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Head-to-head · Headless CMS

Sanity vs Directus

  • Updated Oct 2026
  • Both researched from official sources
  • 6 checks side by side
Higher score Sanity #2 in Headless CMS 9.2/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 4 of 4 features Visit Sanity
Directus #7 in Headless CMS 8.7/10 Free plan · 14-day trial Free planFree trial✓ 4 of 4 features Visit Directus

Sanity leads on 1 check, Directus on 0, and 5 are even. Who comes out ahead on the 6 yes/no, price and count checks where we have data for both products. The editor score weighs everything else too.

Our verdict

  • Highest scoreSanity · 9.2/10
  • Lowest starting priceSanity · $15/seat/mo
  • Free planboth
  • Free trialonly Directus

Sanity scores higher on our rubric for headless cms: 9.2 against 8.7 out of 10; our editors rank them #2 and #7.

Sanity is cheaper to start at $15/mo against $499/mo.

Sanity is the better fit for collaborative teams building custom content systems. Directus is the better fit for data-centric teams needing APIs and extensibility.

  • Sanity fits best

    Collaborative teams building custom content systems

  • Directus fits best

    Data-centric teams needing APIs and extensibility

Advertiser disclosure: iTechGuides is reader-supported. Vendors can pay for top positions in our rankings and for a place on other products' pages, and we may earn a commission when you click some links. Bought places stand at the number bought; this page and our disclosure say so. Paying vendors may get a fuller, more detailed review from our editors, and that review can change their score. How we rank.

Side by side

Feature Sanity 9.2/10 Visit ↗ Directus 8.7/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score 9.2 8.7
Ranking #2 in Headless CMS #7 in Headless CMS
Best for Collaborative teams building custom content systems Data-centric teams needing APIs and extensibility
Pricing model Free plan + paid Free plan + paid
Starting price $15/seat/mo (best) $499/mo
Free plan ✓ ✓
Free trial — 14 days
Deployment Cloud, Self-hosted Cloud, Self-hosted, Browser extension
Platforms Web Web
Support Email, Tickets, Community, Docs Community, Docs
Compliance SOC 2, GDPR, PCI DSS, SSO/SAML SOC 2, SSO/SAML, 2FA
Built for Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features Sanity 4/4 · Directus 4/4
Content localization ✓ ✓
Webhooks ✓ ✓
Content preview ✓ ✓
Asset transformations ✓ ✓
Specs
API types Both Both
Role permissions Custom Custom
Our review
Pros
  • Real-time editing with structured schemas and visual previews
  • GROQ, GraphQL, webhooks, localization, and image processing
  • Hosted or self-hosted Studio deployment with strong integrations
  • Generated REST and GraphQL APIs from SQL data models
  • Granular permissions, localization, versioning, and automation
  • Self-hosting, cloud hosting, and custom extensions are supported
Cons
  • Higher usage on Growth is billed pay-as-you-go
  • Advanced access controls and SAML require Enterprise
  • Its flexibility may require developer involvement for custom systems
  • Team costs $499/month with annual billing or $599/month monthly
  • SSO is available on Team and Enterprise plans, not Core
  • Offline mode and AI translations are limited to Enterprise
Our verdict

Sanity is a headless content platform for developers and content teams creating websites, applications, and other digital experiences. Its open-source Sanity Studio supports configurable content models and collaborative editing, while the…

Read the review →

Directus is a backend and headless CMS for teams managing structured data across web and API projects. It connects to SQL databases and combines content modeling, asset management, a web-based Data Studio, generated REST and GraphQL APIs,…

Read the review →
  1. SanityHeadless CMS 9.2Free plan
  2. DirectusHeadless CMS 8.7Free plan · 14-day trial

Strengths and trade-offs

  • Sanity — where it wins

    • Real-time editing with structured schemas and visual previews
    • GROQ, GraphQL, webhooks, localization, and image processing
    • Hosted or self-hosted Studio deployment with strong integrations

    Where it doesn't

    • Higher usage on Growth is billed pay-as-you-go
    • Advanced access controls and SAML require Enterprise
    • Its flexibility may require developer involvement for custom systems

  • Directus — where it wins

    • Generated REST and GraphQL APIs from SQL data models
    • Granular permissions, localization, versioning, and automation
    • Self-hosting, cloud hosting, and custom extensions are supported

    Where it doesn't

    • Team costs $499/month with annual billing or $599/month monthly
    • SSO is available on Team and Enterprise plans, not Core
    • Offline mode and AI translations are limited to Enterprise
  • Sanity9.2/10 · Free plan

    A flexible headless CMS for collaborative teams building custom content systems.

    Visit SanityFull verdict →
  • Directus8.7/10 · Free plan · 14-day trial

    A flexible, API-first CMS for teams that need SQL data modeling and extensibility.

    Visit DirectusFull verdict →

More comparisons

All headless CMS comparisons → · Full ranking →

Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026

Last updated · How we research and update