WordPress vs Contentful: Side-by-Side Comparison
WordPress and Contentful differ in core architecture. WordPress is monolithic (with optional headless support), while Contentful is headless by default. The table below compares their pricing, ease of use, SEO options, and other enterprise-critical features.
| Feature | WordPress | Contentful |
| Pricing | Free core + hosting & plugin costs | Free with paid plans from $300/month, usage-based scaling |
| SEO | Full schema & plugin control | Customizable via APIs, no native UI |
| Ease of use | Intuitive for editors, dev-ready | Developer-focused, less editor-friendly |
| Integrations | 60K+ plugins, REST/GraphQL, Woo | Native APIs, SDKs, 3rd-party marketplaces |
| Load speed | Depends on setup & hosting | Fast by default via CDN & decoupled front |
| Design capabilities | Full theme freedom, block editor | Frontend built outside CMS (e.g. React) |
| Enterprise offer | WordPress VIP, Multisite, CI/CD | SLA-backed plans, governance tools |
| Security | Varies by hosting & setup | Enterprise-grade, cloud-native |
Contentful
Contentful is a fully headless CMS designed for composable architectures, separating content from presentation and enabling multichannel delivery via REST and GraphQL APIs. It’s used by brands like Spotify and Shopify and is ideal for developer-first teams working with modern frontend frameworks like React or Vue.
Pricing starts at $300/month for the Basic plan, with enterprise-level pricing based on usage—specifically content models, API calls, locales, and environment limits. While a free tier exists, usage overages can escalate costs quickly.
Contentful is built for enterprise scalability and structured content governance, with strong API documentation and granular permission settings. It performs well across global content models and multilingual delivery. However, it lacks a built-in visual editor, requires dedicated frontend development, and becomes costly at scale—especially for content-rich organizations with non-technical users.
WordPress
WordPress is a flexible, open-source CMS known for its editor-friendly interface and extensive plugin ecosystem. Originally built for blogging, it has evolved into a robust platform used by enterprises and SaaS companies for content-first growth, thanks to support for multilingual delivery, custom post types, and scalable publishing workflows. Unlike API-first platforms, WordPress provides a visual editing layer through the Gutenberg block editor and allows teams to manage structured content using plugins like Advanced Custom Fields (ACF) or native Custom Post Types. Development teams can implement CI/CD pipelines using tools like Bedrock, GitHub Actions, and WP-CLI to support modern workflows without sacrificing usability.
Enterprise offerings, such as WordPress VIP, include SLA-backed support, autoscaling, compliance, and advanced security features starting at around $2,000/month. For SaaS companies, WordPress enables fast publishing, marketing automation, and content localization. For enterprise use, it provides mature governance tools, custom editorial workflows, and ecosystem integrations with CRMs, analytics, and headless delivery via REST or GraphQL. However, high-performance architecture requires experienced setup, and complex builds may introduce technical debt without clear standards.
WordPress vs Contentful: Pricing Comparison
WordPress offers flexible pricing, starting at near-zero for small sites, while Contentful introduces fixed monthly costs that rise with usage. Below is a simplified cost breakdown.
| Plan Type | WordPress | Contentful |
| Core software | Free | Free tier available (limited features) |
| Hosting | $3–$70/month | Not included (self-host frontend separately) |
| Business plan | ~$25–$70/month | $300–$1,500+/month (usage-based) |
| Enterprise plan | ~$2,000+/month (WordPress VIP) | Custom pricing, SLAs, regional hosting |
| Dev/preview environments | Unlimited via hosting | Limited per plan |
| Seat pricing | Free / unlimited | $25–$75/user/month in Enterprise |
What Are the Key Differences Between WordPress and Contentful?
The key differences between WordPress and Contentful lie in architecture, usability, and customization. WordPress is a monolithic, open-source CMS with optional headless support and a visual editor. Contentful is a fully headless, API-first platform built for composable architectures. WordPress is editor-friendly and flexible, while Contentful requires frontend development but excels in structured content delivery.
Which One to Choose: WordPress or Contentful?
Choose WordPress if you need a fast setup, rich plugin ecosystem, and a marketing/editorial-friendly interface. Choose Contentful if your team prefers a developer-first environment, structured content, and API-based delivery for apps or multichannel use cases.
Which CMS Is Better for Enterprise: WordPress or Contentful?
Contentful is better for enterprises building API-first, modular architectures across global teams, thanks to its governance tools, multi-environment support, and scalability. WordPress is better when enterprise teams prioritize editorial speed, custom workflows, familiar UI, and cost-effective expansion, especially when using WordPress VIP.
Is WordPress Better Than Contentful for SaaS?
WordPress is better than Contentful for most SaaS marketing websites. It supports multilingual content, SEO plugins, blog-led growth, and integrations with CRM and product platforms. Contentful is a strong choice for SaaS products delivering content across web, app, and embedded systems, where structured content and decoupled delivery are required.
Which Is Better for SEO: WordPress or Contentful?
WordPress is better for SEO due to its plugin ecosystem (e.g., Yoast, RankMath), native control over metadata, schema, sitemaps, and easy indexing. Contentful requires custom implementation of SEO features through frontend code and doesn’t offer a built-in SEO UI.
Should You Switch from Contentful to WordPress?
You should switch from Contentful to WordPress if your team needs faster publishing workflows, visual content editing, easier localization, or plugin-based SEO and analytics. WordPress provides greater autonomy for content teams and lower ongoing costs in most editorial contexts.
Do Professional Web Designers Use Contentful or WordPress?
Professional web designers primarily use WordPress due to its theme system, Gutenberg editor, and visual design tools. Contentful is used by frontend developers working with design systems and frameworks like React—less so by traditional designers without coding experience.
What Is the Market Share of WordPress Compared to Contentful?
As of 2025, WordPress holds over 40% of the global CMS market, while Contentful remains under 1%. WordPress dominates in publishing, small-to-enterprise businesses, and SaaS marketing sites. Contentful is widely adopted in composable stacks and developer-led environments with multichannel delivery needs.
Need Help Choosing Between WordPress and Contentful?
WordPress is better suited for enterprise CMS development, multilingual publishing, and content-driven growth. Contentful excels in API-first delivery, composable architectures, and multichannel scalability. Pricing differs: WordPress has a lower entry point but requires setup and hosting, while Contentful has higher monthly costs tied to usage, but offers built-in governance.
At Fooz, we build custom WordPress for SaaS and tech companies. If you’re deciding between WordPress and Contentful—or planning a migration—we can help you choose the platform that fits your goals.
Natalia Barańska
Marketing Specialist