Hello, this is Lake and Moon Design.
Lately, as we’ve been consulting with clients about their websites, we’ve been getting more and more questions like, “I’m curious about microCMS—what’s it really like?”
It seems there are many business owners and managers—not just those well-versed in web technology—who are researching it while remaining somewhat skeptical, wondering, “I heard there’s a free plan, but can I really use it properly?”
To cut to the chase, if you’re using it for a standard company site or a store’s homepage, the free plan is quite practical and allows for plenty of flexibility.
However, rather than simply thinking, “I just want to keep it free,” it’s best to determine whether it fits the pace of your business.
In this article, I’ll explain what you can and cannot do with the free plan.
What You’ll Learn in This Article
- Specific specifications and limitations of microCMS’s free plan (Hobby Plan)
- Which sites are suitable for the free plan, and which require a paid plan
- Why Lake and Moon Design Recommends a Headless CMS for Small Businesses
Before we get into the main topic, just a quick note. If you’re wondering, “What is microCMS, anyway?” or “How is it different from other tools?” and want to get the big picture first, please read our article “What Is microCMS?” before continuing.
Specifically, what can you do with the free plan? (As of May 2026)
Even if you’re told, “It’s fine for a regular website,” it can still feel a bit uncertain without specific numbers, right? First, let’s break down the main specifications defined for the free plan (Hobby Plan).
Item | Free Plan (Hobby Plan) Guidelines |
Number of Members | Up to 3 (e.g., store manager, staff, production company, etc.) |
Number of APIs (Data Types) | Up to 5 (e.g., “Announcements,” “Blog,” “Portfolio,” “Categories,” “Staff Profiles,” etc.) |
Number of Content Items | Up to 10,000 entries (*Total number of all articles, including blog posts and case studies) |
Data Transfer Volume | 20 GB/month |
*Specifications are subject to change due to updates. Please be sure to check the official microCMS website for the latest and most accurate information.
What do you think? With the ability to utilize five different types of data (APIs) and a capacity of 10,000 articles, this platform covers nearly all the features a website needs. Even if you update the site with one article every day, it would take about 27 years to reach that limit—so unless you’re running a massive media outlet, this provides more than enough capacity for small businesses to share their content.The free plan is getting better every day, so I’m looking forward to what’s next.
Industries and Websites Where microCMS Excels
microCMS’s free plan is most effective for small- to medium-sized corporate websites and store homepages. In particular, it’s a great fit for industries that require high security or those that want to convey their brand’s vision and uniqueness without any distractions.
Professional services (lawyers, tax accountants) and medical clinics
These are sites where clients visit with a touch of nervousness, wondering, “Is this a place I can trust to seek advice?” That’s precisely why microCMS—with its architecture designed to minimize attack vectors from outside sources—stands out for its ability to reduce maintenance burdens and maintain security more effectively than platforms like WordPress.
Artists and Creators
You want to convey the world of your work without a single bit of noise. In such cases, microCMS—with its system that makes it easy to build lightweight, fast-loading sites (and is well-suited for high-speed site design)—serves as a blank canvas. It eliminates even the slightest wait time before a page loads, creating an environment where visitors can focus purely on your work.
NPOs and Tourism Associations
For example, suppose spectacular spots like the Lake Biwa Grand Fireworks Festival or Shirahige Shrine are featured on TV or social media, causing a sudden surge of visitors to your site. Even when faced with such unexpected spikes in traffic, a headless CMS ensures your server is less likely to go down and allows you to deliver information reliably.It’s a tool designed to support organizations with a strong public mission that strive to remain “open” at all times.
You can write announcements and blog posts with ease
You might be wondering, “How much of this can we actually do ourselves?”
Even with the free plan of microCMS, you can do the following without any issues:
- Write and edit articles (text, headlines, links, etc.)
- Upload photos
- Schedule a publication date and time, such as “Publish this article on Friday morning”
- Saving a draft while it’s still a work in progress
When asked, “Can I use it like WordPress?” I reply, “Yes, it’s fully capable of handling the basics.”
Since there are no unnecessary buttons on the screen, even people who aren’t very comfortable using a computer can navigate the interface intuitively and smoothly.
Concerns about limitations, such as “What if it suddenly becomes inaccessible…?”
The free plan has limits, such as a data transfer cap (20 GB/month). However, for small- to medium-sized storefronts or corporate websites operated as static sites (Jamstack architecture), it’s rare to hit these limits during day-to-day operations.
That said, sites with many images, those experiencing a sudden surge in traffic, or those built in certain ways may approach the limit sooner than expected, so it’s important to assess this carefully during the design phase.
Conversely, here are some cases where we recommend the “paid plan”
I’ll be honest—it’s not all good news. In the following scenarios, the free plan is likely to fall short:
Media sites with daily high-volume updates
It is not suitable for media sites with very high update frequencies that constantly handle large amounts of images and data.
Sites that experience a sudden surge in visitors
For campaign sites designed to go viral on social media, data transfer volumes can spike suddenly, so it’s best to consider a paid plan as soon as possible for peace of mind.
Full-scale multilingual sites
This is because managing the site in multiple languages—such as English and Chinese—significantly increases the number of APIs and the volume of data.
We completely understand the desire to “keep costs to zero.” But what matters most is whether the solution aligns with “where your business wants to go,” right?
Why Lake and Moon Design Recommends microCMS
Here at Lake and Moon Design, we also frequently recommend microCMS when creating websites for our clients.
It’s not because we want to say, “It’s the latest system, so it’s cool, right?”
It’s because, after delivery, our clients “don’t get lost.”
No matter how great a system is, it’s pointless if, after delivery, the client finds themselves thinking, “I don’t know how to use this” or “I’m afraid to click the update button.”
Small business owners and staff can quickly open it and start writing right away, even in the midst of their busy daily routines. They don’t have to worry about annoying system update notifications.
That sense of “mental breathing room” is the number one reason we choose microCMS.
Even the free plan is surprisingly reliable
If you were thinking, “It’s free, so it must have a lot of restrictions,” has your impression changed even just a little?
“Is this a good fit for my site?”
If you’re feeling unsure, please don’t hesitate to reach out—you don’t have to figure it out on your own. We’d love to work with you to find the solution that fits your business perfectly.
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