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Best Free Gridly Alternatives — 12 Tools Compared in 2026

Explore 12 alternatives to Gridly — vetted by our editors with real user reviews, pricing, and feature comparisons.

The top free Gridly alternatives, at a glance

Quick answer

Want the short version? The top Gridly alternatives are Strapi, Agility CMS and DatoCMS. Strapi leads with a SpotScore of 9.8 and a 4.9★ rating. See the full comparison of all 12 on score, rating, and price below.

If Gridly is holding you back on price, features, or usability, you have real options. These 12 headless cms software free alternatives are the strongest, ranked by SpotScore (real-user satisfaction and market presence combined), ratings, and pricing model. Our editors review each. Scan the table, then explore the detail for every pick.

ProductSpotScoreRatingPricingBest for
StrapiUnleash your website's full potential with Strapi.9.8★★★★★ 4.9(45)FreeFree Trial · Freemium · Subscription · Quotation Basedteams of all sizes
Agility CMSEffortlessly manage and publish your content.9.2★★★★ 4.2(54)FreeFree Trial · Freemium · Subscriptionteams of all sizes
DatoCMSEmpower your content, unleash its potential.8.7★★★★★ 4.5(23)FreeFree Trial · Freemium · Subscription · Quotation Basedteams of all sizes
ContentChefEffortlessly manage content with ContentChef.7.9Not yet ratedFreeFree Trial · Subscription · Quotation Basedteams of all sizes
CrowdinStreamline global translations with ease.★★★★ 3.6(330)Freefrom $40/moteams of all sizes
SanityEmpowering content creators and delivering exceptional digital experiences.9.6★★★★★ 4.7(591)FreeFreemium · Subscription · Quotation Basedteams of all sizes
dotCMSPowerful CMS for efficient data management.9.5★★★★ 4.1(72)FreeFreemium · Quotation Based · Subscriptionteams of all sizes
Kentico KontentEmpower your content, unleash your creativity.9.4★★★★ 4.3(95)FreeFree Trial · Freemium · Subscription · Quotation Basedteams of all sizes
StoryblokUnleash your digital storytelling potential.9.3★★★★★ 4.7(172)FreeFreemium · Subscriptionteams of all sizes
QuintypeEmpower your online presence with effortless content creation.9.3★★★★ 4.4(44)FreeFree Trial · Quotation Basedteams of all sizes
GraphCMSStreamline your content management with ease.9.2★★★★★ 4.8(26)FreeFreemium · Subscription · Quotation Basedteams of all sizes
PrismicStreamline your website creation with Prismic.9.2★★★★ 4.2(45)FreeFree Trial · Freemium · Subscription · Quotation Basedteams of all sizes

9.8

SpotScore

Strapi - Headless CMS Software

Strapi

Unleash your website's full potential with Strapi.

Best for: SMB teams · Mid-market · Enterprise

Start Free Trial

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What is Strapi?

Strapi is the headless CMS. Batteries-included and Open-Source, Strapi comes with everything needed to build a powerful API in minutes and deploy apps effortlessly. Strapi will set user free from the constraints of the traditional CMS: no more bloat, no more spaghetti code, and no more ...

Read more about Strapi
Free TrialTry Free →·

Strapi offers custom pricing plan

9.2

SpotScore

Agility CMS - Headless CMS Software

Agility CMS

Effortlessly manage and publish your content.

Best for: SMB teams · Mid-market · Enterprise

Start Free Trial

Add to compare

What is Agility CMS?

Agility CMS is a headless Content Management System built with Laravel 5.2. It is a headless CMS software recommended by Laravel and VueJS. Achieve a fully decoupled architecture or use it to generate static HTML5 pages that are blazing fast. Agility CMS comes with many features out of the box, ...

Read more about Agility CMS
Free TrialTry Free →

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Reach in-market buyersRank above rivals2M+ buyers a year

8.7

SpotScore

DatoCMS - Headless CMS Software

DatoCMS

Empower your content, unleash its potential.

Best for: SMB teams · Mid-market · Enterprise

Start Free Trial

Add to compare

What is DatoCMS?

DatoCMS is an open source Headless CMS that allows individuals to build content and expose REST APIs . It stores data in the database of users' choosing, providing a single point of truth between the front end, back end, and analytics. With DatoCMS user can expose feeds of content to any social ...

Read more about DatoCMS
Free TrialTry Free →·

DatoCMS offers custom pricing plan

7.9

SpotScore

ContentChef - Headless CMS Software

ContentChef

Effortlessly manage content with ContentChef.

Best for: SMB teams · Mid-market · Enterprise

Start Free Trial

Add to compare

What is ContentChef?

ContentChef is a headless content management system that allows any team to quickly and easily create, organize & manage content. ContentChef is perfect for product teams, agencies and internal content marketers that are looking for a seamless way to create, publish & manage their content in an ...

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Free TrialTry Free →·

ContentChef offers custom pricing plan

Crowdin - Translation Management System

Crowdin

Streamline global translations with ease.

Best for: SMB teams · Mid-market · Enterprise

Start Free Trial

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What is Crowdin?

Crowdin is a translation management system that helps to fulfill global ambitions. Crowdin embeds translations from multiple sources into a single platform, where linguists can collaborate for faster turnaround and improved overall quality – all under an open source license. This enterprise ...

Read more about Crowdin
Free TrialTry Free →·

Crowdin offers custom pricing plan

9.6

SpotScore

Sanity - Headless CMS Software

Sanity

Empowering content creators and delivering exceptional digital experiences.

Best for: SMB teams · Mid-market · Enterprise

Try for Free

Add to compare

What is Sanity?

Sanity is modern headless CMS software built to power business websites, e-commerce sites, and web apps. It's easy to use, it looks great, and it's very powerful. Sanity is so much more than just a headless CMS. Developers built the framework to be an environment for building great digital ...

Read more about Sanity

Sanity offers custom pricing plan

9.5

SpotScore

dotCMS - Headless CMS Software

dotCMS

Powerful CMS for efficient data management.

Best for: SMB teams · Mid-market · Enterprise

Try for Free

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What is dotCMS?

dotCMS is an open source headless Content Management System (CMS) that's as simple to use as WordPress, Joomla, or Drupal. The website builder lets user edit every page using a simple, web-based interface and works with any device or platform. It also delivers reliable performance and security, ...

Read more about dotCMS

dotCMS offers custom pricing plan

9.4

SpotScore

Kentico Kontent - Headless CMS Software

Kentico Kontent

Empower your content, unleash your creativity.

Best for: SMB teams · Mid-market · Enterprise

Start Free Trial

Add to compare

What is Kentico Kontent?

A headless CMS is a web content management system that functions independently of front-end presentation and architecture. Kentico Kontent is a headless CMS software. The design of Kentico Kontent allows to quickly create engaging, highly usable single and multi-language websites and apps. And ...

Read more about Kentico Kontent
Free TrialTry Free →·

Kentico Kontent offers custom pricing plan

9.3

SpotScore

Storyblok - Headless CMS Software

Storyblok

Unleash your digital storytelling potential.

Best for: SMB teams · Mid-market · Enterprise

Try for Free

Add to compare

What is Storyblok?

Storyblok is headless CMS software for managing digital experiences, regardless of source code hosting platform. With Storyblok, manage digital stories across multiple channels and languages while eliminating the maintenance burden of traditional CMS-based solutions. Easily create an online ...

Read more about Storyblok

9.3

SpotScore

Quintype - Headless CMS Software

Quintype

Empower your online presence with effortless content creation.

Best for: SMB teams · Mid-market · Enterprise

Start Free Trial

Add to compare

What is Quintype?

Quintype is a free, open source headless CMS that gives an easy way to publish lots of high-quality content with rich editing tools for content contributors. It's a perfect fit for real estate agents, contractors, and anyone else who needs to produce lots of online content for their business. ...

Read more about Quintype
Free TrialTry Free →·

Quintype offers custom pricing plan

9.2

SpotScore

GraphCMS - Headless CMS Software

GraphCMS

Streamline your content management with ease.

Best for: SMB teams · Mid-market · Enterprise

Try for Free

Add to compare

What is GraphCMS?

GraphCMS is a headless CMS that makes managing content easy with drag and drop interface. GraphCMS is aneasy way to manage content and build websites. GraphCMS has front and back end editing capabilities, no coding required for adding content, full ecommerce support, built in search engine, CMS ...

Read more about GraphCMS

GraphCMS offers custom pricing plan

9.2

SpotScore

Prismic - Headless CMS Software

Prismic

Streamline your website creation with Prismic.

Best for: SMB teams · Mid-market · Enterprise

Start Free Trial

Add to compare

What is Prismic?

Prismic is headless CMS software that can be used to build a website without the need to install or configure any software or databases. Use its web interface to quickly add and edit content, create photo galleries, manage members, and more. It will handle the backend work and provide user with ...

Read more about Prismic
Free TrialTry Free →·

Prismic offers custom pricing plan

What earned each Gridly alternative its spot

Strapi9.8Best for teams of all sizes

Open-source

Watch for: Requires technical expertise

Agility CMS9.2Best for teams of all sizes

Interface is accessible to non-technical users.

Watch for: Some sections may be difficult to use, requiring a learning curve for certain tasks.

DatoCMS8.7Best for teams of all sizes

User-friendly interface, flexibility, and management capabilities enhance content workflow efficiency.

Watch for: New pricing structure can be challenging for smaller businesses.

ContentChef7.9Best for teams of all sizes

User-friendly interface

Watch for: Limited advanced features

CrowdinBest for teams of all sizes

Collaborative translation platform

Watch for: May require technical expertise

Sanity9.6Best for teams of all sizes

Content schema is fully configurable in code, giving developers control while keeping the editing interface usable for content teams.

Watch for: GROQ querying language has a learning curve for developers unfamiliar with it.

dotCMS9.5Best for teams of all sizes

Content creation and management tools work for both non-technical users and developers.

Watch for: The learning curve can be long, requiring dependence on vendor support to fully utilize the product.

Kentico Kontent9.4Best for teams of all sizes

Simple user interface that enhances collaboration and efficiency among team members.

Watch for: Some users find the platform to be expensive, potentially limiting its accessibility for certain clients.

Storyblok9.3Best for teams of all sizes

Visual editor simplifies content management and design adjustments, enhancing user experience.

Watch for: Pricing can be relatively high for smaller businesses.

Quintype9.3Best for teams of all sizes

Simplifies content management processes with complete features and tools for website optimization.

Watch for: Mobile accessibility needs improvement for better user experience.

GraphCMS9.2Best for teams of all sizes

Native GraphQL CMS providing content management capabilities, especially through APIs.

Watch for: Interface can be slightly developer-focused, potentially requiring a learning curve for content managers.

Prismic9.2Best for teams of all sizes

User-friendly interface and visual builder make content modeling efficient.

Watch for: Limited selection in the Marketplace for additional apps and connectors, hindering advanced functionalities.

Why teams look for a Gridly alternative

The decision to move off Gridly usually rests on a few known weak spots:

  • Limited customization options
  • Basic features may not suffice
  • Not suitable for complex sites

Key things to look for in a Gridly alternative

Here's how the 12 free alternatives compare at a factual level: 12 offer a free tier; paid plans run $40, with Crowdin the cheapest entry point; and Strapi is the highest rated at 4.9 across 45 reviews.

How we rank, in short.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Stuck on something? We're here to help with all the questions and answers in one place.

The top-rated alternatives to Gridly are Strapi (4.9★), GraphCMS (4.8★), Sanity (4.7★). Compare all 12 alternatives side-by-side above.

When evaluating alternatives to Gridly, prioritize: Access Control, Version Control, Rich Text Editor, Multi-language Support, transparent pricing, free trial availability, and integrations with your existing tools. Use the filters above to compare by feature, budget, and team size.

Migration difficulty depends on how deeply Gridly is integrated into your workflows. Most alternatives offer data export/import tools and dedicated onboarding support. We recommend shortlisting 2–3 options, running a free trial, and checking each vendor's migration guides before committing.

How to narrow down your Gridly alternative

  • On a budget / just exploring: start with a free tier — Strapi, Agility CMS and DatoCMS let you evaluate without paying upfront.
  • If real-user ratings matter most: Strapi has the strongest star rating (4.9★) among the options with verified reviews.
  • Want the safest pick: Strapi has the highest Spotsaas Score (9.8) in this list — a strong default if you're unsure.

Before you switch from Gridly

To replace Gridly smoothly, treat data first. Export it, confirm the new tool can import it, and check feature parity for the work you actually do. Pilot on a free tier before rolling out, and keep Gridly running until everything has moved over cleanly.

Disclaimer: This research has been collated from a variety of authoritative sources. We welcome your feedback at [email protected].