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CMS comparison Sanity vs Strapi

Sanity vs Strapi

Sanity is a closed-source headless CMS that runs on the vendor's cloud. Strapi is an open-source headless CMS that you can host yourself or run on the vendor's cloud. The table below sets them side by side on 28 features. They get a different status on 12.

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  • Sanity Headless · Closed source · 15 of 28 built in
  • Strapi Headless · Open source · 15 of 28 built in

Sources checked: Sanity on 29 Sept 2026, Strapi 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
Sanity vs Strapi feature comparison. Columns are the two platforms. Rows are features, grouped by area.
Platform
Sanity Headless
Strapi Headless
Overview
What it is Headless CMS with an open-source React editor, Sanity Studio, configured in code. Sanity stores content in its hosted Content Lake.Open-source Node.js headless CMS with a visual content-type builder, self-hosted or run on Strapi Cloud. Paid plans add governance features.
Edition compared The product and release each column describes. Sanity hosted Content Lake with Sanity Studio 6 Version 6.16.0, released 22 Sept 2026 Strapi 5 CMS, free Community edition with paid Growth and Enterprise plans for self-hosted projects Version 5.55.1, released 24 Sept 2026
Vendor Sanity sanity.io Strapi strapi.io
Licence Closed source MIT for Sanity Studio. The Content Lake backend is proprietary. Open source MIT
Hosting No self-hosting Vendor cloud You can host the Studio anywhere, but content always lives in Sanity's cloud. Self-hosting Vendor cloud Strapi Cloud removed its free plan in 2026. Hosting starts at the Starter plan.
Built with TypeScript, React for Studio. Hosted Content Lake with GROQ and GraphQL APIsTypeScript, Node.js, React
Database Hosted Sanity Content LakePostgreSQL, MySQL, MariaDB, SQLite
Pricing Public list prices only. Hosting and implementation are extra everywhere. Free to start Free plan. Growth $15 per seat per month. Enterprise on request. Free to start Community free. Growth $45 per month with 3 seats, then $15 per seat. Cloud from $35 per project per month.
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 3 Built in Content types are schema.json files in the project. 19
Content model in the UI Admins can create and change content types and fields in the admin interface without writing code. Not available You define schemas only in Studio code. 3 Built in Content-type Builder works in development mode only. 16
Reusable blocks Editors compose pages from reusable, typed components or blocks, and can reorder them. Built in Array fields of typed objects act as a page builder. 3 Built in Components and dynamic zones. 216
Localization Editors translate content per locale inside the CMS, by field or by entry, without a separate site for each language. Plugin or add-on Official document-level and field-level internationalization plugins. 4 Built in
Image transformations The CMS resizes, crops or converts images on request, through URL parameters or generated sizes, with no external service. Built in Image pipeline resizes, crops and converts by URL parameter. 5 Built in Generates small, medium and large sizes on upload. No crops on request. 15
APIs and delivery
REST API A documented REST or JSON HTTP API returns content. Built in HTTP API queried with GROQ. 1 Built in 2
GraphQL API The vendor or an official module provides a GraphQL API for content. Built in The Sanity CLI deploys it from the schema. 1 Plugin or add-on Official GraphQL plugin. 14
Webhooks The CMS can call an external URL when content is created, changed or published. Built in GROQ-powered webhooks: 2 on Free, 4 on Growth. 16 Built in 218
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. Built in 1 Built in Draft & Publish. 2
Scheduled publishing An editor can set a future date and time for content to publish or unpublish. Paid tier Scheduled drafts on Growth and Enterprise. 1 Paid tier Growth plan, by scheduling a Release. 6
Version history The CMS keeps earlier versions of an entry, and editors can compare or restore them. Limited Draft history kept 3 days on Free, 90 on Growth, 365 on Enterprise. 1 Paid tier Content History keeps 14 days on Growth, 30 to 90 days on Enterprise. 7
Preview Editors can see unpublished content rendered as it will appear on the site before publishing. Built in 17 Built in Basic preview is free. Side-by-side Live Preview needs Growth. 5
Visual editing Editors can click on the rendered page and edit content in place or in a side panel next to it. Built in Presentation tool with click-to-edit overlays on every plan. 17 Paid tier On Growth, editors double-click content in Live Preview to edit it. 5
Approval workflows Content moves through review stages you configure, such as draft, review and approved, with permissions per stage. Not available Build with document actions or a community plugin such as Workflow Manager. 914 Paid tier Review Workflows on Enterprise. 9
Content releases Editors group changes across several entries and publish them together as one release. Paid tier Content Releases add-on on Enterprise. 1 Paid tier Releases on Growth and Enterprise. 6
Real-time co-editing Two or more editors can work on the same entry at once and see each other's changes live. Built in 1 Not available
Access and governance
Custom roles Admins define their own roles with granular permissions instead of picking from a fixed set. Paid tier Enterprise. Free has 2 fixed roles, Growth 5. 18 Built in Unlimited admin roles on Community. 28
Field-level permissions Admins can restrict access to single fields, on top of content types and entries. Limited API access rules are per document. Studio can hide or lock fields per role. 8 Built in 8
Single sign-on Editors can sign in through SAML or OpenID Connect against a company identity provider. Paid tier SAML SSO on Enterprise. 1 Paid tier Enterprise, or a $150 per month add-on on Growth. 211
Audit log The CMS logs who changed what and when across the whole installation, and admins can review the log. Paid tier Full audit trail and History API on Enterprise. 1 Paid tier Enterprise plan. 10
Platform and extensibility
Multiple sites One installation or account can manage several separate websites or brands with shared users. Built in Several projects per organization and Studio workspaces. 11 Not available
Extensible admin UI Developers can add their own components, views or fields to the editing interface. Built in Custom inputs, tools and document actions in the React Studio. 39 Built in 20
Plugin marketplace The vendor runs an official directory or marketplace of installable extensions. Built in Sanity Exchange. 10 Built in Strapi Marketplace. 2
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 Built in Users & Permissions feature for end users. 17
AI writing assistant A first-party AI feature in the editing interface generates, rewrites or translates content. Built in Content Agent on every plan. In-Studio AI Assist on Growth and Enterprise. 113 Paid tier AI translation and image alt text on Growth. Not yet available on Enterprise. 212
Official MCP server The vendor publishes a Model Context Protocol server so AI agents can read or write content. Built in Hosted at mcp.sanity.io with OAuth. 12 Built in Built in. Developers switch it on in the server config. 13

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

Where they differ

Sanity and Strapi get a different status on 12 of the 28 features and the same status on 16. Sanity has 15 built in on its baseline edition, Strapi 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
Sanity is closed source (MIT for Sanity Studio. The Content Lake backend is proprietary.). Strapi is open source (MIT).
Self-hosting
Sanity cannot be self-hosted. Strapi can be self-hosted.

Built in on Sanity, a different answer on Strapi 5

  • GraphQL API Sanity: Built in. Strapi: Plugin or add-on.
  • Visual editing Sanity: Built in. Strapi: Paid tier.
  • Real-time co-editing Sanity: Built in. Strapi: Not available.
  • Multiple sites Sanity: Built in. Strapi: Not available.
  • AI writing assistant Sanity: Built in. Strapi: Paid tier.

Built in on Strapi, a different answer on Sanity 5

  • Content model in the UI Sanity: Not available. Strapi: Built in.
  • Localization Sanity: Plugin or add-on. Strapi: Built in.
  • Custom roles Sanity: Paid tier. Strapi: Built in.
  • Field-level permissions Sanity: Limited. Strapi: Built in.
  • Site member accounts Sanity: Not available. Strapi: Built in.

Built in on neither, with different answers 2

  • Version history Sanity: Limited. Strapi: Paid tier.
  • Approval workflows Sanity: Not available. Strapi: Paid tier.

More comparisons

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

Sanity against other platforms

Strapi against other platforms

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

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