Decap CMS

Decap CMS is an open-source editor for managing content in Git-backed static sites. It suits publishers and developers who want contributors to edit through a web interface while content remains in their repository. Its appeal is ownership and workflow flexibility; the trade-off is that you supply the hosting, backend, and authentication.

Overview

Decap CMS pairs structured editing fields, rich text, and live preview with repository-based content management. Editors can move material from draft to review to publish, while developers retain version history, branch workflows, and deployment checks in Git. That arrangement gives teams a familiar editorial surface without moving their content into a separate hosted CMS.

It is designed for Git-backed static and Jamstack sites, including Hugo, Next.js, Gatsby, and Jekyll workflows. Users define collections, nested structures, relation fields, and slug behavior, then extend the editor with custom widgets, components, or plugins as needed. The flexibility is useful for teams with development capacity, but less attractive to organizations seeking a managed system with hosting and authentication included.

Key features

Editorial and repository workflow

Draft, review, and publish statuses bring a basic editorial process to repository content. Git-backed history and branches help teams track changes and organize work, while deployment checks connect publishing to the site’s delivery workflow. The editor’s live preview helps non-technical contributors see content in context, though the overall setup still depends on the site and backend configuration.

Backends and media

Decap supports GitHub, GitLab, Gitea, Bitbucket, Azure, Git Gateway, proxy, and test backends. Its media library can also connect with Cloudinary, Uploadcare, or custom integrations. That breadth makes it adaptable to existing infrastructure, but the user remains responsible for bringing the backend and authentication.

Decap Turbo adds site variables and secrets, with secret variables encrypted at rest. Its deploy notifications currently support GitHub-hosted sites; GitLab support is on the roadmap. Teams relying on GitLab notifications should account for that limitation.

Pricing

The open-source CMS is MIT-licensed, free, and self-hosted. The Free plan is free forever and covers one site and one seat, with Faster CMS, Git host request shielding, an activity log, deploy notifications, and community support. It is a practical starting point for an individual or small project, but the single-seat and single-site limits constrain a growing team.

Pro costs €19 / month, billed monthly, for one site and five seats. Additional sites cost €10/site/month and additional seats €6/seat/month. It adds site variables and secrets and an S3-compatible media library; custom roles and priority support are add-ons. Pro fits teams that need more seats and those added capabilities, though its per-site and per-seat charges matter as usage expands.

Enterprise has custom pricing and offers fair-use unlimited sites and seats, custom or granular roles, SSO/SAML, dedicated support, and an SLA. It is the relevant tier for organizations needing centralized access controls and contracted support. A 14-day trial is offered.

Platforms

Decap CMS is a web editor that users self-host. Its Git integrations and site compatibility suit teams already operating a static-site workflow; it is not a managed hosting service that removes infrastructure responsibilities.

Who it's for

Decap is best for publishers, editors, and developers who want content to stay under their control in a repository, and who can manage the self-hosted setup. It is a weaker fit for teams that need a fully managed CMS, built-in authentication, or a workflow independent of Git.

Pros and cons

• Pro: Content stays in the user’s repository, with version history, branches, and deployment checks supporting a Git-centered publishing process.
• Pro: Structured fields, rich text, live preview, and editorial statuses let non-technical contributors work within that developer-owned setup.
• Pro: Multiple Git backends, media integrations, and custom editor extensions give teams room to fit Decap to their stack.
• Con: Self-hosting and user-supplied authentication and backend make setup and upkeep the team’s responsibility.
• Con: Free covers just one site and one seat, while Pro charges for extra sites and seats.
• Con: Turbo deploy notifications currently work with GitHub-hosted sites, not GitLab-hosted sites.

Alternatives

For a broader comparison, see Git-Based CMS. Consider Sveltia CMS if a free option with no account or subscription requirement and no hard limits on content or users is a closer fit. TinaCMS is another freemium alternative, with a free plan for two users and two roles.

CrafterCMS offers an open-source GPL v3 Community release with community support and a self-hosted download. deco CMS is an alternative with an open-source, self-hostable core that its company says is free. Keystatic has a free plan for up to three users per team. Kiln offers a free, self-hosted open-source plan, with users running the worker and GitHub App and providing the site host.

CloudCannon is a paid web-based alternative, with Standard at $55 a month for unlimited sites and three users. Sitepins is another option, with a Pro plan at $10 a month billed yearly for six sites, two organizations, three users per organization, and priority support.

Verdict

Choose Decap CMS if your team wants a contributor-friendly editor without giving up repository ownership, and has the capacity to self-host and manage authentication and its backend. Its Git workflow, flexible content modeling, and free entry tier are compelling for static-site teams. Look elsewhere if you need managed infrastructure or a free plan that accommodates multiple seats or sites.