Sanity and WordPress for Content Management
When building a new website or app, picking a CMS can affect your site’s current and future performance. For many teams, the decision comes down to Sanity vs WordPress, and their two very different approaches to content management.
WordPress offers familiarity, a huge plugin ecosystem, and community support. Sanity has a structured, API-first approach, real-time collaboration, and integration with frameworks like Next.js.
Today, we’ll compare Sanity and WordPress side by side. This article will cover performance, workflows, costs, ease of use, and security, all to help with choosing the right content management for your project.
Headless CMS vs Traditional CMS
Before comparing Sanity and WordPress directly, we need to understand the difference between a headless and traditional CMS platforms.
A traditional CMS like WordPress bundles everything together: content storage, editing interface, design templates, and the frontend that displays your site. With that, launching your site is very easy. However, since your content is coupled to one presentation layer (the website), delivering the same content to an app or a digital display can be tricky.
A headless CMS separates content management from presentation. Content is stored in a structured way and delivered via APIs, so developers can connect it to any frontend. It allows for more control, but requires expert knowledge for set up and maintenance.
Overview of Sanity and WordPress
What is Sanity CMS?
Sanity is a headless content operating system launched in 2017. Unlike WordPress, which is monolithic, Sanity separates content from presentation, letting you deliver content to any frontend via APIs. It’s built for developers who want structured content models, modern workflows, and easy collaboration in content editing.
Who Owns Sanity CMS?
Sanity was founded in Oslo, Norway, by Even Westvang, Simen Svale Skogsrud, and Magnus Hillestad. The company, Sanity.io, continues to maintain and develop the platform, which has attracted global clients and investors, including notable brands like Puma, Morning Brew, Cloudflare, and AT&T.
Use Cases of Sanity
Sanity is often chosen when teams need a developer-first CMS that’s easy to scale, but it also has its uses for:
Content-rich websites and apps.
E-commerce solutions.
Multi-channel publishing.
Enterprise content hubs.
Design-driven websites.
What is WordPress?
WordPress is a traditional CMS that allows you to create, publish, and manage websites without building everything from scratch. It powers more than 40% of all websites worldwide and holds around 60% of the CMS market share. Its popularity comes from accessibility: with over tens of thousands of free themes and 65,000+ plugins, it offers options to extend features and get a website up and running quickly.
Who Developed WordPress?
WordPress was created by Matt Mullenweg and Mike Little in 2003 as a fork of a blogging tool called b2/cafelog. Today, it is an open-source project maintained by a large community of contributors and backed commercially by Automattic.
Use Cases of WordPress
WordPress is used for everything from personal blogs to enterprise websites, and its most common uses include:
Blogging and publishing.
Business sites.
Online stores.
Membership and community sites.
Enterprise websites.
Need Help Deciding Between Sanity vs WordPress? Talk to Our Experts
What is the Difference Between Sanity vs WordPress for Developers?
Choosing between Sanity and WordPress depends on how you want to build and scale your site over time. Here’s how the two compare across the areas that matter most.
Feature |
WordPress |
Sanity |
Content Modeling |
Pages, posts, custom post types; rigid for advanced needs |
Schema-based, structured, reusable content |
Pricing |
Free core; costs for hosting, themes, plugins, or VIP |
Free tier; usage-based pricing as projects grow |
Performance |
Depends on hosting, caching, and plugins |
API-first; fast with frameworks like Next.js |
Integrations |
59k+ plugins and 11k+ themes |
API-driven; integrates with Vercel, Shopify, Algolia |
DevEx & UX |
Easy for beginners; limited flexibility for devs |
Developer-first; code-defined models, customizable Studio |
Workflows |
Basic publishing; advanced workflows need plugins |
Real-time collaboration, versioning, structured flows |
Security |
Relies on hosting and plugin updates; vulnerable if outdated |
Managed backend; API-based security, smaller attack surface |
Hosting |
Requires separate hosting (shared, managed, or VIP) |
CMS is fully managed; only host the frontend |
Content Modeling
WordPress: Since it’s a traditional CMS, it uses the classic model of pages and posts. It allows for the customization of post types, fields, or plugins. However, its structure is relatively rigid, which can lead to complex workarounds for more advanced needs.
Sanity: Its structure is built around schemas, which are sets of rules defining how your content is structured. You can specify exactly what types of content you need, and Sanity enforces that structure. Thanks to that, reusing content across different platforms becomes much easier.
Pricing
WordPress: The core CMS is free and open source. You still need to factor in hosting, premium themes, and paid plugins. The final costs can vary widely depending on whether you run a small site on shared hosting or an enterprise setup on WordPress VIP.
Sanity: Has a free plan with limited API requests and users, plus paid plans that scale based on usage (API calls, storage, seats). It can be cost-effective for small projects, but as your traffic or content needs grow, so do the costs.
Performance
WordPress: Runs on PHP and MySQL. Its performance depends heavily on hosting quality, caching plugins, and CDN setup. The right configuration can handle large traffic, but out of the box, WordPress is less optimized.
Sanity: Headless by design, it serves content via APIs. When paired with modern frameworks like Next.js, sites can be pre-rendered for fast load times and excellent Core Web Vitals. Scaling is handled by Sanity’s managed infrastructure, so heavy traffic is less of a problem.
Scaling a 100K+ Page Medical Platform with Next.js & Sanity
Integrations
WordPress: Famous for its plugin ecosystem, and for good reason. WordPress offers thousands of plugins and themes, and you can add SEO tools, payment gateways, and more without custom coding.
Sanity: Its flexibility comes from APIs, not prebuilt add-ons. Doesn’t use plugins in the same way. Instead, it integrates with developer tools and modern platforms like Vercel, Shopify, or Algolia.
DevEx & UX
WordPress: Non-developers find WordPress easy to pick up, thanks to a visual dashboard, What You See Is What You Get (WYSIWYG) editing, and prebuilt templates. Developers, however, might find customizing beyond themes and plugins cumbersome.
Sanity: Geared towards developers. Content models are code-first, and frontends are built with frameworks like React and Next.js. For editors, Sanity Studio offers a smooth experience and a customizable UI. Its initial setup does require some technical expertise.
Workflows
WordPress: Content creation is pretty straightforward, but advanced workflows (approval chains, editorial review, versioning) often require extra plugins. Collaboration features are limited compared to modern tools.
Sanity: Focuses a lot on the workflows. Real-time collaboration, version history, and structured editing make it a great choice for larger teams.
Building a Super-Fast Sanity Website for the Extraordinary Hotel at the Edge of the World
Security
WordPress: The security of your WordPress site depends largely on hosting and regular updates. Vulnerabilities often come from outdated plugins.
Sanity: Security is centralized rather than plugin-driven. Its headless architecture reduces the attack surface since the CMS doesn’t directly serve the website. Content is delivered through secure APIs, and infrastructure is managed by Sanity.
Hosting
WordPress: Requires hosting to run. Since its performance and security can vary depending on your provider, enterprise users often opt for WordPress VIP.
Sanity: A fully managed, cloud-based platform, letting you scale as you please. You don’t need to worry about hosting the CMS itself; you only host your frontend (e.g., on Vercel or Netlify).
Sanity: Pros and Cons
What Are the Benefits of Using Sanity?
Sanity stands out from other CMS options as a modern, headless CMS built for flexibility and performance. Its main advantages include:
Flexible content modeling. Define custom schemas to structure your content just the way your project requires.
Real-time collaboration. Multiple team members can edit content at the same time in Sanity Studio, with updates appearing instantly.
Developer-first approach. Sanity allows a seamless integration with third-party tools.
Customizable editor. You can tailor the editing environment to match your content needs.
Performant and scalable. Content is delivered through Sanity’s managed Content Lake, optimized for speed and large-scale usage.
Reusable content. Write once, publish anywhere: websites, mobile apps, IoT, or digital displays.
What are the Cons of Sanity CMS?
Teams without technical resources can find some aspects of Sanity challenging:
Steep learning curve. Setting up schemas and connecting a frontend requires coding knowledge, unlike WordPress’s plug-and-play approach.
No traditional themes or plugins. You can’t just install a theme or plugin to get started. You’ll need a developer to build and integrate the feature you want.
Scaling costs. Sanity’s free plan is a great value for small projects, but heavy API usage, large datasets, or many team members can increase monthly costs.
Hosting split. While Sanity hosts the CMS, you must host your frontend separately (e.g., on Vercel or Netlify), which adds an extra step for setup.
Smaller ecosystem. Sanity has strong community support, but its ecosystem of third-party integrations is much smaller compared to WordPress.
WordPress: Pros and Cons
What Are the Benefits of Using WordPress?
WordPress is one of the most popular content management solutions for modern web development for several reasons:
Free and open-source CMS. Anyone can install and use WordPress at no cost, making it accessible or individuals and businesses both.
Huge plugin ecosystem. With nearly 60,000 plugins, you can add features like SEO optimization, e-commerce (WooCommerce), contact forms, and analytics to your site without custom code.
Thousands of themes. Free and premium WordPress themes allow you to get your website running quickly with no experience needed!
Ease of use. The dashboard and WYSIWYG editor make content management approachable even for non-developers.
Community support. WordPress has a massive global community that shares tutorials and support, lowering the barrier for learning.
Scalability. With the right hosting and setup, WordPress can handle all types of websites, personal blogs, and high-traffic enterprise sites alike.
Disadvantages of a WordPress Site
While WordPress offers plenty of strengths, it also comes with limitations and risks:
Performance issues. Out of the box, WordPress might be slow. Performance metrics often rely on caching plugins, CDNs, and optimized hosting.
Security vulnerabilities. Its popularity makes it a frequent target for hackers. Many breaches come from outdated themes or plugins.
Plugin dependence. Extending functionality often means installing multiple plugins, which can lead to compatibility issues and heavier sites.
Maintenance overhead. Regular updates for plugins, themes, and WordPress core are necessary to keep a site secure and stable.
Limited content modeling. The post/page/custom post type structure is less flexible compared to modern headless CMS platforms.
Design limitations without coding. While themes help, customizing them deeply often requires PHP, HTML, or CSS knowledge.
When to Choose Sanity vs WordPress
Use Case |
Choose Sanity if… |
Choose WordPress if… |
Project Type |
Multi-channel platforms, apps, and scalable sites |
Blogs, portfolios, small business sites |
Content Needs |
Structured content, reusable across channels |
Simple pages and posts managed in one place |
Team |
Developer-led teams who can define schemas and build frontends |
Non-technical teams managing content via dashboard |
Performance |
High performance, Core Web Vitals, and scalability are priorities |
“Good enough” performance with plugins and decent hosting |
Setup |
You’re okay with a steeper setup for long-term flexibility |
Non-technical teams managing content via a dashboard |
Workflows |
You need a fast, out-of-the-box setup with themes/plugins |
Basic content publishing without complex workflows |
Budget |
Prepared for usage-based pricing as you scale |
Relying on free core + low-cost hosting and plugins |
Future Goals |
Long-term growth, custom experiences, future-proof architecture |
Quick launch, affordable maintenance, and community support |
Sanity works best for projects that need flexibility and plan to scale in the future, though it requires some technical expertise. A structured content model, headless architecture, and integrations with frameworks like Next.js make it a great choice for high performance and developer-driven workflows.
WordPress is a practical choice for blogs, small businesses, and content-focused sites where ease of use matters more than technical flexibility. Free at its core with affordable hosting, WordPress allows for a quick site launch, thanks to the numerous themes and plugins. Non-technical teams can manage sites through their dashboard, with add-ons like WooCommerce or Yoast extending core functionality.
WordPress and Sanity: Which CMS is Best for You?
So, which one is the best CMS? Both Sanity and WordPress are powerful platforms, but they serve different needs.
WordPress is a tried-and-true choice for quick setup, affordability, and ease of use, especially for smaller websites, blogs, or businesses that rely on plugins to extend functionality.
Sanity, by contrast, offers a modern, developer-first approach and performance built for the future of the web.
Already on WordPress but feel limited by its performance or extensive plugin setup? At Pagepro, we specialize in helping teams migrate from WordPress to modern stacks like Sanity and Next.js to provide your website with the best performance.
Ready to Develop Your Website with Sanity? Get Experts on the Job.
FAQ
Is Sanity Free or Paid?
Sanity offers both options. It has a free plan with generous limits on users, content, and API calls. For larger projects, users can purchase usage-based paid plans that scale with their traffic, storage, and team needs.
Is WordPress Still The Most Popular CMS?
Yes. As of 2025, WordPress powers about 43% of all websites and holds over 60% of the CMS market share. Its huge ecosystem of plugins, themes, and community support keeps it the most widely adopted CMS in the world.
Which CMS Is Better Than WordPress?
It depends on your needs. WordPress is quick to set up and affordable, making it the favorite of blogs, small businesses, and content-driven sites. Headless CMS platforms like Sanity, Contentful, or Strapi c*an be better for projects that need multi-channel publishing and modern developer workflows*.
Is Sanity Better Than WordPress?
Sanity is better if you need flexibility and developer-first workflows. It also holds a 4.7/5 rating on G2, compared to WordPress’s 4.4/5.
WordPress is better if you want simplicity and speed. It’s free at its core, easy for non-technical users, and backed by a massive plugin ecosystem.
Can You Self-Host Sanity CMS
Sanity Studio is self-hostable, which means you can customize and deploy the editing environment on your own servers or domain. However, its backend, Sanity Content Lake, where all your content is stored and delivered, cannot be self-hosted.
Is Sanity Open-Source?
Sanity is a proprietary platform, but some of its parts are open source. The Sanity Studio framework is open source and customizable, and the core content infrastructure (Sanity Content Lake) is hosted and managed by Sanity.io.
Top comments (0)