EasySiteControl

EasySiteControl vs Strapi

Both let you own the database. Only one of them still lets that database be MongoDB — and only one saves you from running the CMS yourself.

What Strapi is

Strapi is the most established open-source headless CMS — MIT-licensed, self-hosted, with a content-type builder, generated REST and GraphQL APIs, a large plugin ecosystem and a genuinely enormous community. If you self-host it, there is no vendor in the loop at all: you hold the code and the database, and you can fork either.

The difference that actually matters

Strapi gives you ownership by making you run everything — the app, the database, the upgrades, the security patches. EasySiteControl splits those apart: we run and maintain the dashboard, you attach your own MongoDB, and the records never touch our side. You get the ownership without the operations. The other difference is blunter: since v5, Strapi supports PostgreSQL, MySQL/MariaDB and SQLite only. MongoDB support was dropped. If your stack is Mongo, Strapi is no longer an option without staying on v4.

Side by side

 StrapiEasySiteControl
Who runs the CMSYou — server, upgrades, patchesWe host and maintain the dashboard; you run nothing
Where records liveYour database (SQL only)Your own MongoDB — Atlas, self-hosted, anywhere
MongoDB supportDropped at v5 — Postgres, MySQL/MariaDB, SQLiteMongoDB is the only option, by design
Defining content typesAdmin UI, or code; changes need a rebuild/restartDashboard, applied live
Custom API logicWrite controllers, services and routes in NodeVisual step canvas — query, transform, condition, test-run
LicenceMIT core; some features are paid tiersCommercial, hosted
Cost shapeFree self-hosted + your infra; Cloud from ~$18/project/moFlat per project; you supply the infra

Pricing and capabilities for Strapi last checked on 20 August 2026. Products change — check the sources below before making a decision on this.

Choose Strapi if

  • You want zero vendor dependency — Strapi self-hosted means nobody can change terms, raise prices or shut down on you
  • Your stack is PostgreSQL or MySQL and moving to MongoDB is not on the table
  • You need GraphQL out of the box — we generate REST, not GraphQL
  • You want a large plugin ecosystem and years of Stack Overflow answers behind you
  • You have the ops capacity to run and patch it, and would rather spend that than a subscription

Choose EasySiteControl if

  • Your data is in MongoDB and you want it to stay there
  • You want the database in your control but do not want to operate a CMS server
  • You want custom API endpoints without writing and deploying Node controllers
  • You are running several client projects and want each one's data in that client's own database

Sources

See it against your own data

Attach your MongoDB and model something real. About a minute.

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