GraphCMS vs Sanity: What are the differences?

Comparison: GraphCMS vs Sanity

GraphCMS and Sanity are two popular headless CMS (Content Management Systems) that provide a range of features for managing and delivering content. While they share similarities in terms of being API-driven and offering customization options, there are key differences that set them apart. Here are the top six differences between GraphCMS and Sanity:

1. Data Modeling Approach: GraphCMS follows a schema-based approach where content models are defined upfront using a visual interface. This allows for a structured and controlled data model. On the other hand, Sanity follows a schema-less approach, offering more flexibility and agility in data modeling. Developers can define and change the data structure on the fly, making it suitable for projects with evolving requirements.

2. Content Editor Experience: GraphCMS provides a user-friendly and intuitive content editor experience with a clean interface. It offers editing capabilities directly within the web application, making it easy for non-technical users to manage content. In contrast, Sanity focuses on providing a customizable and extensible editing environment. It allows developers to create tailored authoring experiences with the flexibility to choose different text editing tools, plugins, and workflows.

3. Rich Text Editing: GraphCMS has a built-in WYSIWYG editor that enables users to create and format rich text content easily. It offers a range of text formatting options, such as headings, lists, and hyperlinks. Conversely, Sanity takes a modular approach to rich text editing. It uses a block-based approach, where each piece of content is a structured block, enabling greater flexibility and control over content presentation.

4. Deployment Options: GraphCMS provides a hosted solution, allowing users to leverage their infrastructure and take care of scaling and maintenance. It also offers the option for self-hosting for those who prefer full control. Meanwhile, Sanity offers a cloud-hosted service with built-in CDN (Content Delivery Network), taking care of infrastructure and scaling. Additionally, Sanity can also be self-hosted if desired.

5. Querying and Retrieving Data: GraphCMS utilizes GraphQL as its query language and provides an intuitive GraphQL API for retrieving data. It allows users to easily define complex queries and retrieve only the required data. In contrast, Sanity uses GROQ (Graph-Relational Object Queries), a custom query language. GROQ provides powerful querying capabilities, allowing users to deeply query and combine data from different content types.

6. Community and Ecosystem: GraphCMS has a growing community and a range of pre-built integrations, plugins, and extensions. It offers a marketplace where users can find additional tools to enhance their projects. Conversely, Sanity has a vibrant community and an open-source ecosystem. It provides a collection of open-source tools, plugins, and libraries contributed by the community, extending the functionality of Sanity.

In summary, GraphCMS and Sanity differ in their data modeling approach, content editor experience, rich text editing options, deployment options, querying and retrieving data, and the community and ecosystem they offer. These differences allow users to choose the CMS that best aligns with their project's requirements and development preferences.