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Under developmentMica is experimental and not ready for production. The API and the content format can still change, so read the release notes before you upgrade.Follow the releases.

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Mica vs. CloudCannon

CloudCannon is a commercial managed CMS with visual editing, roles, support and DAM integrations. Mica is a free, experimental tool that you run yourself. The trade-off is control and simplicity against managed workflows; CloudCannon suits teams that want a supported service for their editors.

Mica is experimental and not ready for production. It has no roles, no approval steps and no page builder.

Checked on . These products change often. Read their documentation before you decide.Website of CloudCannon

Choose Mica when

  • You want open source under the MIT licence, with no vendor service and no per-user price.
  • You want to run the editor yourself, on your machine or as a container behind any OpenID Connect provider.
  • You want the content model in TypeScript, with types in Astro Content Collections.
  • You want the real Astro page beside the form, with one integration, `micaPreview()`, and no `data-editable` attributes in your templates.
  • You want an MCP server built in, so agents save drafts under the same checks as an editor.

Choose CloudCannon when

  • Editors should edit text and images on the page itself, and see components re-render as they edit.
  • You want a hosted service with support.
  • Your editors need roles with permission groups, and approval through a pull request.
  • You need SAML sign-in, or media in a DAM such as S3, Cloudinary or Bynder.
  • You want deploy previews of pull requests.

The details

A commercial service or a tool you run

CloudCannon is a managed service with support. It runs the infrastructure, so "no database" is not a useful question for a customer. Mica is MIT licensed, free, experimental and not ready for production. It has no hosted offering: you run it on your machine or as a container. On 21 October 2026, CloudCannon lists a 21-day trial, then Standard at $55 a month for 3 users, Team at $350 a month for 15 users, and Enterprise on request. Extra users cost $10 a month. Choose CloudCannon for a supported service. Choose Mica for control and a small system to run.

Editing on the page, or a form with a preview

CloudCannon has a Visual Editor. Editors change text and images on the page, and components re-render in the browser as they edit. For Astro, the site needs data-editable attributes or the @cloudcannon/editable-regions integration. Mica shows the real Astro page beside the form, with the drafts in it. A click on the page moves the cursor to its field, but the form does the editing, and Mica has no editing on the page and no page builder. Choose CloudCannon for editors who work on the page. Choose Mica for editors who work in forms.

Roles, review and sign-in

CloudCannon has permission groups, with custom groups on Team and Enterprise. Editors can publish a branch with a pull request for approval. SAML SSO is on Enterprise only. Mica has no roles. It reviews with a staging branch and a second Mica, and the self-hosted editor signs in through any OpenID Connect provider. Choose CloudCannon when roles and approval are a requirement. Choose Mica for a small team with one identity provider.

Media and Git hosts

CloudCannon connects to DAMs: S3, R2, Cloudinary, Azure, Google Cloud Storage, Spaces, Bynder and Tenovos. It works with GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket and GitHub Enterprise Server. Mica keeps media in the repository and uses plain Git, with no host API. Choose CloudCannon when media must live in a DAM.

Equal, or not documented

  • Git LFS: both keep large files out of the normal Git history. In CloudCannon it needs Standard or a higher plan.
  • Batch save: in CloudCannon, one Save commits the chosen files. In Mica, Publish makes one commit of the changes the editor chooses, and shows each change field by field first.
  • Agents: CloudCannon has agent skills, a CLI and an API. Mica has an MCP server. The routes differ.
  • Content in a Git submodule: the CloudCannon documentation does not say.
  • Localization: CloudCannon uses Rosey, a separate tool. In Mica, a field can have a value for each language, and the editor shows one language at a time.

Side by side

FeatureMicaCloudCannon
Content in Git, and which hostsYes. Plain Git, no host API. Tested in CI: Forgejo. In use with github.com and gitlab.com. The self-hosted editor pushes over HTTPS.Yes. GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket, GitHub Enterprise Server, and self-hosted GitLab (Enterprise). Direct upload also works.
Hosted service, self-hostingNo hosted service. A local editor, or a container that you run.Yes. It is a hosted SaaS product. Self-hosting is not documented.
Database or indexNone, for the editor and for the website.None for the customer. CloudCannon runs the infrastructure.
Licence and priceMIT. Free.Proprietary. On 21 October 2026: 21-day trial, no free plan listed. Standard $55 a month (3 users), Team $350 a month (15 users), Enterprise on request. Extra users $10 a month.
Model written inTypeScriptcloudcannon.config.yml or JSON, or a configuration UI
Astro supportOfficial package. Content reaches Astro as Content Collections, with types.A featured partner in the Astro documentation. @cloudcannon/editable-regions gives visual editing. .astro schemas.
Sign-in for editorsLocal: none, only on your machine. Self-hosted: any OpenID Connect provider.Email and password, or GitHub, GitLab or Bitbucket. On 21 October 2026, the pricing page lists SAML SSO on Enterprise only.
Save and publishA save writes a draft. Publish makes one commit of the changes the editor chooses.Edits build up in an editing session. One Save commits the chosen files. Publishing a branch merges it at once or opens a pull request.
Preview and visual editingThe real Astro page beside the form, with the drafts. A click moves the cursor to the field. Self-hosted: with an optional preview container. No editing on the page.Yes. A Visual Editor with inline editing of text and images, and in-browser re-rendering of components. The site needs data-editable attributes or @cloudcannon/editable-regions. Pull request deploy previews are listed; their plan limits are not confirmed.
Git LFS for large filesYes, local and self-hosted.Yes. The documentation lists Git LFS on Standard, Team and Enterprise.
Content in a Git submoduleYes.Not documented. Site Mounting is an alternative.
External data (products, places, codes)Yes. Entries link to items of a JSON or CSV file that Mica does not edit.Select inputs can use collections or data files. A typed relation field is not documented.
Map fieldYes. It stores latitude, longitude and zoom.Not documented.
Localization (i18n)Yes. A field has a value for each language in one entry, with fallbacks. The editor shows one language at a time, and the preview follows it. No machine translation.Through Rosey, a separate tool. The built-in i18n is deprecated.
Roles and reviewNo roles. Review with a staging branch and a second Mica.Permission groups. On 21 October 2026: custom groups on Team (10) and Enterprise (unlimited). Approval through pull request publishing.
AI agentsMCP server built in, local and self-hosted. Agents save drafts. Publishing by an agent is off by default.Yes, by another route: agent skills for coding agents, a CLI and an API. An MCP server is not documented.

Sources

Checked on October 21, 2026. These products change often. Read their documentation before you decide.

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