Headless CMS migration for a programmatic web platform
- 3,000+
- programmatic pages migrated with zero downtime
Custom CMS Development Services
Custom CMS development built around your content model, not the platform's limits.
Off-the-shelf CMS platforms are built for the average content workflow. If your content has complex structures, approval workflows, multi-channel publishing requirements, or integration with systems the platform doesn't support, you end up working around the tool instead of with it.
Custom CMS development means building a content management system around your actual editorial workflow, content model, and publishing requirements, not adapting your content operations to what WordPress or Contentful will let you do.
Headless CMS, hybrid CMS, and custom admin interfaces built for your content model
Complex content structures, multi-site publishing, and editorial workflows your team will actually use
Integration with your existing systems, DAM, PIM, e-commerce, ERP, and marketing platforms
Full source code ownership, no SaaS lock-in, no per-seat pricing that scales against you
Recent work
WordPress replacement · Utilities
300K+ records migrated
Replaced a WordPress build with a structured Next.js platform, migrating 300,000+ user records and running 60% faster than the old site.
Headless CMS migration · Web platform
0 downtime at migration
Moved 3,000+ programmatic pages off a hosted site builder onto a headless CMS, with zero downtime and no traffic loss during the switch.
Content-driven campaign · Retail
1,062 users in 4 weeks
Built an AI-OCR loyalty web platform for a supermarket group's receipt-to-reward campaign, with 1,062 users registered in the first four weeks.
4.9
on ClutchThe problem
Sound familiar?
Content team spending more time fighting the CMS than creating content?
Off-the-shelf platform missing the workflows, integrations, or content structures your operation needs?
Short answer
RaftLabs builds custom CMS platforms, headless CMS, and editorial workflow systems for clients in the US, UK, Europe, Canada, and the UAE. A focused CMS with 3-5 content types costs $15,000 to $40,000 and launches a first version in 8 to 12 weeks. You own all source code, at a fixed price, with no SaaS lock-in.
Key takeaways
- A focused custom CMS with 3-5 content types costs $15,000-$40,000 and launches a first version in 8-12 weeks.
- Full content platforms with complex workflows and multi-site publishing run $40,000-$120,000 and take 16-24 weeks.
- All source code and IP transfers to the client on project completion with no SaaS lock-in or per-seat pricing.
- RaftLabs builds headless CMS, hybrid CMS, and custom admin interfaces tailored to your editorial workflow.
- Integrations include DAM, PIM, e-commerce, ERP, and marketing platforms.
- NDAs are signed before any technical discovery begins.
Trusted by
The CMS your editors quietly work around.
An editor needs to publish one product update across three regional sites. The platform supports one, so she copies, pastes, and reformats it three times, then does the same again next week. The workaround becomes the workflow.
Multiply that by fifteen content types and an eight-step approval process, and the tool starts shaping the content instead of serving it. Quality slips, not because the team is careless, but because the platform makes doing it right harder than doing it wrong.
A custom CMS removes the workaround. The tool matches the workflow, not the other way around.
A platform built for the average publisher can't model a B2B SaaS product, a regulated healthcare publisher, or a media operation with fifteen content types and an eight-step approval chain. So the workarounds pile up, editors route around the system, and quality slips.
In WP Engine's State of Headless 2024 report, 73% of businesses surveyed said they already run on headless website architecture, up from 64% in 2021 (Censuswide, 1,015 IT and marketing professionals across the US, UK, and Australia). The pull is not content volume alone. It is the widening gap between what off-the-shelf platforms let you configure and what a real content operation needs.
RaftLabs has been shipping production software since 2015, rated 4.9/5 on Clutch, for clients that include Aldi, Energia, and Vodafone. The team that scopes your content model is the team that builds it: one group maps the model, ships the CMS, integrates it with your systems, and hands it over with full source ownership. Compliance requirements (GDPR, HIPAA, SOC 2) are scoped in week 1, not retrofitted before launch, and we sign an NDA before any technical discovery begins.
A custom CMS pays off when the platform is the thing fighting you.
Everything on the left should already be true for your operation. Even one thing on the right, and extending WordPress or Contentful is the smarter first step.
A fit
01
A content model with complex structures or relationships that off-the-shelf platforms handle poorly, plus editorial workflows with approval stages and role-based permissions.
02
Deep integration needs with systems the platform doesn't support: DAM, PIM, e-commerce, ERP, or marketing platforms.
03
SaaS pricing or per-seat costs that are unsustainable at your content volume, or data-residency needs that require your own infrastructure.
Not a fit
- A standard blog or brochure site that WordPress or a hosted platform already covers.
- Editors who need visual page-building or WYSIWYG editing tightly coupled to presentation.
- No complex content model, workflow, or integration requirement in place yet.
What we build
What we build
- 01Headless CMS platformsAPI-first content management that separates editorial workflow from presentation, built on your infrastructure, not a SaaS vendor's. Editors manage structured content in one interface, and the API (GraphQL or REST) delivers it to websites, apps, and any other channel, with WebP and CDN delivery built in.
- 02Custom admin interfacesA content management interface built for your specific content types and editorial workflow, not a generic admin panel configured with plugins. It stays fast for your workflow because it excludes functionality you don't use.
- 03Editorial workflow systemsApproval stages, content staging, multi-user collaboration, permissions, and publishing schedules built for your editorial process. The workflow logic matches how your team actually operates, not a generic workflow bent to fit.
- 04Multi-site and multi-channel CMSA single content repository managing content across multiple websites, brands, regions, or languages, with publishing rules that control which content appears where. Per-channel field overrides, multi-language translation tracking, and brand or region-scoped permissions keep one record accurate across every destination.
- 05CMS integration and extensionExtension of an existing CMS platform (Sanity, Strapi, WordPress, or Contentful) with custom content types, plugins, admin UI changes, and integration connectors. When the platform is close to what you need but missing specific capabilities, extension is faster and cheaper than a full custom build.
- 06Content API and delivery infrastructureDelivery APIs, caching layers, rate limiting, versioning, and preview APIs for draft content, with CDN and webhook infrastructure that keeps your content available reliably across every channel at scale.
How we approach custom CMS development
- 01
Content model design first
Before writing code, we design the content model: the types, fields, relationships, and validation rules that define your content. A well-designed model is the foundation of a CMS editors use correctly, so we get it right with your editorial and technical teams before building.
- 02
Editorial workflow mapping
We document who creates, reviews, approves, and publishes content, then design the CMS workflow states, permissions, and notifications to support your actual process. That includes the edge cases: urgent content bypasses, delegation during absence, and bulk operations.
- 03
Build for your editors, not your developers
The measure of a good CMS is whether editors use it correctly without training. We design admin interfaces with the editor experience as the primary constraint, so developers get the API they need and editors get an interface where the right move is the easy one.
- 04
Integration with your ecosystem
CMS content doesn't live in isolation. We design the integration layer as part of the content model, with bi-directional sync, webhook event publishing, and API connectors built for the PIM, DAM, ERP, and marketing systems your content operation depends on.
Custom CMS built for your content model and editorial workflow
No workarounds, no plugins that almost work, no SaaS pricing that scales against you. Fixed cost, scoped before development starts.
How it works
From scope to shipped
Every CMS project follows the same four phases. Scope is locked and price is fixed before development starts.
- Week 101
Content model design
We map your content types, fields, relationships, and validation rules with your editorial and technical team. You leave week 1 with a written scope document and a fixed-price quote. No development starts without your sign-off.
- Weeks 2-302
Editorial workflow design and interface spec
Wireframes of the admin interface before any production code. We document the approval stages, roles, and publishing controls your team needs. Design decisions here cost ten times less than the same decisions made in week 8.
- Weeks 4-1203
Build, integrate, and QA
Working CMS at a staging URL by the end of sprint one. Bi-weekly demos. QA runs in parallel with every sprint, not as a phase at the end. Integrations with DAM, PIM, ERP, and marketing platforms built and tested against your real data.
- Weeks 12+04
Launch and post-launch support
Production deployment with monitoring activated on launch day. Editor training included. 8 weeks of post-launch support included in every project.
Cost depends on the content model complexity, number of content types, workflow requirements, and integration depth. Where you land depends on scope, not negotiation:
- Focused CMS, $15,000-$40,000
- One content model, an editor interface for 3-5 content types, and a standard editorial workflow, in 8-12 weeks.
- Full content platform, $40,000-$120,000
- Complex content models, multi-site publishing, approval workflows, and third-party integrations, in 16-24 weeks.
What it costs
Custom CMS, starting at $15,000.
We scope the content model and workflow, then give you a firm quote before any development starts.
Starts at $15,000
Ships in 8-24 weeks depending on scope. Most teams start with one content model, then expand to multi-site publishing and approval workflows as needs grow. Full source ownership, no SaaS lock-in, no per-seat pricing.
All source code and IP transfers to you on project completion. No SaaS lock-in, no per-seat pricing that scales against you.
No hourly billing
Once we scope your content model, that price is locked in writing. A scope change is a priced change request, agreed before work begins, never absorbed onto the final invoice.
You own it
All source code and IP transfers to you on project completion, with no SaaS lock-in and no per-seat pricing. We sign an NDA before any technical discovery begins.
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Read moreFrequently asked questions
A custom CMS makes sense when: (1) Your content model has complex relationships or structures that off-the-shelf platforms handle poorly, product catalogs with hundreds of custom fields, structured data that powers APIs, or content that feeds multiple output channels differently. (2) Your editorial workflow requires approval stages, role-based permissions, or automation that can't be configured in a standard platform. (3) You need deep integration with systems the platform doesn't support, ERP, PIM, custom databases, or proprietary internal tools. (4) SaaS platform pricing is unsustainable at your content volume or seat count. (5) You need content stored in your own infrastructure for data residency, compliance, or security reasons. Many organizations get to a point where the customization cost of making a standard platform work exceeds the cost of building exactly what they need.
A headless CMS separates the content management interface (where editors work) from the presentation layer (how content appears to users). Editors manage content in the CMS; the content is delivered via API to any front end, website, mobile app, digital signage, or other channel. Headless is the right choice when you publish to multiple channels from a single content repository, when your front-end team wants framework freedom without CMS constraints, or when you need content as data that powers experiences you design entirely. It's not the right choice when your editors need visual page-building, WYSIWYG editing, or tight coupling between content and presentation. We build headless CMS platforms from scratch and implement Sanity, Contentful, and Strapi with custom configuration and extension when they fit your requirements better than a fully custom build.
Yes. Custom CMS development doesn't always mean building from scratch. Often the right approach is extending a platform like Sanity, Strapi, or WordPress with custom content types, plugins, admin UI modifications, and API integrations, rather than reinventing the editor interface. We assess your requirements and recommend the approach that gives you what you need at the lowest long-term cost. Full custom builds make sense for complex editorial workflows and proprietary content models. Platform extension makes sense when a standard platform is close to what you need but missing specific capabilities.
A focused custom CMS, one content model, an editor interface for 3-5 content types, and basic publishing workflow, typically runs $15,000-$40,000. A full content platform with complex content models, multi-site publishing, approval workflows, and third-party integrations runs $40,000-$120,000. Cost depends on the content model complexity, number of content types, workflow requirements, and integration depth. We scope every project before pricing it and give you a fixed cost before development starts.
A focused CMS with 3-5 content types and a standard editorial workflow typically takes 8-12 weeks from signed scope to production. A full content platform with complex workflows, multi-site publishing, and deep third-party integrations takes 16-24 weeks. Timeline depends on the content model depth, number of integrations, and how quickly your team can review and approve designs. We give you a timeline estimate in the scope document before development starts.
Yes. We sign an NDA before any technical discovery begins. Your content model, editorial workflows, and integration architecture are proprietary business logic. We treat them as confidential throughout the project and after delivery. All code and IP transfers to you on project completion.
Work with us
Tell us what you need. We'll tell you what it would take.
We scope Custom CMS Development in 30 minutes. You walk away with a clear cost, timeline, and approach. No commitment required.
- Scope and cost agreed before work starts. No surprises. No obligation.
- Working prototype within 3 weeks of kickoff.
- Pay by milestone. You see progress before each invoice.
- 60-day post-launch warranty. Bug fixes, UI tweaks, and deployment support. No retainer.
- All conversations are NDA-protected.