, WordPress can handle all types of websites, personal blogs, and high-traffic enterprise sites alike.

Disadvantages of a WordPress Site

While WordPress offers plenty of strengths, it also comes with limitations and risks:

Performance issues. Out of the box, WordPress might be slow. Performance metrics often rely on caching plugins, CDNs, and optimized hosting.
Security vulnerabilities. Its popularity makes it a frequent target for hackers. Many breaches come from outdated themes or plugins.
Plugin dependence. Extending functionality often means installing multiple plugins, which can lead to compatibility issues and heavier sites.
Maintenance overhead. Regular updates for plugins, themes, and WordPress core are necessary to keep a site secure and stable.
Limited content modeling. The post/page/custom post type structure is less flexible compared to modern headless CMS platforms.
Design limitations without coding. While themes help, customizing them deeply often requires PHP, HTML, or CSS knowledge.

When to Choose Sanity vs WordPress

Use Case	Choose Sanity if…	Choose WordPress if…
Project Type	Multi-channel platforms, apps, and scalable sites	Blogs, portfolios, small business sites
Content Needs	Structured content, reusable across channels	Simple pages and posts managed in one place
Team	Developer-led teams who can define schemas and build frontends	Non-technical teams managing content via dashboard
Performance	High performance, Core Web Vitals, and scalability are priorities	“Good enough” performance with plugins and decent hosting
Setup	You’re okay with a steeper setup for long-term flexibility	Non-technical teams managing content via a dashboard
Workflows	You need a fast, out-of-the-box setup with themes/plugins	Basic content publishing without complex workflows
Budget	Prepared for usage-based pricing as you scale	Relying on free core + low-cost hosting and plugins
Future Goals	Long-term growth, custom experiences, future-proof architecture	Quick launch, affordable maintenance, and community support

Sanity works best for projects that need flexibility and plan to scale in the future, though it requires some technical expertise. A structured content model, headless architecture, and integrations with frameworks like Next.js make it a great choice for high performance and developer-driven workflows.

WordPress is a practical choice for blogs, small businesses, and content-focused sites where ease of use matters more than technical flexibility. Free at its core with affordable hosting, WordPress allows for a quick site launch, thanks to the numerous themes and plugins. Non-technical teams can manage sites through their dashboard, with add-ons like WooCommerce or Yoast extending core functionality.

WordPress and Sanity: Which CMS is Best for You?

So, which one is the best CMS? Both Sanity and WordPress are powerful platforms, but they serve different needs.

WordPress is a tried-and-true choice for quick setup, affordability, and ease of use, especially for smaller websites, blogs, or businesses that rely on plugins to extend functionality.

Sanity, by contrast, offers a modern, developer-first approach and performance built for the future of the web.

Already on WordPress but feel limited by its performance or extensive plugin setup? At Pagepro, we specialize in helping teams migrate from WordPress to modern stacks like Sanity and Next.js to provide your website with the best performance.

Ready to Develop Your Website with Sanity? Get Experts on the Job.

FAQ

Is Sanity Free or Paid?

Sanity offers both options. It has a free plan with generous limits on users, content, and API calls. For larger projects, users can purchase usage-based paid plans that scale with their traffic, storage, and team needs.

Is WordPress Still The Most Popular CMS?

Yes. As of 2025, WordPress powers about 43% of all websites and holds over 60% of the CMS market share. Its huge ecosystem of plugins, themes, and community support keeps it the most widely adopted CMS in the world.

Which CMS Is Better Than WordPress?

It depends on your needs. WordPress is quick to set up and affordable, making it the favorite of blogs, small businesses, and content-driven sites. Headless CMS platforms like Sanity, Contentful, or Strapi c*an be better for projects that need multi-channel publishing and modern developer workflows*.

Is Sanity Better Than WordPress?

Sanity is better if you need flexibility and developer-first workflows. It also holds a 4.7/5 rating on G2, compared to WordPress’s 4.4/5.

WordPress is better if you want simplicity and speed. It’s free at its core, easy for non-technical users, and backed by a massive plugin ecosystem.

Can You Self-Host Sanity CMS

Sanity Studio is self-hostable, which means you can customize and deploy the editing environment on your own servers or domain. However, its backend, Sanity Content Lake, where all your content is stored and delivered, cannot be self-hosted.

Is Sanity Open-Source?

Sanity is a proprietary platform, but some of its parts are open source. The Sanity Studio framework is open source and customizable, and the core content infrastructure (Sanity Content Lake) is hosted and managed by Sanity.io.

Sources

How to Build a Music Streaming App with React Native

Chris Lojniewski — Tue, 02 Sep 2025 08:09:24 +0000

Introduction

Most of us use different music streaming apps daily. Spotify and YouTube Music are the most popular options, but did you know you can easily build a music streaming app with React Native?

In this article, I will introduce you to React Native Track Player, a React Native library that we can use to create a music app. It’s easy to implement, has a simple configuration, and functions that will make your music streaming application look fully professional on digital platforms.

We will discuss its most important functions, and finally, I will demonstrate how to build a music streaming app with React Native. With a little work, in terms of functionality, it will not differ from the top music mobile apps that you can find on Google Play and the App Store.

React Native Track Player

As I mentioned earlier, the article will be devoted to the React Native Track Player package. So it’s worth explaining what it is at the very beginning. As the welcome text in the documentation says:

A fully fledged audio module created for music apps. Provides audio playback, external media controls, background mode and more!

Sounds good, right? By using i,t we will create a fully functional music application that we can control from the application level and externally.

Since we’re talking about the React Native library, we don’t have to build separate native apps for iOS and Android, but one music streaming service for both of them using the same code.

Features of React Native Track Player

Optimized Resource Usage: Designed to use minimal resources for optimal performance for app performance.
Cross-platform compatibility: Works across iOS and Android platforms, aligning with the native design rules.
Media Control Accessibility: Let users control the application through Bluetooth devices, lock screens, notifications, smartwatches, and car systems.
Caching Capability: Allows for the caching of media files, enabling playback when the internet connection is disrupted.
Background Playback Support: Continues audio playback when the app is in the background.
Extensive Customization: Offers customization options like customizable notification icons and lets devs tailor the UI as they want.

Native Modules

React Native Track Player operates on both iOS and Android devices. Underlying this compatibility are two native modules: SwiftAudioEx and KotlinAudio.

SwiftAudioEx is dedicated to operations for iOS devices. KotlinAudio works for Android to guarantee an optimized experience on this platform.

These native modules play a critical role in improving performance by using platform-specific functionalities. Specifically, they enable the storage of playlists in native data structures, which affects the app’s efficiency and performance.

With SwiftAudioEx and KotlinAudio, React Native Track Player delivers great UX, optimizing the library’s functionalities to the core features of each platform.

Why Choose React Native Track Player?

React Native Track Player is an optimal choice for a music app because of its streamlined integration process and cross-platform compatibility across iOS and Android.

The newest version of React Native Track Player, 4.1.2, was released in August 2025. Using native modules for platform-specific functionalities means high performance, and the library’s flexibility allows for easy customization of the app’s UI and functionalities.

A rich feature set, including audio playback controls, background mode support, and easy integration with external devices, offers efficient and optimized performance while saving resources**.**

Supported by extensive documentation and an active community, React Native Track Player is a reliable solution for creating music streaming apps in React Native.

“Working with React Native Track Player has truly simplified my approach to building music streaming apps. Its efficiency and user-friendly design make it a standout choice for seamless cross-platform development. From synchronizing audio playback controls to creating immersive user experiences, this library has transformed the way I work with the apps.”

Michal Moroz, React Native Developer at Pagepro

Don’t have time to build a music app on your own? Use our experience.

Platform Support

Before making your very own music streaming app, you have to understand that compatibility across different platforms is key. That’s why in this section, we’ll compare the supported streaming types and casting features on both iOS and Android platforms.

Stream Types

Casting

Miscellaneous

React Native Track Player functions

Now we can discuss the most basic functions provided by the library, which we will use later while building the app.

If you are interested in all the events and functions provided by the library (and there are a lot of them’s quite a lot of them), be sure to check the official documentation.

Player

Feature	Description
setupPlayer(options)	Setup player with options. Sample options: minBuffer, maxBuffer, maxCacheSize.
play()	Plays/resumes current track
pause()	Pause track
stop()	Stops playback
retry()	Replays the current track if it was stopped due to an error
seekBy(offset)	Seeks by a relative time offset in the current track
seekTo(seconds)	Seeks current track to specified time position
setVolume(volume)	Sets the volume
getVolume()	Gets player volume
setRate(rate)	Sets the playback rate
getProgress()	Gets the playback progress – position, duration
getPlaybackState()	Gets the PlaybackState – e.g.ready, playing, paused, stopped.
getPlayWhenReady()	Gets the state of playWhenReady

Queue

Function	Description
add(tracks, insertBeforeIndex)	Adds tracks to the queue
remove(tracks)	Clears the current queue and adds tracks to the empty queue
skip(index, initialPosition)	Skips to a track in the queue
skipToNext(initialPosition)	Skips to the next track
skipToPrevious(initialPosition)	Skips to the previous track
reset()	Resets the player and clear the queue
getTrack(index)	Gets a track object
getActiveTrack()	Gets active track object
getQueue()	Gets a queue
removeUpcomingTracks()	Clears upcoming tracks from the queue
setRepeatMode(mode)	Sets the repeat mode – Loops the current track / Repeats the whole queue / Does Not repeat

Building React Native Spotify

Since you’re familiar with React Native Track Player and its capabilities, let’s start with the development of our music app!

Features of Your App

A fully functional music player showing a sample playlist of music tracks.
Core functionalities include play and pause controls for the active song.
An interactive progress bar illustrating the playback status of the selected track.

Creating A Simple Music Streaming APp

I assume you already have a new React Native project created. If not, read the official Expo documentation.

To begin, start the installation process by adding the React Native Track Player library:

yarn add react-native-track-player

Next, we’ll proceed by installing the progress bar package. For this scenario, we’ve opted for @miblanchard/react-native-slider because of the extensive functionality and easy styling:

yarn add @miblanchard/react-native-slider

Add Service

Next, let’s incorporate the playback service.

It’s crucial to register the playback service immediately after registering the primary React Native application component, typically found in the index.js file located in the project’s root directory:

IMPORTANT NOTE: The configuration and components will be stored in the src directory. If you don’t have one, create it or do it according to your own convention. I will add the paths to the files I used above the code.

To enable background mode functionality in RN Track Player, we need to configure the player to sustain audio playback even when the application is in the background.

Create RNTP-service.js file to manage this configuration.

src/setup/RNTP-service.js

import TrackPlayer, { Event } from 'react-native-track-player'

export const RNTPService = async () => {
 TrackPlayer.addEventListener(Event.RemotePlay, () => TrackPlayer.play())
 TrackPlayer.addEventListener(Event.RemotePause, () => TrackPlayer.pause())
}

Then, in the project root, create an index.js file and import the service and App there.

index.js

import { registerRootComponent } from 'expo'
import TrackPlayer from 'react-native-track-player'

import { RNTPService } from './src/setup/rntp-service'

import App from './App'

registerRootComponent(App)

TrackPlayer.registerPlaybackService(() => RNTPService)

Then, we need to set up the player. In App.js file add setupPlayer.

App.js

import { SafeAreaView, StyleSheet, Text, View } from 'react-native'
import { useEffect } from 'react'
import TrackPlayer, {
 AppKilledPlaybackBehavior,
 Capability,
} from 'react-native-track-player'

export default function App() {
 useEffect(() => {
   const setupPlayer = async () => {
     await TrackPlayer.setupPlayer()

     await TrackPlayer.updateOptions({
       android: {
         appKilledPlaybackBehavior:
           AppKilledPlaybackBehavior.StopPlaybackAndRemoveNotification,
         alwaysPauseOnInterruption: true,
       },
       capabilities: [
         Capability.Play,
         Capability.Pause,
         Capability.SkipToNext,
         Capability.SkipToPrevious,
         Capability.SeekTo,
       ],
       compactCapabilities: [Capability.Play, Capability.Pause],
       progressUpdateEventInterval: 1,
     })
   }

   setupPlayer()
 }, [])

 return (
   <View style={styles.container}>
     <SafeAreaView />
     <Text style={styles.header}>MUSIC APP</Text>
   </View>
 )
}

const styles = StyleSheet.create({
 container: {
   flex: 1,
   paddingHorizontal: 16,
   backgroundColor: '#f53340',
 },
 header: {
   fontSize: 28,
   fontWeight: '700',
   textAlign: 'center',
   color: '#FFF',
   marginTop: 20,
   marginBottom: 48,
 },
})

Once you’ve completed these steps, you’ll have the groundwork laid for a fully functional music player.

Add Player Playlist

Before creating the first component, create an array of songs that the music player will use.

For each song, ensure to include a URL pointing to the audio file. It could be either a file path or a direct URL.

App.js

export const tracks = [
  {
    id: 1,
    url: YOUR_URL,
    title: '01. Track 1 sample',
    playlistName: 'Playlist sample',
    playlistId: 1,
  },
  {
    id: 2,
    url: YOUR_URL,    
    title: '02. Track 2 sample',
    playlistName: 'Playlist sample',
    playlistId: 1,
  },
  {
    id: 3,
    url: YOUR_URL,    
    title: '03. Track 3 sample',
    playlistName: 'Playlist sample',
    playlistId: 1,
  },
  {
    id: 4,
    url: YOUR_URL,    
    title: '04. Track 4 sample',
    playlistName: 'Playlist sample',
    playlistId: 1,
  },
  {
    id: 5,
    url: YOUR_URL,    
    title: '05. Track 5 sample',
    playlistName: 'Playlist sample',
    playlistId: 1,
  },
]

Create Track List

In the components directory, the initial addition is the TrackList component. This component serves as a clickable list of songs. Upon selecting a song, it activates the track and generates the music queue.

Pay special attention to the PlaybackActiveTrackChanged event and the onTrackPress function.

App.js

import { FlatList, Pressable, StyleSheet, View, Text } from 'react-native'
import TrackPlayer, {
 Event,
 useTrackPlayerEvents,
} from 'react-native-track-player'
import { useState } from 'react'

const TrackList = ({ items }) => {
 const [activeTrackIndex, setActiveTrackIndex] = useState(0)

 useTrackPlayerEvents([Event.PlaybackActiveTrackChanged], async (event) => {
   if (event.index === undefined) {
     setActiveTrackIndex(0)
     return
   }

   if (
     event.type === Event.PlaybackActiveTrackChanged &&
     event.index != null
   ) {
     const activeTrackItem = await TrackPlayer.getActiveTrack()

     if (!activeTrackItem) {
       return
     }

     setActiveTrackIndex(activeTrackItem.id)
   }
 })

 useTrackPlayerEvents([Event.PlaybackQueueEnded], async () => {
   const repeatMode = await TrackPlayer.getRepeatMode()
   TrackPlayer.seekTo(0)

   if (repeatMode === 0) {
     await TrackPlayer.pause()
   } else {
     await TrackPlayer.play()
   }
 })

 const onTrackPress = async (id) => {
   const currentTrackIndex = items.findIndex((item) => item.id === id)
   const trackPlayerQueue = await TrackPlayer.getQueue()
   const sameTrackFromQueue = trackPlayerQueue[currentTrackIndex]
   const currentTrack = items[currentTrackIndex]

   if (currentTrack.id !== sameTrackFromQueue?.id) {
     const newQueue = items.map((item) => ({
       id: item.id,
       url: item.url,
       title: item.title,
       headers: {
         playlist: item.playlistName,
       },
       playlistId: item.playlistId,
     }))

     await TrackPlayer.reset()
     await TrackPlayer.add(newQueue[currentTrackIndex])
     await TrackPlayer.add(newQueue)
     await TrackPlayer.skip(currentTrackIndex + 1)
     await TrackPlayer.play()
     await TrackPlayer.remove(0)
   } else {
     await TrackPlayer.skip(currentTrackIndex)
     await TrackPlayer.play()
   }
 }

 return (
   <View style={styles.container}>
     <FlatList
       data={items}
       renderItem={({
         item: { id, url, title, playlistName, playlistId },
       }) => {
         const isActiveTrack = activeTrackIndex === id

         return (
           <View
             key={id}
             style={[styles.listItem, isActiveTrack && styles.listItemActive]}
           >
             <Pressable
               onPress={() =>
                 onTrackPress(id)
               }
             >
               <Text
                 style={[styles.title, isActiveTrack && styles.textActive]}
               >
                 {title}
               </Text>
               <Text
                 style={[
                   styles.description,
                   isActiveTrack && styles.textActive,
                 ]}
               >
                 {playlistName}
               </Text>
             </Pressable>
           </View>
         )
       }}
       alwaysBounceVertical={false}
       keyExtractor={({ id }) => id.toString()}
     />
   </View>
 )
}

export default TrackList

const styles = StyleSheet.create({
 container: {
   flex: 1,
 },
 listItem: {
   paddingVertical: 4,
   backgroundColor: '#E21515',
   marginBottom: 8,
   borderRadius: 8,
   paddingHorizontal: 8,
   paddingVertical: 12,
 },
 listItemActive: {
   backgroundColor: '#FFF',
 },
 header: {
   marginBottom: 8,
   color: '#FFF',
   fontWeight: '700',
 },
 title: {
   fontSize: 14,
   color: '#FFF',
 },
 description: {
   fontSize: 12,
   color: '#FFF',
 },
 textActive: {
   color: '#E21515',
   fontWeight: '700',
 },
})

Create Player

The final element you need is the component called player. This component will include the following:

Current song display
Song timer
Clickable progress bar (utilizing the @miblanchard/react-native-slider package)
Play/pause button functionality

import { StyleSheet, View, Text, Pressable } from 'react-native'
import { Slider } from '@miblanchard/react-native-slider'
import TrackPlayer, {
 useProgress,
 usePlaybackState,
 State,
 Event,
 useTrackPlayerEvents,
} from 'react-native-track-player'
import { Dimensions } from 'react-native'
import { useCallback, useState, useEffect } from 'react'

const AudioPlayer = () => {
 const { position, duration } = useProgress(100)
 const { state: playbackState } = usePlaybackState()

 const [isPlaying, setIsPlaying] = useState(playbackState === State.Playing)
 const [activeTrackData, setActiveTrackData] = useState()
 const [isPlayButtonDisabled, setIsPlayButtonDisabled] = useState(true)

 // Util for time format
 const formatTime = (timeInSeconds) => {
   const minutes = Math.floor(timeInSeconds / 60)
     .toString()
     .padStart(1, '0')
   const seconds = (Math.trunc(timeInSeconds) % 60).toString().padStart(2, '0')

   return `${minutes}:${seconds}`
 }

 const play = useCallback(async () => {
   await TrackPlayer.play()
   setIsPlayButtonDisabled(false)
 }, [])

 const pause = useCallback(async () => {
   await TrackPlayer.pause()
 }, [])

 const trackTimeProgress = formatTime(position)
 const trackTimeLeft = formatTime(duration - position)

 useEffect(() => {
   if (playbackState === State.Playing && !isPlaying) {
     setIsPlaying(true)
   }

   if (
     playbackState === State.Paused ||
     (playbackState === State.Stopped && isPlaying)
   ) {
     setIsPlaying(false)
   }
 }, [isPlaying, playbackState])

 useTrackPlayerEvents([Event.PlaybackActiveTrackChanged], async (event) => {
   if (
     event.type === Event.PlaybackActiveTrackChanged &&
     event.index != null
   ) {
     const activeTrackItem = await TrackPlayer.getActiveTrack()

     if (!activeTrackItem) {
       return
     }

     setIsPlayButtonDisabled(false)

     setActiveTrackData({
       title: activeTrackItem.title,
       playlist: activeTrackItem.headers.playlist,
     })
   }
 })

 return (
   <View style={styles.container}>
     {activeTrackData && (
       <View style={styles.activeTrack}>
         <Text style={styles.activeTrackTitle}>{activeTrackData.title}</Text>
         <Text style={styles.activeTrackDescription}>
           {activeTrackData.playlist}
         </Text>
       </View>
     )}
     <Slider
       style={styles.progressBar}
       trackStyle={{
         height: 6,
         width: Dimensions.get('window').width - 32,
       }}
       thumbTouchSize={{ width: 4, height: 4 }}
       animationType="timing"
       trackClickable
       value={position}
       minimumValue={0}
       maximumValue={duration}
       thumbTintColor={'#fff'}
       minimumTrackTintColor={'#fff'}
       maximumTrackTintColor={'#fff'}
       onSlidingComplete={async (value) => {
         TrackPlayer.seekTo(Number(value))
       }}
     />
     <Text style={[styles.text, styles.timer]}>
       {trackTimeProgress} / {trackTimeLeft}
     </Text>
     <View style={styles.buttons}>
       <Pressable
         disabled={isPlayButtonDisabled}
         style={[styles.button, isPlayButtonDisabled && styles.buttonDisabled]}
         onPress={isPlaying ? pause : play}
       >
         <Text style={styles.buttonText}>{isPlaying ? 'PAUSE' : 'PLAY'}</Text>
       </Pressable>
     </View>
   </View>
 )
}

export default AudioPlayer

const styles = StyleSheet.create({
 container: {
   justifyContent: 'flex-end',
   width: '100%',
   backgroundColor: '#f53340',
   paddingVertical: 32,
 },
 activeTrack: {
   marginBottom: 32,
 },
 activeTrackTitle: {
   fontSize: 28,
   fontWeight: '700',
   color: '#fff',
 },
 activeTrackDescription: { fontSize: 20, fontWeight: '700', color: '#fff' },
 buttons: {
   flexDirection: 'row',
   justifyContent: 'flex-end',
   alignItems: 'flex-end',
   marginBottom: 12,
   width: '100%',
 },
 button: {
   backgroundColor: '#fff',
   paddingVertical: 8,
   paddingHorizontal: 16,
   marginLeft: 16,
   borderRadius: 8,
 },
 buttonText: {
   fontWeight: '700',
   textAlign: 'center',
   color: '#f53340',
   fontSize: 18,
 },
 buttonDisabled: {
   opacity: 0,
 },
 progressBar: {
   alignItems: 'center',
   flex: 1,
   width: '100%',
 },
 timer: {
   fontSize: 18,
   marginTop: 8,
   marginBottom: 20,
   fontWeight: '700',
 },
 text: {
   color: '#FFF',
 },
})

Getting it all together

Now that we have the components ready, all that remains is to put everything together.

In the App.js file we import the list and player components. In addition to the components, we need to import a const containing a list of songs.

App.js

import AudioPlayer from './src/components/AudioPlayer'
import TrackList from './src/components/TrackList'

import { tracks } from './src/consts/index'

Next we add the components and pass the tracks array as props to the list component.

 return (
   <View style={styles.container}>
     <SafeAreaView />
     <Text style={styles.header}>MUSIC APP</Text>
     <TrackList items={tracks} />
     <AudioPlayer />
   </View>
 )

And now you have your own music streaming app!

Play around with the player’s functionalities and then add additional functions such as scrolling to the next/previous song, volume control or support for more than one playlist.

Summary

In this short tutorial, you created a simple music player. As you have noticed, the functions and events provided by React Native Track Player make our work much easier, so we can focus more on how the functionality should work rather than how to create it. And this is only a fraction of what this music library provides us.

After analysing the API, you will realize that you can create a React Native track player that supports several playlists with full control over the song being played. Offline support will allow you to download a few tracks to your device and play them offline.

Of course, you can always use the expertise of a mobile app development company to help you build a music streaming app that will work anywhere and that you will be able to monetize.

Need someone to build a music streaming app for you? Use our help.

FAQ

Is React Native good for building apps like Spotify or Apple Music?

Yes, React Native is a solid choice for building apps similar to Spotify or Apple Music. It supports cross-platform development, integrates with audio libraries like React Native Track Player, and allows you to implement features like streaming, playlists, and background playback on both iOS and Android.

What is the best library to build a music streaming app in React Native?

The most widely recommended library is React Native Track Player. It offers cross-platform support, background playback, lock-screen controls, and now includes features like adaptive streaming (HLS, DASH) and caching for offline use. It’s actively maintained and well-suited for building production-grade music apps.

Does React Native Track Player support offline playback?

Yes, React Native Track Player supports offline playback through its caching feature. Developers can allow users to download tracks for later listening, making it possible to enjoy music even without an internet connection.

How do I add background audio playback in React Native?

Background audio playback can be added using React Native Track Player. After installing and configuring the library, you register a service that keeps playback running when the app is minimized. This setup enables media controls on the lock screen, notification area, and external devices like headphones.

Sources

What is Next.js Framework and Why Should You Use It in 2025?

Chris Lojniewski — Mon, 01 Sep 2025 06:45:13 +0000

Why Choose Web Development with Next.js?

In 2025, we have plenty of tools to choose from for React application development. Small startups and global brands like Spotify and Nike, more teams are choosing Next.js to power their web apps. But what is Next.js, and what makes it stand out?

Since it’s a JavaScript framework, Next.js supports building performant JS web apps, providing developers a familiar foundation. To show why it’s a framework worth considering for your project, I’ll discuss its core features and explore the most common use cases.

Before we do that, however, we should start with the basics.

What is Next.js and Why Is It Used?

Developed by Vercel, Next.js is built on top of React. It’s a full-stack framework, meaning it can handle both frontend and backend development tasks in a single project. It has become one of the most recommended frameworks for React-based web applications.

The 2025 Stack Overflow survey listed it as the fourth most popular among web frameworks and technologies.

Source: Stack Overflow 2025 Developer Survey

Versatile features, like server-side rendering (SSR), incremental static regeneration (ISR), and integrated API routes, offer flexibility for React developers and NextJS teams.

How Next.js Works

Next.js provides a set of features (like SSR, SSG, file-based routing, and API routes) that make it easier and faster to build modern web applications with React. You can read more about it in the official Next.js docs.

What’s New in Next.js 15

The Next.js 15 introduced a series of transformative updates that reshaped both dev experience and production performance. Across its minor releases, the framework refined React 19 support, redefined caching behavior, stabilized experimental features, and began preparing for version 16.

React 19 Integration: Started with RC support in 15.0, reaching full stable support in both App and Pages Router by 15.1. It improved hydration error handling and introduced the experimental React Compiler.
New API and Caching Semantics: Request APIs (cookies, headers, params, searchParams) became asynchronous in 15.0, requiring codemod-assisted migration. Caching behavior changed as well. GET route handlers and client router cache are now uncached by default, making caching an explicit choice. The after() API moved from experimental (15.0) to stable (15.1), allowing tasks to run after responses.
Developer Experience: Error handling was improved by redesigning error UI and stack traces in 15.2, highlighting actual error sources and integrating React’s owner stacks. Improved debugging, new Auth utilities, navigation hooks, and better observability further elevated the DevEx in NextJS
Turbopack Maturity: Turbopack builds have achieved full compatibility (8,298 tests passed) and now power production sites like vercel.com.

Version 15 also includes plenty of experimental features:

Streaming Metadata (15.2): Enables faster initial UI rendering while metadata streams in.
React View Transitions API (15.2): Smooth page-to-page animations under a feature flag.
Node.js Middleware Runtime: Experimental in 15.2, stable by 15.5
Rspack Support (15.3): A Webpack-compatible alternative build system via plugin.
CacheComponents (15.4 preview of Next.js 16): A unified caching layer that brings together existing cache features, use cache, and partial prerendering.

Next.js 15 feels like a turning point. React 19 is fully supported, caching became more predictable, and Turbopack achieved full maturiy. For us, that means less time fighting performance bottlenecks and more confidence in how apps behave at scale. Next.js is a stable tool, that still pushes innovation and creativity.

Rafal Dabrowski, Next.js Expert at Pagepro

Is Next.js a perfect fit for your project? Contact Us

Features of Next.js

NextJS is currently one of the most popular frameworks for web applications. Its advanced features made it the favorite of developers and companies alike.

Hybrid Rendering

The ability to mix Server-Side Rendering and Static Site Generation, with Client-Side Rendering (CSR) within a single application is a major perk. Developers can choose whether to pre-render content at build time or handle it at runtime, optimizing performance, SEO, and user experience. For example, using SSG for blog posts, SSR for dynamic user dashboards, and CSR for interactive components.

Serverless and Edge Functions

The framework supports serverless deployment and edge functions, allowing devs to run code closer to users for faster response times, and limiting the need for complex server management.

Incremental Static Regeneration (ISR)

ISR allows static pages to be updated without a full rebuild, making it possible to serve up-to-date content while maintaining the speed of static generation.

File-Based Routing

Next.js’s file-based routing makes it easy to create routes by simply adding files to the pages directory. There’s no need to configure routing by hand, which reduces boilerplate code and improves maintenance.

API Routes

The ability to create backend API endpoints directly within a NextJS project supports full-stack development without the need for separate server infrastructure. You can build complex applications much easier, thanks to simplified data fetching, processing, and handling.

Built-In Image Optimization

The Image component automatically optimizes images, resizing them and serving modern formats, which boosts page load. This feature saves developers from handling image optimization and unifies UX across different devices.

Get the CTO’s Ultimate Guide to Next.js

Discover the full potential of Next.js. Gain insights into advanced methodologies and real-world applications tailored for technology pioneers.

User Experience and Search Engine Optimization in Next.js

This framework provides features that impact both UX and SEO. Its support for SSG and SSR improves page load times, an important factor for user retention and search engine rankings.

Built-in functions like image optimization and lazy loading improve performance across devices, contributing to better UXs and reduced bounce rates.

Moreover, the pre-rendered content from SSR improves visibility on search engines, potentially attracting organic traffic. These capabilities allow developers to build responsive, efficient, and search-friendly applications.

What is Next.js Used For?

Next.js can be used to build many different types of projects, such as:

Complex Web Applications
Web Platforms
Multi-Market Solutions
Advanced eCommerce and Retail Platforms
SaaS Products
Interactive User Interfaces

Its capability to manage high-traffic websites has made Next.js a trusted choice for some of the largest companies on the market, so here are 3 examples of web applications built in Next.js:

Spotify

Source: Spotify

A top music streaming service in the world, Spotify allows fans to enjoy their favourite artists anywhere they go.

Proofed

Source: Proofed

A professional editing and proofreading service helping individuals and businesses improve their written content. Their team includes experts who can provide quick turnaround times while maintaining high-quality standards.

READ CASE STUDY

Claude AI

Source: Claude AI

An AI model by Anthropic, Claude generates text for tasks like answering questions and engaging in conversations. It’s one of the AI models prioritising safety and ethics.

Nike

Source: Nike

Known for its iconic products and innovative designs, Nike is a global leader in sportswear. The company designs, manufactures, and markets athletic footwear, apparel, and accessories appreciated by athletes from all walks of life and levels of skill.

Why We Chose Next.js for Our Web Page

The decision to use Next.js for our website was both strategic and practical. Search engine optimization was an important consideration since we rely on organic traffic and invest heavily in SEO. This framework provides the technical foundation to support those efforts.

Page speed is another priority. The framework’s ability to deliver fast loading times enhances the UX while reinforcing our SEO strategy. In terms of content management, using a modern decoupled architecture with Next.js offers us free reign over the frontend, letting our marketing team integrate tools like Storybook for dynamic content management.

And let’s not forget our developers. They appreciate the framework for its efficiency, scalability, and active community support.

Pros and Cons of Next.js

Next.js is a great framework for building websites and apps. While it boasts many powerful features, it does have a few disadvantages. Have a look at the Next.js pros and cons:

Advantages of Next.js for Business

Scalability and Security

Since this framework is built to handle complex, high-traffic websites and applications, it’s great for businesses that require scalable and highly customizable solutions. It also addresses key security concerns, such as authentication and data validation, ensuring user trust and data integrity.

Performance Optimization

Next.js boosts performance with features like lazy loading, image optimization, automatic code splitting, and route prefetching, ensuring faster load times and a better UX.

One of our clients, an e-learning platform, migrated from an outdated Drupal tech stack to Next.js and Sanity with our help. This transition resulted in significant performance improvements and enhanced security.

Learn Squared - Boosting the Performance of e-Learning Platform with Next.js

READ CASE STUDY

Faster Time to Market

The framework speeds up development with pre-built components. It’s ideal for building MVPs quickly and efficiently, reducing time and cost to market.

Improved User Experience and Increased Traffic

This React framework allows businesses to create customized, fast, and lightweight static sites that align with their design vision and goals. As these sites are SEO-friendly, they improve search rankings and drive organic traffic.

Omnichannel Presence

Next.js also ensures accessibility across all devices, resulting in an omnichannel presence. Fast load times and an enhanced UX contribute to higher conversion rates, as satisfied users are more likely to return and engage.

The universal compatibility of Next.js ensures modern web solutions function flawlessly across all devices, broadening customer reach and accessibility. We’ve seen improvements in conversion rates and performance since adopting Next.js

Jakub Dakowicz, CTO at Pagepro

Cost Efficiency

Hosting on Vercel not only helps your apps and websites keep stellar performance but also lowers costs. It’s all due to the integration between Next.js and the hosting environment.

AI Integration

Next.js allows devs to incorporate advanced AI technologies into their applications through built-in support for the Vercel AI SDK.

Unified Full-Stack Development

This technology offers comprehensive full-stack capabilities, streamlining development by building entire applications with a single, unified framework. It reduces the need for multiple tools, which improves efficiency and developer experience.

Rich Ecosystem

This framework benefits from a strong ecosystem, supported by companies like Vercel and Meta, with a large, active community. Developers can easily access resources, plugins, and a vast talent pool, making it easier to recruit and share knowledge.

Next.js on G2

What Are the Downsides of Next.js?

While very versatile and performance-friendly, building with NextJS comes with a few roadblocks. Here are some of the potential issues to consider before implementing it in your tech stack.

Development and Management

The flexibility offered by Next has its cost – continuous management. To make all desired changes properly, you will need a dedicated person, familiar with the system, to manage it. The good news is that this person doesn’t have to be a developer!

Ongoing Cost

Since Next.js does not provide many built-in front pages, you have to create one yourself. The frontend will require changes or updates from time to time, meaning you’ll have to hire a dedicated dev to get the job done.

No Built-In State Management

Like many frameworks, it does not include built-in state management. Developers can integrate popular solutions like Redux, MobX, or React’s Context API to handle state the way they want.

Get Started with NextJS Framework

Next.js is a versatile framework that balances flexibility and scalability. Its features make the framework ideal for a variety of projects, from simple static sites to complex web applications.

It simplifies development with easy setup, great performance optimizations, like React compatibility, and integrated tools, all while ensuring excellent SEO benefits.

Next.js applications and websites are a great investment into future of your project. Established companies like Spotify, Anthropic, Nike, and Proofed have leveraged NextJS’ capabilities, proving its value for developers and businesses both.

Want to start a new project with Next.js? Contact Us

FAQ

What is Next.js?

Next.js is a React framework that adds features like server-side rendering, static site generation, and file-based routing. It helps developers build fast, SEO-friendly, and scalable applications.

Is Next.js Better than React?

React is a library for building UI components, while Next.js is a framework built on top of it. Next.js is often better for production apps because it includes routing, rendering options, and performance optimizations out of the box.

Our article Next.js vs React talks more about choosing between the two solutions.

When Should Next.js Be Used?

Next.js is best for projects where speed, scalability, and SEO matter. It’s also worth considering for e-commerce, SaaS products, content-heavy sites, and dashboards.

Is Next.js a Coding Language?

No, Next.js is not a coding language. It’s a framework built on top of JavaScript (and optionally TypeScript). You still write code in JavaScript/TypeScript, but Next.js provides structure and performance features.

Is Next.js Frontend or Backend?

Next.js is mainly a frontend framework, but it also supports backend tasks like API routes and server-side rendering. It can function like a full-stack framework in many projects.

Does Next.js Require a Backend?

Not always. You can build static sites in Next.js without a backend, or add one if your app needs dynamic data, authentication, or database connections.

Is Next.js Worth Learning in 2025?

Yes, Next.js remains one of the most popular React frameworks, widely used by startups and enterprises. Its strong community, frequent updates, and demand in the job market make it a valuable asset in 2025.

Sources

Headless CMS Guide: Sanity vs Contentful

Chris Lojniewski — Thu, 14 Aug 2025 12:30:00 +0000

How to Pick the Right CMS in 2025?

When it comes to content solutions, two of the most popular picks in 2025 are Sanity vs Contentful. Both are headless, API-driven platforms, but they differ in flexibility, pricing, and how much control they give you.

Picking the right CMS solution starts with knowing your team’s needs. There is a difference in how developers want to work and the kind of editing experience content teams expect. At the same time, you have to consider how the future platform might scale with your website, if it’s within the budget.. The list goes on.

For those trying to choose between Contentful and Sanity, we’ve prepared a quick comparison of both. Let’s find out which is the better choice for you.

Features of Contentful vs Sanity

Feature	Sanity	Contentful
Type	Content Operating System offering schema-as-code flexibility and real-time content collaboration.	A headless CMS with a structured, UI-first approach.
G2 Rating	4.7/5	4.2/5
Developer Experience	Sequential editorial workflows with a clear structure.	Models created via UI or migration scripts. Less flexibility but faster setup for non-technical teams.
Collaborative Editing	Real-time edits and live updates.	Studio is fully customizable via React and the structure builder.
Querying & API	GROQ (proprietary and highly flexible) plus REST and GraphQL.	Supports REST and GraphQL.
Customization & UI	Studio is fully customizable via React and structure builder.	Limited UI customization. Offers an App Framework.
Performance	Optimized for low-latency, real-time updates. Uses distributed Content Lake, with optional CDN layer.	Contentful offers enterprise-grade performance with global CDN, 99.99% uptime SLA, handles massive API volumes.
Ecosystem	Open-source ecosystem with strong developer engagement.	Marketplace with a large partner network and extensive integrations.
Pricing Model	Sanity offers usage-based pricing, flexible for smaller projects.	Fixed-tier pricing that may become costly with scale.
Best For	Developer-led teams seeking flexibility, real-time content workflows, and custom UIs.	Teams needing structure, enterprise governance, and predictable scaling.
Use Cases	PUMA, Morning Brew, Cloudflare	KFC, BMW, Notion

Have questions about Headless CMS Solutions? Ask our experts.

Sanity: Content Operating System

As a Content Operating System, Sanity gives developers complete control over how content is structured, edited, and delivered. Unlike CMSs with rigid, UI-driven models, Sanity stores content as structured data defined entirely in code. The content model can evolve alongside the product without fighting platform limitations, and it works seamlessly with frontend solutions like Next.js.

Many frontend developers like that Sanity’s schema-as-code fits right into their version control workflow, so content model changes are tracked and reviewed just like any other part of the codebase.

Rafał Dąbrowski, Pagepro Developer

Sanity is a leader in the headless CMS industry. It’s aimed at teams that want real-time collaboration and the ability to tailor the editing environment to their needs.

Sanity Core Features

Schema-as-code, which lets you define your entire content structure in JavaScript or TypeScript.
Sanity Studio, a highly customizable, open-source editing environment built with React.
Real-time editing for multiple users. They can edit the same document simultaneously, with changes synced instantly.
Content Lake, a cloud-hosted datastore that delivers content updates in milliseconds.
GROQ query language with a powerful, flexible syntax for fetching exactly the data you need.
Build or install plugins for workflows, integrations, and custom field types.
Built-in image CDN with automatic transformations and optimization.

Sanity on G2

The Pros of Sanity

Flexibility

Because the schema is defined in code, developers can model and manage content exactly as they need it without working around a UI’s constraints.

Real-Time Collaboration

Editors see changes instantly, making it easier to work without overwriting.

Fully Customizable Studio

You can adapt the editing interface to match the project’s needs and add custom input components.

Version Control for Content Models

Since schemas live in your codebase, they can be tracked, reviewed, and deployed like any other part of the application.

Performance

Content Lake delivers low-latency data and supports live updates to the front end.

Plugin Ecosystem

Growing library of official and community plugins for analytics, localization, e-commerce, and workflow enhancements.

Generous Free Tier

Suitable for prototypes or small sites before scaling up to paid usage.

The Cons of Sanity

Steeper Setup for Non-Developers

Without a developer to define schemas, the content platform has no ready-to-use structure.

Learning Curve for GROQ

While powerful, Sanity’s proprietary query language isn’t as widely known as GraphQL, so teams need time to get up to speed.

Usage-Based Pricing

Sanity costs can spike if you have high traffic, many API requests, or large amounts of stored data.

Fewer Turnkey Integrations

While the plugin ecosystem is growing, it’s smaller than Contentful’s established marketplace.

What is Sanity.io Used For?

Source: Sanity

Sanity is widely used for projects where content complexity and flexibility are essential:

Multi-platform content delivery to push content to websites, apps, and in-store displays from a single source.
Custom editorial workflows and matching a brand’s content process.
Sites that need collaborative publishing, live dashboards, or apps where content changes need to appear instantly.
Design- and content-rich sites that need a CMS to adapt to unique layouts or structures.

Well-known brands like PUMA, Morning Brew and Cloudflare have used Sanity for projects that require both creative freedom and scalable performance.

Sanity Development for UK’s Top Insurance Company - READ CASE STUDY

Contentful: Headless CMS

Contentful is a cloud-native, API-first headless CMS, sometimes referred to as a “composable content platform”. It decouples content storage from presentation, offering content as JSON data via REST or GraphQL APIs.

This architecture makes it flexible and channel-agnostic, ideal for modern omnichannel publishing.

Contentful Core Features

API-first architecture with REST and GraphQL endpoints for content delivery.
Structured content modelling for defining content types, fields, and relationships.
Role-based permissions for editorial governance.
Content versioning with history and rollback.
App Framework and Marketplace for integrations with analytics, e-commerce, translation, and marketing tools.
Global CDN for fast content delivery worldwide.

Contentful on G2

The Pros of Contentful

Contentful has become a go-to choice for many enterprises because it blends t*he stability of a mature platform with the flexibility of a headless setup*. Its features are built to support large teams and high-traffic projects.

Reliability

Contentful is known for uptime and stability, backed by SLAs and global CDN infrastructure.

Predictable Workflows

A structured, UI-driven content model is easy for non-technical editors and marketers to follow, reducing errors in large teams.

Integrated Ecosystem

The App Marketplace and strong partner network make it straightforward to connect with third-party services.

Omnichannel

The API-first approach lets you push the same content to multiple platforms easily.

The Cons of Contentful

Contentful is a great option if you’re looking for reliability and governance, but it has some significant trade-offs:

Rigid Content Modelling

The structured approach is great for governance but can feel inflexible when requirements change. For example, introducing a new nested relationship or restructuring content types often requires multiple migration scripts and extensive testing.

Limited Previews

Out of the box, Contentful doesn’t offer a true real-time preview. Editors may need to publish or set up complex preview environments to see how changes look, which slows feedback loops.

Workflow Gaps

There’s no built-in real-time collaborative editing (like Google Docs or Sanity’s live editing). Two people editing the same entry risk overwriting each other’s changes.

API Rate Limits

Build processes, especially in static site generators or large migrations, can hit rate limits. On busy projects, this can cause delays unless you move to a higher-cost plan.

High Scaling Costs

Contentful pricing is tiered by users, locales, and content types. A project might start affordably but become expensive as you add editorial staff, expand into multiple regions, or store more entries.

Learning Curve

While editors can pick up the UI quickly, developers must learn Contentful’s specific APIs, content modelling patterns, and migration tooling, which adds onboarding time.

Which Companies Use Contentful?

Source: Contentful

Contentful is often chosen for projects where structured governance, scalability, and predictable workflows are more important than extreme flexibility. Examples include:

Enterprise-scale websites that need strict content structures and localization.
Multi-channel publishing to deliver consistent content across websites, mobile apps, kiosks, and other digital touchpoints.
Marketing and campaign sites where content needs to be updated quickly without involving developers.
Global brand platforms maintain brand consistency across regions with role-based permissions and approval workflows.

High-profile organisations, like KFC, BMW, and Notion, rely on Contentful for enterprise-scale and multi-platform content delivery. However, many teams are migrating from Contentful due to its high costs and rigid architecture.

What is the Difference Between Contentful and Sanity?

Both Contentful and Sanity are API-first, headless platforms. However, they approach content management very differently.

Contentful takes a UI-first, structured approach. You model content types within its dashboard, define fields through the interface, and let non-technical editors work within a predictable, governed environment. This way, onboarding is much easier for large teams and helps to keep content consistent across regions and channels.

Sanity, on the other hand, is schema-as-code from the ground up. Content models live in the codebase, so developers have complete control over the structure. Studio editing environment in Sanity is open-source and fully configurable. The real-time collaboration feature means multiple editors can work on the same content simultaneously without conflicts.

The result is that Contentful often appeals to enterprises that need predictability and a ready-made editorial interface. Sanity is well-liked by developer and editorial teams looking for flexibility.

Sanity vs Contentful Pricing

What’s the Cost of Sanity?

Sanity Pricing as of August 2025

Paid Plans in Sanity

Growth: $15/seat/month

Up to 50 seats
5 roles
Private/public datasets
Comments, tasks, and content releases
AI Assist features
Higher limits for API requests, bandwidth, and assets (overages billed separately)

Enterprise: Custom pricing

Unlimited seats
Advanced access control and governance
SSO, SLAs, dedicated support, onboarding, and training
Media library add-ons and extended retention options

Is Sanity Free?

Yes, Sanity has a free tier. It includes full access to the Studio, schema-as-code modeling, and real-time features:

Up to 20 user seats
2 roles
2 datasets (public)
Unlimited content types/locales
Real-time collaboration
Basic compute, API, and asset limits

It’s generous enough for prototypes, internal tools, or small sites before upgrading to Growth or Enterprise.

How Much Does Contentful Cost?

Contentful Pricing as of August 2025

Contentful uses a tiered pricing model with clear limits at each level.

Paid Tiers in Contentful

Lite: $300/Month

20 users, 3 roles, 3 locales
1M API calls/month
100 GB/month CDN bandwidth
Comments & task management
Scheduled publishing
Live collaboration
1 Starter Space (with option to add 1 Lite Space)

Premium: Custom pricing

Everything in Lite, and a few more features:

Custom users, roles, and locales
Unlimited API calls/month
Custom CDN bandwidth
Enhanced governance, compliance, and security
Up to 99.99% uptime SLA
Dedicated customer success and 24/7 support
Unlimited Spaces and advanced features (e.g., Personalization, Studio, AI Actions)

Is There a Free Version of Contentful?

Yes. Contentful’s free plan is suitable for learning, prototyping, or very small sites. Most production projects with multiple locales, higher traffic, or more complex workflows will need to move to Lite or Premium. It includes:

10 users, 2 roles, 2 locales
100K API calls/month
50 GB/month CDN bandwidth
Structured content, developer tools, and editorial experience
1 Starter Space

Pricing Comparison Table

Plan	Sanity	Contentful
Free	– 20 seats – 2 roles – 2 public datasets – Unlimited content types/locales – Real-time collaboration	– 10 users – 2 roles – 2 locales100K API calls/mo – 50 GB CDN – 1 Starter Space
Mid-Tier	– $15/seat/mo – Up to 50 seats – 5 roles – Private/public datasets – Comments – Tasks – Content releases – AI Assist – Usage-based overages	– $300/mo – 20 users – 3 roles – 3 locales – 1M API calls/mo – 100 GB CDN – Comments – Scheduled publishing – Live collaboration
Enterprise	– Custom pricing – Unlimited seats – Advanced access control SSO – SLAs – Dedicated onboarding/support – Media library add-ons	– Custom pricing – Unlimited API calls – Custom bandwidth – Unlimited Spaces – Advanced governance – 24/7 support – Up to 99.99% SLA
Pricing Model	Seat-based pricing + usage-based add-ons	Fixed-tier pricing with defined limits
Best For	Flexible scaling, custom workflows, collaborative editing	Predictable budgets, strict governance, enterprise-scale delivery

Pricing as of August 2025

Sanity vs Contentful: Choosing the Right Option

Both Sanity and Contentful are capable, modern platforms; the better choice comes down to your team’s needs.

Pick Sanity if…

Full control over content structure through schema-as-code is important.
Real-time collaboration between editors is a core requirement.
A fully customizable editing environment is needed to match unique workflows.
Flexible, usage-based pricing is preferred for smaller projects with room to scale.
The content model is complex or expected to change frequently.

Choose Contentful if…

A ready-to-use, structured editorial environment will speed up adoption for non-technical users.
Predictable pricing and defined limits outweigh the need for deep customization.
Large, distributed teams rely on strict governance, roles, and approval workflows.
Enterprise-grade reliability, global content delivery, and strong SLAs are top priorities.
A wide ecosystem of integrations and proven enterprise deployments is essential.

In short, Sanity shines when flexibility, customization, and live collaboration matter most, while Contentful excels in structured governance, predictable workflows, and enterprise scalability.

Did you choose Sanity over Contentful? Our development team can design, customize, and launch a solution tailored to your needs. Learn more about our Sanity development services.

Sanity vs Contetnful FAQ

What Kind of CMS is Contentful?

Contentful is a headless CMS. It stores content in a structured way and delivers it through APIs, allowing developers to use any technology to display that content on websites, apps, or other digital platforms.

Which CMS is Better, Sanity or Contentful?

Sanity is ideal for developer-led projects that need flexibility, real-time collaboration, and a fully customizable editing experience. Contentful works best for larger teams that value a ready-to-use interface, structured governance, and predictable pricing. Both are powerful headless CMS platforms, but the right one for you comes down to workflow preferences, budget, and long-term scalability.

What is a Headless CMS?

A headless CMS separates the content management back end from the front-end presentation. Content is created and stored in the CMS, then delivered via an API to any channel.

Is Sanity a CMS?

Sanity is a Content Operating System. It offers more customization, real-time collaboration, and schema-as-code content modeling than traditional CMS options.

What’s the Difference Between Headless CMS and Content Operating System?

A headless CMS solution focuses on storing and delivering content via APIs. A Content Operating System, like Sanity, does that too but adds deeper customization, real-time collaboration, and the ability to fully control the content model and editing environment.

Is Sanity CMS Open-Source?

Sanity Studio, the editing interface, is open source and can be customized or extended by developers. The hosted Content Lake (where your content is stored and delivered) is not open source.

Why is Contentful So Expensive?

Contentful can become costly because pricing increases with the number of users, locales, API calls, and content spaces. Enterprise plans also include advanced features, SLAs, and dedicated support, which add to the price.

Contentful Migration in 2025: What are the Alternatives?

Chris Lojniewski — Mon, 28 Jul 2025 13:20:25 +0000

Why Teams Are Migrating from Contentful

When one of our clients first approached us about Contentful migration, their dev team had just spent weeks untangling a React component spanning over 500 lines. Why? To get rich text to render properly.

That was only one of their problems. Previewing content wasn’t possible without publishing it. Updating the schema meant rewriting GraphQL fragments across 70+ files. To make matters worse, they had already outgrown the 25 content type limit and were paying extra for every new user and environment.

Their story isn’t unique. For many mid-sized teams, Contentful migration is no longer a question of if, but when.

The good news is, if you’re looking for an alternative to Contentful or planning a full CMS migration, you have plenty of choices. Modern content management tools offer clear editorial UX and easy integration with frameworks like Next.js.

To help you pick the best candidate for your CMS migration, we’ve prepared a list of recommendations. All of them were chosen based on our experience and how easy they are to work with.

Why Migrate from Contentful?

Contentful can be a great choice for some teams, but problems begin as they start to grow.

The costs scale with usage: Contentful pricing is based on users, environments, and content types. Teams expanding their size or adding staging layers will quickly see higher monthly expenses.
Content type limits require careful planning: Teams on lower-tier plans may reach the 25 content type cap much earlier than expected. When that happens, they might need to spend extra time reworking models or pay more for an upgraded plan.
Rich text requires custom handling: Contentful stores rich text as structured JSON. It’s a flexible solution, but if you’re using a framework like React or Next.js, you’ll need extensive frontend logic to render it consistently.
Previewing isn’t always easy: Editors working with Contentful often have to publish content before seeing how it appears on the live site. Feedback loops are much slower as a result, and it might introduce more problems during intense publishing cycles.
Frontend and backend are tightly integrated: A mix of GraphQL and rigid content structures can make even small schema changes in Contentful a challenge.

Sounds familiar? If so, a headless CMS migration might be a natural next step for you.

Thinking about Migrating to a Headless CMS? Our Experts Can Help

Choosing a Contentful Alternative

Headless CMS (Content Management System) platforms offer plenty of options, but aren’t a one-size-fits-all solution.

“A headless CMS separates the content layer from the presentation layer. Developers can build flexible frontends using any technology, while content teams manage everything in one centralized backend.”

Jakub Dakowicz, CTO at Pagepro

Migrating to a headless CMS can be a great benefit to the business. According to the State of CMS survey, over 99% of people experienced some kind of benefit after switching to headless solutions.

Source: Stoyblok State of CMS 2024

Each has its own strengths and weaknesses, so before migrating from Contentful, consider what your team might need most.

Usability

Is your CMS easy to master for non-technical users? Can editors preview changes in real time? Some headless CMS platforms focus on developer workflows first, and others offer visual editors and drag-and-drop layouts easier to use for content creators.

Pricing

Know what you’re committing to long-term. Is the pricing model predictable, or will it change with usage like Contentful’s? Open-source options like Strapi let you have full control at the cost of maintenance. Meanwhile, SaaS platforms range from flat-fee to usage-based billing.

Flexibility

Your content structure won’t stay the same. Look for a CMS that makes schema changes easy to implement without breaking the whole site.

Tech Stack Compatibility

Make sure the CMS plays nicely with your frontend setup. If you’re using Next.js, features like incremental static regeneration, flexible previews, and fast API access can make a difference in site speed. And speaking of…

Performance

What will happen when your traffic spikes? Some CMS platforms might enforce rate limits or bandwidth caps. Others offer global edge caching and content delivery optimizations.

Localization and Integrations

Does your site support multiple languages or connects with third-party tools? Choose a CMS that handles localization well and will work well with your tools.

Best Alternatives to Contentful in 2025

Now that you know what to pay attention to, we can move to comparing Contentful alternatives. We’ll start with our favorite.

CMS	Best For	Strengths	Tradeoffs	Localisation
Contentful	Structured enterprise projects, cross-functional teams	Stable platform, GraphQL support, strong integrations	High cost at scale, rigid content modeling, and preview limitations	Built-in, but locale limits apply by plan
Sanity	Dev-led teams, complex models	Schema-as-code, GROQ, fast preview	Dev setup needed, usage pricing	Unlimited locales, API-driven
Storyblok	Visual editing, localization	Visual editor, block-based model	Structure is opinionated	Built-in tools, folder-based
Strapi	Self-hosting, custom backends	Fully customizable, open-source	Maintenance overhead	Plugin-based (i18n), customizable
Prismic	Fast setup, structured sites	Slices, good docs, fast UI	Less flexible for complex models	Locale support, user-friendly UI

Sanity

Best for: Dev-led teams and structured content at scale

Used by: Puma, Morning Brew

A great fit for teams using Next.js or building complex content workflows. Sanity Content Operating System has strong developer control. It comes with schema-as-code, GROQ querying, and excellent support for live previews.

Editors can use real-time collaboration and a customizable Studio interface without hard limits on content types or locales. To make the switch easier, Sanity offers an official Contentful migration plugin that automates schema and content migration in minutes.

Sanity’s initial setup requires a lot of technical involvement early on, but it pays off in long-term flexibility and performance.

You can read more about it in our article, Best Use Cases of Sanity.

Pricing

Sanity’s free plan includes 20 user seats, two datasets, unlimited content types/locales, and live preview. The Growth plan starts at $15 per non-admin seat/month, adding features like content releases, comments, and AI Assist. Enterprise plans offer extras like SSO, audit logs, and SLAs (custom pricing).

What Are The Differences Between Contentful And Sanity?

“We’ve worked with all major headless CMS platforms, and Sanity has the best balance between developer control and editorial usability. For teams migrating from Contentful, it solves a lot of long-standing issues without locking you into rigid pricing or workflows.”

Jakub Dakowicz, Pagepro CTO

Sanity uses a schema-as-code model. Developers can define content structure in JavaScript and version it like any other code. Contentful, meanwhile, relies on a UI-based model, which is easier to get started with but harder to scale.
The GROQ query language used by Sanity gives full control over content fetching. Contentful uses GraphQL and REST, which often requires workarounds for complex queries.
Contentful supports content preview, but often requires more setup and doesn’t reflect changes until after publishing. Sanity, on the other hand, offers real-time collaboration and live preview features from the get-go.
When it comes to pricing, Contentful charges per user, environment, and content type. Sanity charges are based on your usage, like API calls, bandwidth, and data storage.

Storyblok

Best for: Content teams that want visual control

Used by: Oatly, Octopus Energy

Storyblok shines with its visual editor and block-based content model, making it easy for marketers and editors to manage pages without developer input. Built-in localization tools are also a plus. However, the CMS has a more opinionated structure, which may be limiting for custom or deeply nested content models.

Pricing

Storyblok’s free Starter plan includes one user and one space. The Entry plan starts at ~$90/month (billed annually) for five users, one space, a visual editor, and 400 GB of traffic. Additional bandwidth costs apply.

What Are the Differences Between Contentful and Storyblok?

Storyblok is built around a visual editor and block-based content model, making it especially appealing to marketers and content teams. It allows editors to preview and edit pages visually without developer help. Contentful, by contrast, is more structured and developer-oriented. It has a form-based editor and fewer built-in visual controls.
In terms of modeling, Contentful has flexibility in defining content types, but Storyblok’s component-based structure promotes more consistency across pages.
On the technical side, both support modern frameworks like Next.js. Still, Contentfu requires more manual GraphQL work and richer frontend logic. Storyblok has a simpler setup with REST APIs and SDKs for faster integration.
Their pricing differs a lot, since Storyblok is more focused on project tiers and team roles.

Strapi

Best for: Teams that want full control and self-hosting

Used by: Airbus, Tesco

Strapi is open-source and fully customizable, and supports custom backends and APIs. It’s great for developers who want control over every part of the stack. However, with that freedom comes a cost. Ongoing maintenance and hosting responsibilities fall entirely on your team.

Pricing

Strapi Cloud offers a free tier with 10k API calls, 10 GB storage, and 100 emails. The Essential plan starts at $15/month with more storage and domains. Higher tiers scale up to 1M–10M API calls and 1 TB bandwidth.

What Are the Differences Between Contentful and Stapi?

The biggest difference is hosting and control. Contentful is a fully managed, cloud-based CMS with a proprietary backend. Strapi is open-source and self-hosted, offering you complete control.
Strapi is ideal for teams that want to build custom APIs, enforce specific security rules, or control deployment environments. Contentful trades that flexibility for ease of use and reduced maintenance.
In terms of development, Strapi uses a REST or GraphQL API that you can fully customize, while Contentful provides a structured GraphQL and REST mix with stricter limits and conventions.
In terms of pricing, Strapi is free to use if self-hosted, but this requires dev time for setup and maintenance. Contentful charges based on users, content types, and environments.

Prismic

Best for: Simple, structured websites that need to launch fast

Used by: 7mesh, Evri

Prismic offers a slick UI, fast setup, and “Slice” components that make repeatable layouts easy. It’s ideal for lean teams or projects that don’t need much customization. Its tradeoff is less flexibility for complex content models.

Pricing

Prismic offers a free plan for one user. Paid plans (Medium, Platinum, Enterprise) scale by users, locales, API limits, and features. Even paid tiers now include locale limits.

What Are the Differences Between Contentful and Prismic?

Contentful is flexible in content modeling. You can define any type of content model and use GraphQL or REST APIs to fetch data. It’s powerful, but often requires more developer involvement.
Prismic is very approachable for non-technical users. It uses a Slice-based approach for reusable content components. It also includes a built-in preview system and easy-to-use editor UI.
On the downside, Prismic is less flexible for complex or deeply nested schemas. Its querying options are more limited compared to Contentful’s API.
Prismic offers a simple tier-based pricing, which may be easier to predict for smaller teams than Contentful’s.

Pricing Comparison

CMS	Free Plan	Starting Paid Plan	Pricing Model
Contentful	Yes (10 users, 2 locales)	~$300/mo (Lite)	Users, environments, and content types
Sanity	Yes (unlimited types, 1 dataset)	~$15/mo per seat (Growth)	API calls, bandwidth, and users
Storyblok	Yes (1 user, 1 space)	~$90/mo (Growth)	Project tiers and roles
Strapi	Yes (self-hosted, full features)	$0 (self-hosted only)	Hosting and maintenance
Prismic	Yes (1 user, 1 locale)	$180/mo (Medium)	Users and features

*Pricing as of July 2025

Checklist: How to Migrate from Contentful to a Headless CMS

Migrating from Contentful is a delicate process. One mistake can result in missing content or a blow to your SEO rankings. Before attempting it yourself, make sure you’re prepared or have the support of Contentful migration specialists.

We’ve prepared a seven-step checklist you can use to migrate from Contentful to a headless CMS of your choice. Follow it along for the best results.

Download Our Checklist

Step One: Rebuilding Content Schemas

Before anything moves, your new CMS needs to match the structure of your existing content. This may mean rethinking models to take advantage of your new platform’s strengths.

Step Two: Exporting Content from Contentful

Using Contentful’s CLI or API, you’ll extract all your entries, assets, and metadata. For large projects, this step often includes custom scripts to handle edge cases or nested relationships.

Step Three: Transforming the Data

Every CMS stores content differently. You’ll need to write a script that reshapes Contentful’s output into a format your new CMS understands.

Step Four: Importing to the New CMS

Once transformed, content is imported using the new platform’s API or CLI tools. This is usually done in stages to allow for testing and adjustments.

Step Five: Updating your Frontend

Your site’s data fetching layer will need updates to reflect new APIs, schema changes, and preview setups. This is a good moment to simplify logic or remove legacy workarounds.

Step Six: Testing and Validation

Everything gets reviewed: content accuracy, internal links, media assets, SEO tags, and redirects. The goal is a seamless switch with no broken URLs or missing pages.

Step Seven: (Optional) Redesign or Refactor

A migration is often a good time to modernize your component library or refresh the design.

Make Your Migration Count

Contentful migration should start with finding the best solution for your team. If you’re hitting limits, fighting with previews, or watching costs climb, it may be time to move on.

For companies using frameworks like Next.js, Sanity, Storyblok, and Strapi offer more flexibility, clearer pricing, and better alignment with modern development workflows.

Still, choosing the right alternative is only half the challenge. A smooth CMS migration takes planning, precision, and experience. If you’re considering replatforming from Contentful, we’re here to help.

Pagepro has supported many successful CMS migrations, and we’re always available if you need Contentful migration experts.

Ready to Migrate from Contentful? Contact Us

Frequently Asked Questions

Why Should I Migrate from Contentful?

Many teams outgrow Contentful’s pricing model, content limits, or technical constraints. If your team is struggling with slow previews, complex rich text rendering, or rising CMS costs, a migration may help streamline workflows and reduce long-term overhead.

What is the Website Migration Cost?

Costs vary depending on project size and complexity. A basic migration with minimal schema changes and no frontend updates might cost a few thousand pounds. A full migration can range higher.

How Long Does a Typical CMS Migration Take?

At Pagepro, smaller projects can be migrated in 2 to 4 weeks. For larger sites with complex schemas, multiple locales, or custom logic, migrations may take from 6 to 10 weeks.

What CMS Works Best with Next.js?

Sanity is a popular choice for teams using Next.js. Its fast APIs, schema-as-code approach, and support for live preview make it a strong fit. Strapi and Storyblok also offer solid Next.js support, though with different tradeoffs.

Will I Lose Content or SEO Rankings if I Migrate from Contentful?

Not if the migration is planned carefully. A proper CMS migration includes redirect handling, SEO tag preservation, structured content mapping, and link validation.

Why is Contentful So Expensive?

Contentful’s pricing is based on multiple factors: users, environments, content types, locales, and API usage. For small teams, this can be manageable, but as your content model grows or you scale your team, the costs can increase sharply. Many teams also pay more for features like staging environments or localization.

Is Sanity the Best CMS?

Depends on your needs. Sanity is one of the most flexible and developer-friendly CMS platforms available, especially for teams using React or Next.js. It offers schema-as-code, live preview, fast APIs, and strong customization options.

What Are the Disadvantages of Sanity CMS?

Sanity has a steeper learning curve, especially for non-technical teams. Its schema-as-code approach is powerful but requires developer setup.

Sources:

React Native Pros and Cons For App Development in 2025

Chris Lojniewski — Mon, 07 Jul 2025 07:32:10 +0000

Should You Choose React Native in 2025?

Considering mobile apps generated over $935 billion in revenue in 2024, having one for your business is a no-brainer. Take Payhip, for example – after the Pagepro team helped them create a mobile app MVP for their e-learning platform, the company discovered a whole new market to explore.

Source: Statista – Revenue of mobile apps worldwide 2019-2027, by segment

Developing a mobile app used to be a lengthy and expensive process, but mobile frameworks like React Native made it faster and less expensive. While React Native app development offers many advantages, like cross-platform development and code reusability, it also comes with some limitations.

To help you find the best solution for your mobile app, I’ll explain React Native pros and cons, when it works best, and when you might be better off with an alternative.

Let’s start by answering the first question…

What is React Native?

React Native is an open-source framework created in JavaScript by Facebook (now Meta). Its cross-platform nature allows for developing mobile apps for both Android and iOS operating systems at the same time and with one codebase.

Although React Native is now over a decade old, it continues to evolve, thanks to the excellent community and Meta’s dedication to keeping it alive. The most recent update, 0.80, has added support for React 19.1 and officially froze Legacy Architecture among many other changes.

Ready to create cross-platform apps? Contact Us

What Is The Primary Purpose of React Native?

React Native is designed to simplify and speed up mobile app development across platforms like iOS and Android.

Instead of writing separate native code for each platform (Swift/Objective-C for iOS and Kotlin/Java for Android), React Native lets developers reuse most of the code while still delivering a native-like performance and user experience. It does this by rendering components using native APIs, not web views.

What Are React Native Alternatives?

Although according to the Stack Overflow 2024 survey, React Native is one of the more popular options for mobile development, there are a few alternatives to it:

Native Development – In situations where React Native doesn’t meet your expectations, there is always the option of developing two separate apps for iOS and Android. While it might take more time and resources, it can be beneficial to some projects.
Flutter – A UI toolkit by Google that uses Dart to build fast, natively compiled apps for mobile, web, and desktop. It offers rich, customizable widgets and delivers consistent UI and performance across platforms. You can read our article comparing Flutter and React Native to learn more.
Lynx – A cross-platform framework written in Rust, focused on performance, memory safety, and minimal runtime overhead. Still in early development, but promising for Rust enthusiasts and future-looking mobile projects.
Xamarin – A Microsoft-backed framework that uses C# and .NET to build cross-platform apps. Allows code sharing and native performance, often used in enterprise and Windows-based environments.
Capacitor – Created by the Ionic team, Capacitor lets you build mobile apps with web technologies (HTML, CSS, JS/TS). It bridges web apps to native functionality using plugins, ideal for teams with strong web backgrounds.

What Is React Native Best For?

React Native can work great for any type of mobile app. However, it’s the best for feature-rich, cross-platform mobile applications that need to stay innovative.

You can find over 120 examples of React Native apps in this article, but for now, here are some of them:

Social Media and Networking Apps

These types of apps often require real-time interactions, dynamic content updates, and integration with various APIs and third-party services.

React Native’s flexibility and performance help develop responsive and interactive social experiences across multiple platforms.

Examples: Facebook, Instagram, Bluesky, and Discord.

On-Demand Services and Marketplaces

If you’re planning to develop an app for wide audiences and catering to multiple markets, React Native’s cross-platform capabilities let your business deploy visually consistent apps. Whether it’s food delivery or a marketplace, React Native has you covered.

Examples: Uber Eats and Evouchers

E-commerce and Retail Apps

The framework’s ability to deliver performant and beautiful interfaces with smooth navigation makes it perfect for building e-commerce and retail apps. Shop owners can add features like product catalogues, user reviews, secure payment gateways, and personalized recommendations to improve their stores.

Examples: Puma and Flipkart

Travel and Hospitality Apps

Businesses aiming to provide a good mobile experience to their customers across various devices will appreciate React Native’s functions. Integration with location-based services, push notifications, and interactive maps present in React Native improves the UX and engagement.

Example: Airbnb

IoT and Smart Home Applications

As the Internet of Things (IoT) continues to shape the future, React Native is a valuable tool for developing mobile apps that control and monitor IoT devices and smart homes. Its compatibility with various IoT protocols, and ability to communicate with embedded systems allows for integration between the mobile app and smart devices.

Example: Yeti Smart Home and Amazon Alexa

If you’d like to find other examples of React Native Apps, check our free eBook, which lists over 100 mobile applications developed with it. Get the list of Over 100 React Native App Examples

Since you know more about the framework, it’s time to focus on React Native pros and cons. I’ll start with its benefits.

What Are the Advantages of React Native?

Considering how functional it is, the advantages of React Native can be divided into two groups: business and development.

Pros of React Native for Business

1. One Codebase for Two Platforms

Since it’s a cross-platform framework, React Native teams can build for both iOS and Android using a single codebase. It’s a great way to save development costs and time, which startups and teams with limited resources will appreciate.

2. Faster Time-to-Market

Code reusability and fast build cycles make React Native ideal for prototyping and MVPs. One of Pagepro’s clients, a UK-based insurance company, received its experimental MVP in just 6 weeks, letting them quickly validate the product idea and prepare it for further development. Read our case study.

3. Lower Maintenance Costs

Maintaining one codebase for both platforms lowers the long-term effort and cost of bug fixes, feature updates, and security patches.

4. Easier Hiring

You don’t have to rely on separate iOS and Android specialists to make apps. Thanks to the framework’s popularity, the community of React Native offers a large talent pool of developers to build and scale apps.

5. Native-Like User Experience

Apps built with React Native use native APIs under the hood, delivering fluid and responsive experiences as close to fully native apps as possible.

Advantages of React Native for Development

1. Easy to Learn

If your team already uses React for web development, React Native is easy to pick up. The component-based architecture and familiar syntax help developers onboard quickly.

2. Hot Reloading for Fast Feedback

The hot reloading and fast refresh features in React Native help developers see UI changes during development instantly, which is great for fast iteration.

3. Over-the-Air (OTA) Updates

OTA functionality allows you to push critical fixes and feature updates directly to users without waiting for App Store or Google Play approvals. This is especially valuable during testing or active rollouts. You can read more about OTA updates in our dedicated article.

4. Active Community & Third-Party Support

The community around React Native is massive, with countless plugins, libraries, and support tools that accelerate development. This means a lot of resources you can use freely if your work ever stalls or you need help with developing a new feature for your app.

5. Access to Native Modules

React Native app developers can use native code when needed. Through platform-specific bridges, apps can access device hardware, APIs, and performance-optimized modules.

6. Component-Based UI Development

The framework’s declarative UI model and component primitives (like View, Text, Image) make mobile interface development simpler and encourage creating reusable code.

7. Expo Ecosystem for Speed and Simplicity

Expo offers a managed workflow that makes it easier to build, preview, and test apps without native configuration. It’s especially helpful for small teams and fast experiments.

Want to publish your app without friction? Get our Essential Checklist for Publishing Expo React Native Apps - a step-by-step guide to deploying apps with confidence and ease.

8. EAS (Expo Application Services)

With Expo’s cloud services, you can run cloud builds, manage assets, and automate your CI/CD pipeline, all without needing to configure native environments.

9. Great for Demos and Stakeholder Reviews

With Expo Go and demo mode, developers can share working prototypes with stakeholders without submitting to app stores. Perfect for client presentations or quick feedback.

When You Should Use React Native

Building cross-platform apps without doubling the workload – React Native lets you build for both iOS and Android using a single codebase, which can dramatically reduce development time and effort.
When your team already knows React or JavaScript – No need to learn platform-specific languages, since React Native fits right into the workflow of web developers.
Fast time to market is critical – Hot reloading, a large ecosystem, and shared code make it easier to ship MVPs or iterate quickly based on user feedback.
The app doesn’t require deep native integrations – React Native handles most common mobile features well. Unless you’re building something very platform-specific, it’s usually enough.
Delivering a native-like user experience – Apps built with React Native use real native UI components, so users get smooth, responsive interactions.
Focusing on long-term flexibility and scalability – The framework is actively maintained, widely adopted, and supports adding native modules when needed.
You want a native-like UI and performance – React Native renders UI using native components, so the experience feels more fluid than hybrid solutions like Cordova or Capacitor.
Future scalability is your goal – With community support, active development, and tools like Expo, React Native gives you flexibility to scale your app, integrate with native code when needed, and take advantage of third-party services.

What Disadvantages Does React Native Have?

While React Native is an amazing choice for cross-platform mobile development, some of its cons can have an impact on your app and its functionality.

1. Performance Limitations

While React Native performs well for most apps, it doesn’t match the speed and efficiency of fully native solutions. This is largely due to the JavaScript bridge, which can become a bottleneck. The Hermes engine helps optimize performance, but it’s not a complete fix for every use case.

2. Not Ideal for Highly Complex Interfaces

Building apps with pixel-perfect UI or advanced, interactive animations can be challenging in React Native. Native frameworks still provide more precise rendering and smoother animation control. Libraries like Reanimated and Lottie can improve things.

3. Limited Access to Native APIs

Some device-specific features or the latest OS-level APIs in native platforms may not be accessible out of the box. In these cases, you’ll need to build custom modules, which adds complexity and requires knowledge of Swift, Kotlin, or Objective-C.

4. Debugging Can Be Tricky

Because React Native sits between JavaScript and native code, debugging isn’t always straightforward. Native crashes may not show up in JavaScript logs and often call for tools like Xcode, Android Studio, Flipper, or Sentry to track down and resolve.

5. Updating and Maintenance Overhead

Keeping React Native and its dependencies up to date can be a headache. Breaking changes, version mismatches, or third-party library issues are common. This is one of the reasons why Expo is such a great addition to your mobile stack.

“*When it comes to updating issues in React Native, Expo provides a simplified update process and offers over-the-air updates that eliminate the need for users to manually update the app through app stores. Deploying bug fixes and feature updating is much quicker.”*

Kornel Kwiatkowski, React Native Developer at Pagepro

6. Heavy Reliance on Third-Party Libraries

React Native’s strength lies in its ecosystem, but that can open you up to some risks. Many features depend on third-party libraries, and if those libraries become outdated or unsupported, it can introduce bugs or compatibility issues during updates.

7. Larger App Sizes

React Native apps can be larger than native apps since they include the JavaScript runtime and other dependencies, which can affect users who own low-end devices or are on slow networks.

8. Occasional Compatibility Issues

Code reuse between platforms can sometimes backfire, especially when working with platform-specific features like push notifications, deep linking, or native UI components.

When You Should Not Use React Native

You need top-tier performance – Compared to native solutions, React Native may fall short in apps that require very fast, low-latency processing.
Deep native integrations are a core requirement – Apps that depend on platform-specific APIs (e.g. Bluetooth, advanced sensors, background services) are often better suited to fully native development.
The app must support brand-new OS features immediately – React Native doesn’t always support the latest iOS or Android features out of the box, so native development is safer when early adoption is important
App’s size must be small – Because of its runtime and dependencies, React Native might result in larger binaries, which can be problematic for low-end devices or data-sensitive users.
Your project relies heavily on complex visuals – If your product design depends on UI and platform-native look and feel, especially when it comes to animations, native tools offer more precise rendering and flexibility.

React Native Pros and Cons Summary

Since you got this far, here’s a quick sum-up of React Native pros and cons:

Business Benefits	Developer Benefits	React Native Limitations
Lower costs and faster MVP delivery	Fast iteration with hot reloading	Slower performance vs. fully native
One codebase for iOS and Android	Reusable components and UI primitives	Not ideal for complex animations or visuals
Shorter time-to-market	OTA updates and Expo ecosystem	Limited native API access without bridges
Easier hiring and team scaling	Familiar for React/JS developers	Dependency on third-party libraries
Native-like user experience	Access to native modules	Larger app bundle sizes
Flexibility for testing and prototyping	Strong community and support	Occasional compatibility or debugging issues

React Native Pros and Cons for Cross-Platform App Development

React Native development remains a strong option for mobile apps in 2025. The framework is tailor-made for businesses looking to launch faster, test ideas quickly, and reduce development costs. What’s more, its shared codebase, active ecosystem, and near-native performance make it ideal for building high-quality apps across platforms.

That said, it’s not always the best fit for highly complex, animation-heavy, or deeply integrated native applications. The right decision depends on your goals, team skills, and the app’s technical needs.

When it comes to React Native pros and cons, there isn’t one solution to fit all applications. If you’re unsure whether React Native is the right choice, our team at Pagepro is happy to help. We’ve delivered everything from MVPs to cross-platform apps, so feel free to get in touch for advice.

Kickstart your project with React Native experts - contact us.

Sources

FAQ

What Are The Main Advantages Of React Native?

React Native lets you build for both iOS and Android using a single codebase. This makes development much faster and reduces potential costs. If you’re familiar with React, you’ll have little problems

Additionally, the framework supports fast iteration through hot reloading, offers access to native APIs , and has a strong ecosystem with tools like Expo and OTA updates. Its learning curve is also gentle for teams already using React.

What Are The Disadvantages Of React Native?

While it’s very versatile, React Native still has limitations. Performance doesn’t always reach the level of native apps, especially for animation-heavy or complex tasks. Some native features aren’t accessible without custom bridges, and debugging can be more complex. There’s also a reliance on third-party libraries and the potential for larger app bundle sizes.

Is React Native Still Relevant In 2025?

React Native is very relevant in 2025, thanks to the support of its active community and the parent company Meta. The framework continues to improve, with updates like version 0.80 adding React 19 support and freezing the old architecture.

Who Uses React Native?

Popular apps like Facebook, Instagram, Bluesky, Amazon, Discord, Uber Eats, Walmart, Shopify, and Airbnb all use React Native in some way. It’s also been used by Pagepro clients like Payhip and Learn Squared to launch MVPs and explore new markets.

Is React Native Good for MVP Development?

Yes, React Native is a great choice for MVPs thanks to its fast build cycles, code reusability, and the ability to launch on both iOS and Android at once. It helps teams validate ideas quickly and cost-effectively.

What Is React Native Best For?

React Native works best for cross-platform mobile apps that need to be built quickly, updated often, and delivered with a native-like experience. It’s ideal for social apps, marketplaces, e-commerce platforms, travel services, and even IoT interfaces.

Can React Native Handle Complex Apps?

It depends. React Native handles many complex features well, especially with the help of native modules and libraries, but apps featuring intensive animations, advanced graphics, or deep hardware integrations might be better suited to native development.

How to Lower Vercel Hosting Costs by 35%

Chris Lojniewski — Mon, 16 Jun 2025 12:33:25 +0000

High Vercel Hosting Costs? Check the Code

When it comes to hosting Next.js apps for SaaS, few other solutions are as comfortable and performant as Vercel. However, Vercel hosting costs can still increase quite fast, especially at production scale.

If your first thought is to blame Vercel for this, it would be wrong. The company has recently implemented numerous changes, which have helped cut costs across its services for thousands of users, but even that might not be enough if your code is to blame.

In our recent project, we worked with a SaaS platform struggling to keep its hosting budget under control. Despite having a relatively lean app, their monthly Vercel invoice kept growing. After a full audit, we discovered numerous optimization issues in their setup and, by addressing them, reduced the client’s Vercel costs by 35%, increased traffic capacity by 1.5×, and reduced build time by 40%.

Today, we’ll use the experience gained from working on that project to show you four easy ways you can optimize your code.

First, let’s see what exactly you are paying for when using Vercel.

How Much Does Vercel Hosting Cost?

However, the problems start when your app gets hit with a sudden growth. Even the best-prepared teams might not anticipate how variable usage changes, like function execution and bandwidth, can add up behind the scenes.

Source: Vercel Pricing in June 2025

Vercel offers three separate tiers for its users:

Hobby, a generous free tier for small personal projects or developers starting a new web app.
Pro, a $20/month + additional usage, which works best for professional projects and businesses.
Enterprise, an option that gives everything your advanced project needs. Unlike the two other options, it tends to have custom pricing, depending on your needs and usage.

Vercel Tiers Comparison

Each of Vercel’s tiers offers great features and developer experience depending on your needs. When deploying a web application, you should keep in mind its limitations:

Feature	Hobby Plan (Free)	Pro Tier ($20/user/mo)	Enterprise Plan (Custom Pricing)
Function Execution Limits	100 GB-hours	1 TB-hours	Custom (typically higher)
Bandwidth	100 GB	1 TB	Custom (e.g., 5TB+)
Build Execution	600 minutes/month	1,000 minutes/month	Custom (up to unlimited)
Team Seats	1 user	$20 per additional user	Negotiated
Analytics & Monitoring	Basic	Enhanced	Full observability + integrations
SLAs & Support	None	Community support	Custom SLAs, dedicated support

Vercel pricing features as of June 2025

When Should You Commit to the Enterprise Plan?

This is a question we hear often, especially when comparing Pro vs Enterprise.

If you find yourself going over usage limits of Vercel Pro, it might be worth checking if you won’t be better off upgrading, rather than paying overcharges. Alternatively, those who need better security solutions could pick Vercel Enterprise because it supports SOC 2, ISO 27001, and HIPAA data policies, and includes features like Single Sign-On (SSO), role-based access control, private networking, and dedicated infrastructure.

Many dev teams upgrade their plan, only to find they’re now paying more to scale inefficiencies that remain in their apps. While the Enterprise Plan includes many advanced features, more security, and customer support, it’s not the best solution for every team. If you want to start saving on Vercel hosting costs quickly, your best option is to first look into your code and see if there aren’t any opportunities there.

Looking for Savings in Your Vercel Set Up? Contact Us.

Where to Start Optimizing Your Vercel Hosting Costs

Do an Architectural Audit

Before making any changes, take a step back and audit how your app is structured. For our client, we began by analyzing their deployment architecture, how routes were handled, where serverless functions were triggered, and how often they were executed.

Using Vercel’s built-in analytics alongside our own monitoring tools, we were able to identify inefficiencies that weren’t visible from the code alone, like bottlenecks affecting execution time or data transfer.

Identify Cost Drains

Once the big picture was clear, we drilled into the specifics. Where was bandwidth being consumed most? Which pages relied too heavily on SSR? Which API routes were generating the most function invocations?

Answering these questions helped us isolate the most expensive parts of the app, often things the client didn’t even realize were driving costs.

Begin Targeted Optimizations

With the data in hand, we prioritized quick wins. We replaced unnecessary SSR with SSG and ISR, adjusted or added some caching for API responses, and slimmed down bloated bundles.

Four Optimizations That Helped Our Client Save 35% on Vercel hosting costs

Optimization 1: Monitor Your Vercel Setup

Aside from the rising cost, one of the biggest issues our client’s team had was the lack of visibility into the cost drivers. To help them get a better view of their app, we used Vercel’s analytics to get insights into function invocations, build times, and bandwidth usage.

Immediately, we were able to find areas for improvement and showed our client what exactly was affecting their costs. Knowing where the problems lay helped find optimal solutions and made the client’s team aware of what to pay attention to in the future.

Optimization 2: Replace SSR with SSG and ISR Where Needed

Many SaaS teams use SSR for all dynamic content by default. That’s understandable, since it feels like the most flexible solution. But SSR triggers serverless functions on every request, even for data that rarely changes.

In this project, we started with a full audit of all dynamic routes. We found that many pages could be served statically or semi-statically. For marketing pages and documentation, we switched to SSG. For user dashboards with semi-frequent updates, we used Incremental Static Regeneration (ISR) with refresh intervals based on how often the data actually changed.

We also made sure fallback behavior and cache invalidation were configured correctly to avoid stale data.

Get Next.js Vercel Cost Optimization Guide

Optimization 3: Cut Down on Function Invocations

SSR wasn’t the only thing influencing the bills in this project. Several client-side components in the app were making repeated fetches for unchanged data. It was happening particularly often on route transitions or periodic refreshes.

To stop this loop, we introduced SWR (stale-while-revalidate) on the frontend to cache requests. On the backend, we added caching for frequently accessed API responses to reduce redundant processing and improve response times.

These changes reduced the number of daily invocations, which helped to save hundreds of dollars per month and reduce the load on our client’s backend services.

Optimization 4: Slim Down Your Bundle & Build

Our client’s app was using a few heavy dependencies unnecessarily and bundling entire icon libraries when it only needed a few icons. Bloated JavaScript bundles increase build times and hosting costs, so changes had to be implemented immediately.

We ran a full bundle analysis using @next/bundle-analyzer. Based on the output, we removed unused packages, swapped out heavier libraries for native alternatives, and deferred rendering of complex components using dynamic imports. We also used image optimization to increase performance where possible.

With those changes, we managed to drop the build time by 40% and improved perceived app speed for users thanks to a smaller initial JS payload.

Results

Source: Our client’s Vercel billing

Our client’s project launched in a controlled beta in December 2024. Since implementing our optimizations, they have seen several notable improvements:

Their monthly Vercel costs dropped by 35%.
By streamlining builds, we managed to reduce their deployment times by 40%.
The platform now handles 1.5x the user traffic without additional costs.
The cost monitoring dashboard helped our client’s team manage usage proactively.

READ THE FULL CASE STUDY

Vercel uses a pay-as-you-go pricing structure, which means you pay for only the services you really use. Their recent changes to the pricing model (like introducing Fluid Compute) helped users to lower the costs even more.

The project is constantly being improved, based on the usage data and user feedback, which has been positive so far. The users reported faster load times and no disruptions during peak usage. We continue to support the client, making sure the platform stays optimal.

Optimize Vercel Now, Scale Without Surprises Later

Deploying the Next.js app on Vercel doesn’t have to mean breaking the bank. It’s a comprehensive solution that works perfectly well for Next.js apps and offers excellent built-in functions, like its analytics tools.

While some code inefficiencies can raise your bills on Vercel, you don’t need to spend months fixing them. T*he solutions we offered for our clients didn’t require huge changes to their architecture*, but resulted in real improvements and savings.

If you’re spending over $1,500/month on Vercel and haven’t yet looked into optimizations like this, you’re almost certainly overpaying for features you might not need.

We can fix it in two weeks.

Book a free 30-minute cost audit now and see what can be done to help you save money on hosting.

Start Saving on Vercel Now

Book Free Consultation

FAQ

How Much Does Vercel Cost?

It varies. With Pro Plan, you’ll be paying $20 + additional usage per month, but unoptimized SaaS apps often end up spending far more than expected. Enterprise Plan allows for more customized, but not always lower, pricing.

Is Vercel Enterprise Worth It?

It can be, if you’ve already optimized your setup, hit the Pro Plan limits, or need SLAs or dedicated infrastructure. Otherwise, try optimizing your current setup on the Pro first.

Can Next.js Apps Be Cheaper to Host Elsewhere?

They can be under some circumstances. If you’re primarily using static content or want full control over costs, self-hosting or different hosting platforms like Cloudflare, Netlify, or AWS can be more affordable. However, that solution requires more technical expertise and prevents you from enjoying many of Vercel’s built-in functions.

Is Vercel Free?

Vercel Hobby Plan is a free option for those who work on small projects, or are experimenting. While it’s limited, Vercel provides a generous set of features that make it worthwhile.

What’s the Fastest Way to Reduce My Vercel Hosting Costs?

To optimize Vercel costs, replace unnecessary SSR with ISR and SSG, minimize bundle sizes, and add monitoring to spot cost spikes early.