Kanesh vs Strapi
Strapi is a content framework with an MIT community edition and paid enterprise features. Kanesh is a small data backend with MCP and many workspaces.
| Kanesh | Strapi | |
|---|---|---|
| License | AGPL-3.0 core; 1 workspace free, unlimited workspaces + AI assistant $9/month per install | MIT community edition; enterprise code under a separate license |
| Focus | Data backend for apps and agents | Headless CMS and content framework |
| Footprint | One image, about 8.9 MB | Node.js application you build and run |
| Workspaces | Many independent workspaces per install | One project per app |
| Databases | SQLite, PostgreSQL, MySQL | SQLite, PostgreSQL, MySQL, MariaDB |
| APIs | REST, GraphQL, OpenAPI 3.1 export | REST, GraphQL plugin |
| AI agents | Read-only MCP endpoint | Not compared here |
| Maturity | New, first stable release | Production CMS |
Choose Strapi if
You are building content-heavy websites and want a mature CMS with plugins and editorial features.
Choose Kanesh if
You want a ready backend you run instead of build, with many workspaces and MCP for agents.