High-Performance Website Without Subscription Fees
Astro + Sanity + Cloudflare: the modern stack for demanding projects
To create a professional website, several options are available: turnkey solutions (Wix, Squarespace), traditional CMS (WordPress), or custom development. Each approach has its advantages depending on your needs and budget.
I'll introduce you to a technical approach that combines maximum performance and zero subscription costs: the Astro + Sanity CMS + Cloudflare Pages stack. This solution is accessible from $1,200 and particularly suited for projects that prioritize performance and eliminate recurring fees.
In this article, I'll explain how this stack works, its real value for money, and most importantly when it's relevant (and when it's not).
Table of Contents
1. The challenge: performance and controlled costs
When creating a website, two concerns consistently arise:
Performance
A fast site improves SEO (Google favors performant sites), increases conversions, and offers better user experience.
Goal: 90+ Lighthouse score and load time < 2 seconds
Recurring costs
Hosting, maintenance, and tool fees accumulate. For a small website, these costs can seem disproportionate.
Goal: minimize monthly fees over the long term
Traditional solutions often require choosing: either simplicity with monthly subscriptions, or performance with technical investment. There's a third way that combines both, with a higher initial investment.
2. The technical solution: Astro + Sanity + Cloudflare
This stack combines three modern technologies that integrate perfectly:
Astro
Modern web framework
Generates ultra-fast static sites with zero JavaScript by default. Excellent for SEO and performance.
Sanity CMS
Modern headless CMS
Intuitive editing interface to manage content. Free up to 3 users (ideal for small teams).
Cloudflare Pages
Free hosting with CDN
Unlimited free hosting with global CDN (300+ cities). Automatic HTTPS and high availability.
How it works
- 1.
Content is managed via Sanity Studio (modern and intuitive interface)
- 2.
Astro generates an optimized static site (minimal HTML/CSS/JS)
- 3.
Cloudflare hosts and distributes the site via its global CDN
- 4.
When you modify content, the site rebuilds automatically (via webhooks)
Technical result
- ✓95+ Lighthouse score/100
- ✓Load time < 1 second
- ✓Maximum security (static site)
- ✓Unlimited scalability (free CDN)
3. Value for money: real costs and transparency
This solution isn't free: it requires an initial investment, offset by zero recurring fees.
Initial investment
Custom and optimized site, accessible from $1,200 depending on project complexity.
Monthly costs
No recurring fees for hosting and CMS (as long as you stay under 3 users and 10,000 documents).
3-year comparison
Turnkey solution like Wix/Squarespace
Initial: $0-500 | Monthly: $15-30 | 3-year total: $540-1,580
Self-hosted WordPress
Initial: $0-1,500 | Monthly: $5-15 | 3-year total: $180-2,040
Astro + Sanity + Cloudflare
Initial: From $1,200 | Monthly: $0 | 3-year total: $1,230+*
* Excluding domain name (~$10/year) | Price varies by project complexity
The verdict: This solution is more expensive short-term but offers superior performance and quality. It's relevant if you prioritize maximum performance, security, and the absence of recurring fees over the long term.
4. Real case: Climate Blog
To illustrate concretely, I created Climate Blog, an environmental blog built exactly with this stack.
Project characteristics
Framework
Astro 4
CMS
Integrated Sanity Studio
Hosting
Cloudflare Pages
Monthly cost
$0
Lighthouse score
95+/100
Load time
< 1 second
This blog demonstrates the potential of this stack: fast, secure, easily manageable, and capable of supporting significant traffic without hosting costs.
5. When is this stack relevant?
This approach isn't universal. Here's an honest decision grid:
✅ This stack is ideal if:
- →You have an initial budget of at least $1,200
- →Performance is critical for your business (SEO, conversions)
- →You want a custom and differentiating site
- →You prefer eliminating recurring fees
- →You expect high traffic (free CDN is an asset)
- →Your content is stable (no need to constantly add features)
❌ Choose another solution if:
- →Your initial budget is very limited (<$800)
- →You want to regularly add features yourself
- →You need an ecosystem of ready-to-use plugins
- →You want to easily change designs without a developer
- →The site requires complex e-commerce features
In summary
This stack is a premium solution suited for projects with high performance requirements and substantial initial budget. It's not meant to replace all solutions, but to meet specific needs.
6. Frequently Asked Questions
Is it really $0 monthly fees?▼
Yes, for hosting and CMS. Cloudflare Pages offers unlimited free hosting. Sanity is free up to 3 users and 10,000 documents (more than enough for a website).
Only recurring cost: domain name (~$10/year), necessary regardless of your solution.
Can I modify content myself?▼
Yes, completely. Sanity Studio offers a modern and intuitive interface to modify text, images, pages, articles. No technical skills needed for content management.
However, to add new features or modify the site structure, you'll need to call on the developer.
Are changes instant?▼
No. When you modify content, the site rebuilds automatically (via webhook) in about 2 minutes. This delay is negligible for a website.
This rebuild ensures your site stays ultra-fast: each page is optimized and pre-generated.
What happens if my traffic explodes?▼
Cloudflare CDN distributes your site from 300+ cities worldwide. Your site can support millions of monthly visitors without slowdown or extra cost.
This is a major advantage of static architecture: no server to dimension, no paid bandwidth limit.
Is SEO as good as other solutions?▼
Better. Performance is a major ranking factor for Google. A 95+ Lighthouse score and load time < 1 second give a significant SEO advantage.
Additionally, Astro generates pure HTML, perfectly optimized for Google crawlers.
Is it suitable for e-commerce?▼
No, not for complete e-commerce. This stack is optimal for websites, blogs, portfolios, corporate sites.
For e-commerce, choose specialized solutions like Shopify (turnkey) or Shopify Headless (maximum performance with robust e-commerce management).
Interested in this approach?
If you have a website project with high performance requirements, let's discuss. I can advise you on the solution best suited to your budget and needs.
Let's discuss your project