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Sanity

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Contentful

Sanity vs Contentful

Compare Sanity and Contentful headless CMS platforms. See which is best for your content needs.

TL;DR — Our Recommendation

Sanity for developers, Contentful for enterprises. Choose Sanity if you want maximum flexibility, a generous free tier, and love real-time collaboration. Choose Contentful if you need enterprise features, established integrations, and prefer a more traditional CMS feel.

Official docs: Sanity Documentation · Contentful Documentation

Migrate Contentful → Sanity

Feature by Feature Comparison

Feature	Sanity	Contentful
Free Tier	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐
Ease of Use	⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐⭐
Customization	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐
Enterprise Features	⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Developer Experience	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐⭐
Query Language	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐

Pros & Cons

Sanity

Pros

Real-time collaboration
GROQ query language
Generous free tier
Customizable Studio
Image transformations

Cons

Steeper learning curve
Smaller ecosystem
Self-hosted Studio
Less enterprise features

Contentful

Pros

Enterprise-grade
Large ecosystem
Excellent documentation
Established platform
Many integrations

Cons

Expensive at scale
Limited free tier
Less flexible modeling
GraphQL-first (GROQ better)

Platform Details

Detail	Sanity	Contentful
Language / Stack	JavaScript/TypeScript (React-based Studio)	API-based (any frontend)
Type	headless cms	headless cms
Pricing	Free / $15+/month per user	Free / $300+/month
Open Source	Yes	No
Best For	Developer-led teams wanting maximum flexibility in content modeling and editing experience	Enterprises needing to deliver content across web, mobile, and IoT channels
Export Method	GROQ API, GraphQL API, or Sanity CLI export	Content Management API or CLI export

When to Choose Each Platform

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

Choose Contentful if…

You need enterprises needing to deliver content across web, mobile, and iot channels
Your team is comfortable with API-based (any frontend)

Which Should You Pick?

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

Both platforms sit in the same category — headless cms — so the deciding factors are ecosystem size, editorial workflow, and specific feature gaps. Sanity uses JavaScript/TypeScript (React-based Studio), while Contentful runs on API-based (any frontend). If your developers already know one of those stacks, lean toward that platform to reduce ramp-up time.

From a cost perspective, Sanity is open-source (Free / $15+/month per user), while Contentful (Free / $300+/month) carries ongoing license costs. 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 offers a free Contentful → Sanity migration tool that preserves your URLs, metadata, and content structure.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is cheaper?

Sanity is significantly cheaper at every scale. Its free tier includes 100K API requests per day and 500K documents, while Contentful's free tier is limited to 25K API calls and 5,000 records. As you grow, Sanity's Growth plan starts at $15/user/month, whereas Contentful's paid plans begin at $300/month. For startups and indie projects, Sanity's free tier is often all you need for years.

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