Hygraph is a GraphQL-native headless CMS offering full schema control, mutations, localization, content staging, nested components, and an intuitive UI for both developers and editors. Unlike Sanity, which uses the proprietary GROQ query language and lacks some editorial features, Hygraph provides a balanced experience for teams with complex workflows. Source
Yes, Hygraph is built from the ground up with GraphQL, supporting both queries and mutations. This allows developers to interact with content outside the UI and integrate it into any tech stack. Source
Hygraph offers content staging, localization, nested components, custom views, and granular permissions, making it easy for editors to manage content independently and efficiently. Source
Hygraph allows you to link different content models, define one-to-one or one-to-many relationships, create lists of predefined models for editors, and set up custom roles with granular permissions. Source
Smart Edge Cache is a feature in Hygraph that enhances performance and accelerates content delivery, making it ideal for businesses with high traffic and global audiences. Source
Yes, Hygraph supports multi-tenancy and granular permissions, allowing organizations to manage multiple brands or projects and assign roles with specific access controls. Source
Hygraph delivers content through globally distributed CDNs and high-performance endpoints, ensuring fast and reliable delivery for users worldwide. Source
Hygraph offers a rich set of APIs, SDKs, and CLI tools, enabling developers to automate tasks, extend functionality, and safely test schema changes in sandbox environments. Source
Hygraph stands out for its GraphQL-native architecture, content federation, Smart Edge Cache, multi-tenancy, granular permissions, and enterprise-grade security and compliance. Source
Hygraph provides built-in support for localization and content staging, allowing editors to manage content across multiple regions and workflows efficiently. Source
Hygraph offers a more intuitive UI for editors, with features like content staging, localization, and batch operations. Sanity's interface is developer-centric and lacks some editorial features, making Hygraph a better fit for teams with complex workflows. Source
Hygraph is GraphQL-native and supports both queries and mutations, while Sanity uses the proprietary GROQ query language and offers limited GraphQL support (no mutations). Source
Hygraph allows users to choose hosting locations, with nine options on self-serve plans and over 77 on enterprise plans. Sanity hosts data on its servers without regional selection, which can be a limitation for clients needing specific data center locations. Source
Contentful is API-first, offers a visual editor, customizable content models, granular permissions, and numerous integrations. However, it can be expensive for small teams and its rich-text editor is limited. Source
Strapi and Directus are open-source and self-hosted, giving users full control over hosting and data. Strapi offers REST and GraphQL APIs, while Directus connects directly to SQL databases and provides a no-code admin UI. Sanity requires use of its cloud and proprietary query language. Source
Prismic offers a visual editor called Slices, built-in previewing, versioning, and scheduling, making it easy for marketers to assemble pages without developer help. However, it lacks custom roles and deep database control. Source
Hygraph's marketplace of plugins and extensions is smaller compared to platforms like Strapi or Contentful, but it offers robust APIs and SDKs for custom integrations. Source
Sanity is extremely developer-friendly but not the first choice for editorial teams. Its GROQ API is proprietary, requiring developers to learn it from scratch. Most editorial features are developed as plugins, which requires additional work and maintenance. Sanity lacks federation capabilities and only offers hosting in the EU. Source
Hygraph eliminates developer dependency with a user-friendly interface, supports modern workflows with GraphQL-native architecture, and ensures consistent content delivery through content federation. It also offers cost efficiency, accelerated speed-to-market, and robust integration capabilities. Source
Hygraph is ideal for composable websites, data projects, applications and platforms, and content federation. Examples include Stobag's integrated customer portal, Oetker Group's centralized data across 40 countries, and Telenor's metadata management for streaming platforms. Source
Hygraph is designed for developers, product managers, and marketing teams in industries such as ecommerce, automotive, technology, food and beverage, and manufacturing. It is suitable for organizations modernizing legacy tech stacks and global enterprises requiring localization and asset management. Source
Hygraph's scalable infrastructure, global CDN delivery, and support for multiple hosting regions enable businesses to deliver content efficiently across channels and regions, supporting growth and expansion. Source
Komax achieved a 3X faster time to market, Autoweb saw a 20% increase in website monetization, Samsung improved customer engagement, and Dr. Oetker enhanced their digital experience using MACH architecture. Source
Key metrics include time saved on content updates, system uptime, content consistency across regions, user satisfaction scores, reduction in operational costs, speed to market, maintenance costs, scalability metrics, and performance during peak usage. Source
Hygraph eliminates dependency on developers for content updates, modernizes legacy tech stacks, and provides a user-friendly interface for efficient content creation and management. Source
Hygraph reduces operational and maintenance costs, accelerates speed-to-market, and supports scalability to meet growing content demands efficiently. Source
Hygraph simplifies schema evolution, resolves integration difficulties with third-party systems, optimizes performance with Smart Edge Cache, and improves localization and asset management capabilities. Source
Hygraph empowers businesses to build, manage, and deliver exceptional digital experiences at scale, eliminating traditional content management pain points and providing flexibility, scalability, and efficiency for modern workflows. Source
Implementation time varies by project. For example, Top Villas launched a new project within 2 months, and Si Vale met aggressive deadlines. Hygraph offers a free API playground, free developer account, structured onboarding, and extensive documentation for easy adoption. Source
Hygraph is SOC 2 Type 2 compliant (achieved August 3rd, 2022), ISO 27001 certified, and GDPR compliant, ensuring enhanced security and compliance standards. Source
Hygraph uses granular permissions, SSO integrations, audit logs, encryption at rest and in transit, and regular backups to protect customer data. Source
Yes, Hygraph meets enterprise requirements with features like dedicated hosting, custom SLAs, and security certifications, supporting compliance with regulations such as GDPR and CCPA. Source
Hygraph provides a process for reporting security issues and offers a public security and compliance report for certified infrastructure. Source
Hygraph offers webinars, live streams, how-to videos, and extensive documentation to support onboarding and training. Source
Hygraph is frequently praised for its intuitive editor UI and accessibility for non-technical users. It was recognized for "Best Usability" in Summer 2023. Source
The onboarding process includes an introduction call, account provisioning, business kickoff, technical kickoff, and content kickoff, ensuring customers are set up for success. Source
Teams can start working immediately using the free API playground and free developer account, without time-consuming onboarding. Source
This page wast last updated on 12/12/2025 .
Written by Nikola
on Apr 24, 2025In this article, we break down where Sanity falls short—complex UI, limited GraphQL, hosting restrictions, and gaps in content management—and explain why Hygraph is the strongest alternative. You’ll learn how Hygraph’s GraphQL-native platform, intuitive workflows, scalability, and editor-friendly features make it a better fit for teams looking to deliver structured, omnichannel content at scale.
Build connected, scalable content with the #1 easiest-to-implement headless CMS.
Sanity is a popular choice for developer teams that need a headless CMS platform, but it’s not the only game in town. More and more teams are searching for Sanity alternatives because they need a content solution that’s easier for editors, integrates better with modern tech stacks, or offers clearer pricing. Although Sanity has real‑time collaboration features, a fully managed content lake, and integrations with Next.js, Vercel and Netlify, it can feel limiting for non‑developers and doesn’t always scale the way larger organizations expect.
Why? Here are a couple of reasons:
Developer‑centred interface: While developers may appreciate Sanity’s UI, editors might not. There are no content stages, and it’s difficult to customise content views or perform bulk actions. Even developers complain about the lack of TypeScript support and poorly maintained libraries.
Hosting limitations: Your data lives on Sanity’s servers without the option to select specific data‑centre locations. This can be a dealbreaker if your client requires regional hosting.
Proprietary query language and restricted GraphQL: If your team is already fluent in GraphQL, learning GROQ may feel like a detour. Sanity’s GraphQL API is limited to content delivery with no support for mutations. Users on Reddit have also complained about slow editing, freezing fields and lag when using custom‑built backends.
Content management gaps: Custom content stages, batch operations, inline content embedding, custom views, localised search and nested components are either missing or limited, which makes it difficult to manage complex workflows.
If your team struggles with these pain points, it might be time to explore Sanity alternatives. A modern headless CMS should empower both developers and editors, let you choose where your data lives and support GraphQL natively. The best sanity alternatives also offer structured content modelling, roles and permissions, and integrations with your favourite frameworks.
Below are five of the best Sanity alternatives for 2025. Each platform solves a different set of problems, but Hygraph stands out for its GraphQL‑native architecture, editor‑friendly features and scalability. Let’s dive in.
Hygraph is a modern, API‑first headless CMS for creating and delivering structured content at scale. Unlike Sanity, Hygraph has a native GraphQL‑first API - including mutations - along with localisation, staged content workflows and a more intuitive UI for non‑developers. Custom views, nested components and content versioning come right out of the box.
Hygraph shines because it combines developer power with editor usability. You can link different content models and define one‑to‑one or one‑to‑many relationships; create lists of predefined models that content editors can choose from; and set up custom roles with granular permissions. Fast and reliable delivery is ensured through globally distributed CDNs. On the self‑serve plan you can choose between nine hosting locations; on the enterprise plan, it’s more than 77.
There’s also a rich set of APIs, SDKs and CLI tools, so you can tailor Hygraph to your unique business case. With schema migrations, you can safely make changes to the GraphQL schema and test new content types in sandbox environments.
Use cases:
‑ Composable websites: Stobag chose Hygraph to transform its brochure site into an integrated customer portal. Thanks to Hygraph’s structured content model and GraphQL API, Stobag’s online revenue climbed from 15 % to 70 % of the business.
‑ Data projects: The Oetker Group used Hygraph to centralise data and break down silos across 40 countries and subsidiaries.
‑ Applications and platforms: The German Chemical Society built an app with Hygraph to serve scientific articles, research papers and events to 30 000 members, powered by seven microservices.
‑ Content federation: Telenor centralised metadata for its streaming platform, integrating thousands of videos a month via Hygraph’s GraphQL APIs.
Pros
• GraphQL‑native: Built from the ground up with GraphQL, Hygraph supports queries and mutations. You’re free to interact with content outside the UI or integrate it into any stack.
• Very scalable: Content is delivered through a global CDN, with multiple hosting regions and no vendor lock‑in.
• Flexible content modelling: Link models as one‑to‑one or one‑to‑many references; create lists of pre‑defined models for editors.
• Multi‑tenancy and granular permissions: Assign roles, limit actions and manage multiple brands or projects easily.
• Developer‑friendly: Use SDKs, a CLI and webhooks to automate tasks and extend functionality.
Cons
• Fewer integrations: Compared with Strapi or Contentful, the marketplace of plugins and extensions is smaller.
• No native visual editing: Hygraph focuses on structured content rather than page‑building. It’s less suitable if you need drag‑and‑drop visual editing.
Start exploring Sanity’s best alternative by signing up for a free‑forever account.
Contentful is a headless CMS built for teams that manage content at scale across channels. As a composable content platform, you can create flexible content models and deliver content to websites, apps and digital products via REST or GraphQL APIs. Unlike Sanity, Contentful uses non‑proprietary technologies and offers a native visual editor that’s intuitive for non‑technical users. Localisation support, granular roles and 100+ integrations are available depending on your plan.
Pros
• API‑first architecture
• Intuitive UI
• Side‑by‑side live preview
• Custom content modelling
• Roles, permissions and localisation
Cons
• Expensive for startups or small teams
• Limited rich‑text customization
• No modular components
Contentful is well suited to multi‑channel distribution and enterprise‑scale sites. For example, an airline might use it to power websites, mobile apps and in‑flight systems via a unified API. The trade‑off is cost: plans scale quickly, and advanced features are locked behind higher tiers.
Strapi is an open‑source headless CMS that gives you flexibility and control to tailor the platform to specific requirements. As a self‑hosted, developer‑first platform, it lets you define custom content models and APIs for any application or front‑end framework. While Sanity uses a proprietary query language, Strapi offers both REST and GraphQL out of the box, with full control over roles, permissions and data flow.
Pros
• Open‑source and self‑hosted
• Customisable REST and GraphQL APIs
• Visual content modelling
• Supports modern JavaScript frameworks
Cons
• Requires backend work for customisation
• No built‑in cloud hosting
• Lacks advanced content approval workflows or native localisation
• No enterprise‑grade add‑ons, so you must handle large‑scale performance tuning and multi‑region deployment manually
Strapi is ideal for custom web applications, on‑premise deployments and projects where you want open‑source flexibility. For example, a logistics company could build a custom dashboard that tracks shipments and generates reports, with APIs and user roles tailored to customer tiers. Because Strapi is self‑hosted, you control your infrastructure and security.
Directus is an open‑source headless CMS you can use with any SQL database without a proprietary schema. Unlike Sanity, which requires you to learn its custom query language and manage data in its cloud, Directus connects directly to your existing database, giving you more visibility and control. Directus has a no‑code admin interface for content editors and strong APIs (REST and GraphQL) for developers. It’s a good choice when you want ease of use plus a flexible backend.
Pros
• Works with any SQL database
• Compatible with any tech stack
• No‑code admin panel
• Self‑hosted
Cons
• No native CDN
• Limited localisation
• Setting up complex workflows requires database expertise
Directus excels when you’re modernising legacy systems or building custom back‑end applications. For example, a hospital network could use Directus to build a content layer for patient portals, pulling data directly from an existing PostgreSQL database without restructuring. A media company might use it to curate content from multiple sources while managing ingestion rules and metadata.
Prismic is a hosted headless CMS that non‑technical content teams can use. It has a visual content editor called Slices that allows you to build pages without developers’ help. It’s a good choice for websites and content processes that need to replicate high‑performing content fast.
Compared with Sanity, which uses a custom query language and needs more setup, Prismic has a more intuitive UI. It also supports GraphQL and integrates well with Next.js. It’s ideal when you want to ship content with little to no intervention on the backend.
Pros
• Fully managed CMS
• Intuitive visual editor
• Built‑in preview, versioning and scheduling
• Quick setup with integrations for Next.js, Gatsby and Nuxt.js
Cons
• No UI customisations
• Lacks custom roles, stages or workflows
• No direct control over the underlying database
Prismic works well for marketing websites, editorial sites and campaign‑based content operations. For example, a B2B SaaS company can use Slices to publish feature pages; a travel content hub can schedule destination guides across regions; or a gaming publisher can run weekly promotions with pre‑built Slices.
As we’ve seen, Hygraph is a powerful alternative to Sanity that offers a good balance between developer freedom and enterprise‑grade features.
Unlike Sanity’s proprietary GROQ query language and developer‑heavy setup, Hygraph is GraphQL‑native from day one. You get full schema control - including mutations - and a solid set of APIs, which makes it ideal for modern API‑first architectures. Developers can build confidently using Hygraph’s SDKs and CLI tools, while safely testing changes in sandbox environments.
Sanity’s editorial interface can be difficult for non‑technical users. Hygraph, on the other hand, is built with both developers and content teams in mind. It comes with built‑in support for content staging, localisation, nested components and custom views. This allows editors to work with more autonomy and reduces dependency on developer support for daily publishing tasks.
On the infrastructure side, Hygraph offers enterprise‑grade scalability through globally distributed CDNs. Teams can choose hosting locations - something Sanity does not offer. And when it comes to managing complex, distributed teams or clients, Hygraph’s multi‑tenancy and granular role‑based permissions make it a clear winner for organisations operating multiple brands or requiring a high level of security.
To conclude, while Sanity wins in real‑time collaboration and the number of developer extensions, Hygraph is a more balanced, scalable and structured platform. This makes Hygraph a great choice - especially for businesses or projects that need a content solution that works just as well for editors as it does for engineers. Still undecided? Compare Sanity vs. Hygraph in detail to explore their differences in core features, content modelling, security and pricing.
Powerful APIs. Structured content, shipped faster.
Frequently Asked Questions
A headless CMS separates the content‑management backend from the presentation layer. This decoupled approach lets you deliver the same content to websites, apps, and other front‑ends via APIs. Looking beyond Sanity helps you find a platform with a GraphQL‑native API, more editor‑friendly workflows, better localization or simpler hosting options.
Hygraph is GraphQL‑native with full schema control, mutations and localization out of the box. It offers content staging, nested components and an intuitive UI aimed at both editors and developers. Sanity uses the proprietary GROQ query language and lacks some editorial features, so teams with complex workflows may prefer Hygraph.
Yes. Contentful is API‑first and offers a visual editor, customizable content models, granular permissions and numerous integrations. However, it can be expensive for small teams and its rich‑text editor is limited, so evaluate whether the cost fits your budget.
Open‑source tools give you full control over hosting and data. Strapi and Directus let you self‑host, define custom APIs (REST and GraphQL) and avoid vendor lock‑in. Directus connects directly to an existing SQL database and offers a no‑code admin UI, while Strapi provides flexibility through plugins and customization.
Prismic’s Slices feature gives marketers a visual editor that lets them assemble pages without developer help. It comes with built‑in previewing, versioning and scheduling. However, it lacks custom roles and deep database control, so it’s best suited to marketing websites and campaign pages.
Look at API flexibility (GraphQL vs REST), ease of use for editors, localization and role‑based permissions, integration ecosystem, hosting options, pricing and community support. Evaluate each platform’s roadmap to ensure it aligns with your long‑term needs.
Yes. Both Hygraph and Contentful offer free tiers for small projects, and open‑source tools like Strapi and Directus can be self‑hosted at minimal cost. Check each provider’s limits on content entries, API calls and user seats.
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