Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

PlainAdmin VS Strapi

Compare PlainAdmin VS Strapi and see what are their differences

PlainAdmin logo PlainAdmin

PlainAdmin is an Open-source freemium Bootstrap 5 based vanilla JS multipurpose admin template comes with - all essential dashboard components, pages, UI elements, charts, graphs, libraries and everything you may need for a data-rich backends.

Strapi logo Strapi

Manage any content. Anywhere. The leading open-source headless CMS. 100% JavaScript / TypeScript and fully customizable.
  • PlainAdmin Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-03
  • Strapi
    Image date //
    2024-06-07

PlainAdmin features and specs

  • User-Friendly Interface
    PlainAdmin offers a clean and intuitive interface that simplifies navigation and administration for users, making it accessible even for those with minimal technical expertise.
  • Customizable Themes
    The platform provides numerous themes that can be easily customized to suit individual preferences or brand guidelines, ensuring a consistent look and feel across the application.
  • Responsive Design
    PlainAdmin is designed to be fully responsive, ensuring a seamless user experience on both desktop and mobile devices, which is crucial for modern web applications.
  • Comprehensive Documentation
    Extensive and well-organized documentation aids developers and administrators in understanding and utilizing the platform's features effectively, reducing the learning curve.
  • Integration Capabilities
    The platform supports easy integration with various third-party services and APIs, allowing for enhanced functionality and versatility in different applications.

Possible disadvantages of PlainAdmin

  • Limited Advanced Features
    Compared to some other admin panel solutions, PlainAdmin might lack certain advanced features and customization options needed for more complex applications.
  • Potential Performance Issues
    As with any web application, the performance of PlainAdmin could be compromised if not properly optimized, especially when dealing with large datasets.
  • Dependency on External Libraries
    The reliance on external libraries and plugins could lead to potential security vulnerabilities if those libraries are not properly managed and updated.
  • Learning Curve for Customization
    While there is comprehensive documentation, users may still face a learning curve when attempting to implement deeper customizations or integrate complex functionalities.
  • Limited Community Support
    Being relatively new or niche, PlainAdmin may not have a large community for support and community-driven development compared to more established admin panel solutions.

Strapi features and specs

  • Open Source
    Strapi is an open-source platform, meaning it's free to use and has an active community contributing to its improvement. This can lead to rapid innovation and a wealth of community-driven resources.
  • Customization
    Strapi offers high levels of customization, allowing developers to tailor the content management system to their specific needs. This is beneficial for unique projects with specific requirements.
  • Headless CMS
    As a headless CMS, Strapi decouples the backend from the frontend, enabling developers to use any frontend technology they prefer, which increases flexibility and scalability.
  • RESTful and GraphQL APIs
    Strapi automatically generates RESTful APIs and also supports GraphQL out of the box. This makes it easier to integrate with various types of applications.
  • User-Friendly Interface
    Strapi provides a user-friendly admin panel that is powerful yet easy to use, making content management less of a chore for non-technical users.
  • Plugin Ecosystem
    Strapi has a growing ecosystem of plugins that can extend its functionality, allowing users to add features without extensive custom development.

Possible disadvantages of Strapi

  • Learning Curve
    Although Strapi is highly customizable, it can have a steep learning curve for new users, especially those who are not familiar with JavaScript and modern web development practices.
  • Performance Issues
    In some cases, users have reported performance issues, particularly when handling large amounts of data or complex queries, which may require optimization.
  • Community Support Variability
    While Strapi has an active community, the level of support and available third-party resources can vary, especially when compared to more mature CMS platforms.
  • Limited Built-in Features
    Out of the box, Strapi might lack some features that come built-in with other CMS platforms, requiring users to implement or configure these features themselves.
  • Self-Hosting Requirement
    Strapi requires self-hosting, which means you need to manage your own servers and infrastructure. This can be a downside for those looking for a fully managed solution.
  • Frequent Updates
    Frequent updates can sometimes introduce breaking changes, requiring developers to continuously adapt their codebase to stay current.

Analysis of Strapi

Overall verdict

  • Strapi is generally considered a good choice for developers looking for an open-source headless CMS.

Why this product is good

  • Strapi offers the advantage of being open-source and highly customizable, which allows developers to tailor it to specific project requirements. It supports GraphQL and RESTful APIs, making it versatile for various use cases. Its user-friendly admin panel simplifies content management, while the extensive plugin architecture allows for enhanced functionality.

Recommended for

    Strapi is recommended for developers and development teams looking for a flexible and customizable CMS solution, particularly those who need a headless CMS that integrates easily with modern frontend frameworks like React, Vue, or Angular. It's also suitable for organizations that prefer an open-source solution they can modify according to their needs.

PlainAdmin videos

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Strapi videos

Let's Checkout... #Strapi CMS

More videos:

  • Review - Quick Strapi Review
  • Review - Learn Strapi in 12 minutes 🚀

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to PlainAdmin and Strapi)
Developer Tools
8 8%
92% 92
CMS
0 0%
100% 100
Design Tools
100 100%
0% 0
Blogging
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare PlainAdmin and Strapi

PlainAdmin Reviews

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Strapi Reviews

21 Headless CMS Platforms That You Should Check Out
Strapi is one of the most used headless CMS platforms. Strapi is an open-source headless CMS that is customizable and easy to use. Companies such as Walmart, eBay, Toyota, IBM use this platform.
Source: popupsmart.com
Best Headless CMS in 2022
Strapi is an open-source Node.js headless content management system, which means that the entire codebase is available on GitHub and thrives on contributors. Strapi generates a working RESTful API or uses GraphQL for developers in minutes after installation. Data is made available through a customizable API. It’s important to note that Strapi is a self-hosted, not a SaaS...
Source: flatlogic.com
Best Node.js CMS platforms for 2022
Strapi is a popular, flexible, and open-source headless CMS that enables us to create rich digital experiences. Strapi provides REST and GraphQL APIs developers can use to access the content stored in its repository.
Best Headless CMS for 2020
Valid argument. But what is the alternative? Strapi on a server with a Database? What about doing backups? Isn't it even more complicated? In a git-based CMS you can at least undo all changes, which isn't that easy with a database.
Source: dev.to
11 Headless CMS to Consider for Modern Application
Strapi is an opensource CMS intended to be transparent and striving to be a perfect balance between a CMS, framework, and an automation tool to speed-up back-end development and management.
Source: geekflare.com

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Strapi seems to be a lot more popular than PlainAdmin. While we know about 341 links to Strapi, we've tracked only 1 mention of PlainAdmin. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

PlainAdmin mentions (1)

  • Launched 🚀 Open-source Bootstrap Admin Template on ProductHunt and Its Trending on Top ⚡
    Today, I launched an open source Bootstrap admin template on Product Hunt and its trending on top #7 🔥 You can check out demo or download from our site or GitHub if you never heard of about this admin template. Source: over 4 years ago

Strapi mentions (341)

  • 5 Strapi Alternatives Developers Are Actually Switching To in 2026
    That's not true anymore. In 2026, developers are switching away from Strapi at a pace that's hard to ignore — not because it got worse, but because the alternatives got dramatically better. - Source: dev.to / about 2 months ago
  • Three Ways to Convert JSON to TypeScript. Only One Is Deterministic.
    CMS content. Headless CMS responses from Strapi, Sanity, or Contentful are deeply nested. Type them once; let the compiler catch template bugs. - Source: dev.to / 4 months ago
  • 16 Best CMS Platforms for Websites in 2025
    Strapi is an open-source, Node.js-based headless CMS that gives developers full control over content APIs. It’s self-hosted, fully customizable, and supports REST and GraphQL, making it a favorite among developers building JAMstack and API-first applications. - Source: dev.to / about 1 year ago
  • Building faster content-driven sites with Astro
    This is where Strapi a flexible and scalable content management solution is needed. - Source: dev.to / about 1 year ago
  • Strapi Email and Password Authentication with Next.js 15: Part 1
    Strapi offers multiple authentication methods to secure your application:. - Source: dev.to / over 1 year ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing PlainAdmin and Strapi, you can also consider the following products

Soft UI Dashboard - Admin dashboard template for Bootstrap 5

Contentful - You don't need another CMS. You need a better way to manage content — unified, structured, and ready to deploy to any digital channel.

Flatlogic - Software House for startups and companies

Sanity.io - Sanity.io a platform for structured content that comes with an open-source editor that you can customize with React.js.

ArchitectUI - Modern dashboard template for bootstrap 4

Directus - Free and Open-Source Headless CMS