Headless CMS Showdown: WordPress vs. Webflow vs. Contentful

Explore the different headless CMS setups – Webflow, Contentful, and WordPress. Learn which platform supports your content strategy and scalability.

Businesses these days are looking for speed, flexibility, and omnichannel delivery to keep up with an ever-dynamic marketplace. As you can see, traditional Content Management Systems (CMS) often fall short, unable to adapt to the growing demands of modern platforms, mobile experiences, and third-party integrations. That’s where headless CMS transforms the landscape. 

This decoupled approach allows developers to build seamless, high-performance user experiences, while the content team works independently without disrupting code. Unlike conventional CMS platforms that bind content tightly to a single presentation layer, headless separates the backend content repository from the frontend display. 

Put simply, content is managed in one place and delivered anywhere via APIs (Application Programming Interfaces), whether it’s a website, app, or any digital channel. As digital touchpoints multiply and customer expectations grow, choosing the best headless CMS is becoming the standard in many industries.

Key Takeaways

• The global headless CMS market size is expected to grow from $973.8 million to $7,113.6 million by 2035. [Future Market Insights]
• Webflow, Contentful, and WordPress are among the most popular headless CMS options.
• Choosing the right CMS depends on your team’s technical skills, scalability needs, and content goals.
• WordPress stands out for content-rich sites and eCommerce functionalities, especially when paired with expert website design and development services.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Key Takeaways

How Businesses Should Choose the Right Headless CMS

Webflow

Contentful

WordPress

Webflow vs. Contentful vs. WordPress: A Comprehensive Comparison

Conclusion

FAQs About Headless CMS

How Businesses Should Choose the Right Headless CMS

Choosing the right headless CMS requires careful evaluation of your business goals, technical capabilities, and content delivery needs. Several platforms offer free tiers with user-friendly interfaces, but they may come with limitations that could hinder your growth. Meanwhile, some CMS require developer expertise, but scalability for your business is endless. 

To help you find the best headless CMS, we break down three of the most popular CMS that offer flexibility, performance, and future-proof content management.

Webflow

Webflow is a powerful no-code web development platform that enables users and developers to design, build, and launch responsive websites visually. It features the functionality of a website builder with CMS capabilities, making it ideal for designers and developers alike.

Source: W3techs

Key Features

• Visual drag-and-drop editor;
• Responsive design tools;
• Built-in CMS for dynamic content;
• E-commerce functionality;
• Hosting and performance optimization, and
• Custom animations and interactions.

Moreover, its visual editor is intuitive for designers but can be complex for beginners as it requires some understanding of web design principles. While no coding is needed, implementing interactions and dynamic content takes time and practice.

Pricing

Webflow offers a free Starter package for beginners. But you can start with $14 monthly for their Site Plans, which include hosting, 1,000 CMS items, and basic analytics. Their eCommerce Plan starts at $29 monthly for the Standard plan and up to $212 monthly for businesses wanting to scale up.

Higher plans unlock more features like form submissions, password-protected sites, and e-commerce capabilities.

Best Use Cases

Overall, Webflow is ideal for web designers, agencies, and startups looking to build visually stunning, responsive websites without relying heavily on developers. Also, this type of CMS is best suited for marketing sites, portfolios, and lightweight eCommerce stores.

Contentful

Contentful is a leading headless CMS designed to manage content independently from the presentation. Its API-first architecture enables seamless integration across multiple platforms ( including websites, mobile apps, and IoT devices), making it perfect for large-scale, omnichannel content strategies.

Source: 6sense

Key Features

• Headless CMS with API-first approach;
• Content modeling and reusable components;
• Multi-environment and team collaboration;
• Global CDN and localization support;
• Integrates with modern frontends and frameworks, and
• Real-time content previews.

This platform is primarily designed for web developers and technical teams, meaning it has a steep learning curve. Content creators can use the interface easily once set up, but initial configuration and integration require developer expertise.

Pricing

Contentful also offers a free plan for those who are learning and exploring the platform. For smaller businesses managing a single project, you can start at $300 per month. They also offer custom packages for building scaled digital experiences with advanced security and reliability.

Additional costs may arise from integrations and custom development.  

Best Use Cases

To sum up, Contentful is ideal for large enterprises and development teams needing a centralized, API-driven content hub that powers multiple platforms across global markets. This includes websites, apps, IoT devices, and chatbots.

WordPress

Headless WordPress is the most widely used content management system in the world. Known for its flexibility and vast ecosystem, it empowers users to create blogs, business websites, and full-featured online stores. With thousands of themes and plugins, it’s suitable for both beginners and advanced developers.

Source: WordPress

Key Features

• Open-source and highly customizable;
• Thousands of themes and plugins;
• Built-in blogging and SEO tools;
• WooCommerce for e-commerce;
• Multilingual and multisite support, and
• Large community and extensive documentation.

WordPress is beginner-friendly, especially with page builders like Elementor or Gutenberg. Managing updates, plugins, and themes can become complex over time, particularly for non-technical users. 

Fortunately, an experienced WordPress web design and development team can handle technical tasks, optimize performance, and ensure your website stays secure and up-to-date.

Pricing

WordPress is free, but hosting, themes, plugins, and maintenance add to the cost. Premium tools and developer support can increase expenses significantly depending on complexity.  

Best Use Cases

This platform is perfect for those who are seeking for an easy-to-use, flexible CMS with thousands of templates and plugins available off the shelf. WordPress is popular among bloggers, small businesses, and eCommerce stores using WooCommerce.

Webflow vs. Contentful vs. WordPress: A Comprehensive Comparison

Webflow offers a hybrid solution, primarily a visual website builder with CMS capabilities that can function as headless through its REST API (Representational State Transfer Application Programming Interface). While it’s user-friendly, its API functionality is limited and lacks advanced content modeling capabilities. That’s why it’s only suited for smaller-scale projects.

Contentful, on the other hand, is a true headless CMS designed from the ground up for scalability, developer control, and omnichannel content delivery. However, non-technical users may find the interface less intuitive and more reliant on technical setup.

WordPress, although traditionally a monolithic CMS, can be used headlessly by leveraging its REST API or plugins like WPGraphQL. This makes it a flexible option for users already familiar with the WordPress ecosystem or those needing a cost-effective solution for blogs, SEO, or e-commerce using WooCommerce.

A Final Thought

Each platform offers unique strengths when used as a headless CMS. Making the best choice highly depends on your business needs and technical capabilities. Whether your priority is design flexibility, an enterprise-level headless solution, or scalability within a familiar ecosystem, each platform serves a distinct purpose.

But if you’re looking for a robust ecosystem, built-in SEO advantages, and an extensive plugin library, WordPress remains a top choice, especially for content-rich websites or e-commerce. With expert WordPress website design and development, you can benefit from its full potential for long-term scalability and performance.

FAQs About Headless CMS

Which platform is suitable for beginners?

WordPress is the most beginner-friendly due to its intuitive dashboard, vast plugin ecosystem, and extensive community support, making it ideal for those with limited technical experience.

Can I build an online store with these platforms?

Yes. Webflow supports basic e-commerce. Contentful integrates with external storefronts but doesn’t provide native shopping cart functionality. WordPress offers robust options via WooCommerce.

Do I need a developer to use these platforms?

While these platforms have no-code tools, advanced features often require a developer, especially for setup and integration. Contact our experts for a strategy call.

About Adam Tan

Adam is a charming geek who loves his family's Siberian Husky, enjoys the occasional night out with friends and, most of all, lives and breathes new trends and updates about the web and its technicalities. If you want to stay updated with changes or new trends on the web or learn about the technicalities that are involved, he's your guy. He's capable of writing cheesy stuff as well, but he'd rather stick with the manly stuff.

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