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CMS comparison Liferay DXP vs Sanity

Liferay DXP vs Sanity

Liferay DXP is a closed-source enterprise DXP 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 14.

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  • Liferay DXP Enterprise DXP · Closed source · 26 of 28 built in
  • Sanity Headless · Closed source · 15 of 28 built in

Sources checked: Liferay DXP 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
Liferay DXP vs Sanity feature comparison. Columns are the two platforms. Rows are features, grouped by area.
Platform
Liferay DXP Enterprise DXP
Sanity Headless
Overview
What it is Java platform for websites, portals and commerce, with a new object-based CMS. Self-hosted or run by Liferay as PaaS or SaaS.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. Liferay DXP 2026.Q3, Enterprise Subscription. The Free Tier replaced Liferay Portal CE from 2026.Q1. Version 2026.q3.5, released 25 Sept 2026 Sanity hosted Content Lake with Sanity Studio 6 Version 6.16.0, released 22 Sept 2026
Vendor Liferay, Inc. liferay.com Sanity sanity.io
Licence Closed source Proprietary, under the Liferay EULA. Free Tier activation key at no cost Closed source MIT for Sanity Studio. The Content Lake backend is proprietary.
Hosting Self-hosting Vendor cloud Free Tier suits smaller-scale use and gets no security patches, SAML or AI Hub. No self-hosting Vendor cloud You can host the Studio anywhere, but content always lives in Sanity's cloud.
Built with Java, OSGi, ReactTypeScript, React for Studio. Hosted Content Lake with GROQ and GraphQL APIs
Database MySQL, MariaDB, PostgreSQL, Oracle, SQL Server, IBM Db2Hosted Sanity Content Lake
Pricing Public list prices only. Hosting and implementation are extra everywhere. Free to start Free Tier at no cost for smaller-scale use. Enterprise Subscription per server instance, price 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 Definitions export to JSON and deploy from the repo as batch client extensions. 7 Built in 3
Content model in the UI Admins can create and change content types and fields in the admin interface without writing code. Built in Objects and web content structures. 6 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 Fragments on content pages. 11 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 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 Adaptive Media generates set image resolutions. 8 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 Headless REST APIs. 9 Built in HTTP API queried with GROQ. 1
GraphQL API The vendor or an official module provides a GraphQL API for content. Built in 9 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 Object actions call a webhook on add, update or delete. 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. Built in Not available
Editorial workflow
Drafts Editors save changes as a draft and publish them later. The live version stays untouched until then. Built in Built in 1
Scheduled publishing An editor can set a future date and time for content to publish or unpublish. Built in Display and expiration dates. 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 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. Built in Inline editing in the content page editor. 11 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. Built in Kaleo workflow, also included in the Free Tier. 3 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. Built in Publications group changes and publish them together. 12 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 A page locks while one editor has it open. 13 Built in 1
Access and governance
Custom roles Admins define their own roles with granular permissions instead of picking from a fixed set. Built in 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 Permissions apply per object, entry or asset. 14 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. Built in SAML and OpenID Connect. The Free Tier lacks SAML. 315 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 Audit framework with search and export of events. 16 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. Built in 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 Client extensions. 7 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. Built in Liferay Marketplace. 17 Built in Sanity Exchange. 10
Form builder Editors can build and publish forms and collect submissions without code. Built in Liferay Forms. Not available
Site member accounts The platform handles sign-up and login for public site users or members, separate from editors. Built in Not available
AI writing assistant A first-party AI feature in the editing interface generates, rewrites or translates content. Built in AI Hub writing tools in the new CMS. Not in the Free Tier. 418 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. Built in Built-in MCP server released in 2026.Q3, switched on by feature flag. 19 Built in Hosted at mcp.sanity.io with OAuth. 12

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

Where they differ

Liferay DXP and Sanity get a different status on 14 of the 28 features and the same status on 14. Liferay DXP has 26 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.

Self-hosting
Liferay DXP can be self-hosted. Sanity cannot be self-hosted.

Built in on Liferay DXP, a different answer on Sanity 12

  • Content model in the UI Liferay DXP: Built in. Sanity: Not available.
  • Localization Liferay DXP: Built in. Sanity: Plugin or add-on.
  • Renders the website Liferay DXP: Built in. Sanity: Not available.
  • Scheduled publishing Liferay DXP: Built in. Sanity: Paid tier.
  • Version history Liferay DXP: Built in. Sanity: Limited.
  • Approval workflows Liferay DXP: Built in. Sanity: Not available.
  • Content releases Liferay DXP: Built in. Sanity: Paid tier.
  • Custom roles Liferay DXP: Built in. Sanity: Paid tier.
  • Single sign-on Liferay DXP: Built in. Sanity: Paid tier.
  • Audit log Liferay DXP: Built in. Sanity: Paid tier.
  • Form builder Liferay DXP: Built in. Sanity: Not available.
  • Site member accounts Liferay DXP: Built in. Sanity: Not available.

Built in on Sanity, a different answer on Liferay DXP 1

  • Real-time co-editing Liferay DXP: Not available. Sanity: Built in.

Built in on neither, with different answers 1

  • Field-level permissions Liferay DXP: Not available. Sanity: Limited.

More comparisons

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

Liferay DXP 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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