Australian entrepreneur and founder of Rubix Studios. Vincent specialises in branding, multimedia, and web development with a focus on digital innovation and emerging technologies.
Content Management Systems are categorised into traditional and headless models.
A traditional CMS integrates the front-end and back-end, offering a full-stack solution for content creation and delivery. WordPress, Joomla, and Drupal are standard examples. These platforms are ideal for teams without significant technical expertise.
A headless CMS separates the content layer from the presentation layer. It exposes content through APIs, allowing developers to deliver it across websites, mobile apps, and other interfaces. Examples include Sanity, Payload CMS, Contentful and Strapi.
Cost
Traditional CMS platforms are generally more affordable for small to medium projects.
CMS Type | Setup Cost (AUD) | Ongoing Cost (AUD) | Developer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Traditional CMS | $100–$500 (DIY) | $10–$100/month | Low |
| $2,000–$6,000 (Pro) | |||
| $5,000–$10,000+ (eComm) | $20–$300/month (eComm) | Moderate | |
| Headless CMS | $3,000–$15,000+ | $40–$400/month | High |
| $10,000–$30,000+ (eComm) | $300–$1,200/month (eComm) | High |
Traditional CMS
DIY setup:
- Shared hosting: ~$10–$70 AUD/month
- Premium themes/plugins: $0–$300 AUD
- Minimal developer input required
Professional:
- Standard website: $2,000–$6,000 AUD
- eCommerce website: $5,000–$10,000+ AUD
For eCommerce, costs typically range between $5,000 and $10,000+ AUD, depending on features such as cart integrations, payment gateways, and inventory systems.
Headless CMS
Hosting:
- Self-hosted platforms (e.g., Payload, Strapi): $40–$400 AUD/month on cloud providers.
Platform:
- Platforms like Contentful or Sanity (business tiers): $100–$400 AUD/month
Development:
- Front-end build: from $3,000 AUD
- eCommerce implementations: $10,000–$30,000+ AUD
For eCommerce, headless implementations can range from $10,000 to $30,000+ AUD, particularly when integrating with services like Shopify Hydrogen, BigCommerce, Medusa or custom APIs.
Ongoing expenses are also higher with headless CMS due to separate infrastructure and technical maintenance requirements.
Performance
Headless CMS architectures offer better scalability and speed when implemented with static site generation and edge delivery.
Metric | Traditional CMS | Headless CMS |
|---|---|---|
| Load Speed (TTFB) | Moderate | Fast (CDN-optimized) |
| Scalability | Limited by server | Scalable via APIs |
| Uptime during traffic spikes | Variable | High |
- Traditional CMS: Relies on server-side rendering. Performance depends on server load, caching, and plugin efficiency.
- Headless CMS: Uses statically generated or decoupled front ends delivered via CDN, improving load times and reducing server reliance.
The result is faster page loads, reduced latency, and improved Lighthouse scores.
Build cost
Headless CMS platforms offer greater flexibility for development teams.
Developers can use frameworks like React or Vue and implement custom rendering logic. This enables optimized performance, accessibility, and user experience. In contrast, traditional CMS platforms limit customisation to existing themes and plugins.
Editorial
Modern CMS platforms support visual editing, reducing reliance on developers for layout and content deployment.
- Traditional CMS: WordPress includes page builders like Elementor and Bricks, enabling drag-and-drop full-site editing without coding.
- Headless CMS: Platforms such as Plasmic, Builder.io, TinaCMS, Sanity, and Payload CMS offer visual interfaces integrated with modern frameworks. These support:
- Real-time collaboration
- Advanced layout control
- Dynamic content rendering
These tools simplify content workflows, enhance design control, and make headless CMS more accessible to marketing and content teams.
Platform
Platform | Hosting | Key Features |
|---|---|---|
| Sanity | Cloud/Self | Real-time editing, structured content, GROQ query |
| Payload CMS | Self-hosted | Code-first schema, TypeScript support, MongoDB |
| Contentful | SaaS | Enterprise APIs, rich documentation, integrations |
| Strapi | Self-hosted | Open-source, plugin support, REST/GraphQL APIs |
Alignment
Headless CMS
- Delivering content to multiple platforms
- Performance and scalability are priorities
- Your team includes experienced front-end developers
- Even for single websites, when performance is critical (e.g., eCommerce, SaaS apps)
- A visual editor or builder is needed with greater control over front-end rendering
Traditional CMS
- Launching a single website with basic requirements
- Teams are non-technical
- Cost or time-to-market is critical
- Operating eCommerce with constrained budgets or limited technical support
Considerations
Headless CMS platforms enable performance, flexibility, and future readiness. Traditional CMS platforms offer simplicity, launch priority, and affordability.
Modern visual editors and page builder integrations on both models have reduced complexity barriers, making both options viable for a wide range of use cases.
The decision should align with team skills, project scope, and content delivery requirements.
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