Both open source, both self-hosted, both API-first. The split is audience: Strapi’s admin is built for developers managing an API; Prelo’s studio is built for the client who inherits the site.
Strapi is the right call when the CMS is really an application backend with granular permissions and a big plugin ecosystem. Prelo is the right call when the deliverable is a client website — simpler stack (one process, SQLite, under 15 dependencies), a studio a client can run, and an API agents write through without config wrangling.
Both speak REST. An agent scripts the move: read Strapi collections, emit a Prelo schema, replay entries through the content API. Media transfers as files.
Different center of gravity: Strapi optimizes for backend flexibility, Prelo for the build-with-AI → hand-to-client workflow. The 80% case ships with zero config.
Yes — types are declared in one schema file, which agents write fluently.
More comparisons: Best headless CMS · Prelo vs Sanity
Free and open source. One command, and the client gets a login instead of a Loom.