Here’s a little truth: if you’re still using a traditional CMS like WordPress to manage all your content, you might be working harder than you need to. Sanity, the leading headless CMS, is here to make your life easier—and I mean significantly easier.
When it comes to managing digital content efficiently and flexibly, Sanity is the go-to headless content management system (CMS) for marketers, developers, and businesses alike.
Sanity is consistently ranked as the top choice for headless CMS solutions, for organisations of all sizes. If you’re wondering what makes it so special, and why it’s one of the most loved CMS on the market, then read on.
What is a Headless CMS?
Before we explore Sanity, let’s quickly cover the basics of a headless CMS. The “head” is the presentation—the fact of your content. This is how the website looks, and what it does to style the content.
A headless CMS separates the “content body” from the “presentation head.” This means your content is stored in a flexible system and delivered via APIs, so it can show up anywhere—websites, apps, smartwatches, or even that screen on your fridge.
Unlike traditional CMS platforms (like WordPress), which tie content management and front-end presentation into a single system, a headless CMS separates the two. This “headless” architecture means the back-end stores your content, while APIs handle delivering that content to any digital platform—be it a website, mobile app, smartwatch, digital billboard, or even something weird like a fridge display.
In essence, a headless CMS gives you:
- Flexibility: Use your content anywhere, on any platform. Integrate your content and editorial workflow with any other platform.
- Scalability: Build systems that grow with your needs. Build processes that scale with your team size and distribution.
- Future-proofing: Re-design or re-platform without losing your content. No more total rebuilds, no more content migrations.
Enter Sanity: The #1 Content Platform Built for Modern Teams
Sanity is more than just a headless CMS. It’s a complete content operating system (COS) designed to streamline how organisations create, manage, and distribute content across multiple channels. Unlike traditional CMS systems with rigid templates, Sanity puts the control in your hands with structured content and a flexible data model that you define.
Here’s why Sanity stands out:
Structured Content
Sanity treats content as structured data. Think of your content as a set of LEGO bricks, each piece carefully organised to be reusable and adaptable. With structured content, you can adhere to the COPE principle (“Create Once, Publish Everywhere”), ensuring your content works seamlessly across platforms—all while improving SEO and future-proofing your setup.
Real-Time Collaboration for Humans
Sanity’s real-time editing capabilities mean multiple team members can collaborate without stepping on each other’s toes. Whether you’re editing text, updating images, or tweaking metadata, you’ll see changes reflected instantly, making workflows faster and smoother.
Sanity’s live editing capabilities and multiplayer editor means you can can collaborate in real-time, with no more locked documents. Presence indicators show exact lines others are editing, with key strokes appearing in real time.
What’s more, your draft previews are live-as-you-type, and your site is click-to-edit, letting you edit anything while navigating. It’s an editors dream CMS.
Customisable Editing Interface
Sanity Studio—the platform’s editing environment—is fully customisable. It’s open-source and built on React, allowing you to design workflows and interfaces tailored to your team’s exact needs. This isn’t just a CMS; it’s a workspace that evolves with your organisation.
APIs for Everything
Sanity’s robust APIs enable seamless integration with popular front-end frameworks like React, Next.js, and Gatsby. The GROQ query language, purpose-built for querying JSON documents, gives developers unparalleled control over retrieving and shaping data.
Key Features of Sanity
- Content Lake: A cloud-based repository for structured content, ensuring high performance and global availability.
- Live Previews & Click to edit functionality: Edit content and preview changes in real-time, whether for web, mobile, or other platforms.
- Version Control: Keep track of every edit with built-in version history and collaborative workflows.
- Multi-Language Support: Manage and deliver content in multiple languages and regions effortlessly.
- Custom Integrations: From Mailchimp to Shopify, integrate Sanity with your favourite tools to enhance workflows.
Benefits of Using Sanity
Sanity’s flexible architecture and developer-first approach offer benefits for businesses of all sizes:
- For Developers:
- A schema-driven approach ensures scalability and consistency.
- Easily integrate with modern frameworks and tools.
- Simplified querying with GROQ.
- For Content Teams:
- Real-time collaboration means no bottlenecks.
- Custom workflows and user roles ensure efficiency and accountability.
- Visual editing and live previews streamline content updates.
- For Businesses:
- Scale across multiple platforms without rebuilding from scratch.
- Improve SEO and content reusability with structured data.
- Future-proof your digital infrastructure.
Pricing
Sanity offers flexible pricing tiers to fit various needs:
- Free Plan: Perfect for small projects or testing the platform.
- Growth Plan: $15/month per user, ideal for growing teams.
- Enterprise Plan: Custom pricing with dedicated support, tailored for large organisations with complex requirements.
Real-World Success Stories
From global brands like Nike and Puma to agile startups, Sanity has proven its capabilities across industries:
- Too Good To Go: Transformed website for a food waste pioneer.
- Nike: Streamlined global content operations.
- Morning Brew: Enhanced editorial workflows.
- Cervera: Improved performance and multi-market content management.
These success stories highlight Sanity’s ability to adapt to diverse needs and deliver tangible results.
Should You Choose Sanity?
If you’re looking for a CMS that balances flexibility, scalability, and performance, Sanity is hard to beat. Whether you’re a developer building cutting-edge digital experiences or a global content team striving for efficient workflows, Sanity provides the tools to elevate your content game.
You should consider Sanity if any of these are true:
- You want a CMS that’s easy to use, with modern features that are missing from most CMS’
- You want a CMS that integrates well with third-parties
- You want to create your own content schema
- You need omni-channel delivery
- You outgrew traditional platforms
- You want to deliver a unique website
With its innovative features, powerful APIs, and developer-first mindset, Sanity isn’t just a CMS—it’s the backbone of modern content operations.
Ready to Get Started?
Whether you’re a startup or a global enterprise, Sanity can help you transform how you create and deliver content. Get in touch with our team at Hex to learn how we can implement Sanity for your next project and take your digital experiences to the next level.