[Head-to-head comparison]

Sanity vs Strapi

Sanity vs Strapi for structured content, hosting, localization, governance, APIs, cost and migration.

Kalle Bertell

By Kalle Bertell

Direct answer

Choose Sanity when the content store should stay managed and the team will shape Sanity Studio in React. Choose Strapi when the CMS should be a Node.js project you host or place on Strapi Cloud, with content types built in the admin. Both need a preview integration. Strapi’s live preview and review workflows are paid features. Sanity’s grouped releases and custom roles are Enterprise.

Choose Sanity when

  • Content Lake without operating it

    Sanity runs the content APIs. Studio can be Sanity-hosted or self-hosted.

  • GROQ across related documents

    Queries can join and reshape content before the frontend sees it.

  • A custom React editorial app

    Studio is open source and can follow the team’s navigation and inputs.

Choose Strapi when

  • The CMS project in your repo

    Strapi is the Node app. Content types, roles and locales ship with that project.

  • Locales on the free CMS tier

    Internationalization is a Community feature, with unlimited locales on the pricing page.

  • Self-hosted documents

    The database is yours if you do not use Strapi Cloud.

Consider neither when

  • A finished visual page builder

    Both expect a frontend preview. Neither is Storyblok’s embedded block editor.

  • No maintainer for the editor

    Studio upgrades and Strapi project upgrades are both ongoing work.

  • Enterprise controls on the free tier

    Sanity custom roles and Strapi review workflows sit on higher plans.

Criterion-by-criterion comparison

How we evaluate platforms

Marketer autonomy

Sanity autonomy is a Studio design. Strapi autonomy is the content type and role design.

Sanity

Flexible editing; autonomy depends on setup

Editor independence depends on your implementation: developers define page composition, navigation and guardrails through schemas and code.

View sources (2)
  • Sanity Studio: Supports the open-source React Studio, real-time collaboration, schema configuration and extensive customization.
  • Sanity visual editing architecture: Supports the implementation model based on Content Source Maps, stega metadata, overlays, preview mode and live updates.

Strapi

Editors fill types; layout follows the model

Editors manage entries, components and dynamic zones in the Content Manager. Adding a section type or a permission still happens in the content-type and role settings developers control.

View sources (2)

Choosing between them

Sanity:

Editors get as far as the inputs and Presentation behavior you build.

Strapi:

Editors use the Content Manager. New zones and permissions are admin configuration.

Publish one localized page in each and count the developer steps.

Content modeling

Sanity schemas are code. Strapi types are created in the Content-type Builder and stored with the project.

Sanity

Schema-as-code structured documents

Reusable models, validation and schema changes are defined in JavaScript or TypeScript using documents, objects, arrays and references.

View sources (1)

Strapi

Collection types, components and dynamic zones

The Content-type Builder defines collection types, single types, components and repeatable dynamic zones. Saving a type requires at least one configured field.

View sources (1)

Choosing between them

Sanity:

Documents and references in the repository suit a domain model shared across channels.

Strapi:

Collection types, components and dynamic zones suit structured entries the admin can edit.

Model one shared type in both and see whether the schema review happens in git or in the admin.

Workflow and governance

The paid line is different: Sanity releases versus Strapi review workflows.

Sanity

Collaboration is strong; release depth is tiered

Teams can collaborate in real time with role-based access; Growth supports scheduled single-document drafts, while grouped releases and custom roles require Enterprise.

Plan considerations: Release controls, approvals, SSO, roles and history depend on your plan; check that your requirements are included.

View sources (5)
  • Sanity Studio: Supports the open-source React Studio, real-time collaboration, schema configuration and extensive customization.
  • Sanity scheduled drafts: Supports scheduling single documents and documents Growth-plan availability.
  • Sanity Content Releases: Supports grouped document versions, preview, validation, scheduling and publication; documents Enterprise plan availability.
  • Sanity roles: Supports dataset and document access roles, GROQ-defined content resources and Enterprise custom roles.
  • Sanity pricing: Supports current Free, Growth and Enterprise tiers, seat charging, quotas and add-ons.

Strapi

Drafts and roles free; reviews are Enterprise

Community includes draft and publish, RBAC and API tokens. Releases and content history start on Growth. Review workflows and audit logs are Enterprise.

Plan considerations: Growth history is 14 days. Enterprise history is documented as 30 days, extendable to 90.

View sources (1)

Choosing between them

Sanity:

Scheduled drafts are Growth. Grouped releases and custom roles are Enterprise.

Strapi:

Drafts and RBAC are Community. Releases are Growth. Review workflows are Enterprise.

List approvals, schedules and audit needs, then mark the cheapest plan on each side that includes them.

Localization and multisite

Strapi turns locales on in the admin. Sanity models them in schema.

Sanity

Flexible schema/plugin-driven localization

Teams choose and maintain their own localization model using field- or document-level patterns and recommended plugins.

View sources (1)
  • Sanity localization: Supports field- and document-level localization modeled in schemas, with recommended plugins for both approaches.

Strapi

Locales on every plan, including Community

Turn internationalization on for a content type, then for individual fields. The pricing page lists unlimited locales on Community, Growth and Enterprise.

View sources (2)

Choosing between them

Sanity:

Field or document patterns can match the domain, and the team maintains them.

Strapi:

Locales are a Community feature and are listed as unlimited.

If you want locales without designing a plugin model, start with Strapi. If the locale shape is unusual, start with Sanity.

Developer experience

Sanity developers own Studio. Strapi developers own the CMS server.

Sanity

Open React Studio plus schema-as-code

React components and plugins let developers tailor Studio or host it themselves, but the team owns upgrades and maintenance.

View sources (3)
  • Sanity Studio: Supports the open-source React Studio, real-time collaboration, schema configuration and extensive customization.
  • Sanity Studio hosting and deployment: Supports Sanity-hosted or self-hosted Studio while the browser application connects to hosted Content Lake APIs.
  • Introduction to Sanity schemas: Supports code-defined document and field schemas, validation and schema migration tooling.

Strapi

Node project, admin builder and a CLI

Developers own the Strapi project and can model in the admin or extend it in code. The same project runs self-hosted or on Strapi Cloud.

View sources (2)

Choosing between them

Sanity:

Schema code, GROQ and Studio upgrades sit with the team. Content Lake does not.

Strapi:

The Node project, content types and deployment sit with the team, including on Strapi Cloud.

Choose Sanity to keep the content API managed. Choose Strapi to keep the whole CMS in the repo.

APIs and extensibility

GROQ is the sharper query tool. Strapi’s REST and GraphQL follow the content types.

Sanity

GROQ, GraphQL, real-time APIs and webhooks

Developers can join and reshape content with GROQ, use schema-derived GraphQL queries, and integrate live updates or filtered webhooks.

View sources (3)
  • GROQ introduction: Supports native querying, joins, projections and transformations against Content Lake.
  • Sanity GraphQL: Supports a schema-derived GraphQL query API and documents GROQ as the recommended native query language.
  • GROQ-powered webhooks: Supports filtered event triggers and projected webhook payloads.

Strapi

REST and GraphQL on every CMS plan

REST and the GraphQL plugin read and write content types, including locale and draft status. The features table includes both APIs on Community.

View sources (3)
  • Strapi REST API: Documents REST reads and writes, including locale and draft status parameters.
  • Strapi GraphQL API: The GraphQL plugin queries and mutates content types with filters, sort and pagination.
  • Strapi features and plans: Separates Community, Growth and Enterprise features from Strapi Cloud hosting plans.

Choosing between them

Sanity:

Prefer it when joins and projections should happen in the content API.

Strapi:

Prefer it when generated REST or GraphQL, including drafts and locales, matches the frontend.

Run the two queries the site cannot drop, including unpublished content, on both APIs.

Hosting and operations

Sanity hosts documents. Strapi hosts them only if you pick Strapi Cloud or your own servers.

Sanity

Managed Content Lake; flexible Studio hosting

Sanity runs the content backend and APIs; Studio hosting is flexible, while frontend hosting and application operations remain your responsibility.

View sources (2)

Strapi

Self-host the project, or use Strapi Cloud

You can operate the Node.js app and database, or deploy that project to Strapi Cloud. Cloud plans meter hosting resources and do not include Growth or Enterprise CMS features.

View sources (2)

Choosing between them

Sanity:

Self-hosting Studio does not move Content Lake.

Strapi:

Self-hosting includes the database. Cloud hosts the project and bills resources separately.

A requirement to own the database points to self-hosted Strapi. A requirement to avoid that points to Sanity.

Security and governance

Sanity’s assurance is about Content Lake. Strapi’s is about the plan plus the place you host it.

Sanity

SOC 2 Type 2 baseline; advanced access is tiered

Documented protections include SOC 2 Type 2, GDPR and encryption on GCP; SAML SSO, custom access controls, quotas and support depend on your plan or add-ons.

View sources (3)
  • Sanity security and compliance: Supports SOC 2 Type 2, GDPR, GCP hosting, encryption, access control and business-continuity claims.
  • Sanity roles: Supports dataset and document access roles, GROQ-defined content resources and Enterprise custom roles.
  • Sanity pricing: Supports current Free, Growth and Enterprise tiers, seat charging, quotas and add-ons.

Strapi

RBAC everywhere; SSO and audit logs are paid

Community includes role-based access. SSO is a Growth add-on and included on Enterprise. Audit logs and the SOC 2 report are Enterprise items on the pricing page.

Plan considerations: Self-hosted data residency is yours. Strapi Cloud regions and backups follow the Cloud plan.

View sources (2)
  • Strapi features and plans: Separates Community, Growth and Enterprise features from Strapi Cloud hosting plans.
  • Strapi CMS pricing: Lists the free MIT Community plan, Growth at $45 per month, and Enterprise review workflows.

Choosing between them

Sanity:

SOC 2 Type 2 is documented. SSO and custom roles depend on the tier.

Strapi:

RBAC is free. SSO and the SOC 2 report sit on paid CMS plans, and self-hosting moves residency to you.

Ask for SSO, audit logs and backups in writing. Add the database host when Strapi is self-hosted.

Pricing and cost drivers

Sanity prices seats and usage. Strapi prices a CMS license and, separately, hosting.

Sanity

Per-seat plan + usage quotas and add-ons

Budget for seats and content, API, bandwidth and asset limits; Growth add-ons and Enterprise terms can materially change total cost.

Plan considerations: Check the quotas, overage charges, add-ons and datasets you need, plus any Enterprise contract terms.

View sources (2)
  • Sanity pricing: Supports current Free, Growth and Enterprise tiers, seat charging, quotas and add-ons.
  • Sanity technical limits: Supports current document, attribute, request, mutation and query limits.

Strapi

Free Community, then CMS and Cloud bills

Community is free under MIT, with unlimited entries on the CMS pricing page. Growth starts at $45 per month before user charges, and Strapi Cloud is a separate hosting invoice.

View sources (2)
  • Strapi CMS pricing: Lists the free MIT Community plan, Growth at $45 per month, and Enterprise review workflows.
  • Strapi features and plans: Separates Community, Growth and Enterprise features from Strapi Cloud hosting plans.

Choosing between them

Sanity:

Seats, datasets, API and CDN usage and Enterprise terms can move the bill.

Strapi:

Community can be free software. Growth, users and Strapi Cloud are extra invoices.

Build a two-year model that splits CMS fees from hosting before you compare the totals.

Migration and exit

Dataset export and Strapi transfer solve different exits.

Sanity

Dataset export/import; custom code still migrates

CLI tools export datasets and assets, but queries, references, Portable Text, image handling and custom Studio code still need adapting to the new system.

View sources (2)
  • Sanity dataset CLI: Supports dataset export and import, including assets, drafts and document-type filters.
  • Sanity backups: Supports Enterprise managed backups and documents manual dataset export for plans without that feature.

Strapi

Transfer content between matching Strapi instances

The CLI can export, import or stream content, files and schemas. A transfer requires matching schemas, and it does not move admin users or API tokens.

View sources (2)
  • Strapi data transfer: Streams content, files and schemas between instances. Admin users and API tokens are excluded.
  • Strapi features and plans: Separates Community, Growth and Enterprise features from Strapi Cloud hosting plans.

Choosing between them

Sanity:

Export includes assets and drafts when requested. GROQ and Studio code stay behind.

Strapi:

Transfer moves content and files to another Strapi with the same schema, not users or tokens.

Rehearse an export into a neutral model. A Strapi-to-Strapi transfer is not that test.

Marketing website fit

Pick Sanity for a custom editor on a managed store. Pick Strapi for a hosted project you control.

Sanity

Strong when the team funds a tailored editor

A good marketer experience requires well-designed schemas, Studio navigation and preview integration, plus ongoing ownership of that setup.

View sources (3)
  • Sanity visual editing: Supports live preview, click-to-edit and visual editing capabilities for content creators.
  • Sanity Studio: Supports the open-source React Studio, real-time collaboration, schema configuration and extensive customization.
  • Sanity visual editing architecture: Supports the implementation model based on Content Source Maps, stega metadata, overlays, preview mode and live updates.

Strapi

Fits structured pages when preview is funded

Dynamic zones let editors place components that the frontend already renders. Seeing those changes live in the admin depends on a Growth or Enterprise Live Preview license.

View sources (2)
  • Strapi Content-type Builder: Creates collection and single types, with draft-and-publish and internationalization settings.
  • Strapi preview: Preview is configured for every plan. Live Preview requires Growth or Enterprise.

Choosing between them

Sanity:

The site fits when the team will design Studio around the pages editors publish.

Strapi:

The site fits when content types and a preview URL are enough, and Live Preview is either unnecessary or funded.

If the editor must be unique, shortlist Sanity. If the CMS process must be yours, shortlist Strapi.

Visual editing and preview

Both preview through your frontend. Strapi charges for the live-updating version.

Sanity

Live preview and click-to-edit via Presentation

Editors can work in context once the frontend and Studio are integrated; source maps, overlays and live updates power the experience.

View sources (2)

Strapi

Preview URL on every plan; live updates are paid

Preview opens the frontend from the Content Manager after you set a client URL. Live Preview, which refreshes as the entry changes, is a Growth and Enterprise feature.

View sources (2)
  • Strapi preview: Preview is configured for every plan. Live Preview requires Growth or Enterprise.
  • Strapi features and plans: Separates Community, Growth and Enterprise features from Strapi Cloud hosting plans.

Choosing between them

Sanity:

Presentation fits when visual editing is part of the Studio you already maintain.

Strapi:

A preview URL is on every plan. Live Preview is Growth or Enterprise.

Implement one preview route in each and decide whether live updates are worth the Strapi CMS license.

Recommendations by use case

[Marketing website]

Depends on the editor you will own

Choose Sanity to invest in Studio on a managed store. Choose Strapi to edit content types in the admin of a project you host, and price Live Preview separately.

[Structured content platform]

Split on query versus ownership

Sanity fits GROQ across a managed document store. Strapi fits collection types in a database the team operates or places on Strapi Cloud.

[Multilingual multisite]

Start from the locale model

Strapi locales are a Community setting and are listed as unlimited. Sanity fits when each translation is a document or field pattern you design.

[Ecommerce]

Favor the model you can query

Sanity fits product content when GROQ joins matter. Strapi fits product types in the project database, with the frontend reading REST or GraphQL.

[Enterprise governance]

Validate enterprise requirements

Match Sanity releases, SSO and custom roles to Enterprise. Match Strapi review workflows, audit logs and SSO to Enterprise rather than Community.

[Small team]

Choose the editor you can maintain

Sanity suits a team that will keep Studio in git. Strapi suits a team that will run or buy hosting for the CMS project. A simpler product may still be the better fit.

Related resources

Sanity logo

[Platform]

Sanity

Structured content with a customizable editing environment.

Read more
Strapi logo

[Platform]

Strapi

Open-core content types you host or run on Cloud.

Read more