Enterprise Website5 platforms compared

Best CMS for Enterprise Websites in 2026

Compare the best CMS platforms for large enterprise websites with multi-team workflows, localization, compliance, and governance.

Enterprise sites need more than a CMS — they need governance, scale, and reliability.

TL;DR — Our Top Pick

Sanity is our top recommendation for enterprise website sites.

Enterprise-ready with custom workflows, role-based access, and real-time collaboration. SOC 2 compliant. Scales to hundreds of content editors.

What a Enterprise Website CMS Needs

Large organizations with multiple content teams, compliance requirements, and global audiences.

Role-based access control and approval workflows

Multi-site and multi-brand management

Enterprise-grade security and compliance (SOC 2, GDPR)

Internationalization and localization

API-first architecture for omnichannel delivery

Top 5 Platforms Ranked

Sanity

Real-time collaborative headless CMS with customizable Studio

TOP PICK

Enterprise-ready with custom workflows, role-based access, and real-time collaboration. SOC 2 compliant. Scales to hundreds of content editors.

Open SourceJavaScript/TypeScript (React-based Studio)Free / $15+/month per user

Strengths

GROQ query language is more powerful and flexible than GraphQL
Real-time collaborative editing (like Google Docs)
Fully customizable React-based Studio admin panel

Trade-offs

GROQ is a custom query language with its own learning curve
Studio customization requires React development knowledge

Contentful

API-first headless CMS for omnichannel content

Purpose-built for enterprise content operations. Environments for staging, i18n, and granular permissions. Trusted by Fortune 500 companies.

API-based (any frontend)Free / $300+/month

Strengths

Powerful content modeling with structured content types
Global CDN-backed API delivers content at edge speed
Rich ecosystem of integrations (Algolia, Netlify, Vercel)

Trade-offs

Expensive — free tier is very limited, paid starts at $300/month
Editing experience is functional but not beautiful

Payload CMS

TypeScript-first headless CMS that lives in your Next.js app

Self-hosted enterprise CMS with custom access control. Lives in your Next.js app. Full data sovereignty for compliance-sensitive organizations.

Open SourceTypeScript / Node.jsFree (self-hosted) / Cloud plans available

Strengths

Lives inside your Next.js codebase — zero API latency
Config-as-code with full TypeScript type safety
Built-in auth, access control, and file uploads

Trade-offs

Tightly coupled to Next.js ecosystem
Newer platform with a smaller community and fewer plugins

Storyblok

Headless CMS with visual editor for component-based sites

Visual editor with enterprise features. Multi-space management for brands and regions. Content scheduling and approval workflows.

API-based (any frontend)Free / $106+/month

Strengths

Visual editor shows live preview of your actual frontend
Component-based content modeling (nestable blocks)
Good framework support — dedicated SDKs for Next.js, Nuxt, Astro

Trade-offs

Paid plans are expensive — jumps from free to $106/month
Visual editor setup requires specific SDK integration work

Strapi

Open-source headless CMS built with Node.js

Open-source, self-hosted with enterprise features. Custom roles and permissions. REST and GraphQL APIs. Deploy on your own infrastructure.

Open SourceNode.js (JavaScript/TypeScript)Free (self-hosted) / $29+/month (Cloud)

Strengths

Fully open-source — self-host with no vendor lock-in
Auto-generated REST and GraphQL APIs from your content types
Intuitive admin panel with customizable content modeling

Trade-offs

Self-hosting requires DevOps knowledge and maintenance
Plugin ecosystem is growing but still smaller than established CMS

How to Decide

Self-hosted (Payload, Strapi) gives full data sovereignty — critical for regulated industries

Cloud-hosted (Sanity, Contentful) offers managed infrastructure and SLAs

Multi-brand sites need a CMS that supports multiple spaces or projects

Evaluate vendor lock-in — can you export all content if you need to switch?

Ready to migrate from WordPress?

WordPress → Sanity WordPress → Contentful WordPress → Payload CMS

Frequently Asked Questions

Do we need a headless CMS?

For enterprise, yes. Headless architecture lets you deliver content to web, mobile apps, kiosks, and partner integrations from one source. Monolithic CMS platforms limit your omnichannel strategy.

How do we handle compliance (GDPR, SOC 2)?

Self-hosted options (Payload, Strapi) keep data on your infrastructure. Cloud CMS providers (Sanity, Contentful) offer SOC 2 compliance and data processing agreements for GDPR.

What about migration from our legacy CMS?

Most headless CMS platforms have import APIs. Plan a phased migration: move content type by type, validate, then switch DNS. LeaveWP can help migrate from WordPress and other legacy systems.