The verdict in three sentences
For a mid-market company in Amsterdam running 6 brand sites, choosing between WordPress multisite and a headless stack comes down to 3-year total cost, not the initial quote. Amsterdam agencies quote 40,000 to 90,000 EUR, and SaaS headless CMS licences (Contentful, Storyblok) add 3,000 to 15,000 EUR a year, whereas self-hosted Strapi has no licence fee. Headless pays off once you have several brands, several languages or content reused across an app, intranet or kiosks.
Two architectures, two logics
WordPress multisite groups the 6 sites in one install: a parent theme, child themes per brand, shared plugins. It is quick to set up and marketing teams know the interface. The trade-off: every plugin update touches all 6 sites, and security relies on 20 to 40 third-party plugins.
A headless stack separates content (one API) from presentation (a Next.js front end per brand, sharing a design system). The CIO keeps a clean data model, brands share products, news and job openings, and pages are served statically or with fast server rendering. The CMS choice is then Strapi (open source, self-hosted) or a SaaS such as Contentful or Storyblok.
2026 cost comparison for 6 sites in Amsterdam
| Item | WordPress multisite | Strapi + Next.js | Storyblok or Contentful + Next.js |
|---|---|---|---|
| Discovery and design system | 8,000 to 14,000 EUR | 10,000 to 16,000 EUR | 10,000 to 16,000 EUR |
| Build of 6 sites | 22,000 to 34,000 EUR | 28,000 to 58,000 EUR | 26,000 to 52,000 EUR |
| Content migration | 5,000 to 8,000 EUR | 6,000 to 14,000 EUR | 6,000 to 14,000 EUR |
| Project total | 35,000 to 56,000 EUR | 44,000 to 88,000 EUR | 42,000 to 82,000 EUR |
| CMS licence over 3 years | 3,000 to 6,000 EUR (plugins) | 0 EUR | 9,000 to 45,000 EUR |
| Maintenance over 3 years | about 27,000 EUR | about 18,000 EUR | about 15,000 EUR |
| Hosting over 3 years | 5,000 to 9,000 EUR | 6,500 to 11,000 EUR | 3,500 to 7,000 EUR |
These are 2026 estimates for Dutch agencies, ex VAT. For comparison, the same project with a French agency in Lille is quoted 25,000 to 40,000 EUR in WordPress multisite and 35,000 to 60,000 EUR in Strapi + Next.js.
Performance, security and teams
| Criterion | WordPress multisite | Headless (Strapi or SaaS) |
|---|---|---|
| Average mobile LCP | 2.8 to 3.5 s | 1.2 to 1.8 s |
| Lighthouse performance score | 55 to 75 | 90 to 99 |
| Attack surface | Front end and admin on one server | Isolated admin, static front end |
| Critical updates per year | 25 to 40 | 6 to 10 |
| Marketing autonomy | Very high, familiar editor | High after 1 day of training |
| Content reuse | Web only | API for web, app, intranet |
| Profiles to hire | PHP developer | TypeScript developer |
Speed matters for SEO and conversion: on B2B sites, moving LCP from 3.2 s to 1.5 s commonly lifts contact requests by 10 % to 20 %. On security, a static front end has no exposed login page, which removes most intrusion attempts seen on WordPress.
Mini case study
Sanne, CIO of a 400-employee food company in Amsterdam, runs 6 brand sites on 6 separate WordPress installs, costing 20,000 EUR a year in maintenance. She compares quotes: 45,000 EUR multisite, 66,000 EUR Strapi + Next.js.
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Over 3 years, multisite costs 45,000 + 27,000 + 7,000 + 4,500 = 83,500 EUR. Strapi costs 66,000 + 18,000 + 8,500 = 92,500 EUR. The gap is 9,000 EUR. If the speed gain brings 15 % more contact requests on 1,200 a year, at 3 % conversion and 8,000 EUR margin per client, that is 180 requests, 5.4 clients and about 43,000 EUR of margin a year. The gap is recovered in under 3 months.
FAQ
Is Strapi suitable for a mid-market company?
Yes, for teams that want structured content and several sites. It handles roles, locales and drafts; the free edition covers most needs for 6 sites.
How much does a headless site cost in Amsterdam in 2026?
Expect 40,000 to 90,000 EUR for 6 brand sites with a shared design system, plus 3,000 to 15,000 EUR a year if you pick Contentful or Storyblok.
Does marketing lose autonomy?
Little, if the agency sets up live preview and layout blocks. One day of training is usually enough, for about 1,500 EUR.
Can we migrate gradually?
Yes. A pilot brand can move in 6 to 8 weeks, then the other 5 in waves of 3 to 4 weeks, with WordPress running in parallel.
When should we stay on WordPress?
If you run 1 or 2 sites, few languages and an initial budget capped at 35,000 EUR, WordPress remains sensible, provided you limit plugins to about fifteen.
Let's scope your project. Tell us how many sites, languages and integrations (ERP, CRM, job board) you need: we will price both options over 3 years, with an indicative budget between 35,000 and 90,000 EUR and a 10 to 16 week plan. Detailed quote within 48 h. WhatsApp +221 77 596 93 33.
Mohamed Bah
Fondateur, Kolonell
Passionate about digital and entrepreneurship in Africa, Mohamed has been helping Sénégalese businesses with their digital transformation since 2020. Founder of Kolonell, he believes every SME deserves a professional and accessible online présence.
