Compare software

Strapi vs Directus: catalog facts
Strapi	Directus
Freemium Free and open source to self-host; Strapi Cloud hosting and sales plans cost extra.	Freemium Free to get started and self-host, with a paid hosted Directus Cloud option.
Self-hosted, Command line	Web, Self-hosted
Automatic REST and GraphQL APIs from content models Visual content type builder	Works on top of an existing SQL database without changing the schema Automatic REST and GraphQL APIs
Headless only, so you build the frontend yourself Aimed at developers rather than non-technical site owners	Source-available license rather than OSI open source Needs developer setup and a database
Self-hosted, Hosted service	Self-hosted, Hosted service
Open source	Closed source
License: MIT	License: BSL-1.1
Not stated if an account is needed	Not stated if an account is needed
Not stated if it works offline	Not stated if it works offline
Official website Full listing and sources Checked October 2, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Checked October 2, 2026

Catalog facts only. Anything “not stated” is unconfirmed. Check full listings for details.