Strapi vs Directus vs SonicJS: The Complete Open-Source Headless CMS Comparison

TL;DR — Strapi leads in popularity with 163k weekly npm downloads and a mature plugin ecosystem, but limits free users to 3 roles and struggles with migrations. Directus excels at wrapping existing databases but faces performance issues at scale (1.5s average response with complex relations). SonicJS delivers sub-50ms global latency with edge-first architecture and no feature gating.

Key Stats:

Strapi: 163k weekly downloads, but only 3 roles on free tier
Directus: 45s+ response times reported with 400k files (GitHub Issue #7783)
SonicJS: Under 50ms globally, zero cold starts, unlimited roles free
Strapi v5: Content versioning requires paid plan ($99+/month)
Directus: Supports 6 database types vs Strapi's 4

If you're searching "Strapi vs Directus," you're likely evaluating the two most popular open-source headless CMS options. Both are excellent projects with years of production use. But in 2025, there's a third option worth considering: edge-first architecture.

We've analyzed GitHub issues, community forums, and real developer feedback to understand where each platform shines and struggles. This isn't a marketing piece—we'll be honest about all three platforms, including SonicJS's current limitations.

Quick Comparison

Feature	Strapi	Directus	SonicJS
Architecture	Node.js (Koa)	Node.js (Express)	Edge-first (Cloudflare Workers)
Admin UI Framework	React	Vue.js	HTMX
Database Support	PostgreSQL, MySQL, MariaDB, SQLite	PostgreSQL, MySQL, SQLite, MSSQL, Oracle, CockroachDB	D1 (SQLite at edge)
Existing DB Support	No (creates its own schema)	Yes (wraps existing tables)	No (edge-native)
Weekly npm Downloads	163,000+	10,000+	Growing
Cold starts	500-2000ms	300-1000ms	0-5ms
Global latency	200-500ms	200-500ms	Under 50ms worldwide
Roles (free tier)	Limited to 3	Unlimited	Unlimited
Content Versioning	Paid plans only	Free	Free
GraphQL	Yes (plugin)	Yes (built-in)	Roadmap
License	MIT (features gated)	GPL v3 / BSL	MIT (no gating)

Part 1: The Case for Strapi

Strapi is the most popular open-source headless CMS with 65k+ GitHub stars and 163k weekly npm downloads. It's battle-tested and has the largest plugin ecosystem.

What Strapi Does Well

Mature Ecosystem: With years of development and $45 million in funding, Strapi offers:

100+ marketplace plugins
Extensive documentation
Large community for support
Native integrations with Cloudinary, Shopify, BigCommerce

Strapi 5 Features (2024):

Live Preview functionality
Strapi AI for schema design
Feature Flags
Drag-and-Drop Content Blocks
Releases for bundled publishing

Developer Experience: JavaScript/TypeScript developers find Strapi's React-based admin intuitive. The code-first approach with JSON schema files works well for version control.

Strapi's Pain Points

We covered Strapi extensively in our Strapi vs Payload comparison, but here are the key issues:

Role Limitations:

Strapi's free version imposes an inexplicable limit of 3 roles, whereas Directus offers the flexibility to create an unlimited number of roles.

Content Versioning Gated: Content versioning is only available on paid plans (Growth $99+/month and Enterprise). This was free in competitors years ago.

Migration Nightmares: The v4 to v5 migration involves 50+ breaking changes and took some developers 40+ hours.

GraphQL Limitations:

Strapi's GraphQL queries have default pagination limits, typically retrieving only 10-25 items per request. File uploads cannot be done through GraphQL endpoints, forcing teams to switch between GraphQL for content queries and REST for media operations.

Part 2: The Case for Directus

Directus takes a fundamentally different approach: it wraps existing SQL databases rather than managing its own schema. This makes it powerful for enterprises with legacy systems.

What Directus Does Well

Database Flexibility: Directus supports 6 database types (PostgreSQL, MySQL, SQLite, MSSQL, Oracle, CockroachDB) and can connect to existing tables created by other systems.

Directus can be set up on top of an existing database to provide CMS features and APIs to work alongside other systems that may also use the same database.

Unlimited Roles Free: Unlike Strapi, Directus offers unlimited roles and a powerful permissions system without paid tiers.

Content Versioning Free: Full version history and restore capabilities included in the open-source version.

Vue.js Admin: Developers report Directus's Vue-based admin offers "better customization, speed, and overall coherence" compared to Strapi's React admin.

2025 Updates:

Visual Editing features
Node 22 support
Refreshed Kanban layouts
Improved translations

Directus Pain Points

Our research uncovered significant performance and stability concerns documented across multiple GitHub issues:

Documented Performance Issues from GitHub:

Issue	Scenario	Reported Time	Notes
#11766	15 relations, 10 req/s	1,500ms avg	runAST bottleneck
#7783	400k files	45,000ms+	Heap out of memory
#1575	Simple queries	4,000ms	Cold query performance
#2020	1,000 items	5,500ms	Collection listing
#1743	Basic API calls	150-1000ms	SSR unusable
#26153	Admin app after upgrade	300-900ms delay	v11.13.1 regression
#10034	200 row inserts	Connection crashes	Pool exhaustion

Severe Performance Issues at Scale:

From GitHub Issue #11766:

"Collections with around 15 relations (translations, images, taxonomy) and extensive permissions cause significant slowdowns. For 10 unique requests per second, each request by average took 1.5s. Most of that time was spent on the runAST function."

From GitHub Issue #7783:

"The response time for data seems related to the amount of files stored with Directus, getting slower as more files are created. With nearly 400,000 files, the response time reaches about 45 seconds or more. The app started crashing with a JavaScript heap out of memory error."

Additional Performance Reports (Issues #1575, #2020):

"Simple queries taking 4 seconds. Listing 1,000 items takes 5.5 seconds."

Connection Pool Crashes (Issue #10034):

"When inserting up to 200 rows, Directus starts after few minutes to slow down and crash. Users encounter 'KnexTimeoutError: Knex: Timeout acquiring a connection. The pool is probably full.'"

API Response Times (Issue #1743):

"The API takes a really long time to respond to even the simplest requests, ranging from ~150ms in the best cases to almost a whole second. This makes Directus impossible to use in server-side rendering."

Missing Database Indexes:

"Directus does not create any indexes on foreign keys, even in translations."

Recent Performance Regression (Issue #26153):

"After upgrading Directus from v11.12.0 to v11.13.1, the Admin App list views load noticeably slower... there is a ~300–900ms delay before data renders."

Bug Reports: Community feedback includes complaints about "a lot of bugs" including SQL query problems, broken login when cache is enabled, and UI issues that led some users to switch platforms.

Not Enterprise-Ready (for some):

"This is not an enterprise-level application, yet. Editorial features and workflows fall short for enterprise requirements."

Part 3: Why Edge-First Changes Everything

Both Strapi and Directus run on traditional Node.js servers. This means:

Single geographic location (unless you configure complex multi-region deployments)
Cold starts when containers spin up
Database connection pooling challenges
Manual scaling configuration

SonicJS takes a fundamentally different approach.

Edge-First Architecture

SonicJS runs natively on Cloudflare Workers—300+ data centers worldwide, serving content from the nearest location to each user.

// SonicJS runs at the edge by default
import { createSonicJS } from '@sonicjs-cms/core'

const cms = createSonicJS({
  collections: [posts, authors, categories],
  plugins: [auth, cache, aiSearch],
})

export default cms.app

Performance Comparison:

Scenario	Strapi	Directus	SonicJS
Simple GET (same region)	50-150ms	50-200ms	15-30ms
Simple GET (cross-region)	200-500ms	200-500ms	30-60ms
Complex query (relations)	150-400ms	500-1500ms*	40-80ms
Cold start	500-2000ms	300-1000ms	0-5ms
With 400k files	Unknown	45,000ms+	Under 100ms

*Directus performance degrades significantly with complex relations per GitHub Issue #11766

Zero Cold Starts

Cloudflare Workers use V8 isolates, not containers. Your first request after hours of inactivity performs identically to your millionth request.

Three-Tier Caching

Read our complete caching strategy guide for details:

Request → Memory Cache (1-2ms) → KV Cache (5-10ms) → D1 Database (50-100ms)

No Feature Gating

Feature	Strapi	Directus	SonicJS
Unlimited roles	Paid	Free	Free
Content versioning	Paid	Free	Free
Live preview	Paid	Free	Free
AI-powered search	N/A	N/A	Free
SSO/SAML	Paid	Paid	Roadmap

We believe core CMS features shouldn't require enterprise pricing.

Part 4: Database Philosophy

Each CMS has a distinct approach to data:

Strapi: Code-Driven Schema

Strapi requires you to maintain schema in JSON files. It manages the underlying database automatically.

// Strapi content type (JSON in code)
{
  "kind": "collectionType",
  "collectionName": "articles",
  "attributes": {
    "title": { "type": "string", "required": true },
    "content": { "type": "richtext" }
  }
}

Pros: Version control friendly, consistent deployments Cons: Can't wrap existing databases, migration complexity

Directus: Database-First

Directus wraps existing SQL tables, making it powerful for legacy integration.

-- Directus can manage tables you already have
CREATE TABLE articles (
  id SERIAL PRIMARY KEY,
  title VARCHAR(255),
  content TEXT
);
-- Then connect Directus and it introspects the schema

Pros: Works with existing systems, multiple DB support Cons: Performance issues with complex schemas, no built-in indexes

SonicJS: Edge-Native

SonicJS uses TypeScript schemas that compile to edge-optimized queries:

// SonicJS collection definition
const articles = defineCollection({
  name: 'articles',
  fields: {
    title: { type: 'string', required: true },
    content: { type: 'richtext' },
    author: { type: 'reference', collection: 'users' },
  },
})

Pros: Type-safe, edge-optimized, globally distributed Cons: D1 (SQLite) only, can't wrap existing databases

Part 5: Developer Experience

Admin Interface

Strapi (React):

Familiar for React developers
Extensive customization options
Larger bundle size

Directus (Vue):

Praised for "better customization, speed, and overall coherence"
Powerful permissions UI
Clean, modern interface

SonicJS (HTMX):

Lightweight, minimal JavaScript
Fast load times
Mobile-responsive
Growing customization options

TypeScript Support

Platform	TypeScript	Type Safety
Strapi	Added in v4	Partial, some incorrect types reported
Directus	Yes	SDK with types
SonicJS	Native	Full type inference from schema to API

Content Modeling

All three support:

Text, rich text, numbers, dates, booleans
Relations (one-to-one, one-to-many, many-to-many)
Media/file fields
JSON/flexible fields

Directus advantage: Many-to-Any relationships (though some users report issues) SonicJS advantage: Type-safe collections with schema validation

Part 6: Deployment & Operations

Strapi Deployment

# Requires server + database
docker-compose up -d  # Plus PostgreSQL, Redis

# Or Strapi Cloud: $99+/month for production

Requirements: Server, database, potentially Redis, monitoring, SSL

Directus Deployment

# Similar traditional deployment
docker run directus/directus

# Requires database connection
DATABASE_CLIENT=postgres
DATABASE_HOST=your-db-host

Requirements: Server, supported database, proper indexing (not auto-created)

SonicJS Deployment

# One command to production
npx wrangler deploy

D1, R2, KV—all included. No separate database hosting.

Cloudflare Pricing:

Free: 100,000 requests/day, 10GB D1 storage
Paid: $5/month base + usage
Typical site: $5-20/month total

Part 7: When to Choose Each

Choose Strapi If:

You need the largest plugin ecosystem
Your team prefers React-based admin
You're willing to pay for features like versioning
You want managed hosting (Strapi Cloud)
Plugin marketplace variety is critical

Choose Directus If:

You need to wrap an existing SQL database
You require support for Oracle, MSSQL, or CockroachDB
Unlimited roles are essential (without paying)
Your datasets are relatively small (avoid performance issues)
You prefer Vue.js for admin customization

Choose SonicJS If:

Global performance matters (sub-50ms latency)
You want zero cold starts
You prefer edge-native architecture
You value true open-source (no feature gating)
You want AI-powered search built-in
Simple deployment is important (single command)
You're building for scale without infrastructure complexity

Part 8: Honest SonicJS Limitations

We've been critical of Strapi and Directus. Here's what SonicJS doesn't do (yet):

No GraphQL: Currently REST-only. GraphQL is on our roadmap.

No Existing Database Wrapping: Unlike Directus, we can't connect to your existing PostgreSQL or MySQL tables.

D1 Only: We're optimized for Cloudflare D1. No PostgreSQL, MySQL, or MongoDB support.

Smaller Ecosystem: Fewer plugins than Strapi's 100+ marketplace offerings.

Newer Platform: Less battle-tested than platforms with 5+ years in production.

Our Roadmap

Q1 2025: GraphQL API layer
Q1 2025: Enhanced visual page builder
Q2 2025: Multi-tenant administration
Q2 2025: Expanded third-party integrations

Part 9: Migration Considerations

Coming from Strapi

Both use REST APIs with similar patterns:

GET /api/articles → GET /api/content/articles
Content model concepts map directly

See our Strapi migration guide.

Coming from Directus

If you're hitting Directus performance walls:

Export content via Directus API
Define equivalent SonicJS collections
Import via SonicJS API
Update frontend API calls

The REST patterns are similar, but you'll gain edge performance.

Conclusion

Strapi is the safe, popular choice with the largest ecosystem—but you'll pay for features that should be free, and migrations are painful.

Directus shines for legacy database integration—but performance degrades with scale, and it's not yet enterprise-ready for complex workloads.

SonicJS represents the next generation: edge-first architecture that delivers sub-50ms global performance without the infrastructure complexity or feature gating of traditional CMS platforms.

If you're starting a new project in 2025 and performance matters, edge-first architecture offers compelling advantages that compound over time.

Get Started

# Create your SonicJS project
npx create-sonicjs@latest my-cms

# Start development
cd my-cms
npm run dev

# Deploy globally
npx wrangler deploy

Read the Quickstart Guide | View Documentation | Join Discord

Frequently Asked Questions

Is SonicJS ready for production?

Yes. Our edge-first architecture provides automatic scaling, global distribution, and zero cold starts. Check our production deployment guide.

Can SonicJS connect to my existing PostgreSQL database?

No. Unlike Directus, SonicJS is purpose-built for Cloudflare D1 (SQLite at the edge). If wrapping existing databases is essential, Directus may be a better fit.

Does SonicJS support GraphQL?

Not yet. GraphQL support is on our Q1 2025 roadmap. Currently, we offer a comprehensive REST API.

How does pricing compare?

SonicJS is MIT licensed with no feature gating. Cloudflare's free tier includes 100,000 requests/day. Most sites run $5-20/month total—significantly less than Strapi Cloud ($99+) or enterprise Directus deployments.

Why choose SonicJS over Directus for new projects?

If you don't need to wrap existing databases, SonicJS offers better performance (sub-50ms vs 150ms-1.5s), simpler deployment (one command vs infrastructure setup), and no scaling issues with large datasets.

Sources & Further Reading

Strapi Resources

Directus GitHub Issues

Performance and Scaling (Issue #11766) — 1.5s average with relations
File-Related Slowdowns (Issue #7783) — 45s+ with 400k files
Cold Query Performance (Issue #1575) — 4s simple queries
Collection Listing Performance (Issue #2020) — 5.5s for 1k items
Connection Pool Crashes (Issue #10034) — Pool exhaustion with bulk inserts
API Response Time Issues (Issue #1743) — 150ms-1s basic calls
Performance Regression v11.13.1 (Issue #26153) — 300-900ms admin delay