Comparison

ZeroCMS vs Strapi for Astro 2026.

ZeroCMS keeps your content in the repository. Strapi moves it into a database, hosted by you or by them, and reached over an API. ZeroCMS leads on codebase footprint, AI and Astro fit. Strapi leads on API reach and governance.

ZeroCMS

Git-based · Cloud · From $15 / month, editors need no seat

Connect a GitHub repository and Zero reads your Astro Zod schemas and .astro components to generate the editor — no plugins, no config, nothing added to your repository. Editors work against a live preview of the real site, and every publish lands as a clean commit. An AI agent works in the editor, and eight content checks run on demand or as a pre-publish gate.

Overview

  • Astro fit
  • Codebase fit
  • Editing
  • Publishing and review
  • Governance and access
  • Git and the repository — Not compared
  • APIs and extensibility
  • AI capabilities

Reviewed 1 Sep 2026 Full CMS comparison →

Strapi

Headless · Cloud or self-hosted · Free tier · from $35 / site / month

Strapi runs as its own Node application against a database you provide, generating a REST and GraphQL API and an admin panel from a content model you define in its interface or in code. It is self-hosted or run on Strapi Cloud. Astro consumes the content over those APIs, and the enterprise features, including SSO, sit outside the open-source half.

No screenshots yet

Overview

  • Astro fit
  • Codebase fit
  • Editing
  • Publishing and review
  • Governance and access
  • Git and the repository — Not compared
  • APIs and extensibility
  • AI capabilities

Reviewed 3 Sep 2026 Full CMS comparison →

Pick ZeroCMS when

You want a CMS that keeps content as files in your repository and runs content checks before anything publishes.

  • You want the CMS to leave your codebase alone
  • AI agents edit the content
  • AI should do the routine work

Pick Strapi when

You want a CMS that schedules a publish and puts your brand on the editor.

  • Other systems read and write the content
  • The budget is zero
  • Procurement and security review are in the loop

What actually differs.

AI capabilities

AI skills

ZeroCMS

You write your own skills for the agent.

Strapi

No custom skills.

Astro fit

Content loading

ZeroCMS

As the files Astro's content collections already read. The repository is the backup.

Strapi

Fetched over HTTP and wired into Astro by you.

APIs and extensibility

REST API

ZeroCMS

No HTTP API. The content is files in the repository, and that is the interface.

Strapi

A full HTTP API, reads and writes, for any consumer.

Governance and access

White labelling

ZeroCMS

The editor carries the vendor's brand.

Strapi

The editor carries your brand, on your own domain.

Editing

Custom field controls

ZeroCMS

No custom field controls.

Strapi

Custom field controls are supported.

Editing

Content checks

ZeroCMS

Eight built-in checks, custom ones written in plain language, run as a pre-publish gate.

Strapi

No built-in content checks.

Editing

Shareable preview links

ZeroCMS

A preview link anyone can open, no account needed.

Strapi

No preview link to send.

Codebase fit

Component registration

ZeroCMS

The editor reads the components in your repository.

Strapi

Blocks defined in the CMS, each mapped to a component in your code.

Every aspect, side by side, in the full Astro CMS comparison →
Still not sure?

Zero keeps content as files in your repository.

Strapi makes you fetch and wire the content yourself. That matters if the site is the only thing consuming the content. Connect an Astro repo and see the difference in ten minutes.

Connect your repo Try the live demo

14 days free · no credit card