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We are the Directus to Dato CMS migration experts

Challenges with Directus

Directus looks fantastic in demos, but things get rocky once you actually try to use it at scale. Cloud plans jump to enterprise the moment your team grows past five users, and the API limits are tight enough that any traffic spike means aggressive caching or a surprise bill. It feels flexible until you realise the platform has a lot of operational overhead baked in.

On the dev side, updates can introduce breaking changes, the documentation doesn’t always keep pace, and the extension ecosystem is pretty thin. Localization is technically supported but fiddly and easy to misconfigure, and large datasets make the UI noticeably sluggish. And if you want anything deeply custom, you’re suddenly living in Vue.js land, which is not where most teams want to spend their weekends.

Key pain points

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Breaking update changes

Directus has a habit of shipping updates that occasionally break things you weren’t planning to fix. Unless you're on an enterprise plan, you don’t get clean version control.

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Limited extension ecosystem

The plugin ecosystem is still pretty bare. Anything even mildly niche ends up becoming a “let’s just custom build it” moment, which defeats the purpose of picking a CMS with extensions.

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Complex localization setup

Yes, it supports multilingual content, but setting it up feels like assembling IKEA furniture blindfolded. It works, but expect extra config, extra steps, and extra patience.

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Version control paywall

Want safe rollbacks, controlled releases, and predictable deployments? Great, Directus will tell you to upgrade first. Versioning is locked behind higher-tier plans, which is… bold.

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Vue.js knowledge requirement

Custom interfaces and deeper tweaks need Vue.js, so if your team only speaks React, prepare for a small identity crisis (or a hiring plan).

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Large dataset performance issues

Heavy tables and deeply relational data can slow down queries and the UI, forcing you to optimise more than you probably wanted to.

Benefits of Dato CMS

Dato CMS stands out with its easy-to-use interface, which is suitable for developers and content editors. It's a drag-and-drop schema builder, meaning you can drag your content into shape

It supports a flexible API-based approach, allowing for seamless integration and efficient data retrieval. Dato CMS also provides powerful image manipulation tools and real-time updates, which enhance the content delivery experience. Its focus on simplicity and ease of use ensures rapid content deployment, making it an appealing choice for teams looking for a streamlined workflow and effective content management.

Key Advantages

  • •Impressive performance capabilities
  • •User-friendly interface
  • •Flexible API-based approach
  • •Seamless integration
  • •Efficient data retrieval
  • •Powerful image tools
  • •Real-time updates
  • •Simple deployment process
  • •Streamlined workflow
  • •Effective content management
  • •Rapid content deployment
  • •Developer-friendly features

Get in touch

Book a meeting with us to discuss how we can help or fill out a form to get in touch