Directus vs Strapi: what their users struggle with

Not a verdict and not a star rating: the problems users of Directus and Strapi describe in public, side by side, each one linked to its source (as of 2026-10-15).

Get started free with your email Open Directus on Friction

Every count in this table is of open reports in the recent window (Directus since 2023-10, Strapi since 2023-10); older and fixed reports are not counted. The counts measure how much public discussion exists for each product, not which is better: a popular tool collects more reports.

Problems mostly raised about Directus

• Multi-database support blocks use of Postgres-specific features · API & developer experience · Annoyance
• Hook payload differs depending on UI, API or CSV trigger · API & developer experience · Annoyance
• Fundamental validation logic still missing even in paid cloud · Reliability & bugs · Annoyance
• Foreign keys with different type or NOT NULL not detected on existing DB · Setup & onboarding · Annoyance
• Slow to notice schema changes made directly in the database · UI & usability · Annoyance

Problems mostly raised about Strapi

• Admin page sometimes loads forever after a browser refresh in production · Reliability & bugs · Blocks work
• Relations missing or inconsistently populated in API responses · API & developer experience · Blocks work
• Undeclared dependencies break Strapi types on strict package layouts · API & developer experience · Blocks work
• Strapi onboarding is complicated, only the docs make it manageable · Setup & onboarding · Annoyance
• License changes can leave Strapi using the previous license for 12 hours · Billing · Blocks work

Go further

Open Directus and Strapi in the compare tool to filter by area and severity, Directus alternatives, Strapi alternatives, or the state of headless cms.

How the data is built. A theme is a group of reports about the same problem; unique means not matched to a theme on the other product.