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Nagendra Yadav
Nagendra Yadav

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Blog-Only CMS vs Full CMS: What Developers Actually Need in 2025

#cms #headless #webdev

Blog-Only CMS vs Full CMS: What Developers Actually Need in 2025

You're building a SaaS landing page, a portfolio site, or a marketing website. You need a blog. The question is: do you need WordPress, Contentful, or Strapi with their 500+ features? Or would a simple, blog-focused CMS do the job better?

I've spent the last six months talking to developers about this exact decision. The answer isn't what most blog posts will tell you.

TL;DR - Quick Decision Framework

Choose a Blog-Only CMS if:

  • You need blog posts, categories, and tags (nothing more)
  • You want to ship fast (< 1 hour setup)
  • Your budget is under $50/month for CMS
  • You have a dedicated frontend (Next.js, React, Vue)

Choose a Full CMS if:

  • You need custom content types beyond blogs
  • You're building a content-heavy platform (e-commerce, directories)
  • You have complex workflows (approval chains, scheduling)
  • You need built-in image optimization and media management

Still not sure? Keep reading.

What Actually Is a "Full CMS" vs "Blog-Only CMS"?

Full CMS Platforms

Full CMS platforms (Contentful, Strapi, Sanity, WordPress) are designed to manage any type of content:

  • Blog posts
  • Product catalogs
  • User profiles
  • Landing pages
  • Documentation
  • Media libraries
  • Custom content types (events, recipes, courses, etc.)

Examples:

  • Contentful - Enterprise-grade headless CMS
  • Strapi - Open-source headless CMS
  • Sanity - Developer-focused CMS with real-time collaboration
  • WordPress - The 43% of the internet solution
  • Directus - Database-first headless CMS

The value proposition: Flexibility. You can model any content structure you can imagine.

The hidden cost: Complexity. You'll spend hours configuring content types, relationships, and permissions just to publish blog posts.

Blog-Only CMS Platforms

Blog-only CMS platforms are laser-focused on one job: serving blog content via an API.

Core features (and that's it):

  • Blog posts (title, content, excerpt, featured image)
  • Categories
  • Tags
  • Search
  • Publishing workflow (draft/published)
  • REST/GraphQL API

Examples:

  • BlogNow - Modern headless blog CMS
  • ButterCMS - Blog-focused with some page-building
  • Ghost - Open-source blog platform with headless API
  • Hashnode Headless - Blog API for developers

The value proposition: Simplicity. Zero configuration. You get an API that returns blog posts. That's it.

The trade-off: Limited to blog content. Need a product catalog? You'll need another tool.

The Real-World Comparison: Setting Up a Blog

Let's compare the actual developer experience of adding a blog to a Next.js landing page.

Scenario: Marketing Site with Blog

You're launching a SaaS product. You have:

  • Landing page (Next.js)
  • Pricing page
  • Docs
  • You need to add a /blog section

Option 1: Strapi (Full CMS) 

# Setup
npx create-strapi-app my-blog --quickstart
cd my-blog
npm run develop

# Wait 3-5 minutes for build
# Navigate to http://localhost:1337/admin
# Create admin account
# Configure "Blog Post" content type:
  - Add field: title (Text)
  - Add field: slug (UID)
  - Add field: content (Rich Text)
  - Add field: excerpt (Text)
  - Add field: featured_image (Media)
  - Add field: published_at (DateTime)
  - Add field: category (Relation)
  - Configure permissions (Public role → Blog Post → find, findOne)
  - Deploy to Heroku/Railway/VPS
  - Set up PostgreSQL
  - Configure environment variables
  - Set up media storage (S3/Cloudinary)

# In your Next.js app:
npm install axios

# Fetch posts:
const posts = await axios.get('https://your-strapi.com/api/blog-posts?populate=*')
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Time to first blog post: 2-4 hours (plus deployment headaches)

Monthly cost:

  • Strapi Cloud: $75/mo (pro plan)
  • Self-hosted: $15-30/mo (server + database + storage)

Option 2: Contentful (Full CMS) 

# Setup
# 1. Sign up at contentful.com
# 2. Create space
# 3. Design "Blog Post" content model (click, click, click)
# 4. Configure fields (15+ clicks)
# 5. Set up API keys
# 6. Configure preview/delivery environments

# In your Next.js app:
npm install contentful

const client = contentful.createClient({
  space: process.env.CONTENTFUL_SPACE_ID,
  accessToken: process.env.CONTENTFUL_ACCESS_TOKEN
})

const posts = await client.getEntries({ content_type: 'blogPost' })
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Time to first blog post: 1-2 hours

Monthly cost:

  • Free tier: 25,000 records (community tier)
  • Paid: $300+/mo (team plan for production)

Option 3: BlogNow (Blog-Only CMS) 

# Setup
# 1. Sign up at blognow.tech
# 2. Create API key (copy it)
# 3. Add your domain to CORS allowed list

# In your Next.js app:
npm install @blognow/sdk

const blognow = new BlogNow({
  apiKey: process.env.NEXT_PUBLIC_BLOGNOW_API_KEY
})

const posts = await blognow.posts.list({ status: 'published' })
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Time to first blog post: 10-15 minutes

Monthly cost:

  • $9.99/mo (50K requests)
  • $19.99/mo (100K requests)

Feature Comparison Table

Feature Full CMS (Contentful) Full CMS (Strapi) Blog-Only (BlogNow) Blog-Only (Ghost)
Setup Time 1-2 hours 2-4 hours 10 minutes 30 minutes
Learning Curve Steep Moderate None Low
Custom Content Types ✅ Unlimited ✅ Unlimited ❌ Blog only ❌ Blog only
Built-in Blog ⚠️ You build it ⚠️ You build it ✅ Out of box ✅ Out of box
API Type REST + GraphQL REST + GraphQL REST REST
TypeScript SDK ✅ Official ⚠️ Community ✅ Official ⚠️ Community
Media Management ✅ Advanced ✅ Advanced ✅ Basic (S3) ✅ Basic
Search ✅ Built-in ⚠️ Add Algolia ✅ Built-in ✅ Built-in
Webhooks ✅ Yes ✅ Yes 🔄 Roadmap ✅ Yes
Self-Hostable ❌ No ✅ Yes ❌ No ✅ Yes
Free Tier ✅ Limited ✅ Self-host ✅ 7-day trial ✅ Self-host
Paid Plans Start At $300/mo $75/mo (cloud) $9.99/mo $18/mo (managed)
Best For Large teams Custom needs Simple blogs Writers

When to Choose a Full CMS

Scenario 1: E-Commerce with Blog

You're building an online store with:

  • Product catalog (SKUs, variants, pricing)
  • Blog posts
  • Landing pages
  • Customer reviews

Recommendation: Full CMS (Strapi or Contentful)

Why: You need complex content relationships. Products have categories, variants, reviews, and related blog posts. A blog-only CMS can't model this.

Best choice: Strapi (self-hosted) or Contentful (if budget allows)

Scenario 2: Multi-Brand Content Platform

You manage content for multiple brands:

  • 10+ websites
  • Shared media library
  • Translation workflows
  • Complex approval chains

Recommendation: Full CMS (Contentful or Sanity)

Why: You need advanced workflows, role-based permissions, and content reuse across properties.

Best choice: Contentful or Sanity

Scenario 3: Documentation + Blog + Marketing Pages

You're building:

  • Product docs (hierarchical structure)
  • Blog
  • Case studies
  • Landing pages

Recommendation: Full CMS (Strapi) or separate tools

Why: Different content types with different needs. Docs need versioning and hierarchy. Blog needs categories and tags.

Best choice: Strapi (unified) or Gitbook (docs) + BlogNow (blog)

When to Choose a Blog-Only CMS

Scenario 1: SaaS Landing Page with Blog

You have:

  • Next.js landing page
  • Pricing page (hardcoded)
  • Docs (separate tool like Gitbook)
  • Blog (need to add)

Recommendation: Blog-Only CMS (BlogNow or ButterCMS)

Why: You're not managing complex content. You just need blog posts. A full CMS is overkill.

Best choice: BlogNow

Setup:

// app/blog/page.tsx
import { BlogNow } from '@blognow/sdk'

const blognow = new BlogNow({ apiKey: process.env.NEXT_PUBLIC_BLOGNOW_API_KEY })

export default async function BlogPage() {
  const posts = await blognow.posts.list({ status: 'published' })

  return (
    <div>
      {posts.map(post => (
        <article key={post.id}>
          <h2>{post.title}</h2>
          <p>{post.excerpt}</p>
        </article>
      ))}
    </div>
  )
}
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Time saved: 3-4 hours vs setting up Strapi

Cost saved: $65/mo vs Strapi Cloud

Scenario 2: Portfolio Site for Freelancer

You're a developer/designer building your portfolio:

  • About page
  • Projects (hardcoded)
  • Blog (for SEO and thought leadership)

Recommendation: Blog-Only CMS (Ghost or BlogNow)

Why: You're not building Medium. You need a simple blog that works with your Astro/Next.js site.

Best choice: BlogNow (if you want API integration) or Ghost (if you want hosted blog + API)

Scenario 3: Agency Managing Client Blogs

You build websites for clients. Each client needs:

  • Blog
  • Contact form
  • Services pages (static)

Recommendation: Blog-Only CMS (BlogNow)

Why: Clients don't need to learn Contentful's interface. They need to write blog posts. Simple admin = fewer support tickets.

Best choice: BlogNow with separate workspaces per client

The Hidden Costs of "Full" CMS Platforms

1. Configuration Time

Contentful example:

  • Design content model: 30 minutes
  • Configure fields and validation: 20 minutes
  • Set up relationships: 15 minutes
  • Configure API permissions: 10 minutes
  • Set up preview/delivery environments: 15 minutes

Total: 90 minutes before you write a single line of code.

Blog-only CMS: 5 minutes to get API key and start coding.

2. Maintenance Burden

Strapi (self-hosted):

  • Server maintenance
  • Database backups
  • Security updates
  • Plugin compatibility
  • Media storage management

Estimated time: 2-4 hours/month

Blog-only CMS (managed): Zero maintenance. It's fully managed.

3. Learning Curve for Content Editors

Contentful:

  • Content editors need training on:
    • Content model structure
    • Field types and validation
    • Media library
    • Publishing workflow
    • Preview functionality

Training time: 2-3 hours per editor

Blog-only CMS:

  • Editors understand:
    • Title
    • Content
    • Category
    • Publish

Training time: 15 minutes

4. Over-Engineering Risk

I've seen this pattern dozens of times:

  1. Developer chooses Contentful for a simple blog
  2. Spends 4 hours configuring it
  3. Builds custom preview functionality
  4. Integrates image optimization
  5. Sets up webhooks for cache invalidation
  6. Ships blog 2 weeks later than planned

Meanwhile, the blog-only CMS approach:

  1. Sign up
  2. Install SDK
  3. Fetch posts
  4. Ships blog same day

The Cost Analysis: 1-Year TCO

Full CMS (Strapi - Self Hosted) 

Setup time: 4 hours × $100/hr = $400
Hosting (Railway): $20/mo × 12 = $240
Database (Neon): $15/mo × 12 = $180
Storage (S3): $5/mo × 12 = $60
Maintenance: 3 hrs/mo × 12 × $100/hr = $3,600
---
Total Year 1: $4,480
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Full CMS (Contentful - Managed) 

Setup time: 2 hours × $100/hr = $200
Contentful Team Plan: $300/mo × 12 = $3,600
Media hosting: Included
Maintenance: 0 hours = $0
---
Total Year 1: $3,800
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Blog-Only CMS (BlogNow) 

Setup time: 0.25 hours × $100/hr = $25
BlogNow Starter: $19.99/mo × 12 = $240
Media hosting: Included
Maintenance: 0 hours = $0
---
Total Year 1: $265
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Savings: $3,535 - $4,215 compared to full CMS solutions.

Developer Experience: The Real Differentiator

Type Safety and DX

Full CMS (Contentful) - Manual Types:

// You write this yourself (or use codegen)
interface BlogPost {
  fields: {
    title: string
    slug: string
    content: Document // Contentful's rich text type
    excerpt: string
    featuredImage: Asset
    publishedAt: string
    category: Entry<Category>
  }
}

const posts = await client.getEntries<BlogPost>({
  content_type: 'blogPost'
})

// Access is verbose:
posts.items[0].fields.title
posts.items[0].fields.category.fields.name
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Blog-Only CMS (BlogNow) - Built-in Types:

import { BlogNow } from '@blognow/sdk'

const blognow = new BlogNow({ apiKey: process.env.NEXT_PUBLIC_BLOGNOW_API_KEY })

// Fully typed, zero configuration
const posts = await blognow.posts.list({ status: 'published' })

// Clean access:
posts[0].title
posts[0].category.name
posts[0].tags.map(t => t.name)
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Error Handling

Full CMS: You build error handling

try {
  const posts = await client.getEntries({ content_type: 'blogPost' })
} catch (error) {
  if (error.response.status === 429) {
    // Handle rate limiting
  }
  // Handle other errors
}
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Blog-Only CMS: Built-in retry logic

// Automatically retries on failure
// Handles rate limits with exponential backoff
// Throws typed errors you can catch
const posts = await blognow.posts.list()
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Migration Considerations

From WordPress to Headless

Challenge: You have 500 blog posts in WordPress. You want to go headless.

Full CMS approach:

  1. Export WordPress content (XML)
  2. Parse and transform data
  3. Create content model in Contentful/Strapi
  4. Import content via API
  5. Migrate images
  6. Update internal links
  7. Set up redirects

Time: 8-16 hours

Blog-Only CMS approach:

  1. Export WordPress content (XML)
  2. Use migration tool (many blog CMSs provide importers)
  3. Map fields (title → title, content → content)
  4. Import

Time: 2-4 hours

Why easier? Blog-only CMS already knows what a blog post is. No custom modeling needed.

From Contentful to Blog-Only CMS

When to migrate:

  • You realize you're only using it for blogs
  • Cost is too high ($300+/mo)
  • Complexity is overkill

How:

  1. Export Contentful entries via API
  2. Transform to new format
  3. Import to blog-only CMS
  4. Update frontend API calls

Time: 2-4 hours

Risk: Low (if you're only using blog features)

The Middle Ground: Hybrid Approach

You don't have to choose just one CMS. Many successful sites use:

Blog-Only CMS (BlogNow) + Hardcoded Pages

Landing page: Next.js (hardcoded)
Pricing: Next.js (hardcoded or Stripe API)
Docs: Gitbook or Mintlify
Blog: BlogNow
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Benefits:

  • Simple stack
  • Each tool does one thing well
  • Easy to reason about
  • Low cost

Blog-Only CMS + Notion for Pages

Landing pages: Notion + Notion API
Blog: BlogNow
Forms: Formspark
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Benefits:

  • Non-technical team can edit landing pages
  • Developers get clean blog API
  • Low cost

Common Myths Debunked

Myth 1: "Full CMS is more future-proof"

Reality: You Aren't Gonna Need It (YAGNI)

95% of sites that choose Contentful for "future flexibility" never use custom content types beyond blogs.

Better approach: Start simple. If you need custom content types later, migrate then. Migration is easier than you think.

Myth 2: "Blog-only CMS limits growth"

Reality: Most successful content sites are just blogs with categories

Look at:

  • Indie Hackers (blog + forum)
  • Dev.to (blog + community)
  • Medium (just blogs)

None of these need complex content modeling.

Myth 3: "Full CMS has better SEO"

Reality: SEO is about content and metadata, not your CMS

Both full CMS and blog-only CMS give you:

  • Custom meta titles/descriptions
  • Open Graph tags
  • Canonical URLs
  • Sitemap generation

Your Next.js/React code handles SEO, not your CMS.

Myth 4: "You need a full CMS for media management"

Reality: Modern blog-only CMS platforms handle media well

BlogNow, Ghost, and ButterCMS all support:

  • Image uploads
  • CDN delivery
  • Basic transformations

Need advanced image editing? Use Cloudinary. Don't buy a full CMS for it.

The Decision Tree 

Do you need content types beyond blog posts?
├─ YES → Do you need >5 custom content types?
│   ├─ YES → Full CMS (Contentful or Strapi)
│   └─ NO → Can you hardcode those pages?
│       ├─ YES → Blog-Only CMS
│       └─ NO → Full CMS (Strapi)
└─ NO → Do you have >$100/mo budget for CMS?
    ├─ YES → Full CMS if you want flexibility
    └─ NO → Blog-Only CMS
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Real-World Case Studies

Case Study 1: SaaS Startup ($20M funding)

Initial choice: Contentful ($300/mo)

Usage after 6 months:

  • 45 blog posts
  • 12 landing pages (could've been Next.js)
  • 0 custom content types used

Result: Switched to BlogNow + hardcoded pages
Savings: $3,360/year
Dev time saved: 10 hours (no more Contentful config)

Case Study 2: Marketing Agency (15 clients)

Initial choice: WordPress for all clients

Problems:

  • Security updates
  • Plugin conflicts
  • Slow performance
  • Client complaints about UI

Solution: Migrated to BlogNow
Result:

  • 80% fewer support tickets
  • Faster page loads (API + Next.js SSG)
  • Clients love simple editor
  • Agency saves 15 hours/month on WordPress maintenance

Case Study 3: Developer Portfolio

Initial choice: Built custom blog with MongoDB

Problems:

  • Spent 20 hours building admin panel
  • No rich text editor
  • Media management is hard
  • SEO metadata was afterthought

Solution: Switched to Ghost (blog-only)
Result:

  • Deleted 2,000 lines of backend code
  • Better editor than custom solution
  • Focus on content, not CMS maintenance

The Verdict: What You Should Choose in 2025

Choose Full CMS (Contentful/Strapi) if:

✅ You're building a content platform (not just a blog)
✅ You need >5 custom content types
✅ You have complex workflows (multi-stage approval)
✅ You have budget ($100+/mo)
✅ You have time to configure (4+ hours)
✅ Your team understands content modeling

Best for: E-commerce, multi-brand platforms, complex sites

Choose Blog-Only CMS (BlogNow/Ghost) if:

✅ You just need a blog (the most common case)
✅ You want to ship fast (<1 hour)
✅ Your budget is limited (<$50/mo)
✅ You value simplicity over flexibility
✅ You have a frontend framework (Next.js, React, Vue)
✅ Your content editors don't need training

Best for: SaaS blogs, portfolios, marketing sites, agency client sites

Getting Started with a Blog-Only CMS

If you've decided a blog-only CMS is right for you, here's the fastest path:

Option 1: BlogNow (Managed, Modern)

Best for: Next.js/React/Vue apps, developers who want clean APIs

# 1. Sign up at blognow.tech
# 2. Create API key
# 3. Install SDK

npm install @blognow/sdk

# 4. Start fetching posts
import { BlogNow } from '@blognow/sdk'

const blognow = new BlogNow({
  apiKey: process.env.NEXT_PUBLIC_BLOGNOW_API_KEY
})

const posts = await blognow.posts.list({ status: 'published' })
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Pricing: $9.99/mo (50K requests)

Setup time: 10 minutes

Try BlogNow Free for 7 Days →

Option 2: Ghost (Self-Hosted or Managed)

Best for: Writers who want a great editor, self-hosting enthusiasts

Pricing:

  • Self-hosted: Free (+ server costs ~$10/mo)
  • Managed: $9/mo

Setup time: 30 minutes (managed) or 2 hours (self-hosted)

Option 3: ButterCMS (Managed)

Best for: Teams that want blog + some landing page capability

Pricing: $99/mo (startup plan)

Setup time: 20 minutes

Conclusion: The 80/20 Rule Applies to CMS

80% of developers who choose a full CMS only use 20% of its features.

If you're building a blog, you don't need:

  • Custom content types
  • Complex relationships
  • Advanced media DAM
  • Multi-stage workflows
  • 47 field types

You need:

  • Blog posts
  • Categories
  • Tags
  • A good editor
  • An API

Choose the tool that matches your needs today, not your imagined needs in 3 years.

Start simple. You can always migrate later if you need more complexity. But you'll probably never need it.

Take Action

If you're building a blog for your Next.js/React/Vue app:

Try BlogNow free for 7 days. No credit card required.

  • ✅ Set up in under 10 minutes
  • ✅ Full TypeScript SDK
  • ✅ Pre-built AI integration prompts
  • ✅ Start at $9.99/mo

Start Free Trial →

If you're still unsure:

Check out our comparison guide or book a demo to discuss your specific needs.

Further Reading

About the Author

Serial entrepreneur and indie hacker building tools developers actually want to use. Currently shipping BlogNow.tech - a blog-only CMS that doesn't waste your time.

Follow my journey on Twitter

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