The next pricing tier is a big jump
Growth in users, locales, or content pushes you toward a much larger plan.
Leaving Contentful? Here’s where to go.
Teams usually leave Contentful at a pricing tier jump, or when the content model or editing experience stops fitting how they work.
Should you move off Contentful?
If you need structured content for several channels but want more flexibility and control over the editing experience, move to Sanity. If the content only serves one website and developers manage it, move it into the codebase with Astro. If marketing wants to own a simpler site end to end, move to Framer.
If Contentful’s pricing works for you, the model fits, and your editors are productive, there is little reason to move.
Signs it’s time to leave Contentful.
You are hitting model limits
Content type, field, or environment limits shape the model more than your needs do.
Editors find it rigid
The editing interface is hard to adapt to how your team actually works.
It serves only one website
You pay for a multi-channel platform that feeds a single site.
Developers want more control
Schema changes happen in a UI instead of in code, with review and version history.
Where Contentful teams usually go.
Most teams leaving Contentful still want structured content. The question is how much platform they need around it.
| Option | Best for | Who edits content | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sanity | Teams that want a flexible content model defined in code and a studio shaped to their workflow | Editors, in a customised studio | Model changes need a developer |
| Content in the codebase (Astro collections) | Developer-led sites with modest editorial needs | Developers, or editors through a Git-based CMS | Less suited to large non-technical editorial teams |
| Framer | Marketing sites where the team wants to design and publish without a developer | Marketing, directly in a visual canvas | Not for application UI or content that feeds other channels |
Option
Sanity
- Best for
- Teams that want a flexible content model defined in code and a studio shaped to their workflow
- Who edits content
- Editors, in a customised studio
- Watch out for
- Model changes need a developer
Option
Content in the codebase (Astro collections)
- Best for
- Developer-led sites with modest editorial needs
- Who edits content
- Developers, or editors through a Git-based CMS
- Watch out for
- Less suited to large non-technical editorial teams
Option
Framer
- Best for
- Marketing sites where the team wants to design and publish without a developer
- Who edits content
- Marketing, directly in a visual canvas
- Watch out for
- Not for application UI or content that feeds other channels
Pick a path.
Contentful → Sanity
A content platform your developers shape exactly to your model and editorial workflow.
Learn moreContentful → Content in the repo
Typed content collections in an Astro codebase, with nothing extra to host or license.
Learn moreContentful → Framer
The best visual builder for marketing sites: a full CMS, fast pages, safe editing, and native AI workflows.
Learn more
Stay on Contentful, or go?
Not every site needs to move. Here’s the honest version.
Leaving Contentful makes sense when
- Pricing is about to jump
- You are working around model or plan limits
- Editors want a more tailored experience
- Content only serves one site
- Developers want the schema in code
Staying on Contentful is fine when
- Pricing is predictable and acceptable
- The content model fits well
- Editors are productive today
- You rely on Contentful apps and integrations
- Content serves many channels reliably
What comes with you.
Content types become schemas, entries and assets are migrated by script, and references and locales are preserved throughout.
- Content types, rebuilt as schemas
- Every entry, asset, and reference
- Locales and translations
- Roles, permissions, and workflows
- Webhooks, builds, and integrations
- URLs, with a tested 301 redirect map
Leaving a different platform?
Leaving Drupal
Facing a Drupal upgrade or rising maintenance costs? Compare moving to Astro or a headless CMS like Sanity or Contentful, and see when staying on Drupal makes sense.
Read the guideLeaving Gatsby
Gatsby’s momentum has stalled since Netlify’s acquisition and the Gatsby Cloud shutdown. Compare moving to Astro, Framer, or Next.js, and see when staying makes sense.
Read the guideLeaving HubSpot CMS
Want to move your website off HubSpot CMS but keep HubSpot CRM? Compare Framer and Astro, and see when staying on HubSpot CMS is the better call.
Read the guide
Leaving Contentful: common questions.
Why do teams move away from Contentful?
Usually pricing tier jumps, content model or plan limits, an editing experience that is hard to tailor, or paying for multi-channel capability that only feeds one website.
Is Sanity better than Contentful?
Sanity offers more flexibility: the schema is defined in code and the editing studio can be customised extensively. Contentful offers a mature, configurable platform with a large ecosystem. The better choice depends on your team.
How hard is it to migrate from Contentful to Sanity?
Very manageable. Content types map to Sanity schemas, and entries, assets, and references are migrated by script, with a reconciliation pass to confirm nothing is lost.
Will our website change when we leave Contentful?
It doesn’t have to. The frontend can stay the same while the content source changes underneath it, or both can be rebuilt together.
How long does a Contentful migration take?
A single-site migration usually takes four to ten weeks, depending on content volume, locales, and integrations.