What is Sanity CMS?
Sanity is a CMS that makes it easier to create, edit and manage the content on a website without you having to be a technical expert. It is a publishing solution for websites that makes it easy to work with content. Through Sanity Studio you get great flexibility and control over the content of the website, and the system stands out as a modern and user-friendly system, perfect for both content editors and developers.
New website? We help you create a customized website for your business !
A little background info about Sanity
Sanity is a flexible publishing solution developed by the Norwegian agency Bengler. The agency built Sanity to create an efficient headless solution , and it quickly became clear that more people wanted to try the system. Over time, it evolved from being an agency to becoming a separate platform. Today, Sanity is one of the fastest growing publishing solutions, with good feedback from both editors and developers.
Compared to solutions like WordPress, which are often used as both a website builder and a framework, Sanity stands out with its focus on content management and its powerful API. It gives you the freedom to pull in data and build the front end exactly the way you want. This gives developers the freedom to use any front-end technology, such as React, Vue, Angular, Svelte, or static page generators like Gatsby and Next.js.
Is Sanity a database?
Sanity itself is not a database, but it includes a “Content Lake” that stores and preserves your content. In that way, it functions like a database, even though it is built for much more than just data storage.
Why choose Sanity for your project?
- User-friendly for editors
Sanity provides a great experience for content creators. It is flexible and customizable, making it easy to manage both small and large projects. - Flexible for developers
Sanity is loved by developers and editors alike. The system gives you the freedom to build custom solutions without wasting unnecessary time and resources, ensuring rapid progress in your work. - Speed and scalability
Using Sanity allows you to achieve high performance on both the backend and frontend, making it a good choice for projects that require scalability.
How much does Sanity cost? Is Sanity free to use?
Sanity offers a free version that covers the needs of most projects. This basic version gives you access to powerful content management tools at no additional cost. For larger projects or advanced features, there are paid plans, starting at $15 per month.
The paid version gives you access to:
- AI tools for text production, translations and meta descriptions.
- Planning content ahead of time so you can structure and organize your content better.
- Collaboration features that allow editors to comment, tag each other, and provide feedback on content directly in the dashboard.
- Access control , where you can define who can read or edit the content, as well as assign specific roles and tasks.
The free version is fine for small teams, but if you have more than 20 users, need advanced features, or want to improve internal collaboration, a paid solution may be worth the investment.
Can I host Sanity on my own server?
Both yes and no. Sanity works differently than platforms like Squarespace and Wix, where the entire solution is hosted by the provider. In such cases, you have limited control over the server. With Sanity, on the other hand, the content database (Content Lake) is stored with Sanity, but you have the freedom to host the admin panel, frontend, and code yourself.
This means you can customize and operate certain parts of the system to your own needs, while Sanity handles the underlying content storage infrastructure. This removes the responsibility for server maintenance, but gives you the flexibility to create a solution that suits you.
How secure is Sanity?
Sanity is designed to be secure. Since it is a headless solution, the admin panel is separate from what users see on the website. This makes it more difficult for unauthorized people to break in. With the right setup, Sanity can be more secure than traditional CMSs like WordPress.
Is Sanity open source?
No, Sanity is not open-source, but a proprietary software (also called "Closed Source"). This means that the code is owned and managed by the company behind Sanity. They are responsible for development, maintenance and updates, which ensures continuous improvement of the platform. As a user, you have access to updates and support, but you cannot change or further develop the code yourself.
In comparison, WordPress is open-source, meaning that the code is publicly available and can be further developed by anyone. This gives the community the opportunity to improve the solution, but also depends on volunteer efforts.
The advantage of proprietary software like Sanity is that it is often developed faster, with dedicated resources and a commercial focus. This ensures that the solution is always up to date with the latest technologies, which can be crucial for many projects.
What plugins are available for Sanity?
Sanity doesn't have a large standard plugin ecosystem like other platforms, but this is also an advantage. Sanity allows you to build the features you actually need, so you don't have to use plugins that only cover 80% of your needs. There are some plugins that can be useful, but the strength of the platform lies in the ability to customize the solution completely to your own wishes.
For example, Fjellvann has developed a suite of its own plugins that make it easier to work with SEO and implement contact forms in Sanity. These can be customized and reused across different projects, providing a more flexible and efficient workflow.
Unsure which CMS to choose?
Read more about different types of CMS and become wiser here: Read our guide on: Which CMS should I choose?