En
A headless website keeps content (the CMS) separate from presentation (the front end). Genesis Digital Factory builds headless websites in Next.js or Astro on Sanity, Strapi, Contentful, Storyblok, Payload, Directus, Hygraph, DatoCMS, Kontent.ai, Ghost or WordPress headless. We recommend the CMS based on who edits the site, in how many languages, and what it will cost to run over time. For agencies, we deliver white label: fixed price per project, quote within 48 hours, kick-off within 72 hours.
A traditional CMS (WordPress, Webflow, Shopify) both stores content and renders pages. A headless CMS only manages content and serves it through an API (REST, GraphQL or GROQ), while a separate front end, usually Next.js or Astro, renders it. The same content can then feed a website, an app or an in-store screen.
The shift is real, but mostly on demanding projects. By volume, WordPress still runs 58% of websites with a known CMS (W3Techs, November 2026). Among the large organizations surveyed by WP Engine, 73% already use headless (State of Headless 2024, a vendor study covering the US, UK and Australia).
Pre-rendered pages served from a CDN load fast. The gain comes from the code you ship, not from the "headless" label, so we check Core Web Vitals before launch.
Structured content (products, offers, articles, FAQs) is reused across the website, apps, landing pages and email.
The admin is no longer exposed on the public site, and traffic peaks hit the CDN, not a database server.
Typed fields become JSON-LD and concise answers that Google, ChatGPT and Perplexity can use. AI agents already work inside headless CMSs. See our AEO and GEO pages for how we approach that.
For the bigger debate, read Headless and AI: The End of the CMS?
We say so before the quote. Stay on a traditional CMS when:
Headless replaces one subscription with several lines: CMS license, front-end hosting and code upkeep. We price the three-year total before recommending it.
Public entry prices taken from the vendors' official pricing pages on 11 November 2026, excluding tax and add-ons. They change: check them when you choose.
| CMS | Model | API | Visual editing | Public entry price* | Best for | At Genesis |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sanity | SaaS, open-source Studio | GROQ, GraphQL | Yes (Presentation, live preview) | Free · $15/seat/month | Highly structured content, real-time multi-user editing | Delivered |
| Strapi | Open source (MIT), self-hosted or Cloud | REST, GraphQL | Live preview (paid plan) | Free self-hosted · Cloud from $35/month | Keeping your data and your code | Delivered |
| Contentful | Enterprise SaaS | REST, GraphQL | Live preview, Studio (optional) | Free · paid plans on the pricing page | Large teams, multi-brand | Delivered |
| Storyblok | SaaS | REST (GraphQL on Premium plans) | Yes, visual block editor | Free · $99/month | Marketers who want to control layout | Delivered |
| Payload | Open source (MIT), TypeScript, built into Next.js | REST, GraphQL, local API | Live preview | Free (open source) | A site plus a custom app in a single codebase | Delivered |
| Directus | Source-available license, self-hosted or Cloud | REST, GraphQL on any SQL database | Data admin | Free under conditions · Cloud from $89/month | A back office on an existing database | Delivered |
| Hygraph | SaaS | Native GraphQL, API federation | Live preview | Free · $199/month | Combining several sources (PIM, commerce) | Delivered |
| DatoCMS | SaaS (EU) | GraphQL, REST | Yes, real-time preview | Free · €149/month | Image- and video-rich sites, multi-project agencies | Delivered |
| Kontent.ai | Enterprise SaaS | REST, GraphQL | Live preview, in-page editing | On request | Organisations with strict workflows and compliance | Delivered |
| Ghost | Open source (MIT) or Ghost(Pro) | REST (Content API) | Post editor | Free self-hosted · $18/month | Media, newsletters, memberships | Delivered |
| Prismic | SaaS | REST, GraphQL | Yes, slice-based page builder | Free · $10/month | Modular landing pages | We also integrate |
| Builder.io | SaaS | REST (Content API) | Yes, drag-and-drop on your components | Free · $24/user/month | Marketing pages on a React design system | We also integrate |
| Contentstack | Enterprise SaaS | Content API | Yes | Free · $29/month | Large composable brands | We also integrate |
| Agility CMS | SaaS | REST | Yes (Studio, sitemap plans) | $1,425/month (annual) | Multiple sites, support included | We also integrate |
| Umbraco | .NET (Heartcore SaaS) | REST, GraphQL | Umbraco back office | Heartcore from €60/month | Teams already on Umbraco | We also integrate |
| Optimizely CMS (SaaS) | Enterprise SaaS | GraphQL (Optimizely Graph) | Visual Builder | On request | Enterprises already on Optimizely | We also integrate |
| WordPress headless | Open source | REST, GraphQL (WPGraphQL) | WordPress editor | Free (plugin) | Keep the editor the team already knows | Delivered (with Next.js/React) |
| Webflow + API | SaaS | REST (Data API) | Webflow Designer | Webflow plans | A Webflow site plus an app alongside | We also integrate |
| Craft CMS | Self-hosted license | GraphQL | Live preview | Free (1 user) · $279/project | Custom editorial sites, multisite | We also integrate |
| Decap CMS | Open source (MIT), Git-based | Files in the repo | Preview | Free | A small static site with no database | We also integrate |
| TinaCMS | Open source + Cloud, Git-based | GraphQL on files | Yes | Free · $24/project/month | Documentation, Markdown/MDX sites | We also integrate |
| Keystatic | Open source, Git-based | TypeScript API on files | Admin UI | Free | Small Astro or Next.js sites | We also integrate |
* Free tier, then first paid tier shown on the vendor's official pricing page on 11 November 2026, in the vendor's currency. Licenses are bought by your client or agency directly from the vendor.
Three questions almost always decide it: who runs the site day to day; how much content, in how many languages and on how many sites; what it costs over three years.
| Project | Recommendation |
|---|---|
| SME brochure site updated by the client | Webflow or WordPress |
| Standard online store | Shopify or PrestaShop |
| Multilingual brand site, several editorial teams | Headless: Storyblok, Sanity, Contentful or DatoCMS + Next.js or Astro |
| High-volume content platform, programmatic SEO | Headless + Astro or Next.js, see programmatic SEO |
| Website + client area or application | Payload, Directus or Strapi + Next.js |
| Existing WordPress to modernize without changing the editor | WordPress headless + Next.js, or a migration |
The most used React framework (58.6% of developers in State of JS 2025). The right choice when content meets application logic: accounts, search, personalization, commerce. We deliver it in production.
Built for content sites: it ships JavaScript only where needed, so pages stay light. Still open source (MIT) after joining Cloudflare in January 2026 (Cloudflare). Ideal for a marketing site, a blog or high-traffic documentation. We deliver it in production.
We also integrate Nuxt, SvelteKit and React Router v7 (Remix's successor) when your client's team already uses them. Gatsby is in maintenance mode: fine to take over, not our pick for new builds.
Headless front ends usually run on Vercel, Netlify or Cloudflare. We do not sell hosting: the account belongs to your client or agency, and we deploy via Git to your client's Vercel, Netlify or Cloudflare account.
We recommend the CMS at briefing, with the reasons: who edits, languages, volume, data, license budget. The choice is written into the quote.
Content types, fields and reusable blocks, designed for the editor as much as the developer. That is what makes the site easy to evolve.
Built from Figma, with reusable components, accessibility, and Core Web Vitals checked before launch.
Draft previews and visual editing when the CMS allows it, so the editorial team stays autonomous.
FR, EN, NL and DE locales, with NL and DE translated in-house. Content migration from WordPress, Webflow or another CMS, with a redirect plan. See also website production and website migration.
A Figma design or a written brief, plus your client's constraints.
Recommended CMS, framework, scope and a fixed price.
Built on previews you approve at each stage.
Performance, accessibility, SEO, structured data and editor tests.
Deployed to your client's account, with documentation for the editor.
For 20+ years we have produced websites, visibility work and design for agencies and companies in Europe. We recommend the CMS at briefing, deliver a Next.js or Astro front end faithful to the design, and hand over a documented content model. Production is in Tunisia, on European time. Fixed price per project, quote within 48 hours.
Your client wants headless, and your team lacks the time or the stack. We build under your brand: you keep the client relationship, the code lands in your Git repository, and the CMS license stays in your client's name.
Fixed price per project, quote within 48 hours, kick-off within 72 hours.
NDA from the first call, GDPR Art. 28 DPA on request.
20+ years in production, 85,000+ projects since 2005, production in Tunisia, on European time.
Documented code structure, and a Client-First convention when the project mixes Webflow and headless.
Maintenance and updates if your client wants them. Start small with a trial project, or see our white-label production page.
Send a design or brief: we recommend the CMS and framework and send a fixed-price quote within 48 hours.
