Why Look Beyond Decap CMS?
Decap CMS (previously known as Netlify CMS) was one of the first Git-based CMS options for static sites. It helped developers give clients a simple way to edit content visually while keeping everything versioned in Git.
But it’s 2025, and the landscape has shifted:
- Netlify officially stopped supporting it.
- The UI feels outdated compared to newer tools.
- No longer actively maintained or adding new features.
- Community activity has slowed down significantly.
- Better, easier, and more modern tools have emerged.
If you’re building client sites with Astro, Hugo, Next.js, 11ty, or SvelteKit and want to hand off content editing to non-developers, here are the 6 best Decap CMS alternatives to consider.
Sitepins
Sitepins is made for developers and agencies who want to give clients a clean UI to manage site content without touching code. It works out of the box. Unlike other tools, no config or manual schema setup is required. Just connect your GitHub repo, select your content folder, and go.
What makes it stand out:
- Zero setup. No config files or field definitions needed.
- Web-based visual editor with intuitive UI.
- Works with modern SSGs like Astro, Hugo, Next.js, 11ty, and SvelteKit.
Pricing:
- Free plan available
- Premium starts at $17/month
- Always free for NGOs and charities
Sveltia CMS
Sveltia CMS positions itself as a modern rewrite of Decap CMS with better performance, modern UI, and built-in i18n. It even lets you reuse many existing Decap config files.
Pros:
- Lightweight
- Built-in translation and i18n
- Fast performance and small bundle size
Cons:
- Still evolving, limited community compared to older tools
Pricing:
- Free and open source
Keystatic
Keystatic is designed for developers who want structured content editing inside their codebase. It supports editing Markdown, JSON, and YAML files through a web-based admin UI. Schemas are defined using TypeScript, and content can be stored locally or in GitHub.
Pros:
- Developer-friendly with strong TypeScript support
- Local-first and Git-based
- Can be used with or without cloud
- Open source and flexible
Cons:
- Requires coding knowledge to set up
- Limited visual editing
Pricing:
- Free for solo/local or GitHub use (up to 3 users)
- Pro starts at $10/month per team
- $5/user/month after 3 users (Cloud plan)
Outstatic
Outstatic gives you a simple admin dashboard to manage markdown content and commit changes directly to your GitHub repo. It’s open source and designed for quick publishing with zero backend.
Pros:
- Fast and easy to set up
- Free and open source
- AI-assisted content creation
- Direct GitHub integration
Cons:
- GitHub login only
- No multi-user or approval workflows
- Built mainly for Next.js
Pricing: Free and open source
Tina
Tina CMS is a powerful React-based CMS that stores content in Git. It offers both self-hosted and cloud versions and is popular in more complex setups where content structure is known in advance.
Pros:
- Git-backed, React-native editing
- Flexible content modeling
- Rich editing interface
- Open-source with cloud backend option
Cons:
- Requires manual schema definition
- Setup can be complex for small projects or non-React stacks
Pricing:
- Free for open source and personal use
- Paid plans start at $29/month
CloudCannon
CloudCannon is a commercial Git-based CMS with a visual interface, team workflows, and built-in hosting. It’s popular among agencies handing off polished sites with a visual editor baked in.
Pros:
- Visual editor with Git version control
- Team access, approval workflows, live previews
- Hosting and deployment included (optional)
Cons:
- Not open source
- Paid plans required for full feature set
Conclusion
Decap CMS helped popularize Git-based content workflows. But in 2025, there are better options depending on your project needs. Whichever you choose, these tools let you build fast, secure static sites while giving editors the experience they expect from a modern CMS.