Sanity and Strapi both call themselves headless CMSes and both work well with Next.js. That is where the similarity ends. They are built on opposite philosophies. Picking the wrong one is expensive to unwind. Here is the honest comparison.
The one-line difference
Sanity is a hosted content platform with a code-configurable editor UI. You do not run infrastructure.
Strapi is a self-hosted, open-source Node.js CMS. You run the backend, the database, and the editor UI on your own infrastructure.
That single distinction drives everything else.
Hosting and ops
Sanity hosts the content backend. You get 99.9%+ uptime, global CDN, automated backups, and a real-time API you never think about. Sanity Studio (the editor UI) is a React app you host cheaply on Vercel or Netlify.
Strapi runs on your own Node.js server against your own Postgres or MySQL database. You are responsible for uptime, backups, scaling, security patches, and the database. Strapi Cloud (their managed offering) exists but is newer and less mature than Sanity's platform.
Verdict: If your team does not want to run infrastructure, Sanity wins clearly.
Cost model
Sanity: Free tier for small projects. Growth plan ~$99/project/month covers most growing businesses. Enterprise pricing above.
Strapi: Open source and free to run. Real cost is the infrastructure (hosting, database, monitoring) plus the engineering time to maintain it. Strapi Cloud starts around $99/month but includes less than Sanity's Growth tier.
Verdict: Sanity is more predictable. Strapi is nominally free but has real hidden costs in ops.
Editor experience
Sanity Studio is highly customisable. You define schemas in code, build custom input components, wire live preview panes to your Next.js site, and shape the editor around your content. Non-technical editors get a polished UI.
Strapi's admin panel is functional but less flexible. Customisation is possible but harder. Live preview is a feature you plumb yourself.
Verdict: Sanity has the better editor UX for teams where editors matter.
Developer experience
Sanity uses GROQ, a purpose-built query language for structured content. TypeScript codegen is first-party. Deploy previews work naturally with Next.js.
Strapi exposes REST and GraphQL. Both are standard. Content types can be defined in code (via schemas) or through the admin UI, which is convenient early and painful later when the two drift.
Verdict: Both are strong for developers, with different flavours. Sanity is more integrated; Strapi is more open.
Data ownership
Sanity: Your content lives on Sanity's servers. You can export it any time via their API or CLI. But the day-to-day operational location is theirs.
Strapi: Your content lives in your own database. You own it end to end. For teams with data residency or compliance requirements, this is often the deciding factor.
Verdict: If data residency matters (regulated industries, EU-only data, specific compliance), Strapi has an edge. For most growing businesses, Sanity's export options are enough.
Ecosystem
Sanity has a smaller but active plugin ecosystem. Because the Studio is code, you often build integrations natively rather than installing plugins.
Strapi has a large open-source plugin ecosystem. Quality varies; the best plugins are excellent, the worst are unmaintained.
Verdict: Sanity is easier to extend; Strapi has more off-the-shelf.
When to pick Sanity
You don't want to run infrastructure
Editors matter and you want a polished UI
You're on Next.js and value type safety end to end
Predictable monthly cost beats a "free but you run it" model
Real-time collaboration between editors matters
When to pick Strapi
You have engineering capacity to run a Node.js backend and database
Data residency or compliance requires content stays on your infrastructure
You need heavy backend customisation (custom endpoints, complex auth, tight database integration)
You are already invested in a Node ecosystem you want to extend
Cost of ops is genuinely lower than $99/month at your scale (rare, but real for some setups)
What we default to at Goodspeed
For UK businesses in the £2M-£25M range, we default to Sanity. The reason is simple: most of these teams don't want to run a CMS backend, and Sanity's editor UX is worth more than the "free" of Strapi once you account for ops time.
We reach for Strapi when a client has a specific data residency requirement or an existing Node.js platform they need the CMS to sit inside.
Need a team to build or rebuild your Sanity site? Read our guide to choosing a Sanity CMS development company.
Next step
If Contentful is also on your list, see Contentful vs Sanity. For the full shortlist, Sanity CMS alternatives covers Payload, Storyblok, and Directus too.
If you're weighing Sanity vs Strapi for a new build or a migration, talk to Goodspeed Studio. We've shipped both and we'll tell you which one fits your business.
Frequently asked questions
Should I use Sanity or Strapi?
Is Strapi actually free?
Is Sanity or Strapi better for editors?
Does Strapi have real-time collaboration?
Can I self-host Sanity like Strapi?
Which has better developer experience, Sanity or Strapi?
Is Strapi Cloud a good option?
When should I definitely pick Strapi over Sanity?
Harish Malhi
Founder of Goodspeed
Harish Malhi is the founder of Goodspeed. He left Google in 2019 to build his own product, and started Goodspeed to give other founders the same head start. Today the studio designs and builds websites and the whole digital experience around them for funded tech companies, at the moments that matter: a raise, a launch, a press cycle. Goodspeed is a Framer Enterprise Expert, was Bubble’s Agency of the Year in 2024, and has shipped 300+ products, including launch pages for an NVIDIA-backed AI lab and a Webby-nominated site for a Boeing-backed aviation company. It holds a 5.0 rating from 46 reviews on Clutch.
