Skip to content

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.

All comparisons

Compare

Mica vs. Pages CMS

Both edit content that stays in Git files, and neither stores content in a database. Pages CMS gives hosted convenience: a free app with no install, and email invites for editors without GitHub. Mica gives developer control for Astro: a typed model and an editor that you run.

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 Pages CMS

Choose Mica when

  • You want to run the editor yourself, on your machine or as a container behind your OpenID Connect provider.
  • You want the content model in TypeScript, with types in Astro Content Collections.
  • You want saves to stay drafts, and one Publish to make one commit of the changes you choose.
  • You want to see the real Astro page beside the form, with the drafts in it.
  • Your website is multilingual, and editors translate each page in one form.
  • Your repository is on GitLab or another Git host that is not GitHub.

Choose Pages CMS when

  • You want a free hosted app and no install at all.
  • Some editors have no GitHub account. Pages CMS invites them by email, with a one-time code.
  • Your editors edit CSV data in a grid.
  • You want buttons that start GitHub Actions.

The details

Hosted convenience or your own editor

Pages CMS has a free hosted app at app.pagescms.org, so you start with no install. You can also self-host it. Mica has no hosted offering: you run it on your machine, or as a container that you run. Choose Pages CMS when you want to start today with no setup. Choose Mica when you want to decide where the editor runs and who signs in.

Who signs in

Pages CMS signs in with GitHub, or with an email one-time code for collaborators that you invite. Mica self-hosted signs in through an OpenID Connect provider, so each editor needs an account there. The local Mica editor needs no sign-in and runs only on your machine. Pages CMS suits editors without GitHub accounts. Mica suits a team that already has an identity provider.

What the database is for

When you self-host Pages CMS, PostgreSQL is for collaboration and caching, not for content. The content stays in your Git repository, as it does with Mica. The difference is what you run. Self-hosted Pages CMS needs Node, PostgreSQL, a GitHub App, a public HTTPS URL and an email service. Mica self-hosted is one container with a volume, and it needs no database.

A commit for each save, or drafts and one publish

In Pages CMS, each save is one commit to the branch. In Mica, a save writes a draft, which is an uncommitted file. Publish then makes one commit of the changes the editor chooses, with a summary, and shows each change field by field first. Pages CMS suits quick edits that reach the branch at once. Mica suits editors who want to check several changes before they reach the history.

A typed Astro model and a preview

Pages CMS reads a YAML file and works on plain files, so it has no Astro package. Mica has a model in TypeScript and an official Astro package, and content reaches Astro as Content Collections, with types. Mica shows the real Astro page beside the form, with the drafts in it. On 21 October 2026, the Pages CMS documentation describes no preview.

Equal, or not documented

  • Both are MIT licensed and free.
  • Both stop a save when a file changed in the meantime. Pages CMS says that the file has changed since you last loaded it. Mica shows both versions side by side, with Keep mine and Use theirs.
  • Content in a Git submodule: the Pages CMS documentation does not say.
  • Localization and a map field: the Pages CMS documentation does not say. Mica has fields with a value for each language, and a map field.
  • On 21 October 2026, the latest Pages CMS release on GitHub is 2.1.8, from 8 June.

Side by side

FeatureMicaPages 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.GitHub only. Reads and writes files through the GitHub API.
Hosted service, self-hostingNo hosted service. A local editor, or a container that you run.Yes. A free hosted app at app.pagescms.org. Self-hosting is possible: Node, PostgreSQL, a GitHub App, a public HTTPS URL and email through Resend or SMTP.
Database or indexNone, for the editor and for the website.PostgreSQL in self-hosting, for collaboration and caching (sessions, collaborators, cache). It holds no content.
Licence and priceMIT. Free.MIT. Free. No paid plans are listed.
Model written inTypeScriptYAML (.pages.yml)
Astro supportOfficial package. Content reaches Astro as Content Collections, with types.Listed as supported. It works on plain files. There is no Astro package.
Sign-in for editorsLocal: none, only on your machine. Self-hosted: any OpenID Connect provider.GitHub, or an email one-time code for invited collaborators. SSO and OIDC are not documented.
Save and publishA save writes a draft. Publish makes one commit of the changes the editor chooses.Each save is one commit to the branch. No pull request or publish step is documented. Action buttons can start GitHub Actions.
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.Not documented. On 21 October 2026, issue #190 is open, and pull request #336 (live previews, work in progress) is open.
Git LFS for large filesYes, local and self-hosted.No. On 21 October 2026, issue #407 (broken images with Git LFS) is open. Pull request #451, a fix for images, is open since 17 October 2026.
Content in a Git submoduleYes.Not documented.
External data (products, places, codes)Yes. Entries link to items of a JSON or CSV file that Mica does not edit.Not documented for external data. Select options are local. A reference field points to a configured collection.
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.Not documented.
Roles and reviewNo roles. Review with a staging branch and a second Mica.GitHub users and email collaborators. Granular permissions are listed as Soon. No review workflow is documented.
AI agentsMCP server built in, local and self-hosted. Agents save drafts. Publishing by an agent is off by default.Not documented. The documentation mentions no MCP server and no agent support.

Sources

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

Try Mica with AstroRead the scope and limitsAll comparisons