Best Headless CMS for Vue.js & Nuxt

Best Headless CMS for Vue.js and Nuxt: A Technical Manager's Guide

Selecting the right headless CMS for your Vue.js or Nuxt project directly impacts development speed, content team efficiency, and long-term maintainability. This guide provides an objective comparison of 10 leading platforms, with specific attention to Nuxt module availability and Vue ecosystem integration.

Quick Picks: Best Headless CMS for Vue & Nuxt by Category

Why Headless CMS + Vue/Nuxt?

Vue.js has established itself as a progressive JavaScript framework with an approachable learning curve and powerful reactivity system. Nuxt builds on Vue to provide server-side rendering (SSR), static site generation (SSG), and hybrid rendering modes out of the box.

When paired with a headless CMS, Vue and Nuxt projects gain several architectural advantages. The frontend application remains decoupled from content storage, enabling independent scaling and deployment cycles. Content editors work in a dedicated interface while developers maintain full control over presentation and performance.

Modern Nuxt features like useAsyncData, useFetch, and the Composition API require CMS platforms that deliver content efficiently via API. Not all headless CMS platforms integrate equally well with Nuxt's rendering modes and data fetching patterns.

Selection Criteria for Technical Managers

When evaluating headless CMS options for Vue and Nuxt projects, consider these factors:

Nuxt Module Availability: Official or well-maintained Nuxt modules significantly reduce integration complexity. Modules provide auto-imports, composables, and pre-configured settings that align with Nuxt conventions.

SSR/SSG Compatibility: Your CMS must support both server-side rendering for dynamic content and static site generation for performance-critical pages. Webhook-triggered regeneration enables incremental updates without full rebuilds.

API Architecture: REST and GraphQL support determines integration flexibility. GraphQL reduces over-fetching in component-based architectures typical of Vue applications.

Visual Editing: Some platforms offer real-time visual editing that shows content changes directly on your Vue components. This capability reduces the back-and-forth between content teams and developers.

TypeScript Support: Vue 3 and Nuxt 3 embrace TypeScript. Your CMS should provide typed SDKs and schema generation tools for type-safe content fetching.

Pricing Model: SaaS platforms typically charge by API calls, users, or bandwidth. Self-hosted options shift infrastructure costs to your team but eliminate vendor lock-in.

Detailed CMS Comparison

1. Storyblok

Storyblok provides the most mature integration with the Vue and Nuxt ecosystem. The platform combines headless architecture with a visual editor that renders content directly within your Vue components.

Nuxt Integration: The official @storyblok/nuxt module offers auto-imported composables like useAsyncStoryblok for one-liner data fetching with SSR support. The module handles component registration automatically when you place Vue components in the /storyblok directory.

javascript

// nuxt.config.ts
export default defineNuxtConfig({
  modules: [['@storyblok/nuxt', { accessToken: '<your-token>' }]]
})

Key Strengths:

• Visual editor with real-time preview in your actual Vue components
• Component-based content architecture matching Vue's mental model
• Official Nuxt module with composables and auto-imports
• Built-in localization and asset management
• Strong TypeScript support

Considerations:

• Visual editor adds complexity for simple content sites
• Higher price point for full feature access
• Some advanced features require Enterprise tier

Pricing: Free tier available. Growth plan at €90.75/month (annual billing).

Best For: Marketing teams who need visual editing control while working with Vue/Nuxt developers.

2. Strapi

Strapi leads the open-source headless CMS market with full self-hosting capability. Built on Node.js, it integrates naturally into JavaScript-based workflows including Vue and Nuxt projects.

Nuxt Integration: The official @nuxtjs/strapi module provides composables for authentication and content fetching. The module supports both REST and GraphQL endpoints generated by Strapi.

javascript

// nuxt.config.ts
export default defineNuxtConfig({
  modules: ['@nuxtjs/strapi'],
  strapi: { url: 'http://localhost:1337' }
})

Key Strengths:

• 100% open source with self-hosting option
• Official Nuxt module with authentication support
• REST and GraphQL API generation
• Customizable admin panel built with React
• Active plugin ecosystem and community

Considerations:

• Self-hosting requires DevOps resources
• No built-in visual editor
• Cloud hosting adds additional cost

Pricing: Self-hosted is free. Strapi Cloud starts at $45/month.

Best For: Teams wanting full control over their CMS infrastructure without vendor lock-in.

3. Sanity

Sanity offers a developer-first approach with its Content Lake data store and customizable Sanity Studio. The platform excels at complex content modeling through code-defined schemas.

Nuxt Integration: The official @nuxtjs/sanity module provides composables like useSanityQuery and useLazySanityQuery for GROQ-based content fetching. The module supports SSR and SSG modes.

javascript

// nuxt.config.ts
export default defineNuxtConfig({
  modules: ['@nuxtjs/sanity'],
  sanity: { projectId: 'your-project-id' }
})

Key Strengths:

• Real-time collaboration with presence indicators
• GROQ query language for precise content fetching
• Official Nuxt module with typed composables
• Portable Text for structured rich content
• TypeScript-first development experience

Considerations:

• Learning curve for GROQ syntax
• Studio customization requires React knowledge
• Pricing scales with API usage

Pricing: Free tier available. Growth plan starts at $15/seat/month.

Best For: Teams requiring custom content structures and real-time collaboration.

4. Directus

Directus wraps any SQL database with an instant API and admin interface. This approach works well for projects with existing databases or specific data architecture requirements.

Nuxt Integration: The community-maintained nuxt-directus module provides authentication middleware and SDK integration. Directus also offers a visual editor that can be integrated with Nuxt projects.

javascript

// nuxt.config.ts
export default defineNuxtConfig({
  modules: ['nuxt-directus'],
  directus: { url: 'https://your-directus-instance.com' }
})

Key Strengths:

• Connects to existing SQL databases (PostgreSQL, MySQL, SQLite)
• REST and GraphQL APIs generated automatically
• Open source with commercial cloud option
• Built-in flows for automation and workflows
• Visual editor integration available

Considerations:

• Requires SQL database knowledge
• Less specialized for pure content use cases
• Self-hosted requires maintenance

Pricing: Self-hosted free. Cloud starts at $99/month.

Best For: Teams with existing SQL databases who need a CMS layer.

5. Contentful

Contentful established the headless CMS category and remains a leading choice for enterprise deployments. The platform provides mature APIs and extensive integrations.

Nuxt Integration: Contentful provides a JavaScript SDK that works with Nuxt through manual plugin configuration. While no official Nuxt module exists, integration is straightforward.

javascript

// plugins/contentful.ts
import { createClient } from 'contentful'
export default defineNuxtPlugin(() => {
  const client = createClient({
    space: 'your-space-id',
    accessToken: 'your-access-token'
  })
  return { provide: { contentful: client } }
})

Key Strengths:

• Robust REST and GraphQL APIs
• Composable content architecture
• AI-powered features for content operations
• Extensive third-party integrations
• 99.99% uptime SLA on Premium plans

Considerations:

• No official Nuxt module
• Complex pricing structure
• Premium features require significant investment

Pricing: Free tier available. Team plan at $300/month.

Best For: Large organizations with complex content workflows and multi-brand requirements.

6. Prismic

Prismic focuses on slice-based content architecture, allowing marketers to build dynamic page layouts from predefined Vue components without developer involvement.

Nuxt Integration: Prismic offers the @nuxtjs/prismic module with Slice Machine integration for component-based content modeling. The module provides composables and automatic slice component registration.

Key Strengths:

• Slice Machine for component-based page building
• Official Nuxt module with full SSR support
• Built-in A/B testing capabilities
• CDN-delivered content for performance
• Generous free tier

Considerations:

• Slice-based model requires upfront architecture planning
• Less flexible for non-page content types
• Smaller ecosystem than competitors

Pricing: Free tier available. Small plan at $100/month.

Best For: Marketing-focused sites with modular page building requirements.

7. Hygraph (formerly GraphCMS)

Hygraph specializes in GraphQL-first content management with a federated approach that connects multiple content sources through a unified API.

Nuxt Integration: Hygraph works with Nuxt through GraphQL clients like Apollo or the native useFetch with GraphQL queries. The platform provides comprehensive GraphQL documentation.

javascript

// Using useFetch with GraphQL
const { data } = await useFetch('https://api-region.hygraph.com/v2/project/master', {
  method: 'POST',
  body: { query: '{ posts { title slug } }' }
})

Key Strengths:

• Native GraphQL with automatic schema generation
• Content Federation connects external data sources
• Granular role-based access control
• Remote field support for external APIs
• Strong performance at scale

Considerations:

• GraphQL-only (no REST API option)
• Steeper learning curve for non-GraphQL teams
• Pricing increases with usage complexity

Pricing: Free tier available. Professional plan at $299/month.

Best For: Teams invested in GraphQL who need to aggregate multiple content sources.

8. ButterCMS

ButterCMS positions itself as the easiest headless CMS for developers, with simple APIs and quick integration focused on common content types.

Nuxt Integration: ButterCMS provides a JavaScript SDK with Vue-specific documentation. Integration uses standard Nuxt patterns with manual plugin setup.

Key Strengths:

• Simple REST API
• Built-in blog and page components
• Quick integration with starter templates
• Dedicated Vue.js documentation
• Responsive support team

Considerations:

• Less flexible for complex content models
• Limited workflow features
• Smaller feature set overall

Pricing: Free trial available. Startup plan at $99/month.

Best For: Small teams needing quick blog and page management.

9. Nuxt Content

Nuxt Content is a Git-based CMS built directly into the Nuxt ecosystem. It transforms Markdown, YAML, and JSON files into a queryable content layer.

Nuxt Integration: As a native Nuxt module, Nuxt Content provides the tightest possible integration with composables like queryContent and automatic route generation.

javascript

// nuxt.config.ts
export default defineNuxtConfig({
modules: ['@nuxt/content']
})

// pages/blog/[...slug].vue
const { data } = await useAsyncData('page', () =>
queryContent().where({ _path: route.path }).findOne()
)

Key Strengths:

• Zero external dependencies or API costs
• Native Nuxt module with full TypeScript support
• Git-based versioning and collaboration
• MDC syntax for Vue components in Markdown
• Full-text search built-in

Considerations:

• No visual editor for non-technical users
• Requires Git workflow knowledge
• Not suitable for large content teams

Pricing: Free (open source).

Best For: Developer-focused documentation sites and blogs with technical content teams.

10. Builder.io

Builder.io provides a visual development platform that combines CMS capabilities with no-code page building for Vue and Nuxt applications.

Nuxt Integration: Builder.io offers a Vue SDK that works with Nuxt for visual editing and content delivery. The platform enables drag-and-drop page building using your actual Vue components.

Key Strengths:

• Visual drag-and-drop page builder
• Uses your existing Vue components
• A/B testing and personalization built-in
• Hybrid rendering support
• AI-powered content generation

Considerations:

• Higher price point for full features
• Learning curve for the visual builder
• May be overkill for simple content sites

Pricing: Free tier available. Growth plan pricing varies by usage.

Best For: Teams wanting no-code page building with Vue components.

Comparison Table

Recommendations by Scenario

Startup / Small Team

Recommended: Nuxt Content or Strapi

For developer-heavy teams comfortable with Git workflows, Nuxt Content provides zero-cost content management with native integration. Strapi works well if you need a proper admin UI for content editors and have capacity for self-hosting.

Mid-Size Company

Recommended: Storyblok or Sanity

Both platforms balance developer flexibility with content team independence. Storyblok's visual editor reduces developer bottlenecks for marketing content. Sanity's real-time collaboration supports distributed teams effectively.

Enterprise

Recommended: Contentful or Storyblok Enterprise

Enterprise requirements like SSO, audit logs, SLAs, and compliance certifications narrow the field. Both platforms serve large organizations with proven track records and dedicated support.

Agency / Multi-Project

Recommended: Storyblok or Strapi

Multi-tenant capabilities, white-labeling options, and consistent developer experience across projects serve agency workflows. Both platforms support managing multiple client projects efficiently.

Existing Database Integration

Recommended: Directus

When your content already lives in a SQL database, Directus provides a CMS layer without data migration. The instant API generation and admin panel connect directly to your existing schema.

Documentation Sites

Recommended: Nuxt Content

Technical documentation benefits from Git-based workflows, version control, and MDC syntax for embedding Vue components. Zero external dependencies simplify deployment and maintenance.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which headless CMS has the best Nuxt integration?

Storyblok, Strapi, and Sanity all provide official Nuxt modules with composables and auto-imports. Storyblok offers the most complete integration with visual editing support directly in your Nuxt application.

Can I use Vue 3 Composition API with these CMS platforms?

Yes. All listed platforms work with Vue 3 and the Composition API. Those with official Nuxt modules provide composables designed for the Composition API pattern.

Do I need GraphQL for Vue/Nuxt projects?

Not necessarily. REST APIs handle most use cases effectively. GraphQL benefits projects with complex data relationships or teams already using GraphQL elsewhere in their stack.

What's the difference between Nuxt Content and external headless CMS?

Nuxt Content is Git-based and stores content as files in your repository. External headless CMS platforms provide separate content storage, admin interfaces, and APIs. Choose Nuxt Content for developer-focused content and external CMS for marketing team independence.

How do I handle preview/draft content in Nuxt?

Most CMS platforms provide preview tokens or draft modes. Nuxt supports preview mode through route-level configuration that fetches draft content when preview tokens are present.

Can I migrate between headless CMS platforms?

Yes, though complexity varies. Most platforms export content as JSON. Migration difficulty depends on content model differences, media asset handling, and internal links. Budget 2-4 weeks for typical migrations.

Conclusion

The best headless CMS for your Vue or Nuxt project depends on your team's technical capacity, content workflow requirements, and budget constraints.

For most teams starting new Nuxt projects, Storyblok provides the strongest combination of visual editing and native integration. Strapi leads for self-hosted deployments with full backend control. Sanity suits teams needing flexible content modeling with real-time collaboration. Nuxt Content remains the simplest option for developer-focused documentation and blogs.

Evaluate 2-3 platforms with proof-of-concept implementations before committing. Test the actual integration with your Nuxt configuration, component architecture, and deployment pipeline. Most platforms offer free tiers suitable for evaluation.