Sanity vs Contentful
for agencies.
Sanity gives agencies more flexibility for client work.
What this actually means for agencies.
For agencies, Sanity is the better partner for client work in 2026. The studio-in-repo model means you can hand off a customized authoring environment that fits each client's mental model. Contentful is more standardized — easier for big agencies with heavy templated practices, harder to differentiate on craft. Most modern design-forward agencies have moved to Sanity for marketing site work and use Contentful only when a client mandates it.
agencies-specific gotchas
- Sanity's Studio customization is a billable craft — price it accordingly
- Contentful's spaces-per-client model adds setup overhead per engagement
- Both have agency partner programs; Sanity's is newer but more responsive
- Client training on Sanity Studio is faster than on Contentful
- Sanity's Migration tool is excellent for content imports
A design agency standardizes on Sanity for all new client work in 2024. By 2026, average client retention is 18 months vs 11 months on the Contentful clients they still maintain — the customizable Studio creates lock-in via UX, not vendor.
Pick by use case.
Sanity
Modern apps, dev-friendly, real-time editing, lower cost.
Contentful
Enterprise procurement requires it, or you're already deep in their ecosystem.
Direct comparison.
| Feature | Sanity | Contentful |
|---|---|---|
| Editor UX | Real-time, customizable | Standard |
| Pricing at scale | Generous | Expensive |
| Developer experience | Excellent | Good |
| Migrations | Code-first | UI-first |
| Enterprise SSO/SOC2 | Yes | Yes |
| GraphQL/REST | GROQ + GraphQL | REST + GraphQL |
We've shipped both.
If you're evaluating these as a agencies, brief us — we can save you weeks.
Talk to usCommon agencies questions.
Which is faster to demo to a client?
Sanity. Studio customization wows clients in a way Contentful's standard UI can't.
Which is easier to handoff?
Sanity, because you can train clients on the specific Studio you built for them.