When is Contentful the better choice?

You want to evaluate Contentful’s editor and structured content model with a small internal project. You only need 1 Starter Space and can stay under 100K API calls per month. Your content setup is simple and you do not need more than 2 locales or 2 roles on the free tier. You are okay with a steep jump to a $300/month first paid plan if the project grows.

When is Hygraph the better choice?

You want the most room to build and test before paying, especially for API-heavy prototypes. You need preview, commenting, assignment workflow, webhooks, or asset management in the free tier. You are starting with a small content team and want 3 seats instead of 10 users but far more free delivery capacity. You want a free tier that does not require a credit card. You expect to keep entries, assets, and traffic within a lightweight project without immediately upgrading.

Contentful vs Hygraph: Free Tier Comparison

Q: How much does Contentful cost after the free tier?

Lite - $300 / month. Contentful’s first paid step is flat-priced: Lite at $300/month, then Premium by contract. Hygraph’s first paid step is Growth at $199/month, then Enterprise by contract. Both are mostly flat at the first paid layer, so the main difference is the step up: Contentful jumps higher and sooner from a smaller free tier, while Hygraph starts lower and keeps more of the free functionality available before upgrade pressure sets in. For typical small-team usage, Hygraph is the cheaper paid path.

Q: How much does Hygraph cost after the free tier?

Growth - From $199 per month. Contentful’s first paid step is flat-priced: Lite at $300/month, then Premium by contract. Hygraph’s first paid step is Growth at $199/month, then Enterprise by contract. Both are mostly flat at the first paid layer, so the main difference is the step up: Contentful jumps higher and sooner from a smaller free tier, while Hygraph starts lower and keeps more of the free functionality available before upgrade pressure sets in. For typical small-team usage, Hygraph is the cheaper paid path.

Quick answer

Hygraph - Hygraph wins for most builders because its free tier is much more generous and it stays usable longer before you hit a paid plan.

How the free tiers compare

These two free tiers target different stages of a project. Contentful’s Free Platform plan is a narrow sandbox: 10 users, 2 roles, 2 locales, 100K API calls, 50 GB CDN bandwidth, and one Starter Space. It is enough to evaluate the editor and ship a small, controlled project, but the jump to paid is abrupt at $300/month for Lite. Hygraph’s Hobby plan gives a broader slice of a real CMS workflow: 3 seats, 2 roles, 10 components, 1,000 entries, 500,000 API calls, 100 GB asset traffic, 1 environment, webhooks, tokens, preview, and workflow features, plus no credit card required. If you are testing with a small team or want a free tier that can support a live prototype longer, Hygraph is the easier starting point. Contentful is more attractive if you specifically want its ecosystem and can live with tighter free limits.

Contentful vs Hygraph free tier, side by side

	ContentfulFTV 35	HygraphFTV 67
Users / seatsContentful names user limits; Hygraph uses seats.	10 users	3 seats
RolesContentful has 2 roles on free; Hygraph also has 2 standard roles.	2 roles	2 standard roles
LocalesTied on the free tier.	2 locales	2 locales
API callsHygraph gives 5x the free API-call allowance.	100K / month	500,000 total
Bandwidth / trafficDifferent metrics, but Hygraph’s free tier includes more traffic allowance.	50 GB CDN bandwidth / month	100 GB asset traffic
Spaces / environmentsDifferent product concepts, one included in each free tier.	1 Starter Space	1 environment
Workflow featuresHygraph’s free tier exposes more collaboration workflow detail.	Editorial experience	Live preview; commenting and assignment workflow

After you outgrow the free tier

Contentful’s first paid step is flat-priced: Lite at $300/month, then Premium by contract. Hygraph’s first paid step is Growth at $199/month, then Enterprise by contract. Both are mostly flat at the first paid layer, so the main difference is the step up: Contentful jumps higher and sooner from a smaller free tier, while Hygraph starts lower and keeps more of the free functionality available before upgrade pressure sets in. For typical small-team usage, Hygraph is the cheaper paid path.

Contentful next stepLite - $300 / monthFlat monthly

Hygraph next stepGrowth - From $199 per monthFlat monthly

When to pick each one

Pick Contentful when…

You want to evaluate Contentful’s editor and structured content model with a small internal project.
You only need 1 Starter Space and can stay under 100K API calls per month.
Your content setup is simple and you do not need more than 2 locales or 2 roles on the free tier.
You are okay with a steep jump to a $300/month first paid plan if the project grows.

Pick Hygraph when…

You want the most room to build and test before paying, especially for API-heavy prototypes.
You need preview, commenting, assignment workflow, webhooks, or asset management in the free tier.
You are starting with a small content team and want 3 seats instead of 10 users but far more free delivery capacity.
You want a free tier that does not require a credit card.
You expect to keep entries, assets, and traffic within a lightweight project without immediately upgrading.

Bottom line

For most builders, Hygraph is the better free-tier choice because it gives you more room to ship, test, and collaborate before money enters the picture. Contentful’s free plan is valid if you specifically want to work inside Contentful and your project is small enough to fit its tighter caps, but the first paid step is much pricier at $300/month. If your main goal is the cheapest path from prototype to small live CMS, Hygraph wins.

Read the full listings: Contentful and Hygraph. Scores use the FTV methodology at /ftv. Browse more head-to-heads on /compare, or see the top-ranked free tiers on /top.