The verdict in three sentences
The CMS choice is not technical, it is economic and editorial: WordPress is cheapest to buy (8,000-16,000 EUR) but heaviest in maintenance and most fragile in security. Headless (Sanity, Strapi) costs more to integrate (12,000-25,000 EUR) but delivers superior performance, security and front-end flexibility. For a multilingual institutional site published regularly, headless pays off in 2 to 3 years.
Comparing the three options 2026
Here are the 2026 order-of-magnitude figures for a mid-sized multilingual institutional site in Miami.
| Criterion | WordPress | Sanity (headless) | Strapi (headless) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Integration cost (EUR) | 8,000 – 16,000 | 15,000 – 25,000 | 12,000 – 22,000 |
| License / hosting (EUR/month) | 50 – 200 | 0 – 400 | ~150 (self-host) |
| Maintenance (EUR/month) | 400 – 900 | 250 – 600 | 200 – 550 |
| Performance (Core Web Vitals) | Average | Excellent | Excellent |
| Security | Needs hardening | Strong native | Good (self-managed) |
| Time-to-market | 8 – 12 wk | 12 – 16 wk | 10 – 15 wk |
WordPress wins on initial price and time-to-market, headless wins on performance, security and long-term cost of ownership.
Three-year total cost of ownership
The real decision plays out over three years, recurring included. Here is a projection for a multilingual institutional site.
| 3-year line item | WordPress (EUR) | Sanity (EUR) | Strapi (EUR) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial integration | 12,000 | 20,000 | 17,000 |
| Hosting / license (36 months) | 4,500 | 7,200 | 5,400 |
| Maintenance (36 months) | 23,400 | 15,300 | 13,500 |
| 3-year total | 39,900 | 42,500 | 35,900 |
Strapi self-host shows the lowest TCO if the team accepts managing infrastructure; Sanity costs slightly more but outsources operations.
Mini case study
Julian, digital lead at a B2B institution in Miami, runs an EN/ES/PT site publishing 15 news items a month. On WordPress, maintenance reaches 750 EUR/month due to plugin updates and security patches. Migrating to Strapi self-host, integration costs 18,000 EUR but maintenance drops to 450 EUR/month. Monthly saving: 300 EUR, i.e. 3,600 EUR/year. The extra integration cost (6,000 EUR vs WordPress) is recovered in 20 months, after which Julian saves 3,600 EUR/year while gaining SEO performance.
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FAQ
Which CMS for a multilingual institutional site?
Headless (Sanity, Strapi) handles locales natively and separates content from display, ideal for EN/ES/PT. WordPress does it through plugins, at the cost of heavier maintenance.
Is Sanity really free?
Sanity offers a 0 EUR starter plan, but real institutional usage (users, API calls, history) pushes the bill toward 100 to 400 EUR/month in 2026.
Is Strapi self-host risky?
It offers the best TCO but requires managing server, backups and security. Without in-house DevOps or managed hosting, prefer Sanity.
Does headless really improve SEO?
Indirectly, through excellent Core Web Vitals and an optimized front end. A 20 to 40-point mobile performance gain versus a heavy WordPress is common.
How much does migrating from WordPress cost?
Content migration and front-end rebuild represent 60 to 80 % of a new project, i.e. 10,000 to 20,000 EUR depending on page and language volume.
Let's scope your project. Tell us your current CMS, number of languages and publishing frequency: we recommend the architecture with the best TCO. 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.
