New check

Comparison

Directus vs Strapi

Directus and Strapi both land on Depends.

Directus

Depends

Confidence: Medium

Buy it if you have a developer and want an open-source backend/CMS layered over your own SQL database.

Read the full report

Strapi

Depends

Confidence: Medium

Buy it if you have JavaScript developers who can self-host, model content, and patch quickly.

Read the full report

Directus versus Strapi
Compare	Directus	Strapi
Verdict	Depends	Depends
Best for	SQL-backed headless CMS projects	JavaScript/TypeScript product teams
Who it's not for	Teams without a developer to run and patch it	Non-technical teams wanting plug-and-play publishing
Privacy	Several public CVEs from 2021-2026, including a 2025 auth bypass; Directus publishes a public vulnerability tracker.^⁶	Multiple serious CVEs disclosed 2023-2026, including unauthenticated admin takeover and RCE; vendor patches promptly but you must upgrade fast.¹⁵
Support quality	No support evidence found	No direct support evidence in sources
Public sentiment	Review evidence is thin, but the available G2 feedback praises flexible relational data modeling without proprietary lock-in.^¹	Users praise Strapi's flexibility and API-first design but repeatedly flag Cloud pricing, upgrade friction, and self-hosting overhead.¹¹
Biggest gotcha	CVE-2025-55746 auth bypass . self-hosters must patch promptly^⁶	Per-admin Cloud pricing adds up; users publicly struggle to explain their bill

Pick Directus when

SQL-backed headless CMS projects
API-first app backends
Self-hosters wanting database control
Teams replacing custom admin panels

When Directus is not a fit

Teams without a developer to run and patch it
Simple blogs or marketing sites . a simpler CMS wins
Buyers wanting managed support and predictable SaaS pricing
Non-technical editors who only need a content tool

Pick Strapi when

JavaScript/TypeScript product teams
API-first, multi-channel content
Self-hosters wanting open source
Teams with in-house devs owning ops

When Strapi is not a fit

Non-technical teams wanting plug-and-play publishing
Buyers without Node.js skills or ops staff
Budget-sensitive teams fearing per-seat Cloud bills
Anyone expecting turnkey managed hosting with SLAs

Sources

Directus Reviews 2026 . G2g2.com
review
directus/directus on GitHubgithub.com
official
Directus Recognized as Top 10 Headless CMS . MarTechCubemartechcube.com
news
Directus: Open-Source Headless CMS . FocusReactivefocusreactive.com
review
CVE-2025-27089 . NVDnvd.nist.gov
security
CVE-2025-55746 . SentinelOnesentinelone.com
security
Stored XSS in Directus . Black Duckblackduck.com
security
A Year of Self-Hosting . dev.todev.to
review
Tools we use . ImpactMarket docsdocs.impactmarket.com
official
Directus Competitive Landscape . ForesightIQforesightiq.co
news
Strapi Reviews . G2g2.com
review
Strapi Pricing . Capterracapterra.com
review
Strapi Features . G2g2.com
review
Strapi lands $31M Series B . TechCrunchtechcrunch.com
news
Critical Strapi admin takeover and RCE CVEs . SecurityOnlinesecurityonline.info
security
Critical Strapi SSTI RCE . SonicWallsonicwall.com
security