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CMS comparison Ghost vs Sanity

Ghost vs Sanity

Ghost is an open-source traditional 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 20.

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  • Ghost Traditional · Open source · 10 of 28 built in
  • Sanity Headless · Closed source · 15 of 28 built in

Sources checked: Ghost 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
Ghost vs Sanity feature comparison. Columns are the two platforms. Rows are features, grouped by area.
Platform
Ghost Traditional
Sanity Headless
Overview
What it is Open-source Node.js publishing platform with built-in newsletters, memberships and paid subscriptions. Self-hosted or run on Ghost(Pro).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. Ghost 6, self-hosted open source and Ghost(Pro) Version 6.65.0, released 22 Sept 2026 Sanity hosted Content Lake with Sanity Studio 6 Version 6.16.0, released 22 Sept 2026
Vendor Ghost Foundation (non-profit) ghost.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 Ghost(Pro) Starter allows only the default theme and no custom integrations. No self-hosting Vendor cloud You can host the Studio anywhere, but content always lives in Sanity's cloud.
Built with Node.js, JavaScript, Handlebars themesTypeScript, React for Studio. Hosted Content Lake with GROQ and GraphQL APIs
Database MySQLHosted Sanity Content Lake
Pricing Public list prices only. Hosting and implementation are extra everywhere. Free to start Free to self-host. Ghost(Pro) Starter $18, Publisher $29, Business $199 per month, billed yearly. 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. Not available Fixed model of posts, pages, tags and members. 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 Fixed set of editor cards plus reusable snippets. 10 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. Not available One content language per site. 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. Built in Ghost generates theme-defined image sizes automatically. 5 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. Built in Content API and Admin API. 12 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. Built in Via custom integrations. Not available on Ghost(Pro) Starter. 42 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. Built in Handlebars themes. Not available
Editorial workflow
Drafts Editors save changes as a draft and publish them later. The live version stays untouched until then. Limited Edits to a published post go live on Update. No pending draft. 13 Built in 1
Scheduled publishing An editor can set a future date and time for content to publish or unpublish. Built in Scheduled publishing only. 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. Built in Post history with one-click restore. 6 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 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. Not available The admin toolbar on the live site links to the editor. 9 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 Contributors draft and Editors publish. No configurable stages. 7 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. Not available Fixed staff roles. 7 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. Paid tier Ghost(Pro) Custom plan only. Not in self-hosted Ghost. 2 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. Built in History log of staff actions. 8 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. Not available 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. Not available The admin app has no extension points. 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. Limited Theme marketplace only. Ghost has no plugin system. 2 Built in Sanity Exchange. 10
Form builder Editors can build and publish forms and collect submissions without code. Not available Member signup forms only. Not available
Site member accounts The platform handles sign-up and login for public site users or members, separate from editors. Built in Members with free and paid tiers. 3 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 Community MCP servers only. 11 Built in Hosted at mcp.sanity.io with OAuth. 12

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

Where they differ

Ghost and Sanity get a different status on 20 of the 28 features and the same status on 8. Ghost has 10 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
Ghost is open source (MIT). Sanity is closed source (MIT for Sanity Studio. The Content Lake backend is proprietary.).
Self-hosting
Ghost can be self-hosted. Sanity cannot be self-hosted.

Built in on Ghost, a different answer on Sanity 5

  • Renders the website Ghost: Built in. Sanity: Not available.
  • Scheduled publishing Ghost: Built in. Sanity: Paid tier.
  • Version history Ghost: Built in. Sanity: Limited.
  • Audit log Ghost: Built in. Sanity: Paid tier.
  • Site member accounts Ghost: Built in. Sanity: Not available.

Built in on Sanity, a different answer on Ghost 10

  • Content model in code Ghost: Not available. Sanity: Built in.
  • GraphQL API Ghost: Not available. Sanity: Built in.
  • Drafts Ghost: Limited. Sanity: Built in.
  • Visual editing Ghost: Not available. Sanity: Built in.
  • Real-time co-editing Ghost: Not available. Sanity: Built in.
  • Multiple sites Ghost: Not available. Sanity: Built in.
  • Extensible admin UI Ghost: Not available. Sanity: Built in.
  • Plugin marketplace Ghost: Limited. Sanity: Built in.
  • AI writing assistant Ghost: Not available. Sanity: Built in.
  • Official MCP server Ghost: Not available. Sanity: Built in.

Built in on neither, with different answers 5

  • Localization Ghost: Not available. Sanity: Plugin or add-on.
  • Approval workflows Ghost: Limited. Sanity: Not available.
  • Content releases Ghost: Not available. Sanity: Paid tier.
  • Custom roles Ghost: Not available. Sanity: Paid tier.
  • Field-level permissions Ghost: Not available. Sanity: Limited.

More comparisons

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

Ghost 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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