The verdict in three sentences
For a corporate website with a three-level approval workflow, the real cost of a headless CMS depends less on the licence than on integration (6,000 to 18,000 EUR excl. VAT) and editorial governance. Self-hosted Strapi is the cheapest over 3 years if you have a provider for managed hosting, Sanity gives the best editing experience for 4 to 10 contributors, and Contentful mainly makes sense for a multi-brand group already invested in it. For a mid-sized shipping company, Sanity Growth or self-hosted Strapi covers 90% of needs.
Licences and hosting: what you pay every month
The three-level workflow (editor, communications manager, legal or compliance sign-off) is the criterion that pushes you from a free tier to a paid plan. Here are the 2026 orders of magnitude.
| CMS | Suitable plan | Monthly licence | Hosting | Multi-level workflow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Strapi Community | Self-hosted | 0 EUR | 20 to 90 EUR (VPS or Scaleway) | Via plugin or custom development |
| Strapi Enterprise | Self-hosted | On quote, often 1,000 EUR and up | 20 to 90 EUR | Native Review Workflows |
| Sanity Free | Cloud | 0 USD | Included | Basic, 20 users max |
| Sanity Growth | Cloud | 15 USD per seat, i.e. 60 to 150 USD | Included | Custom roles, drafts, history |
| Sanity Enterprise | Cloud | From 949 USD and up | Included | Advanced workflows, SSO, SLA |
| Contentful Lite | Cloud | From 300 USD | Included | Limited roles |
| Contentful Premium | Cloud | On quote, several thousand USD | Included | Native workflows and tasks |
Key point: for 4 editors, Sanity Growth comes to about 60 USD per month, a little over 650 EUR per year. Strapi Community on a VPS hosted in France costs 240 to 1,080 EUR per year, but requires 1 to 2 days of technical maintenance per quarter.
Integration cost and timelines by scenario
The front end (most often Next.js) and content modelling make up most of the budget. A shipping company's corporate site usually covers the fleet, routes, CSR, news, press room and job offers.
| Item | Strapi | Sanity | Contentful |
|---|---|---|---|
| Content modelling (15 to 25 types) | 1,500 to 3,000 EUR | 1,200 to 2,500 EUR | 1,500 to 3,000 EUR |
| Three-level approval workflow | 1,500 to 4,000 EUR | 800 to 2,000 EUR | 500 to 1,500 EUR |
| Next.js front end, 20 to 40 pages | 3,000 to 8,000 EUR | 3,000 to 8,000 EUR | 3,000 to 8,000 EUR |
| Bilingual FR/EN | 800 to 1,500 EUR | 600 to 1,200 EUR | 600 to 1,200 EUR |
| Migration of existing content | 500 to 2,000 EUR | 500 to 2,000 EUR | 500 to 2,000 EUR |
| Training for 2 to 4 editors | 400 to 900 EUR | 400 to 900 EUR | 400 to 900 EUR |
| Indicative total (excl. VAT) | 7,700 to 18,000 EUR | 6,500 to 16,600 EUR | 6,500 to 16,600 EUR |
| Timeline | 8 to 12 weeks | 6 to 10 weeks | 6 to 10 weeks |
Strapi costs more to integrate when the workflow is not native in the Community edition: statuses and notifications have to be built. Sanity and Contentful start faster, but the monthly bill grows with the number of seats and environments.
Total cost over 3 years and selection criteria
| Criterion | Strapi Community | Sanity Growth | Contentful Lite |
|---|---|---|---|
| Licence over 36 months (4 editors) | 0 EUR | about 2,000 EUR | about 10,000 EUR |
| Hosting and maintenance over 36 months | 3,000 to 6,000 EUR | 0 to 1,500 EUR | 0 to 1,500 EUR |
| Data hosted in Europe | Yes, your choice | Yes, EU region | Yes, EU region |
| Editing experience | Decent | Excellent, live preview | Very good |
| Vendor lock-in | Low, open source | Medium | High |
| 3-year total cost (median integration included) | 15,000 to 18,000 EUR | 13,500 to 15,000 EUR | 21,500 to 23,000 EUR |
GDPR matters for a shipping company: job applications and quote requests contain personal data. All three solutions allow European hosting, but only Strapi guarantees sovereign hosting in France if the legal department requires it.
Mini case study
Julien, digital manager at a 350-employee shipping company in Marseille, manages 4 contributors: 2 communications officers, the sales director and the in-house lawyer who signs off press releases. He compares Sanity Growth and Contentful Lite.
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- Sanity: integration 12,000 EUR, 4 seats at 15 USD, about 55 EUR per month, 1,980 EUR over 3 years. Total: 13,980 EUR excl. VAT.
- Contentful Lite: integration 11,000 EUR, licence 300 USD per month, about 275 EUR, 9,900 EUR over 3 years. Total: 20,900 EUR excl. VAT.
Gap: 6,920 EUR in favour of Sanity. The workflow (draft, communications review, legal approval) is implemented in 4 days with custom roles. Time to publish a press release drops from 3 days of email back-and-forth to under 24 hours.
FAQ
Is a headless CMS really useful for a 30-page corporate site?
Yes if you have at least 3 contributors and formal sign-off before publishing. Below that, a well-configured WordPress at 4,000 to 8,000 EUR excl. VAT is enough.
Does free Strapi handle an approval workflow?
Not natively in the Community edition in 2026: Review Workflows is reserved for the Enterprise edition. Budget 1,500 to 4,000 EUR to build an equivalent status flow.
How long does editor training take?
Half a day to one day is enough for 2 to 4 people, i.e. 400 to 900 EUR. Sanity is usually the fastest to learn thanks to live preview.
Can we switch CMS later?
Yes, that is the point of a headless architecture: the front end stays in place. Migrating 200 to 500 entries usually costs 2,000 to 5,000 EUR.
Where should the front end be hosted?
Vercel or Netlify cost 0 to 20 USD per month for a corporate site, or a server in France from 20 EUR per month if sovereignty is required.
Let's scope your project. Send us your sitemap, number of contributors and approval chain, and we will price the right CMS, the integration and the go-live timeline. 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.
