If you're like me, always looking for the cleanest DX, tight control over content modeling, and a CMS that won’t make you pull your hair out, then this blog’s for you. I’ve worked with most of these CMSes across various freelance gigs and side projects, and each one comes with its own flavor, quirks, and superpowers.

Here’s a breakdown of seven solid headless CMS platforms, Strapi, Sanity, KeystoneJS, Payload CMS, DatoCMS, Ghost, and TinaCMS, with a lens on performance, developer experience, and where they shine best. I’ve kept it as real as possible, with numbers, code, and honest opinions.

1. Strapi

Strapi is a full-featured open-source CMS built on Node.js. It lets you define content types using a nice UI or extend them in code. You get REST and GraphQL APIs out of the box, decent role-based access control, and a plugin system for auth, uploads, and more. It stores data in SQL (SQLite, Postgres, MySQL), making it pretty flexible.

What I Like:

• Clean admin panel

• Easily extendable with plugins

• Good RBAC out of the box

Numbers:

• Avg. REST API response: 70ms

• Cold start on serverless: ~350ms

npx create-strapi-app my-project --quickstart

Use Case: Perfect for mid-sized projects that need an admin UI and customizable APIs.

2. Sanity

Sanity is a real-time, collaborative CMS that takes a structured approach to content. You define your content schema in JavaScript/TypeScript and use GROQ (Graph-Relational Object Queries) to fetch exactly what you want. Sanity Studio is a full React app you can customize or extend, and real-time syncing is baked in.

What I Like:

• Real-time collab is 🔥

• Portable text format is versatile

• Sanity Studio is React-based and super extensible

Numbers:

• GROQ query (nested doc): ~60ms

• Real-time sync: <100ms

export default {
  name: 'post',
  type: 'document',
  title: 'Post',
  fields: [
    { name: 'title', type: 'string' },
    { name: 'body', type: 'text' }
  ]
}

Use Case: Structured content-heavy projects, especially when your frontend is React/Next.js.

3. KeystoneJS

KeystoneJS is a modern backend and CMS framework powered by Node.js and Prisma. You define your schema in code, and it generates a GraphQL API, admin UI, and hooks. Its field-level access control and custom input types make it super extensible.

What I Like:

• Built-in GraphQL API

• Prisma for DB handling

• Hooks and access control baked in

Numbers:

• GraphQL query (with relations): \~80ms

• Build time (50 models): \~10s
  
  

  export const lists = {
    Post: list({
      fields: {
        title: text(),
        content: textarea(),
        author: relationship({ ref: 'User.posts' })
      }
    })
  };

Use Case: Projects where you want CMS + backend custom logic in one place.

4. Payload CMS

Payload is a TypeScript-first, self-hosted CMS that gives you complete control via config files. It’s code-first, with no auto-generated stuff you can’t override. It supports custom authentication, access control, media handling, and integrates smoothly into full-stack apps.

What I Like:

• Full TypeScript support

• Custom auth, media handling

• Local file uploads just work

Numbers:

• Protected REST route: \~75ms

• Docker cold start: 8s
  
  

  const config = buildConfig({
    collections: [
      {
        slug: 'posts',
        fields: [
          { name: 'title', type: 'text' },
          { name: 'content', type: 'richText' }
        ]
      }
    ]
  });

Use Case: Ideal if you're building a full product with custom APIs, auth, media, and don’t want a black box CMS.

5. DatoCMS

DatoCMS is a SaaS CMS that offers a GraphQL API, optimized media handling, and built-in CDN delivery. It’s ideal for large content teams thanks to modular content modeling, granular roles/permissions, and automated webhooks for static site generation workflows.

What I Like:

• GraphQL API is blazing fast

• Modular content modeling is intuitive

• Built-in CDN + media support

Numbers:

• 10k entries (Next.js build): \~35s

• GraphQL API latency: 40-60ms

Use Case: Content-heavy Jamstack sites at scale.

6. Ghost

Ghost is a Node.js-powered CMS built for publishers, bloggers, and indie writers. It's focused on speed, SEO, and ease of use, with built-in membership, newsletter, and monetization tools. Markdown editing is clean and fast.

What I Like:

• Lightweight and fast

• Markdown editor is smooth

• Membership + newsletter support

Numbers:

• Avg. TTFB for blog post: \~45ms

• Pro plan email cap: 50k/month

Use Case: Publishing platforms, personal blogs, editorial teams.

7. TinaCMS

TinaCMS brings visual editing to Git-backed static sites. It integrates directly with markdown or MDX content and gives content editors a live-editing UI during development or in production with authentication. It works great with Next.js, Hugo, and similar SSGs.

What I Like:

• Real-time content editing in dev

• Git-backed by default

• Integrates beautifully with MDX

Numbers:

• Git content sync + live preview: \~1.5s

• Bundle size overhead: \~200kb

Use Case: Next.js/Hugo devs building content sites with Git as source of truth.

Quick Comparison Table

Final Thoughts

There’s no one-size-fits-all. My go-to picks lately have been Payload for self-hosted client work, Sanity when I need structured content, and Ghost when I just want to hit publish and chill.

If you’re still torn, pick based on how much control you want:

• Want everything in code? → Payload, Keystone

• Need live collaboration + structure? → Sanity

• Fast build times for static sites? → DatoCMS, TinaCMS

• Blogging/publishing? → Ghost

Bonus tip: If you're building a SaaS or something that needs heavy auth/media/custom logic, skip the hosted CMSes and go straight to Payload or Keystone. You'll thank yourself later.

Have questions or want help choosing for your use case? Hit us up.