- Large plugin ecosystem and widely known editor.
- Free, GPL software with any hosting provider.
- GraphQL API (WPGraphQL) with opt-in ACF field exposure.
Compare
Leiho vs Headless WordPress (ACF + WPGraphQL)
Leiho builds on headless WordPress: it keeps your ACF fields and WordPress, and adds what the classic setup lacks, visual editing on your decoupled front end, a one-request content API and publishing.
LeihoHeadless WordPress (ACF + WPGraphQL)
Hosting Your own WordPress, on any PHP host. Your front end stays wherever it is. Self-hosted (any PHP/MySQL host or managed WordPress host).
Open source Yes, GPL-2.0-or-later (plugin and bridge). WordPress GPL-2.0-or-later; WPGraphQL GPL-3.0; ACF free version GPL, ACF PRO paid.
Pricing Free. No seats, no usage limits. Free: yes (WordPress, WPGraphQL, WPGraphQL for ACF, ACF free). Paid: ACF PRO Personal $49/year for 1 site (repeater, options pages, etc.).
Visual editing Yes: editors click text and images on the real front end, inside wp-admin, and it updates as they type. No: editors use wp-admin forms; WordPress preview does not render the decoupled front end without custom work.
Content model Leiho Collections (schema builder or leiho.schema.json), or your existing ACF fields. Both (ACF field groups built in the UI, or registered in PHP/JSON).
AI Writing with your brand context on every text field, through WordPress’s own AI connectors (WordPress 7.0+). None in ACF/WPGraphQL; WordPress 7.0 core (May 2026) adds an AI client with provider Connectors.
MCP server Yes, through the official WordPress MCP Adapter: agents read content and write drafts only. Yes, via the official WordPress MCP Adapter plugin, separate from core.
Localization Built in, field by field: one entry holds every language, fields are translatable or shared, and AI or agents (MCP) translate what is missing. Not built into core content; requires a plugin such as WPML or Polylang.
SEO and AI search Built in: each collection maps its fields to schema.org, description and FAQ. Leiho serves JSON-LD, llms.txt and every page as Markdown, in every language. Yoast and Rank Math output meta and schema.org JSON-LD and generate llms.txt, on WordPress's own pages. A headless front end reads Yoast's data through a community WPGraphQL add-on and builds the rest.
Checked on 5 November 2026 from each vendor’s site. Prices and plans change: follow the sources below.
Where Headless WordPress (ACF + WPGraphQL) shines
Where Leiho differs
- Visual editing on your decoupled front end: editors see the page they edit.
- A content API that serves the whole site in one request, with types and caching.
- Publishing from wp-admin: build hook, GitHub Actions, commit or Coolify.
- Leiho Collections when you’d rather not depend on ACF.
Choose Headless WordPress (ACF + WPGraphQL) if…
You need GraphQL specifically, your editors are happy with wp-admin forms, or you already run WPGraphQL in production.
Choose Leiho if…
Your team or your clients already know WordPress, you want them to edit the real page of a Next.js, Astro, Nuxt or SvelteKit site, and you’d rather not pay per seat or move content to a vendor’s cloud.
Can I keep WPGraphQL with Leiho?
Yes. Leiho doesn’t replace WPGraphQL: it adds visual editing and its own REST content API. Your front end can keep reading GraphQL while editors use Leiho.
Do I have to rewrite my ACF fields?
No. Leiho reads and writes the ACF fields you already have. You can later move a content type to Leiho Collections with the same JSON on the front end, or never.
Edit the real site.
Free and open source. Try it on a real WordPress, in your browser.