Headless CMS vs Git-Based Content for Agencies
Studios must choose between Sanity/Strapi and MDX/Git content. A comparison through publish speed, non-technical editors, preview, and maintenance cost.
Ali Mortazavi
Founder, Paradise Code
The real question: who changes the content?
If marketers must edit pages several times a week without a developer, a headless CMS usually wins. If engineers/technical designers publish most content and PR review is a feature, Git-based MDX is simpler and cheaper.
Agencies often need both: their own site can stay Git-based; a client who changes prices and banners daily needs a real CMS.
Headless: power and operating cost
Upsides: roles, previews, content modeling, media library, and APIs for multiple frontends. One source of truth across brands or web+app channels.
Costs: schemas must be designed or you drown in fields. Without typed contracts, the frontend becomes defensive optional-chaining. Put vendor license and longevity into TCO.
Git-based: developer speed, editor friction
Content-in-repo means free versioning, review, and rollback. Excellent for engineering blogs and product docs. PR preview environments raise quality.
Downside: non-technical editors fear Git—even with Git-backed CMSs. Large images bloat the repo unless you use object storage. “Fix a typo right now” is slower than a web panel.
Preview, time-to-publish, SEO
Both approaches can SSG/ISR. The workflow differs: CMS often publishes instantly via webhook; Git waits on CI. For same-day campaigns, CI lag hurts unless preview envs are ready.
For SEO, fields beat tools: title, description, OG image, stable slug. A CMS with weak required fields decays faster than tidy Markdown.
A 15-minute decision model
1) Non-technical editors per week? 2) Need non-dev preview? 3) Multiple sites consuming one content set? 4) Vendor lock-in sensitivity? 5) Monthly content budget?
If answers skew to many editors, multi-channel, daily publishes → headless. Small technical team, docs/blog-led → Git-based. Hybrids are valid: marketing in CMS, docs in Git.
Common agency mistakes
Selling “headless WordPress” without a content model and editor training just relocates complexity. Forcing a non-technical client to PR a phone-number change burns the relationship.
Over-abstract schemas (lawless freeform blocks) become visual chaos in six months. Designed constraints—allowed sections, not infinite freedom—protect the brand.
Executive takeaway
Pick the content tool for roles, not fashion. For many studios, Git-based for themselves and headless for client products is the best cost/capability split.
Paradise Code fills a roles-and-publish-frequency matrix with the client before choosing a CMS—not the other way around.
Frequently asked questions
Is MDX enough for a corporate site?
Yes for blogs and low-churn pages. High-churn marketing teams usually prefer a headless panel.
Self-hosted Strapi or cloud Sanity?
Depends on DevOps and budget. Self-hosted means more control and more ops; cloud means faster start and subscription cost.
Can we migrate later?
Yes, at a cost. Clean content models and a content-access layer in the frontend make migration less painful.
Insights
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