Keystone vs Sanity
Keystone is an open-source headless CMS that you host yourself. 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.
- Keystone Headless · Open source · 6 of 28 built in
- Sanity Headless · Closed source · 15 of 28 built in
Sources checked: Keystone 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
| Platform |  |  |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||
| What it is | Open-source Node.js headless CMS from Thinkmill that generates a GraphQL API and an admin UI from a TypeScript schema. | 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. | Keystone 6, open source, from the @keystone-6/core package Version 8.1.0, released 31 Aug 2026 | Sanity hosted Content Lake with Sanity Studio 6 Version 6.16.0, released 22 Sept 2026 |
| Vendor | Thinkmill keystonejs.com | Sanity sanity.io |
| Licence | Open source MIT | Closed source MIT for Sanity Studio. The Content Lake backend is proprietary. |
| Hosting | Self-hosting No vendor cloud No managed hosting. Thinkmill offers enterprise support. | No self-hosting Vendor cloud You can host the Studio anywhere, but content always lives in Sanity's cloud. |
| Built with | TypeScript, Node.js, GraphQL, Prisma, Next.js for the admin UI | TypeScript, React for Studio. Hosted Content Lake with GROQ and GraphQL APIs |
| Database | PostgreSQL, MySQL, SQLite | Hosted Sanity Content Lake |
| Pricing Public list prices only. Hosting and implementation are extra everywhere. | Free to start Free and open source. Enterprise support from Thinkmill on request. | 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 Lists and fields are TypeScript config. 4 | 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 Component blocks inside the document field. 8 | 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 No locale support documented. Model translations yourself. 12 | 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 Image field stores originals. The Cloudinary field hands resizing to Cloudinary. 711 | 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 GraphQL only. Custom REST routes through extendExpressApp. 4 | Built in HTTP API queried with GROQ. 1 |
| GraphQL API The vendor or an official module provides a GraphQL API for content. | Built in | 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 No webhook settings. Call URLs from hooks in code. 10 | 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 | Not available |
| Editorial workflow | ||
| Drafts Editors save changes as a draft and publish them later. The live version stays untouched until then. | Not available | 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 | 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. | Not available | 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 | 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. | Not available | 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. | Limited Roles are access-control functions written in code. No role editor in the admin. 5 | 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. | Built in Field-level access control. 5 | 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. | Not available The auth package covers password login. SSO means custom session code. 6 | 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. | Not available | 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. | Built in Custom admin pages, navigation and field views. 9 | 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 | 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. | Built in createAuth works on any list, including site users. 6 | 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 |
Keystone sources
Checked 29 Sept 2026. Keystone 6, open source, from the @keystone-6/core package.
- @keystone-6/core on the npm registry
- Keystone releases on GitHub
- Keystone homepage
- Keystone docs: System configuration
- Keystone docs: Access control
- Keystone docs: Authentication
- Keystone docs: Image field
- Keystone docs: Document field demo
- Keystone docs: Custom admin UI pages
- Keystone docs: Hooks guide
- Keystone docs: Cloudinary image field
- Keystone documentation index (llms.txt)
Sanity sources
Checked 29 Sept 2026. Sanity hosted Content Lake with Sanity Studio 6.
- Sanity pricing
- sanity on npm
- Sanity docs: Schema types
- Sanity docs: Localization
- Sanity docs: Image transformations
- Sanity docs: GROQ-powered webhooks
- Sanity docs: Visual Editing
- Sanity docs: Roles and permissions
- Sanity blog: Document actions, workflows your way
- Sanity Exchange
- Sanity docs: Workspaces
- Sanity docs: MCP server
- Sanity docs: Install and configure AI Assist
- Sanity Exchange: Workflow Manager plugin
Considering more platforms? Compare Keystone and Sanity with the rest of your shortlist in the CMS comparison tool.
Where they differ
Keystone and Sanity get a different status on 20 of the 28 features and the same status on 8. Keystone 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
- Keystone is open source (MIT). Sanity is closed source (MIT for Sanity Studio. The Content Lake backend is proprietary.).
- Self-hosting
- Keystone can be self-hosted. Sanity cannot be self-hosted.
- Vendor cloud
- Keystone has no vendor-run cloud. Sanity has a vendor-run cloud.
Built in on Keystone, a different answer on Sanity 2
- Field-level permissions Keystone: Built in. Sanity: Limited.
- Site member accounts Keystone: Built in. Sanity: Not available.
Built in on Sanity, a different answer on Keystone 11
- Image transformations Keystone: Not available. Sanity: Built in.
- REST API Keystone: Not available. Sanity: Built in.
- Webhooks Keystone: Not available. Sanity: Built in.
- Drafts Keystone: Not available. Sanity: Built in.
- Preview Keystone: Not available. Sanity: Built in.
- Visual editing Keystone: Not available. Sanity: Built in.
- Real-time co-editing Keystone: Not available. Sanity: Built in.
- Multiple sites Keystone: Not available. Sanity: Built in.
- Plugin marketplace Keystone: Not available. Sanity: Built in.
- AI writing assistant Keystone: Not available. Sanity: Built in.
- Official MCP server Keystone: Not available. Sanity: Built in.
Built in on neither, with different answers 7
- Localization Keystone: Not available. Sanity: Plugin or add-on.
- Scheduled publishing Keystone: Not available. Sanity: Paid tier.
- Version history Keystone: Not available. Sanity: Limited.
- Content releases Keystone: Not available. Sanity: Paid tier.
- Custom roles Keystone: Limited. Sanity: Paid tier.
- Single sign-on Keystone: Not available. Sanity: Paid tier.
- Audit log Keystone: Not available. Sanity: Paid tier.
More comparisons
Full write-ups with worked examples and costs: Sanity vs Payload.
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Sanity against other platforms
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