Norcube CMS vs Sanity — different model, different fit
Sanity is API-first / headless: your content lives in their hosted database and your build fetches it via GROQ / GraphQL. Norcube CMS is git-based: content lives as markdown in your repo and your existing build reads files. These are different models, not better-or-worse versions of each other. Here's when each wins.
When each wins
Pick Sanity if multiple front-ends (web, mobile, signage) read the same content; if structured query / search is first- class to your product; if your editorial team is large and benefits from real-time collaboration in the editor; if you need the Sanity Studio's deep custom-component story.
Pick Norcube CMS if your front-end is already static (Astro, Hugo, Eleventy, …); if you don't want a database in the critical path of every deploy; if vendor lock-in is a hard no; if AI scaffolding from existing markdown is appealing.
Both are good products for their model. The wrong choice is using a headless CMS for a small static site (you pay the headless tax with no upside) or using a git-based CMS when multiple front-ends need to share content (the files-in-a-repo model breaks down).
Side-by-side on what matters
Where content lives. Sanity — their hosted database (Content Lake). Norcube CMS — markdown files in your git repo.
How your build consumes content. Sanity — fetch via GROQ / GraphQL at deploy time or runtime. Norcube CMS — read files; no API call, no key, no rate limit.
Editor model. Sanity Studio is a customisable React app you build and host yourself. Norcube CMS is a hosted editor with a schema-driven UI you configure via YAML.
Content portability. Sanity content lives in their database; export is a documented but real migration. Norcube CMS content was always in your repo — there's nothing to migrate when you leave.
Pricing. Sanity has free + paid tiers with per-user and API-request costs. Norcube CMS is free during the private beta; planned paid tiers are per-site + storage, no per-seat or per-request fees.
Editorial collaboration. Sanity Studio is the gold standard for real-time multi-author editing. Norcube CMS handles concurrent edits via per-author drafts but doesn't have real- time co-presence.
Skip the headless tax
If your front-end is already static, you don't need API-first. Edit files in a visual editor; let your build pick them up. Free during the private beta.