Self-hosted alternatives to Sanity
Want structured content with a customizable editor without handing your data to Sanity? These 4 self-hosted apps run on your own server. Cheapest estimated hosting starts at about $5/month.
About Sanity: Headless content platform with a customizable editing studio.
| App | Health | Stars | License | Docker | RAM (est.) | From |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Strapi | Active | 73.4k | MIT | – | 1 GB | $5/mo |
| Payload CMS | Active | 45.7k | MIT | – | 1 GB | $5/mo |
| Squidex | Active | 2.5k | MIT | – | 2 GB | $10/mo |
| d9 | Active | 184 | GPL-3.0 | – | 1 GB | $5/mo |
The options in detail
1. Strapi
Headless CMS that lets developers build content APIs fast while giving content creators a friendly editing interface.
Active Last commit 2026-11-04. Latest release v5.61.0 (2026-11-04). Needs roughly 1 GB RAM incl. mysql. How to run it →
2. Payload CMS
Developer-first headless CMS and application framework.
Active Last commit 2026-11-04. Latest release v4.0.0-beta.7 (2026-11-04). Needs roughly 1 GB RAM incl. mongodb/postgres. How to run it →
3. Squidex
Headless CMS, based on MongoDB, CQRS and Event Sourcing.
Active Last commit 2026-10-30. Latest release 7.24.0 (2026-09-28). Needs roughly 2 GB RAM incl. mongodb. How to run it →
4. d9
Turn SQL databases into secure APIs through an intuitive admin interface. Data platform and headless CMS (fork of Directus).
Active Last commit 2026-11-02. Latest release v12.0.26 (2026-10-29). Needs roughly 1 GB RAM. How to run it →
Why self-host instead of Sanity?
- Own your data — it lives on a server you control, with backups you decide on.
- Predictable cost — a small VPS often replaces per-seat pricing for a whole team or family.
- No lock-in — open-source licenses let you keep running the software even if a vendor disappears.
The trade-off: you are responsible for updates, backups and security. Pick an app marked Active (a commit in the last 90 days) and with Docker support for the easiest ride.
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Other alternatives guides
Sanity is a trademark of its owner; this site is not affiliated with it. Listings come from the community-maintained awesome-selfhosted list.