Easy CMS vs Sanity
Sanity pairs an MIT-licensed Studio, configured in code, with a hosted content backend you can't self-host. It is strong at real-time collaboration and visual editing, billed by seats and usage. Easy CMS keeps your content in your own database.
| Feature | Easy CMS | Sanity |
|---|---|---|
| License | MIT. Every feature is free, roles and SSO included | Studio is MIT; the Content Lake backend is a proprietary hosted service |
| Where it runs | Inside your Next.js or Nuxt app, or as a standalone server | Studio as a React app (it can be embedded in Next.js); content in Sanity's cloud |
| Content model | TypeScript config in your repo | Schemas in JavaScript or TypeScript |
| Databases | SQLite (file or Turso), Postgres (or PGlite) | Sanity's hosted Content Lake only |
| Language and runtime | Node.js 22.12+, TypeScript | Studio: React; backend: hosted |
| Hosted cloud | None. Self-host anywhere; one-click deploy to your own Vercel or Netlify | Free plan (20 seats, 10k documents); Growth $15 per seat per month |
| APIs | Typed Local API, REST; GraphQL and MCP as experimental plugins | GROQ, GraphQL |
| Admin in Thai | Complete: every admin string, and every docs page | Community plugin |
| Roles, SSO, audit | Roles, field permissions, SSO (Google, Microsoft, GitHub, OIDC), audit log: all MIT | See the pricing page |
| Ecosystem | Small: official plugins (SEO, forms, redirects, nested pages, multi-tenant, shop, GraphQL, MCP), a new community | Mature hosted platform; real-time collaboration and visual editing |
| Maturity | Version 1.0 (October 2026); first released September 2026 | Studio version 6 since June 2026 |
Easy CMS is young: its first release was in September 2026 and its community is small. Every other product here has been in production longer, with more people answering questions.
Choose Easy CMS when
- Content should live in your own database, under your own backups.
- You don't want bills that grow with seats, documents or API requests.
- You want to run everything yourself, on any host.
Choose Sanity when
- Editors work together in real time on the same documents.
- You want no backend to operate at all.
- The free plan's limits fit your project.
Sources
Checked against each product’s own site on 17 October 2026. Prices and versions change; follow the links for today’s.
Other comparisons
Easy CMS vs Payload
Payload is the closest to Easy CMS: MIT, code-first and installed into your Next.js app. It is far more mature, with a large community. Easy CMS also runs in Nuxt or on its own, and keeps team features such as SSO in the free license.
CompareEasy CMS vs Strapi
Strapi is the most popular open-source headless CMS: a separate Node server with its own admin. Its Community Edition is MIT, while live preview, content history, SSO and audit logs are in paid plans. Easy CMS runs inside your app and keeps those features in the free license.
CompareEasy CMS vs Directus
Directus puts a data studio and APIs on top of any SQL database, with the model built in its interface. Its license is source-available, not OSI open source, and the free Core is capped. Easy CMS is MIT with no caps, and its model lives in your repo.
CompareEasy CMS vs WordPress
WordPress runs a large share of the web, with themes and plugins for almost anything, on PHP and MySQL. Used headless, it is a separate PHP app next to your frontend. Easy CMS keeps everything in your TypeScript app, with a typed content model.
CompareTry it in your own app.
One command sets up a Next.js or Nuxt project with the admin, or deploy a starter to your own Vercel or Netlify.
npm create easy-cms@latest