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Ghost

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Sanity

Ghost vs Sanity

Ghost vs Sanity: which is right for your project? Ghost is modern publishing platform built for professional content creators. Sanity is real-time collaborative headless cms with customizable studio. We compare features, performance, and pricing.

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TL;DR — Our Recommendation

Sanity wins overall, but Ghost is better for professional writers, journalists, and newsletter creators who want to monetize content. Choose Ghost for Professional writers, journalists, and newsletter creators who want to monetize content. Choose Sanity for Developer-led teams wanting maximum flexibility in content modeling and editing experience.

Official docs: Ghost Documentation · Sanity Documentation

Feature by Feature Comparison

FeatureGhostSanity
Ease of Use
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Performance
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Flexibility
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Cost Value
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Scalability
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Ecosystem
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Pros & Cons

Ghost

Pros

  • Beautiful, focused writing experience (Markdown + rich editor)
  • Built-in membership and subscription payment system
  • Newsletter/email delivery built right into the platform
  • Fast Node.js architecture — much faster than WordPress

Cons

  • Limited to blogs and newsletters — not a general CMS
  • Small theme ecosystem compared to WordPress
  • Self-hosting requires Node.js server expertise
  • Managed hosting (Ghost Pro) is relatively expensive

Sanity

Pros

  • GROQ query language is more powerful and flexible than GraphQL
  • Real-time collaborative editing (like Google Docs)
  • Fully customizable React-based Studio admin panel
  • Portable Text format gives structured rich text (not raw HTML)

Cons

  • GROQ is a custom query language with its own learning curve
  • Studio customization requires React development knowledge
  • Per-user pricing gets expensive for large editorial teams
  • Steeper setup curve than GUI-first headless CMS options

Platform Details

DetailGhostSanity
Language / Stack
Node.jsJavaScript/TypeScript (React-based Studio)
Type
bloggingheadless cms
Pricing
Free (self-hosted) / $9-199/month (managed)Free / $15+/month per user
Open Source
YesYes
Best For
Professional writers, journalists, and newsletter creators who want to monetize contentDeveloper-led teams wanting maximum flexibility in content modeling and editing experience
Export Method
Built-in JSON export or Content APIGROQ API, GraphQL API, or Sanity CLI export

When to Choose Each Platform

Choose Ghost if…

  • You need professional writers, journalists, and newsletter creators who want to monetize content
  • Your team is comfortable with Node.js
  • You want an open-source solution with full code ownership
  • You want a low learning curve for non-technical team members

Choose Sanity if…

  • You need developer-led teams wanting maximum flexibility in content modeling and editing experience
  • Your team is comfortable with JavaScript/TypeScript (React-based Studio)
  • You want an open-source solution with full code ownership

Which Should You Pick?

The right choice between Ghost and Sanity depends on three things: your team's technical skills, your project timeline, and your long-term content strategy.

These platforms take fundamentally different approaches. Ghost is a blogging built with Node.js, while Sanity is a headless cms built with JavaScript/TypeScript (React-based Studio). That architectural difference shapes everything from daily content editing workflows to deployment and hosting costs. Both platforms require some technical comfort — consider which tech stack aligns better with your team's existing skills.

From a cost perspective, both platforms are open-source, so the real cost difference is hosting and operational overhead. Factor in plugin or extension costs, developer rates for each tech stack, and whether you need managed hosting or can self-host.

Whichever you choose, migrating between them is straightforward. LeaveWP supports migration between 60+ platforms, so you're never locked in regardless of which you pick today.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Ghost better than Sanity?
Sanity scores higher overall (24/30 vs 19/30) thanks to better performance. However, Ghost remains the better choice for Professional writers, journalists, and newsletter creators who want to monetize content.
Can I migrate from Ghost to Sanity?
Yes. Export your Ghost content via Built-in JSON export or Content API, then import it into Sanity. LeaveWP can help automate this process while preserving your SEO metadata and URL structure.
What are the main differences between Ghost and Sanity?
Ghost is modern publishing platform built for professional content creators, while Sanity is real-time collaborative headless cms with customizable studio. Key differences: ease of use (Ghost: 4/5, Sanity: 3/5), pricing (Free (self-hosted) / $9-199/month (managed) vs Free / $15+/month per user), and ecosystem size (Ghost: 2/5, Sanity: 3/5).
How much does Ghost cost compared to Sanity?
Ghost: Free (self-hosted) / $9-199/month (managed). Sanity: Free / $15+/month per user. Both are open-source, so the main cost difference is hosting and infrastructure.
Which is easier to learn, Ghost or Sanity?
Ghost is easier to pick up (4/5 vs 3/5). Beautiful, focused writing experience (Markdown + rich editor). Sanity GROQ is a custom query language with its own learning curve.
Which performs better, Ghost or Sanity?
Sanity has the performance edge (5/5 vs 4/5). Sanity has strong performance characteristics. Ghost may require additional optimization for high-traffic sites.

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