A graphic representing a content management system

Mar 11, 2025

Contentful Free Plan Changes: What They Mean for Your Website and How to Respond

by Marceline Ball

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In the world of web development, change is constant and

Contentful’s recent update to its free plan

is a major one. If your site is built on Contentful’s free tier, these changes could significantly impact your site’s performance and costs.

Key Changes to Contentful’s Free Plan

Effective April 30, 2025, Contentful’s free plan will have:

A limit of 25 content models (previously unlimited).
Bandwidth reduced to 50 GB per month and 100k API calls (down from higher previous limits).
Fewer user roles and reduced environment access.
No grandfathering and exceeding limits could result in suspension. Contentful will notify users before taking this action, but it presents a significant risk for businesses relying on the free tier.

Contentful’s previous free plan was generous enough to support small-to-medium-sized sites, but these changes represent a significant decrease in functionality. With

Contentful’s paid tiers starting at $300/month

, many businesses may find it cost-prohibitive to continue using the platform. For existing sites, adapting to the new model could require restructuring content models or simplifying site architecture. Businesses relying on the free tier will need to weigh the cost of upgrading against migrating to another platform.

What You Can Do

If your site is currently using Contentful’s free plan, here are your options:

Stay on Contentful and monitor usage

You can continue using the free plan, but you’ll need to carefully monitor your bandwidth and API call usage. If you exceed the limits, you’ll need to either scale back content or upgrade to a paid plan (starting at $300/month).

Migrate to WordPress

WordPress is an open-source platform that offers greater control and cost stability. There are no limits on bandwidth or API calls, and it allows for easier content management with a wide range of themes and plugins.

Explore other CMS platforms

Other CMS platforms

might offer more generous free tiers or better long-term value depending on your specific needs. However, WordPress remains the most cost-effective and scalable option for most businesses.

The Case for WordPress

A graphic showing off wordpress's capabilities

One of the most viable alternatives to Contentful is WordPress, which offers unmatched flexibility, control, and cost stability. Unlike headless CMS platforms, WordPress allows direct management of content, themes, and functionality—all without API call or bandwidth limits.

WordPress is one of the most widely used CMS platforms, powering over 40% of all websites worldwide. It operates as an open-source content management system, licensed under GPLv2, which ensures that anyone can freely use or modify its software. This open structure gives businesses more control over their site and data, eliminating the risk of unexpected pricing changes or content restrictions.

Key Benefits of WordPress

Ease of Use: WordPress has an intuitive interface, making it easy for non-technical users to create and modify content without coding knowledge. Compared to platforms like Drupal, WordPress offers a more streamlined user experience.
Large Community and Resources: With a massive global user base, WordPress benefits from an extensive network of developers, designers, and users who contribute plugins, themes, and support resources. This community-driven ecosystem ensures that troubleshooting and extending functionality is straightforward.
Vast Plugin and Theme Ecosystem: WordPress offers over 60,000 plugins and thousands of themes, providing endless customization options. From SEO and security to e-commerce and design, the variety of options far exceeds platforms like Drupal, Squarespace, and Joomla.
Customizability: The combination of plugins and themes allows for highly customized websites tailored to specific business needs. WordPress supports a wide range of use cases—from simple blogs to complex enterprise websites.
SEO-Friendliness: WordPress is designed with search engine optimization (SEO) in mind. Plugins like Yoast SEO or RankMath make it easy to manage meta tags, site maps, and other critical SEO elements to improve search rankings.
Cost-Effectiveness: As open-source software, WordPress itself is free. While there are costs for hosting, premium themes, or plugins, the overall cost of building and maintaining a WordPress site is significantly lower than Contentful’s $300/month starting price.
Scalability: WordPress can handle websites of all sizes—from personal blogs to large e-commerce platforms with thousands of products and high traffic volumes. Its flexibility ensures that your site can grow with your business.
Familiarity and Popularity: Because WordPress is so widely used, finding developers, designers, and content creators experienced with the platform is easy. This reduces onboarding time and ensures long-term flexibility.
Content Ownership and Control: Unlike some proprietary platforms, WordPress gives you full control over your content and site data. You’re not tied to platform restrictions or policies, giving you greater flexibility and peace of mind.

What’s Next

If Contentful’s pricing changes are putting your site at risk, now is the time to explore alternative platforms. Watermark has extensive experience migrating sites from Contentful to WordPress, ensuring a smooth transition while preserving site structure and content integrity.

Need help with a site migration?

Contact

Watermark to discuss your options and secure long-term stability for your website.

Contentful Free Plan Changes: What They Mean for Your Website and How to Respond

Key Changes to Contentful’s Free Plan