Illustration of headless CMS with Storyblok

Switching to a headless CMS? 99% report improvements

By Jan Ove Årsæther, Strategy Director and Senior Advisor at Maverix

Headless CMS is still a relatively new technology. Even so, it has made a big impact in a short time: more than 99% of those who have switched to headless report some form of benefit.

The numbers come from “The State of CMS 2024”, a survey commissioned by Storyblok that covers 1,719 CMS users. Maverix is an official Storyblok partner, so read the numbers as a signal.

Increased return on investment (ROI)

The most commonly reported benefit, and probably the most important for most companies, was increased return on investment (ROI), reported by 61% of users.

This points in particular to the value of headless as an investment: the cost of setting up a headless system turns into concrete financial gains.

Other reported benefits concern time savings and productivity improvements (58%), easier scaling and localization (54%), and better user experience and personalization (54%).

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99% reported improvements

74% plan to switch within two years

80% use more than one CMS

1,719 users in the survey

Planning to switch to headless

74% of those who do not use a headless CMS today say they will probably switch to one within the next two years.

Traditional, monolithic CMSs have often limited companies' ability to deliver content across several channels. 80% of respondents use more than one CMS in their organization to deliver content to different channels: 47% use two or three, and 33% use four or more. Combining several CMSs to reach every channel is cumbersome.

The move to a headless CMS gives a more flexible and future-proof architecture. By separating content management from presentation, you can integrate new technology more easily, improve security and scale content as needed. That matters most when customers expect good experiences across platforms and devices.

Why switch to a headless CMS?

There are several reasons companies should consider the move. The glossary explains what a headless CMS is.

1. Greater flexibility:

A headless CMS gives developers the freedom to use different frameworks and tools, which makes tailored solutions possible.

2. Improved performance:

When content is separate from presentation, developers can optimize the frontend for performance and give users a better experience.

3. Easy integration:

A headless CMS is designed to integrate easily with other systems and services through APIs, which makes it simpler to add new features and technologies.

4. Future-proofing:

With a headless approach it is easier to adapt to future changes in technology and user behavior, without major changes to the backend systems.

Brands that use Storyblok as a headless CMS:

Examples of headless CMS: Storyblok

There are several headless CMS platforms on the market, and one of the most prominent is Storyblok. According to Storyblok itself, brands such as Adidas, T-Mobile and Renault use it. Maverix is an official Storyblok partner. We compared five systems in Five real headless CMSs with a visual editor.

X Machina

The checklist for choosing a new headless CMS

Newer numbers: The State of CMS 2025

Storyblok released The State of CMS 2025 in May 2025, based on 1,300 CMS users. The report shows that 49% spend more than an hour publishing content, and that 39% say they do not know enough about headless to have switched. The average salary for developers with modern headless skills is 29% higher than for developers with legacy CMS skills ($97,738 versus $75,575). These numbers also come from Storyblok.

How we read the numbers

The move to headless CMS is a clear trend. The survey points to benefits such as greater flexibility, time savings and higher ROI, and more and more companies are considering the approach. The numbers come from a vendor, but they do not stand alone. At De Bergenske, direct sales rose 23 percent (in Norwegian) after a new booking platform on Storyblok was in place, alongside SEO, content and paid search.

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Questions and answers about headless CMS

What does The State of CMS 2024 show about headless CMS?
In Storyblok's survey The State of CMS 2024, more than 99 percent of those who had switched to headless reported improvements. The most common benefit was higher ROI (61 percent), followed by time savings and productivity (58 percent). Storyblok commissioned the survey, which covers 1,719 CMS users in the US, the UK, Germany, the Netherlands and Sweden.
Why do many companies use more than one CMS?
Storyblok's survey found that 47 percent use two or three CMSs, and 33 percent use four or more. Among those who use several, 67 percent cite the need to deliver content to several channels. A headless CMS delivers the same content through an API to every channel, which is the main reason many consolidate on one system.
Why do companies switch to a headless CMS?
74 percent of those who do not use headless today say they are likely to switch within two years. The most common reasons are freedom in choosing a frontend, better performance, easy integration through APIs and a system that takes on new channels without major backend changes. Read what a headless CMS is in our glossary.
Which brands use Storyblok?
Storyblok itself names Adidas, T-Mobile and Renault among its customers. In Norway, Maverix has built solutions on Storyblok for De Bergenske, Festspillene i Bergen and Bremykt, among others. Read the De Bergenske case (in Norwegian).
How do I choose the right headless CMS?
Start with who will edit: if editors need to build pages themselves, the visual editor decides a lot. We compared five systems in Five real headless CMSs with a visual editor, and the checklist (in Norwegian) walks you through the rest of the choice.