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CMS: Ghost vs. Strapi vs. Sanity

1. Ghost

What It Is

Ghost is a content-focused CMS originally built for blogging and publishing. Over time it has grown into a powerful platform for newsletters, memberships, and content monetization — with both an open-source version and a managed SaaS offering.

Key Features

  • Markdown-based editor with a clean writing experience.
  • Membership, subscription, and newsletter tools built-in.
  • SEO and social sharing tools included by default.
  • Fast performance and simple content publishing workflows.

Pros

  • Excellent for blogs, publications, and media sites.
  • Built-in monetization (members & newsletters).
  • Easy to get started, intuitive for writers.

Cons

  • Less flexible as a headless CMS compared to Strapi/Sanity.
  • Focused on content publishing — not complex apps.
  • Pricing can feel steep if you need high usage tiers.

Pricing (Managed)

PlanPriceNotes
Starter~$15/monthSmall sites
Publisher~$29/monthMore users & integrations
Business~$199/monthCollaboration & higher limits
Custom$CustomLarge traffic, advanced support, unlimited

2. Strapi

What It Is

Strapi is a developer-first headless CMS that you can self-host or use via Strapi Cloud. It’s open-source, customizable, and ideal for building APIs for any frontend.

Key Features

  • Fully customizable API (REST + GraphQL).
  • Admin panel for managing content models and roles.
  • Supports SQL/NoSQL databases (e.g., PostgreSQL, MongoDB).
  • Plugin ecosystem for extending functionality.

Pros

  • Open-source and extensible.
  • Full control over backend and data.
  • Great for custom apps & APIs.

Cons

  • Requires technical skills to set up & host.
  • Some features (workflows, live previews) behind paid tiers.
  • Admin UI and citations may feel clunky for non-devs.

Pricing

Self-Hosted

  • Community – Free (open source).
  • Growth / Developer Seats – ~$15+ per seat/mo (adds live preview/history).
  • Enterprise – Custom pricing.

Cloud (Strapi Cloud)

  • Free tier (storage & API limits)
  • Essential ~$15/mo
  • Pro ~$75/mo
  • Scale ~$375/mo

3. Sanity

What It Is

Sanity is a headless CMS with focus on collaborative structured content. It’s designed for teams and dynamic content ecosystems and can power websites, apps, and multi-channel outputs.

Key Features

  • Real-time collaboration and live previews.
  • Schema-as-code (JavaScript) for flexible content models.
  • Image & asset management with optimization.
  • Works with GROQ & optionally GraphQL.

Pros

  • Excellent for team workflows & dynamic content.
  • Very customizable and developer-friendly.
  • Generous free tier.

Cons

  • Steeper learning curve (GROQ, schemas).
  • Pricing can grow with usage.
  • Less out-of-the-box ready than traditional CMS.

Pricing

PlanPriceNotes
Free$0Up to ~20 seats, unlimited types & locales.
Growth~$15/seat/moMore seats, comments, tasks.
EnterpriseCustomDedicated SLA, SSO, high quotas.

Quick Comparison

FeatureGhostStrapiSanity
TypeContent-first CMSHeadless API CMSHeadless CMS with collaboration
Best ForBlogs, newslettersCustom apps & APIsTeams & structured content
HostingSaaS / self-hostedSelf-hosted / CloudSaaS
Open-sourceYesYesYes (Studio)
APIJSON APIREST & GraphQLGROQ & GraphQL
Ease of UseHigh for content editorsMedium/Dev-centricMedium (dev + editor)
MonetizationBuilt-in (members)NoNo
PricingSubscriptionFree + hosting/tiersFree + usage/seat

Summary

  • Ghost is perfect for publishing-focused sites with built-in SEO, email newsletters, and memberships.
  • Strapi excels when you need a fully flexible backend API you control (great for SPAs, mobile apps, and custom workflows).
  • Sanity is ideal for collaborative editor workflows and complex structured content that needs real-time editing and flexible schemas.

References

Chakra UI