# When to choose DatoCMS over Strapi?

Our customers prefer DatoCMS for its convenient scalability, unrivaled developer experience, and clean editing interface.

## DatoCMS vs. Strapi: How we're different

DatoCMS is built for SMEs and Agencies that want a **hassle-free jump to headless**. The SaaS, plug-and-play simplicity **provide** **devs with just what they need**, and no excess baggage.

Strapi is a good option for tech-savvy users that need an **open-source, self-hosted CMS** solution, albeit with the downsides of **slow setup and heavy-load maintenance.**

## At a glance comparison

### Who is it for

**DatoCMS:** Perfect for **SMBs and agencies** on the hunt for a no-sweat, cloud CMS. It's got all the goodies you need for your digital gigs.

**Strapi:** Aimedat **developers and tech-savvy users** looking for an open-source, self-hosted CMS, despite the potential complexities - though a cloud version has recently been introduced.

### Pricing

**DatoCMS:** **Predictable and affordable pricing**, ensuring no hidden costs catch you off guard. Test drive any feature with a free tier before making a decision.

**Strapi:** Self-hosting option offers either a Free or Enterprise tier with **no intermediate solutions**. Strapi Cloud's trial period is time-constrained, which might be **too limited for a thorough evaluation**.

### Setup and maintenance

**DatoCMS:** **Pure cloud** service, so your team can get on board and dive into project delivery with an **ideal setup from the get-go**.

**Strapi:** The core product being self-hosted implies a **noticeable ramp-up time** for setup and configuration before any real progress on a project can begin.

**DatoCMS:** **Automatic updates** keep your system up-to-date effortlessly, and you've got the option to review updates that may cause disruptions before they go live.

**Strapi:** Upgrading to new versions necessitates **manual intervention**, potentially introducing new API versions that carry the risk of **breaking changes**.

**DatoCMS:** One **central hub and app** to handle every aspect of your content.

**Strapi:** The extensive usage of **plugins and configurations** to operate the CMS can lead to unnecessary complexity and frustration.

### Developer experience

**DatoCMS:** Centers on offering a **true headless CMS solution**, with a significant focus on robust content delivery through APIs.

**Strapi:** Offer a **holistic approach** with capabilities such as user authentication and management, which may be **overkill** for projects that require simplicity over complexity.

**DatoCMS:** [**Native GraphQL APIs**](https://www.datocms.com/features/headless-cms-graphql.md) built to tackle even the most complex queries, providing your front-end with just the essential data.

**Strapi:** Native REST Content API, but **relegates GraphQL to a plugin**, resulting in more limited support. Allows developers to customize the backend code and the API responses.

**DatoCMS:** Promptly see the impact of any **changes made to the data model** with[Preview Environments](https://www.datocms.com/docs/scripting-migrations/introduction.md#whats-an-environment).

**Strapi:** No built-in tools for previewing, migrating, or deploying data changes across various environments, placing an **unnecessary burden on developers**.

**DatoCMS:** The [Images API](https://www.datocms.com/features/images-api.md)comes out-of-the-box with **automatically optimized outputs** and **150+** powerful transformation options.

**Strapi:** Offers **limited image handling** capabilities via unofficial plugins.

**DatoCMS:** [**Native video streaming**](https://www.datocms.com/features/video-api.md) that's easy on the wallet, with adaptive outputs for any device.

**Strapi:** You'll have to **build video streaming** from scratch, or wrangle by integrating a 3rd-party provider.

### Content Modeling

**DatoCMS:** Take advantage of [no-code content modeling](https://www.datocms.com/features/dynamic-layouts.md) to **build your models quickly and iterate** faster than ever.

**Strapi:** Users contend with a **stiff visual builder**, and while JavaScript schema modifications offer more autonomy, the trade-off in **time and technical demands** could be discouraging.

**DatoCMS:** Craft a **personalized content navigation** with drag-and-drop reordering, tree-like collections, single instance models, and emojis as well! 🎉

**Strapi:** The **flat content navigation** system leads to a needlessly convoluted experience when trying to find and access content.

### Editor Experience

**DatoCMS:** A **clean and inviting editing UI** that welcomes users of all roles to contribute immediately, equipped with structured text fields for **polished copywriting** and **embeddable components**.

**Strapi:** With its **complex and rigid editing UI**, plus no way to use components in rich-text fields, the platform **makes content editing harder** than it should be.

**DatoCMS:** Secure a worry-free editing environment with 40+ native **field validations**, side-by-side **draft previews**, and **versioning**.

**Strapi:** It offers **fewer validations** and a **simplified draft system** limited to unpublished content, with **no content history**.

**DatoCMS:** Optimize your global reach with **native localization capabilities**, featuring detailed per-field settings, locale-driven publishing, and translator-specific roles.

**Strapi:** Localization requires **yet another plugin**, and comes with more limited functionalities.

### Governance

**DatoCMS:** **Fine-grained permissions** designed to accommodate the needs of any project, offering the flexibility of **custom roles with all paid plans**.

**Strapi:** The platform offers custom roles and permissions **only on the Enterprise Edition**, and lacks **fine-tuned control**.

### Performance & Scalability

**DatoCMS:** As a SaaS backend service, DatoCMS manages scalability, **so developers can concentrate on the Frontend and UX**.

**Strapi:** Scalability hinges on the backend's web and database servers, **placing a burden on your IT** or forcing reliance on **expensive hosting services**.

### Support

**DatoCMS:** **Small but tight team of friendly experts** to help every customer get the most out of the product.

**Strapi:** To get any **real-time support**, you need to shell out for **Enterprise** - with the Community Edition, you're stuck with documentation and forum help.

## Three reasons to consider DatoCMS

1.  Lightning-fast performance
    
    With a global CDN and optimized media delivery, your projects get an impressive boost in speed, plus improved SEO rankings and user engagement. It’s what your projects need to match the swift pace of today’s web.
    
2.  Delightful developer experience
    
    We’ve designed DatoCMS as a flexible platform to build precisely what you need. Our native GraphQL API and visual content modeling give you the freedom to build a content infrastructure that adapts to any scenario.
    
3.  A perfect blend of easy and powerful
    
    Our editing interface feels like a friendly wave from Wordpress, but with more power under the hood. Get creative with features like Blocks and Modular Content for a no-fuss, no-code page building experience that still packs a serious punch.