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CMS comparison Decap CMS vs Sanity

Decap CMS vs Sanity

Decap CMS is an open-source headless CMS that you can host yourself or run on the vendor's cloud. Sanity is a closed-source headless CMS that runs on the vendor's cloud. The table below sets them side by side on 28 features. They get a different status on 19.

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  • Decap CMS Headless · Open source · 6 of 28 built in
  • Sanity Headless · Closed source · 15 of 28 built in

Sources checked: Decap CMS on 29 Sept 2026, Sanity on 29 Sept 2026. Plans and releases can change after those dates.

WAYF is an official Payload partner and top contributor. Every platform in the table is classified by the same published definitions, and each answer lists the vendor page it came from.

Feature comparison

Built inPaid tierPlugin or add-onLimitedNot available
Decap CMS vs Sanity feature comparison. Columns are the two platforms. Rows are features, grouped by area.
Platform
Decap CMS Headless
Sanity Headless
Overview
What it is Open-source Git-based CMS. A React admin app added to your site edits Markdown, YAML or JSON files and commits them to your repository.Headless CMS with an open-source React editor, Sanity Studio, configured in code. Sanity stores content in its hosted Content Lake.
Edition compared The product and release each column describes. Decap CMS 3, open source. Decap Turbo hosted backend is in public preview. Version 3.16.3, released 22 Sept 2026 Sanity hosted Content Lake with Sanity Studio 6 Version 6.16.0, released 22 Sept 2026
Vendor Decap CMS project (formerly Netlify CMS), maintained in Europe decapcms.org Sanity sanity.io
Licence Open source MIT Closed source MIT for Sanity Studio. The Content Lake backend is proprietary.
Hosting Self-hosting Vendor cloud Decap Turbo, a hosted backend for login and Git access, is in public preview. No self-hosting Vendor cloud You can host the Studio anywhere, but content always lives in Sanity's cloud.
Built with JavaScript, ReactTypeScript, React for Studio. Hosted Content Lake with GROQ and GraphQL APIs
Database Your Git repository on GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket, Gitea or AzureHosted Sanity Content Lake
Pricing Public list prices only. Hosting and implementation are extra everywhere. Free to start Free and open source. The Decap Turbo hosted backend, in public preview, has a Free plan and Pro at €19 per month. Free to start Free plan. Growth $15 per seat per month. Enterprise on request.
Content modelling
Content model in code You define content types in files in your repository, review them like any other code and apply them from there. Imperative migration scripts alone count as limited. Built in Collections and fields are defined in config.yml. 6 Built in 3
Content model in the UI Admins can create and change content types and fields in the admin interface without writing code. Not available Not available You define schemas only in Studio code. 3
Reusable blocks Editors compose pages from reusable, typed components or blocks, and can reorder them. Built in List widget with variable types. 7 Built in Array fields of typed objects act as a page builder. 3
Localization Editors translate content per locale inside the CMS, by field or by entry, without a separate site for each language. Built in Side-by-side editing per locale, stored per folder, file or field. 8 Plugin or add-on Official document-level and field-level internationalization plugins. 4
Image transformations The CMS resizes, crops or converts images on request, through URL parameters or generated sizes, with no external service. Not available Media goes to the repo or an external media library. Built in Image pipeline resizes, crops and converts by URL parameter. 5
APIs and delivery
REST API A documented REST or JSON HTTP API returns content. Not available Content is files in Git. Read them through the Git host API. 2 Built in HTTP API queried with GROQ. 1
GraphQL API The vendor or an official module provides a GraphQL API for content. Not available Built in The Sanity CLI deploys it from the schema. 1
Webhooks The CMS can call an external URL when content is created, changed or published. Not available Use the Git host's webhooks on commit. Built in GROQ-powered webhooks: 2 on Free, 4 on Growth. 16
Renders the website The CMS itself renders and serves the public pages through themes or templates. Headless-only products answer no. Not available Pairs with a static site generator. 2 Not available
Editorial workflow
Drafts Editors save changes as a draft and publish them later. The live version stays untouched until then. Built in Editorial workflow keeps drafts on a branch until merged. 9 Built in 1
Scheduled publishing An editor can set a future date and time for content to publish or unpublish. Not available Paid tier Scheduled drafts on Growth and Enterprise. 1
Version history The CMS keeps earlier versions of an entry, and editors can compare or restore them. Not available History lives in Git. The CMS has no revision view. Limited Draft history kept 3 days on Free, 90 on Growth, 365 on Enterprise. 1
Preview Editors can see unpublished content rendered as it will appear on the site before publishing. Built in Preview pane with custom templates and styles. 10 Built in 17
Visual editing Editors can click on the rendered page and edit content in place or in a side panel next to it. Limited Preview pane beside the form. No click-to-edit on the live page. 10 Built in Presentation tool with click-to-edit overlays on every plan. 17
Approval workflows Content moves through review stages you configure, such as draft, review and approved, with permissions per stage. Limited Fixed Drafts, In review and Ready stages. No per-stage permissions. 9 Not available Build with document actions or a community plugin such as Workflow Manager. 914
Content releases Editors group changes across several entries and publish them together as one release. Not available Paid tier Content Releases add-on on Enterprise. 1
Real-time co-editing Two or more editors can work on the same entry at once and see each other's changes live. Not available Built in 1
Access and governance
Custom roles Admins define their own roles with granular permissions instead of picking from a fixed set. Plugin or add-on Decap Turbo, in public preview, has a custom roles add-on at €19 per month on Pro. Core uses Git access. 1214 Paid tier Enterprise. Free has 2 fixed roles, Growth 5. 18
Field-level permissions Admins can restrict access to single fields, on top of content types and entries. Not available Limited API access rules are per document. Studio can hide or lock fields per role. 8
Single sign-on Editors can sign in through SAML or OpenID Connect against a company identity provider. Limited Sign-in runs through the Git host or Turbo. SAML only where the Git host enforces it. 413 Paid tier SAML SSO on Enterprise. 1
Audit log The CMS logs who changed what and when across the whole installation, and admins can review the log. Plugin or add-on Decap Turbo, in public preview, has an activity log on its Free plan. Core has Git history only. 12 Paid tier Full audit trail and History API on Enterprise. 1
Platform and extensibility
Multiple sites One installation or account can manage several separate websites or brands with shared users. Plugin or add-on Decap Turbo organizations share members across sites. Turbo is in public preview. Extra sites €10/month. 1412 Built in Several projects per organization and Studio workspaces. 11
Extensible admin UI Developers can add their own components, views or fields to the editing interface. Built in Custom widgets, preview templates and editor components. 1110 Built in Custom inputs, tools and document actions in the React Studio. 39
Plugin marketplace The vendor runs an official directory or marketplace of installable extensions. Not available No official extension directory. Built in Sanity Exchange. 10
Form builder Editors can build and publish forms and collect submissions without code. Not available Not available
Site member accounts The platform handles sign-up and login for public site users or members, separate from editors. Not available Not available
AI writing assistant A first-party AI feature in the editing interface generates, rewrites or translates content. Not available Built in Content Agent on every plan. In-Studio AI Assist on Growth and Enterprise. 113
Official MCP server The vendor publishes a Model Context Protocol server so AI agents can read or write content. Not available Built in Hosted at mcp.sanity.io with OAuth. 12

Considering more platforms? Compare Decap CMS and Sanity with the rest of your shortlist in the CMS comparison tool.

Where they differ

Decap CMS and Sanity get a different status on 19 of the 28 features and the same status on 9. Decap CMS has 6 built in on its baseline edition, Sanity has 15. Two matching statuses can still name different paid tiers or limits, so read the notes in the table before treating a row as equal.

Licence
Decap CMS is open source (MIT). Sanity is closed source (MIT for Sanity Studio. The Content Lake backend is proprietary.).
Self-hosting
Decap CMS can be self-hosted. Sanity cannot be self-hosted.

Built in on Decap CMS, a different answer on Sanity 1

  • Localization Decap CMS: Built in. Sanity: Plugin or add-on.

Built in on Sanity, a different answer on Decap CMS 10

  • Image transformations Decap CMS: Not available. Sanity: Built in.
  • REST API Decap CMS: Not available. Sanity: Built in.
  • GraphQL API Decap CMS: Not available. Sanity: Built in.
  • Webhooks Decap CMS: Not available. Sanity: Built in.
  • Visual editing Decap CMS: Limited. Sanity: Built in.
  • Real-time co-editing Decap CMS: Not available. Sanity: Built in.
  • Multiple sites Decap CMS: Plugin or add-on. Sanity: Built in.
  • Plugin marketplace Decap CMS: Not available. Sanity: Built in.
  • AI writing assistant Decap CMS: Not available. Sanity: Built in.
  • Official MCP server Decap CMS: Not available. Sanity: Built in.

Built in on neither, with different answers 8

  • Scheduled publishing Decap CMS: Not available. Sanity: Paid tier.
  • Version history Decap CMS: Not available. Sanity: Limited.
  • Approval workflows Decap CMS: Limited. Sanity: Not available.
  • Content releases Decap CMS: Not available. Sanity: Paid tier.
  • Custom roles Decap CMS: Plugin or add-on. Sanity: Paid tier.
  • Field-level permissions Decap CMS: Not available. Sanity: Limited.
  • Single sign-on Decap CMS: Limited. Sanity: Paid tier.
  • Audit log Decap CMS: Plugin or add-on. Sanity: Paid tier.

More comparisons

Full write-ups with worked examples and costs: Sanity vs Payload.

Decap CMS against other platforms

Sanity against other platforms

Open the CMS comparison tool to put up to six platforms in one table.

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