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Headless CMS with Strapi & Next.js — fast editor, fast site

We build headless CMS setups with Strapi and Next.js — a content model your editors actually enjoy, feeding a front end that loads instantly. Open source, self-hosted, and yours, with no per-entry SaaS tax.

Strapi
open source, self-hosted
Next.js
instant static front end
Modelled
around how you think

A CMS your editors hate is a CMS they route around.

The real work in a headless build is not plumbing the API — it is modelling content around how your team actually thinks, so editing feels obvious instead of like fighting a form. Get that right and Strapi gives editors a fast admin while Next.js gives visitors a fast site. You do not have to trade one for the other.

What we build

The parts that decide whether it works.

Strapi setup & modelling

Content types, relations, components, dynamic zones, localisation and roles — designed around your content, so the admin feels obvious to use.

Next.js front end

A statically-rendered or edge front end that pulls from Strapi at build or request time — the site loads instantly, the editor stays fast.

Content migration

Scripted migration from WordPress or another CMS — fields mapped, URLs and redirects preserved so your SEO survives, tested in staging first.

Hosting & CI

Self-hosted Strapi plus a static or edge host for the front end, wired to CI — often cheaper than a comparable SaaS CMS, with the run cost laid out.

How we work

Scoped, shipped weekly, handed over clean.

01

Model the content

We map how your team thinks about content and design the model around it — with a fixed estimate before any build.

02

Build both ends

Strapi admin and the Next.js front end shipped weekly in a live environment, so editors and stakeholders test the real thing.

03

Migrate & hand over

Content migrated, redirects preserved, hosting and CI set up, and readable code your team can own — with support after launch.

Where it fits

What teams hire us to build.

  • Marketing site with a fast editor and fast pages
  • Content model for a product with complex relations
  • Migrating off WordPress to a headless stack
  • Multi-language site with localisation
  • One CMS feeding a website and an app
  • Editorial or docs site that needs real speed
Compared

Strapi vs Contentful vs Sanity vs WordPress (headless)

Duskel / StrapiContentfulSanityWordPress (headless)
Hosting & data ownershipOpen source, self-hosted on your own server — the content and the database are yours, full stopTheir SaaS cloud only; your content lives on their infrastructure under their termsHosted content lake on their cloud, with an open-source editor you runSelf-hosted like always — you already own the box and the database
Cost modelA flat server bill — no per-entry, per-seat or per-API-call tax as you growPriced per seat and per API call; the bill climbs with your traffic and your teamGenerous free tier, then priced per user and per API request above itFree core, but you pay in plugins and the maintenance they drag along
CustomisationFull code access — custom fields, plugins, admin logic and lifecycle hooks in real NodeConfigurable within their model; you work inside the box they give youVery flexible schema-as-code, but on their query language and their studioEndless plugins, but bending the data model past blog posts gets ugly fast
Developer experienceNode & REST/GraphQL out of the box, TypeScript types, pairs cleanly with any modern front endPolished SDKs and docs, but you build around their opinions, not yoursStrong tooling and real-time editing; the learning curve is steeper than it looksFamiliar to WP teams, but the REST/GraphQL layer is bolted on, not native
Best forTeams who want a real content model, own their data, and pay a flat billEnterprises happy to pay for a managed cloud and hands-off opsStructured-content teams who want schema-as-code and live collaborationSites whose editors refuse to leave WordPress but want a fast front end
What it costs

What a Strapi headless build costs

Starter Strapi build
from $3k
2–3 weeks

A self-hosted Strapi instance with a modelled content type set, roles and a clean API — ready for your team to write into and your front end to read from. The honest way to start a headless stack.

Full CMS + front end
from $8k
4–8 weeks

Strapi modelled properly plus a Next.js, Astro or Nuxt front end, content migration off your old CMS with redirects preserved, hosting and CI wired up. The whole thing, both ends, shipped and handed over.

Ongoing / managed
let's talk
ongoing

We host, update and watch Strapi and the front end, add content types as your product grows, and stay on a retainer. For teams who want the stack running without owning the upkeep — no lock-in, you keep the code.

Typical ranges, not a fixed menu — the content model and the migration are where the real work hides. You get a fixed quote before any code.

Questions

What clients ask before we start.

What is a headless CMS and why Strapi?

A headless CMS manages content and serves it over an API, leaving the front end entirely up to you. Strapi is open source and self-hostable, so your content and data stay yours with no per-entry SaaS tax, and its content modelling is flexible enough for real products rather than just blog posts.

Why pair Strapi with Next.js?

Strapi gives editors a fast, friendly admin; Next.js gives visitors a fast, statically-rendered site that pulls from Strapi at build or request time. Editors get an interface they will actually use, users get a site that loads instantly — you do not have to trade one for the other.

Can you model complex content, not just blog posts?

Yes — that is the real work. Relations, components, repeatable and dynamic zones, localisation, and roles for who can edit what. We design the content model around how your team actually thinks about the content, so editing feels obvious instead of like fighting a form.

Can we migrate off WordPress or another CMS?

Yes. We script the migration of your existing content into Strapi's model, map the fields, preserve URLs and redirects so you keep your SEO, and run it in staging until it is right before anything goes live.

Who hosts it and what does that cost?

You do, on your own infrastructure — a modest server for Strapi plus a static or edge host for the Next.js front end, often cheaper than a comparable SaaS CMS. We set up the hosting and CI, and lay out the run cost before you commit.

Strapi or WordPress — which should we use for a headless CMS?

If WordPress is already your editors' home and you mostly publish posts and pages, headless WordPress is the pragmatic call — keep the editor they know, put a fast front end on top. Strapi wins when the content is more than articles: relations, components, repeatable structures, several content types feeding a website and an app at once. Strapi was built API-first, so the data model is native rather than bolted on. We will tell you honestly which side of that line your project sits on.

Should we self-host Strapi or use Strapi Cloud?

Self-hosted, in most cases, and it is why we reach for Strapi in the first place — your content and database stay on your own infrastructure, and you pay a flat server bill instead of a usage-based one. Strapi Cloud is a fine, low-effort way to get running if you would rather not touch a server, but for anything you rely on we set up self-hosting with CI so it is not a thing you babysit. Either way the code is yours and you can move between the two later.

Which front-end framework do you build the Strapi front end on?

Next.js is our default — mature, great static and server rendering, and it pairs with Strapi cleanly. Astro is the pick when the site is content-heavy and mostly static, because it ships almost no JavaScript and loads fast. Nuxt when your team lives in Vue. Strapi serves plain REST and GraphQL, so it does not care which one sits in front — we choose for your team and your content, not for whichever is trending this month.

Is Strapi production-ready, or is it a hobby tool?

It is production-ready — it runs real products at real scale, with roles and permissions, a proper plugin system, and REST and GraphQL APIs that hold up. The catch is that self-hosting means you own the hosting, updates and backups, which is exactly the part we set up so it is not left to chance. Treated like the real service it is — not left on a default install — Strapi is something you can build a business on.

Related services
WordPress development →MVP development →Shopify development →
Further reading
Strapi vs Directus comes down to who owns your database7 min read →Strapi alternatives that survive the second year7 min read →Strapi as a headless CMS, and the parts that bite in production7 min read →

Want a fast site without a CMS your editors dread?

Tell us how your team works with content. We will model a Strapi and Next.js setup around it.

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