Sanity: Fully Customizable Content Editor

What is Sanity?

A headless CMS separates content management from presentation: your content is stored in a central database and sent via APIs to different channels. Sanity takes this a step further by letting you design not just content, but the entire editor interface. This makes it ideal for organizations that want a fully customized workflow, but it does require development work.

What makes Sanity different?

The customizable editor is Sanity's core strength. Instead of forcing you into a standard interface, you build the editor environment to your exact needs. This can range from simple to very complex, depending on your ambitions. Teams use this to build workflows that precisely match their content processes.

Sanity's Content Lake gives you a schema-less data model. Content is stored as pure structured data that you can query from all angles. This makes it very flexible for environments where content goes to multiple channels, or where the data model constantly evolves.

The recent AI integration (2025) is ambitious: Sanity positions itself no longer just as a CMS but as a Content Operating System. With AI Ghostwriter in Canvas, MCP-server integration (direct collaboration with Claude and other AI-agents) and agent actions for automation, the platform now offers automation capabilities that go beyond traditional CMSs.

Strengths

Fully customizable editor – You build the editor environment exactly as your team needs it, no compromises

Content Lake data model – Schema-less storage makes it flexible for complex, multi-channel scenarios

AI Ghostwriter & agent integration – Collaboration with AI-agents for content co-creation and workflow automation

Strong developer experience – Excellent tooling, extensive documentation and active developer community

Real-time collaboration – Teams work live together in the same content, with full revision history

Who uses Sanity?

Sanity is trusted by major brands and innovative companies that want to control their editor environment.

Figma – Structured content for product docs and marketing pages

National Geographic – Complex multimedia content management at scale

Nike – E-commerce and marketing content across global markets

Sonos – Product information management and omnichannel delivery

PUMA – E-commerce platform with real-time inventory sync

Linear – Documentation, changelog and knowledge base management

Our perspective

Sanity is a strong choice if your organization has a committed development team that values the effort of setting up a customized editor environment. In our experience, this can cost several weeks of work, but the result is a tool that perfectly matches your specific workflow.

The system is growing rapidly in the Netherlands. We see increasing adoption rates among mid-market companies that are ready to outgrow WordPress and need a scalable, developer-friendly alternative.

Suitable for

Teams with dedicated frontend development capacity

Organizations that want a unique editor interface

Content-heavy platforms (media, e-commerce) with complex workflows

Companies embracing AI-driven content automation

Projects that need a data-first approach

Consider carefully

Requires significant engineering resources to fully utilize

You are responsible for the UI/UX of your editor (no standard out-of-the-box experience)

Free plan has feature limitations; Growth plan gets expensive with many users

Steep learning curve for operators/content teams if custom workflows aren't properly taught

Enterprise support requires more engagement than with more traditional CMSs

Is Sanity suitable for enterprise?

Yes, but with nuance. Sanity is technically very capable for enterprise (multi-tenant, role-based permissions, audit logs, GDPR-compliance). The distinction is that at enterprise level you expect everything to be "finished". With Sanity you're never completely finished – it's a platform to build on. This is ideal for tech-driven enterprises, but can be frustrating for organizations expecting a "managed service".

Summary: Sanity is not a CMS for those who prefer out-of-the-box solutions. It's a platform for teams who say: "We want an editor that works exactly as we want." If you have development resources and your editors are willing to invest the effort for your team, Sanity offers unmatched flexibility. The AI features give the platform a strong position for future content automation.

Want to know if Sanity fits your situation? We're happy to think along about the investment and possibilities.

Schedule a call

In practice

Integrations & ecosystem

Sanity integrates by default with many tools: e-commerce platforms (Shopify, BigCommerce), analytics systems (Google Analytics), marketing platforms (Mailchimp), and media asset management (Cloudinary). Via webhooks and APIs you can connect virtually anything. With the recent MCP-server integration, AI-agents (Claude, Cursor) can directly query and modify content.

Implementation

Implementation takes an average of 3-4 months for a standard project with custom editor. Much depends on the complexity of your content model and editor interface. The development team will need time to set up your Studio and properly configure your content models. The learning curve for editors heavily depends on how well the custom editor is designed.

Support & community

Sanity has a very active community (especially among developers). Official support is available in all plan tiers. The documentation is extensive and continuously evolving. Developer forums are lively; usually you get quick help from community or Sanity team.

AI & product development

The AI roadmap is ambitious. Spring 2025 brought Canvas AI Ghostwriter, Agent Actions for automation, and MCP integration. The vision is clear: Sanity is evolving toward a "Content Operating System" where AI-agents can take over workflow automation. This is not hype–it's technically well-founded.

Compare with alternatives

How does Sanity compare to Contentful?

Both are headless CMSs and both are taken seriously in the market. Contentful is older and more established, with a stronger sales/support structure. Sanity offers more customization of the editor; Contentful offers more out-of-the-box content collaboration features. For teams with development capacity: Sanity. For teams that want a more managed service: Contentful.

Also check out our analyses of other headless CMS solutions:

Contentful – Enterprise headless CMS with strong APIs and personalization via Ninetailed

Contentstack – Enterprise DXP with pre-built workflows, less customization

Storyblok – Headless CMS with visual builder (balance between Sanity and traditional)

Sitecore – Enterprise DXP; traditional architecture, strong commerce integrations

Frequently asked questions

Can I try Sanity for free?

Yes. The free plan is fully functional but limited to 5 users and lower API quotas. Ideal for small teams or evaluation.

How many developer hours does setting up a custom editor cost?

Highly dependent on complexity. Basic editors: 40-80 hours. Advanced setups with custom validation, preview, etc.: 200+ hours.

Does Sanity support multi-language content?

Yes, out-of-the-box. You define languages in your studio and editors work per language. Translation plugins (e.g., for AI translation) exist.

Which cloud provider hosts Sanity?

Sanity runs on Google Cloud Platform (region: europe-west1). The service is available from all regions via CDN.

What if I want to upgrade/change the system later?

Sanity's API-first design makes migrations relatively painless. Content is "domain-agnostic" so you can easily move to another system.

Is Sanity suitable for small teams with little tech knowledge?

Not ideal. Sanity requires developer support. For pure content teams without tech, a traditional CMS would work better.

Need help with your CMS choice?

Breakfast helps you make the right choice. Independent advice, no hidden agendas.