What CMS works well for custom-coded client sites?

For a custom frontend with a structured editing interface, take a look at Sanity or Payload. You define the content types and fields, then build the site around that data. That gives you control over the layout while keeping routine edits manageable for clients.

Check the setup and hosting requirements against the project before choosing. A clean editor depends as much on how you model the content as on the CMS itself.

If the client needs to assemble pages from approved sections, a component-based visual editor may be a better fit than a plain content form. Storyblok and Builder.io are examples to evaluate. You expose the components you built, and the client can arrange them without inventing new layouts.

Be deliberate about which components and options you expose. More freedom can also mean more ways to break the design.

Statamic is worth a look if you want a CMS that feels closer to a traditional site project than a hosted drag-and-drop builder. Compare its editing workflow and deployment model with what your clients need, though. The right fit depends on how much infrastructure you want to maintain.

I'd start by listing the edits clients actually need: swapping images, changing copy, adding a page, or composing a page from sections. Those are different requirements. If it is mostly text and media, a structured CMS is usually enough. If they need to build pages out of your custom sections, look specifically for block or component-based editing.

Make a small prototype with a realistic page and let a nontechnical person try it before committing. That will reveal confusing fields and overly broad editing controls pretty quickly.

There are also smaller or newer CMS projects built around custom frontends and editable fields. They may suit a specific workflow, but check how active the project is, what support and documentation exist, and how content is backed up before using one for a client site.