Alternatives

Best Sanity alternatives in 2026

Sanity is structured content platform with a customizable editing studio. These 9 alternatives come from the same rankings, ordered by editorial score. Connected products carry a small, disclosed lift.

9 alternatives From best headless CMS platforms How we rank Share

Ranked alternatives

  1. Strapi

    Is open source. An open-source headless CMS with an MIT-licensed Community Edition you can self-host, and a paid Strapi Cloud option from $35 a month per project. Enterprise Edition code uses a separate license.

    Best for Self-hosted open-source content API

    WebSelf-hostedFree plan, paid upgradesOpen source

  2. Payload

    Is open source. An MIT-licensed headless CMS that runs inside a Next.js project, with the admin panel and APIs in one codebase. It suits developers, since content models are code.

    Best for Developers building in Next.js

    WebSelf-hostedFree and open sourceOpen source

  3. Directus

    Adds a headless CMS and admin app to an existing SQL database, with a free Core plan you can self-host. It is source-available rather than open source, and the Team plan costs $499 a month.

    Best for Admin layer over an existing SQL database

    WebSelf-hostedFree plan, paid upgrades

  4. Storyblok

    A hosted headless CMS with a visual editor, a free Starter plan for testing and personal projects, and Growth plans from $99 a month. It is not open source, and extra seats cost $15 each on paid plans.

    Best for Visual editing for marketing pages

    WebFree plan, paid upgrades

  5. TinaCMS

    Is open source. Apache-2.0 open-source CMS with a visual editor for content stored in Git, and TinaCloud as a hosted option. It is close to Keystatic in approach, but its hosted plan is priced per project, which fits teams that want hosted editing.

    Best for Git-based content with visual editing

    WebSelf-hostedFree plan, paid upgradesOpen source

  6. Hygraph

    A GraphQL headless CMS with a Hobby plan that is free forever. The Growth plan starts at $199 a month, which costs more than Storyblok's Growth plan, and Enterprise pricing is set through sales.

    Best for GraphQL content APIs for product teams

    WebFree plan, paid upgrades

  7. Prismic

    Headless CMS with a Free plan for personal sites and proof-of-concept work, and paid plans billed per repository with clear limits. It is hosted, so self-hosting is not listed; compare Strapi or Payload for that.

    Best for Managed headless content with per-repository plans

    WebFree plan, paid upgrades

  8. Kontent.ai

    Enterprise headless CMS for content and marketing teams, with a trust center and developer API, priced on request. It suits large organizations, and its pricing page lists no free plan, unlike the smaller options here.

    Best for Enterprise teams with large content operations

    WebContact for pricing

  9. Keystatic

    Is open source. MIT-licensed Git-based CMS from Thinkmill that stores content as Markdown, YAML or JSON files, with a TypeScript API and no database. It keeps content in your repository, so there is no separate database to host.

    Best for Developer-run sites that keep content in Git

    WebSelf-hostedFree and open sourceOpen source

About Sanity alternatives

What is the best alternative to Sanity?
On listme.name the highest-scored alternative is Strapi, followed by Payload. The right choice depends on price, platform and whether you need open source.
Is there a free alternative to Sanity?
Yes. Free options include Strapi, Payload, Directus.