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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. Decap CMS

Both edit Git content for static websites. Decap CMS is a static admin app with an editorial workflow, languages and many Git providers. Mica is a local editor or a container you run, on a Git working tree, for Astro. Decap suits teams that want a static app and no service of their own.

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 Decap CMS

Choose Mica when

  • You build with Astro and want an official package, with your content as typed Content Collections.
  • You want a local editor, or one container you run, with sign-in through your OpenID Connect provider.
  • Editors should see the real Astro page beside the form, with the drafts in it.
  • You want an editor to publish several changes as one commit, with a summary.
  • You want AI agents to save drafts through an MCP server that is built in and free.

Choose Decap CMS when

  • You want an editorial workflow, with a pull request for each entry.
  • You want each language in a file or a folder of its own.
  • Your Git host is Bitbucket or Azure DevOps, or you want a wide choice of Git providers.
  • You want a preview pane from a React template of your own, updated as editors type.
  • You want a static app and no service to run, and a project with a large community.

The details

Two ways to deploy

Decap CMS is a static app under /admin of your website. It talks to your Git provider, so sign-in depends on the provider: GitHub needs an OAuth server, and GitLab and Gitea can use PKCE without one. Decap Turbo is a hosted service. Mica is not a static app. It is a local editor on your machine, with no sign-in, or a container you run, with OpenID Connect sign-in, on a Git working tree. Mica has no hosted offering.

Choose Decap when you want a static app and no service of your own. Choose Mica when you want one sign-in through your own provider, or a local editor for Astro.

Preview: a template or the real page

Decap CMS shows a preview pane from a React template that you register, updated as editors type. Mica shows the real Astro page beside the form, with the drafts in it, about 1 to 2 seconds after typing stops. A click on the page moves the cursor to the field. Locally, it runs beside astro dev. The self-hosted Mica needs the optional preview container and a second host name.

Choose Decap for a custom pane that updates as you type. Choose Mica when you want the real page and no template to write.

Git hosts and tested hosts

Decap CMS works with GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket, Gitea, Forgejo and Azure through their APIs. Mica uses plain Git and no host API. The self-hosted Mica pushes over HTTPS. Mica is tested with Forgejo in CI. It is in use with github.com and gitlab.com, which are not tested automatically yet. Bitbucket, Gitea, GitHub Enterprise Server and self-managed GitLab are expected to work, but are not tested. Test your host before you rely on it.

The documentation of Decap CMS says that, without Decap Turbo, each file is one request to the host API. Mica reads a Git clone. It is tested with 1,000 entries in a collection, 5,000 files and 5 editors at the same time. These are tested bounds, not proof that Mica is faster. Git LFS and a content submodule also work in Mica; the table shows what Decap CMS documents.

Review and localization

Decap CMS has an editorial workflow with one branch and one pull request for each entry, and multilingual content with three file structures. Mica has no roles. In Mica, a save writes a draft, and Publish makes one commit of the changes the editor chooses. Review uses a staging branch and a second Mica. Mica keeps the languages of an entry in one entry: a field can have a value for each language, and the editor shows one language at a time.

Equal, or not documented

  • Both are MIT licensed, and neither needs a database in the free product.
  • Roles: neither has them in the free product.
  • Conflicts between two editors: the Decap CMS documentation does not say.

Side by side

FeatureMicaDecap CMS
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, Gitea, Forgejo, Azure and Git Gateway. A local proxy edits local files.
Hosted service, self-hostingNo hosted service. A local editor, or a container that you run.Self-hosting: a static app under /admin. GitHub needs an OAuth server: Netlify, your own proxy, or Decap Turbo. GitLab and Gitea can use PKCE without a server. Hosted service: Decap Turbo.
Database or indexNone, for the editor and for the website.None in the core. Decap Turbo, the hosted service, mirrors the repository into its own database.
Licence and priceMIT. Free.MIT. Turbo on 21 October 2026: Free €0 (1 site, 1 seat), Pro €19 a month (1 site, 5 seats), Enterprise.
Model written inTypeScriptYAML (config.yml) or JavaScript.
Astro supportOfficial package. Content reaches Astro as Content Collections, with types.No official integration. The Astro documentation has a Decap guide. Content Collections read the files.
Sign-in for editorsLocal: none, only on your machine. Self-hosted: any OpenID Connect provider.GitHub OAuth through a proxy, GitLab and Gitea PKCE, Bitbucket, Netlify Identity, Turbo accounts. Direct OIDC is not documented.
Save and publishA save writes a draft. Publish makes one commit of the changes the editor chooses.simple: each save commits. editorial_workflow: one branch and one pull request for each entry. It does not work with the local proxy. No batch publish documented.
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.A preview pane from a React template (registerPreviewTemplate), not the real site, updated as you type. Deploy preview links need the editorial workflow and a CI build per save. Click to edit on the page is not documented.
Git LFS for large filesYes, local and self-hosted.Not on GitHub (issue #1206 is open on 21 October 2026) and not on Gitea. GitLab reads LFS media since version 3.14.0.
Content in a Git submoduleYes.Not supported. Issue #4056 is open on 21 October 2026.
External data (products, places, codes)Yes. Entries link to items of a JSON or CSV file that Mica does not edit.Not documented. Relations point to collections or to a file.
Map fieldYes. It stores latitude, longitude and zoom.The map widget stores a GeoJSON string. A stored zoom is 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.Yes, with three structures.
Roles and reviewNo roles. Review with a staging branch and a second Mica.Not in the core (issue #2 is open on 21 October 2026). Turbo has roles as a paid add-on. Review goes through the editorial workflow.
AI agentsMCP server built in, local and self-hosted. Agents save drafts. Publishing by an agent is off by default.Experimental. An MCP server and editor bridge in @decap/cli work with the paid Decap Turbo only.

Sources

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

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