Flotiq vs Contentful: Headless CMS Guide 2025

Why choose Flotiq as an alternative to Contentful?

Flotiq and Contentful both adopt an API-first headless CMS approach to streamline content management for teams and developers.

1. API foundations: Both platforms are API-first CMS systems. Flotiq generates RESTful endpoints for each content type with OpenAPI documentation and multi-language SDKs for seamless delivery. Contentful offers both REST and GraphQL APIs for content delivery and uses separate REST endpoints for content management, which can add complexity to backend workflows. Flotiq’s unified, JSON-ready APIs aim to simplify development, while Contentful requires managing multiple APIs and credentials for different operations.

2. Visual and flexible content modeling: Both platforms provide visual schema editors to create custom content types and fields. Flotiq supports defining rich field types (text, media, geolocation, etc.), relationships between content, and automatic versioning via API. Contentful allows content types definition through a web UI and supports references for modular content design, including robust localization with multiple locales per content and a rich text field that can embed entries. Contentful's powerful schema and localization features may require more upfront planning to avoid complex migrations later, whereas Flotiq encourages quicker iteration with less governance.

3. Intuitive content editing for teams: Both platforms offer modern editorial interfaces. Flotiq emphasizes a streamlined experience with a clean UI, built-in SEO extensions, draft/publish workflows, field-level permissions, and live preview integration, facilitating autonomous content team workflows. Contentful provides a feature-rich editorial experience suited for larger teams with a rich text editor, inline entry and asset links, and collaboration tools such as comments and tasks. Contentful’s interface includes advanced collaboration features suitable for enterprise settings, though smaller teams might find it more complex to configure. Flotiq is designed for out-of-the-box usability with minimal setup for basic workflows.

4. TypeScript and Next.js support: Flotiq integrates end-to-end with TypeScript and frontend readiness, synchronizing CMS schema changes to TypeScript types, ensuring type-safe API usage, and providing a Next.js plugin with Draft Mode and live previews. In practice, Flotiq’s SDK facilitates pulling content types into a Next.js app with minimal configuration. Contentful supports TypeScript indirectly through official JavaScript/TypeScript SDKs and GraphQL schemas but requires manual generation of type definitions using tools or CLI scripts. Configuring Next.js preview also demands setting up draft mode and preview API tokens—making Flotiq’s workflow significantly more automated.

Comparing Flotiq and Contentful: Headless CMS Capabilities

Please refer to the following side-by-side comparison of high-level headless CMS capabilities. Further details on features for content teams and developers are provided below.

Key differences for business decision makers

Pricing Transparency and Predictability

Contentful offers a free community tier, limited to one space with restricted content types, entries, locales, and users. The Basic plan starts at $300/month, while enterprise features require a Premium plan (about $81k/year). Costs increase based on usage, making budgeting challenging.In short, Contentful’s pricing skews toward large enterprise budgets, whereas Flotiq aims to remain accessible as you scale.

Flotiq provides a free tier suitable for small projects. Paid plans start at $39/month, including advanced features like daily backups and role-based permissions. Flotiq’s fixed pricing tiers ensure predictable expenses without needing sales negotiations for enterprise features.

Business continuity and data protection

Contentful is a cloud-based service that manages data durability internally. The platform replicates all content across multiple servers and performs daily backups to ensure high availability. Contentful offers version history on content entries and a Preview API for safely reviewing unpublished changes. However, there is no single-click backup export option for users; instead, content export requires using their APIs or CLI tools. Deleted content in Contentful is not recoverable unless previously exported or relying on internal backups. Contentful advises users to manually export content via the Content Delivery API for offsite backups if needed.

Flotiq offers automatic daily backups with a 30-day retention period starting from its Basic plan, along with an easy restore feature in the user interface. This provides smaller teams with self-service recovery options if issues arise. Additionally, Flotiq’s on-premise deployment option allows enterprises to maintain in-house backups or comply with strict data residency requirements. Flotiq incorporates business continuity features such as backups, data export, and recovery tools into its product, providing these capabilities even for mid-tier customers, whereas Contentful's backup and retention processes are managed internally with limited customer visibility.

Platform uptime SLA

Contentful boasts a strong uptime record, often over 99.9% for its APIs. Enterprise plans include a contractual guarantee of up to 99.99% uptime SLA, while lower-tier plans lack an explicit SLA. Although reliable, smaller customers must rely on the standard service without financial guarantees.

Flotiq guarantees 99.9% uptime on all paid plans and 99.99% on higher “Growth” tiers, without needing an enterprise contract. This allows growing startups to rely on formal uptime commitments. While both platforms are reliable, Flotiq’s SLA at lower price points sets it apart for business risk management.

Flotiq vs Contentful – deployment models overview

One strategic consideration is deployment model. Flotiq offers flexible deployment: multi-tenant cloud, single-tenant instances, or on-premise installations. This suits organizations with regulatory or data residency needs. You can choose your environment or let Flotiq host it.

Contentful, however, is only available as a SaaS in its own cloud. Self-hosting or running it on a private cloud isn't an option. Contentful handles scaling and updates but limits deployment control. This works for most digital businesses, but those needing an on-prem CMS might prefer Flotiq.

* Contentful’s enterprise plans may offer some dedicated infrastructure aspects (e.g. choosing regional data residency), but there is no fully private self-hosting option.

Flotiq vs Contentful for Engineering Teams

Flotiq and Contentful both offer robust tools for developers, but the specifics vary. Flotiq has an official TypeScript SDK that auto-generates Type definitions from content models. Its Next.js plugin supports Draft Mode and real-time previews for a smooth development experience. Using Flotiq’s API keys, developers can quickly fetch content by including a read-only key in environment variables.

Contentful, on the other hand, supports multiple languages with extensive tools but may require more manual setup compared to Flotiq. Below, we compare key engineering-focused features:

Typescript Support in action

Flotiq’s TypeScript integration synchronizes your code with CMS models directly, unlike Contentful which needs an extra generation step for model changes.

Key Takeaways for Engineering Teams

Flotiq vs Contentful for Content Teams

Content teams require intuitive tools that facilitate creation, collaboration, and publishing. Both Flotiq and Contentful provide user-friendly authoring experiences, but they address different needs and levels of complexity. Flotiq's streamlined workflows and out-of-the-box simplicity enable smaller teams to operate efficiently with minimal configuration. Contentful, on the other hand, offers an extensive array of editorial features suitable for enterprise use – though some features may necessitate setup or higher-tier plans.

Flotiq facilitates content delivery across various platforms (websites, mobile apps, smart devices) by providing content in a presentation-neutral format. Similarly, Contentful supports comprehensive omnichannel strategies and has been widely utilized to publish content across web, mobile, and voice applications, among others. The primary distinction lies in the degree of effort required from content creators versus developers to implement these workflows.

This comparison will examine how each platform supports content editors and marketers:

In summary, content editors at smaller organizations or those without dedicated operations staff may find Flotiq’s straightforward, ready-to-use approach appealing, as it addresses all the fundamental needs with minimal configuration. Conversely, larger organizations, or those managing complex multilingual content and formal approval processes, will benefit from Contentful’s extensive feature set for content governance (including localization, roles, workflows, etc.). It should be noted that some of Contentful's most advanced collaboration features are available in its higher-tier plans (e.g., advanced roles, unlimited locales), while Flotiq offers substantial functionality even in its basic plans.

Final Thoughts: your CMS should grow with you

Selecting the appropriate headless CMS platform involves balancing current requirements with future growth potential. Flotiq simplifies the creation and deployment of content-driven applications, streamlining content management and reducing complexity for both developers and editors. Whether your needs include seamless developer workflows, expeditious content publishing, or reasonable pricing as you scale, choosing the right platform is crucial.

Contentful offers a robust, enterprise-level solution with an extensive ecosystem and comprehensive feature set. It is particularly beneficial for large teams that can invest in the setup and are prepared for higher ongoing costs. Nevertheless, Contentful often requires more initial setup, higher budgets, and specialized expertise to fully optimize its advanced capabilities. Teams may need proficiency in GraphQL, meticulous content modeling, and vigilance regarding usage limits to utilize Contentful efficiently.

Developer-first APIs: Auto-generated REST endpoints and OpenAPI specifications (with optional GraphQL) enable developers to start coding against Flotiq immediately using familiar tools, thus eliminating the need for extensive API configuration.

Instant TypeScript support: The platform maintains synchronization of your types, removing manual steps and reducing errors during development. This results in lower maintenance overhead as your project expands.

Next.js readiness: Official starters and built-in Draft Mode/preview integration offer an impeccable editorial feedback loop straight out of the box. There is no need to assemble preview solutions; Flotiq provides this functionality from the outset.

Built-in business continuity: Features such as daily backups, flexible deployment options (cloud or on-premises), and transparent SLAs and support across all price tiers ensure that your CMS scales with enterprise-grade reliability. Moreover, this is achieved at more modest price points compared to Contentful's enterprise plans.

With Flotiq, agility does not have to be sacrificed for power, nor budget for features. It is designed to expand alongside your needs. You can begin today at no cost to discover how a modern headless CMS like Flotiq can accelerate development, enhance the satisfaction of your content teams, and grow with your ambitions from day one.

👉 Start with Flotiq’s free plan today and experience how a modern headless CMS can support your team, your workflows, and your ambitions - from day one.