Sanity vs Payload CMS

Sanity9.2Visit Payload CMS8.8Visit

Higher score Sanity #2 in Headless CMS 9.2/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 4 of 4 features Visit Sanity

vs

Payload CMS #6 in Headless CMS 8.8/10 Open source ✓ 4 of 4 features Visit Payload CMS

• Sanity fits best

  Collaborative teams building custom content systems

• Payload CMS fits best

  Developers building self-hosted TypeScript systems

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Side by side

Feature	Sanity 9.2/10 Visit ↗	Payload CMS 8.8/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	9.2	8.8
Ranking	#2 in Headless CMS	#6 in Headless CMS
Best for	Collaborative teams building custom content systems	Developers building self-hosted TypeScript systems
Pricing model	Free plan + paid	Free
Starting price	$15/seat/mo	Open source
Free plan	✓ (best)	Not checked yet
Free trial	—	—
Deployment	Cloud, Self-hosted	Self-hosted
Platforms	Web	Web
Support	Email, Tickets, Community, Docs	Community, Docs
Compliance	SOC 2, GDPR, PCI DSS, SSO/SAML	GDPR, SSO/SAML
Integrations	9 integrations	5 integrations
Built for	Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise	Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features Sanity 4/4 · Payload CMS 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	REST and GraphQL APIs support flexible content delivery Field- and document-level access control supports custom permissions Next.js integration, drafts, previews, and localization support modern builds
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	Self-hosting requires teams to manage deployment and infrastructure Payload Cloud deployment of new projects is currently paused The code-first approach may not suit teams seeking a no-code CMS
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 →	Payload CMS is an open-source, code-first headless CMS and TypeScript application framework for developers, marketers, agencies, and enterprise teams. It supports configurable collections and global documents, authentication, custom access… Read the review →

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

• Payload CMS — where it wins

  • REST and GraphQL APIs support flexible content delivery
  • Field- and document-level access control supports custom permissions
  • Next.js integration, drafts, previews, and localization support modern builds

  Where it doesn't

  • Self-hosting requires teams to manage deployment and infrastructure
  • Payload Cloud deployment of new projects is currently paused
  • The code-first approach may not suit teams seeking a no-code CMS

• Sanity9.2/10 · Free plan

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

  Visit SanityFull verdict →
• Payload CMS8.8/10 · Open source

  A TypeScript-first CMS for teams building self-hosted, API-driven applications.

  Visit Payload CMSFull verdict →