Quick answer
Hygraph - Hygraph wins for most builders who want a generous free headless CMS with no card required and a lot of workflow features, while Squidex wins if low entry volume and self-hosting flexibility matter more than free-tier capacity.
How the free tiers compare
These are both headless CMS products, but they serve different builder instincts. Hygraph’s free Hobby tier is broader: it gives you more seats, locales, entries, API calls, and workflow features like live preview plus commenting and assignment. It is the better fit when you want to prototype a structured content app with a team and stay on the hosted path. Squidex’s free Starter plan is much smaller on raw capacity, but it is an open source CMS with REST and GraphQL, CDN included, and a clear path to self-hosting if you outgrow the cloud limits. That makes Squidex more attractive for builders who care about control, deployment flexibility, or eventually running their own infrastructure. In short, Hygraph is the stronger free SaaS tier; Squidex is the more flexible platform ecosystem.
Hygraph vs Squidex free tier, side by side
| HygraphFTV 67 | SquidexFTV 54 | |
|---|---|---|
| API callsHygraph gives far more free API volume. | 500,000 | 20,000 per month |
| Seats / contributorsHygraph is better for small team collaboration. | 3 seats | 2 contributors |
| LocalesHygraph explicitly includes locale support on the free tier. | 2 locales | not listed |
| Storage / assetsHygraph has unlimited storage but a per-asset upload cap; Squidex lists fixed storage. | Unlimited asset storage, 50 MB max per asset upload | 500 MB storage |
| TrafficHygraph is much less restrictive on delivery traffic. | 100 GB asset traffic | 2 GB traffic included |
| EnvironmentsOnly Hygraph provided an environment quota in the input. | 1 environment | not listed |
| WebhooksOnly Hygraph provided a webhook limit in the input. | 5 webhooks | not listed |
| Content staging / workflowThese are different feature sets, not direct quota matches. | 2 content stages, commenting and assignment workflow included | workflow rules and event-triggered integrations |
| Branding requirementSquidex free tier requires attribution. | not listed | Powered by label required |
After you outgrow the free tier
Hygraph’s next step is Growth at $199 per month, with Enterprise as custom pricing, so its path after free jumps quickly to a higher flat SaaS tier. Squidex has more pricing layers: Cloud at €29/month, then Basic, Professional, Business, plus Managed Server and Managed Cluster options. For typical small-team usage, Squidex’s paid entry is much cheaper in cash terms, while Hygraph’s Growth tier is the larger commitment and likely aimed at teams that need more seats, locales, and support. No usage-based rates were provided, so there are no per-call cost calculations to work from.
Cost at real usage
| Usage | Hygraph | Squidex |
|---|---|---|
| Small team needing more than the free capsHygraph’s first paid step is much more expensive than Squidex’s Cloud plan. | $199/mo | €29/mo |
| Growth from starter to paid hosted CMSSquidex’s Professional plan is still far below Hygraph Growth. | $199/mo | €49/mo |
| Larger hosted CMS with more collaboratorsHygraph pricing beyond Growth is custom; Squidex Business is public at €99/month. | $199/mo+ | €99/mo |
Estimates, not quotes. Usage-based rates change - verify with the vendor's pricing page before committing.
When to pick each one
Pick Hygraph when…
- You need a hosted CMS with more generous free quotas for entries, API calls, and seats.
- You want to collaborate with a small content team and use live preview, commenting, and assignment workflow.
- You are building with GraphQL-first content delivery and want a smooth path into a paid hosted plan.
- You want to start without a credit card and stretch the free tier before upgrading.
Pick Squidex when…
- You only need a small starter quota and care more about open source and deployment control.
- You want both REST API and GraphQL endpoint support out of the box.
- You expect to self-host later or want a path to Docker, binaries, or Kubernetes Helm charts.
- You are okay with a powered-by label on the free plan in exchange for lower-friction entry.
Bottom line
For the most common builder use case, Hygraph is the better free tier because it gives you more usable room to build and collaborate before you have to pay. Squidex is the better pick if open source, deployment flexibility, or eventual self-hosting matters more than free-tier size. If you are choosing purely on the free plan, Hygraph is easier to live on. If you are choosing for long-term control, Squidex has the cleaner escape hatch.
Read the full listings: Hygraph and Squidex. Scores use the FTV methodology at /ftv. Browse more head-to-heads on /compare, or see the top-ranked free tiers on /top.