Understanding the Difference: Strapi Cloud vs Strapi CMS

Last updated: February 19, 2026

Overview

Many customers are confused about the relationship between Strapi Cloud and Strapi CMS. These are two separate products with different purposes and pricing structures.

What is Strapi CMS?

Strapi CMS is the content management system software that provides features like: - Content types and fields - User roles and permissions - Premium features (SSO, Content History, Review Workflows, etc.) - API generation

CMS Plans:

  • Community (Free) - Core CMS features

  • Growth (Per-Month Pricing) - Premium features like Content History, Releases, Live Preview, and SSO (Add-On)

  • Enterprise (Custom Pricing) - Advanced enterprise features like SSO (included), Review Workflows, and Audit Logs

What is Strapi Cloud?

Strapi Cloud is a hosting platform (PaaS) that deploys your Strapi CMS projects.

Cloud Plans:

  • Free (Per-Month Pricing) - Simple personal use hosting

  • Essential (Per-Month Pricing) - Basic hosting with low limits

  • Pro (Per-Month Pricing) - Enhanced hosting with higher limits and additional hosting features like Multi-Environment (Add-on), Weekly Backups, and Manual Backups

  • Scale (Per-Month or Annual Pricing) - High-performance hosting with even higher limits and additional hosting features like Daily Backups and two Multi-Environments included

Key Points of Confusion

  • "How many seats come with my Cloud plan purchase?”

    Strapi Cloud plans include Cloud-level roles, not seats. Each Cloud project has one Owner and can have any number of Maintainers. There is no limit on the number of Maintainers you can add to a Cloud project.


    Seats apply only to access to the Strapi CMS admin panel. Cloud roles and CMS access are managed separately. Being a Cloud Owner or Maintainer does not automatically grant access to the CMS admin panel, and CMS users do not automatically have Cloud access. Seats are configured based on your chosen CMS plan and needs.

  • "I'm on Pro Cloud but my admin shows Community"

    This is expected behavior. Cloud plans provide hosting infrastructure, not CMS features. Even on Pro Cloud, you'll see "Community" in the admin panel unless you also have a separate CMS Growth or Enterprise license.

  • "Do I get a license key with my Cloud plan?"

    No. Cloud plans don't include CMS license keys. License keys are only for CMS feature licenses (either Self-hosted or Cloud, but must be purchased separately). Feature licenses can be installed after purchase, see the Self-Hosted Guide or Cloud Guide respectively.

  • "I bought Essential/Pro Cloud - where are my premium features?"

    Cloud plans don't include premium CMS features. To get features like Content History or SSO, you need a separate CMS Growth or Enterprise plan and the license key added to the project; see the Feature License Guide for Cloud.

  • "I bought an Essential feature license but my admin panel shows 'Enterprise"

    This is normal, the CMS sees both Growth and Enterprise as an "Enterprise" license but just with different feature entitlements.

Common Scenarios

  • Scenario 1: I want premium CMS features on Cloud - Solution: Purchase both a Cloud plan (for hosting) AND a CMS Growth plan (for features) - Example: Pro Cloud + CMS Growth - this gives you 3 seats with growth features and Pro hosting.

  • Scenario 2: I have a self-hosted Strapi and want premium features - Solution: Purchase only a CMS Growth or Enterprise plan - No Cloud plan needed since you're self-hosting

  • Scenario 3: I just want basic Strapi hosted in the cloud - Solution: Any Cloud plan (Essential/Pro/Scale) with Community CMS (free) - The admin panel will show "Community" - this is normal

Quick Reference

  • Need hosting? → Strapi Cloud plans

  • Need premium features? → Strapi CMS Growth/Enterprise plans

  • Need both? → Purchase both separately and apply the license in the Cloud Dashboard