The verdict in three sentences
For a mid-market corporate site, WordPress is still the cheapest to launch (GBP 7,000 to 18,000 or CAD 12,000 to 30,000 as a 2026 ballpark), but security and maintenance costs climb quickly as plugins pile up. A headless CMS (Strapi or Sanity) costs GBP 13,000 to 30,000 upfront, with a better approval workflow and a smaller attack surface. Over 3 years the gap stays around 25 to 30% before security incidents are counted, and the decision rests mainly on the number of editors and the level of governance required.
Feature comparison of the three CMSs
The CIO of a 600-employee industrial company with 6 subsidiaries and 12 content contributors (communications, HR, investor relations, subsidiaries) has to decide. Here is what really separates the three options in 2026.
| Criterion | WordPress | Strapi (self-hosted) | Sanity (SaaS) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Architecture | Monolithic (headless possible) | Headless, Node.js, PostgreSQL | Headless, content hosted by Sanity |
| Multi-level approval workflow | Via plugins (PublishPress) | Review workflows in paid edition | Drafts, versions, custom workflows |
| Preview before publishing | Native | Must be built | Native Visual Editing |
| Multilingual | WPML or Polylang | Built-in i18n | Localised fields, flexible |
| Attack surface | High: plugins, exposed admin | Medium, you harden it | Low on site side, managed admin |
| Data sovereignty | Full, host anywhere | Full, host anywhere | Data hosted by the vendor |
| Developer profile | PHP, very common | JavaScript/TypeScript | JavaScript/TypeScript, React |
For a group where every page must pass communications and then legal, Sanity and Strapi give a cleaner workflow. For a team of 2 editors with no formal sign-off, WordPress is plenty.
Three-year total cost (2026 ballpark, London)
| Item | WordPress | Strapi | Sanity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Design and build | GBP 7,000 to 18,000 | GBP 13,000 to 30,000 | GBP 13,000 to 30,000 |
| CMS licence | GBP 0 (premium plugins GBP 250 to 850 a year) | GBP 0 community, enterprise edition quoted by vendor | USD 0 to 15 per user per month, enterprise plan quoted |
| Hosting | GBP 20 to 130 a month | GBP 40 to 220 a month (API + database) | Front end GBP 20 to 130 a month, content per plan |
| Maintenance and security | GBP 130 to 350 a month | GBP 90 to 260 a month | GBP 90 to 220 a month |
| 3-year total, low end | GBP 13,150 | GBP 17,700 | GBP 17,000 |
| 3-year total, high end | GBP 37,800 | GBP 47,300 | GBP 47,700 |
In Toronto, multiply GBP figures by roughly 1.75 for CAD. The Sanity high end includes 12 seats at USD 15 a month over 36 months, about GBP 5,100. Beyond 20 users or with SSO, Sanity's enterprise plan changes the maths.
At Kolonell, a corporate site with editorial workflow falls under our institutional websites offer and is quoted on request after scoping pages, subsidiaries and integrations. Maintenance follows our grid of 35,000, 75,000 or 120,000 FCFA a month (53, 114 or 183 EUR).
How to decide in 30 minutes
Fewer than 5 contributors, no formal sign-off, tight budget: a well-maintained WordPress with as few plugins as possible.
Strong sovereignty requirement (public sector, healthcare, defence): self-hosted Strapi in the UK, Canada or EU.
Demanding editorial governance, several subsidiaries, fine-grained preview: Sanity, if IT accepts vendor-hosted content.
Site tightly linked to business apps: headless, either one, to share content across site, intranet and mobile app.
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Mini case study
James, CIO of an industrial mid-market company in London, suffered two security incidents on the old WordPress site in 2025, each costing about GBP 5,000 (emergency contractor, cleanup, communications). His 12 contributors wait an average of 3 days for email sign-off.
Rebuilt WordPress: GBP 15,000 + 36 × (90 + 260) = GBP 27,600 over 3 years, plus an estimated incident every 18 months, GBP 10,000: GBP 37,600. Sanity: GBP 24,000 + 36 × (50 + 150) + GBP 5,100 of seats = GBP 36,300, with lower incident risk. Cost is equivalent; sign-off time drops from 3 days to under one thanks to the built-in workflow. James picks Sanity.
FAQ
Is a headless CMS faster?
Usually yes: a static or cached Next.js front end often scores 90 to 100 on Lighthouse, versus 60 to 85 for a plugin-heavy WordPress. The difference shows most on mobile.
Will editors lose autonomy with headless?
Not with Sanity, whose visual editor communications teams like. Strapi needs more development for preview, around 3 to 5 extra days.
Can we migrate existing WordPress content?
Yes, by script: 300 to 800 pages migrate in 3 to 8 days of work, images included. Content built with page builders needs more cleanup.
What if Sanity raises prices?
Content can be exported as JSON at any time. The risk is real but bounded: a move to Strapi typically costs 15 to 25% of the original budget.
Which CMS for a multilingual site including French for Canada?
All three handle it, but Sanity and Strapi make per-language fields cleaner, which helps with Quebec's Charter of the French Language requirements. Languages are set in the quote.
Let's scope your project. Tell us about your subsidiaries, contributors and sign-off chain, and we will recommend the right CMS and a launch plan. Detailed quote within 48 h. WhatsApp +221 77 596 93 33.
Mohamed Bah
Fondateur, Kolonell
Passionate about digital and entrepreneurship in Africa, Mohamed has been helping Sénégalese businesses with their digital transformation since 2020. Founder of Kolonell, he believes every SME deserves a professional and accessible online présence.
