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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. Sveltia CMS

Both are database-free, Git-backed editors with a preview. Sveltia CMS is a static, Decap-compatible app with first-class languages and many media providers. Mica is for Astro, with a preview of the real page. Sveltia suits multilingual sites that want machine translation, and a static app with no server of your 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 Sveltia CMS

Choose Mica when

  • You build with Astro and want an official package, with your content as typed Content Collections.
  • You want the preview to be the real Astro page, with no preview template to write.
  • You want sign-in through your OpenID Connect provider, in a container you run.
  • You keep large files in Git LFS on GitHub, or your content in a Git submodule.
  • You want AI agents to save drafts through an MCP server that is built into Mica.

Choose Sveltia CMS when

  • Your website is multilingual, and you want machine translation with your own API key.
  • You want media in S3, Cloudinary or another provider, not in Git.
  • You want a two-pane live preview with scroll sync, from React templates of your own.
  • You want an address search on the map field.
  • Your Git host is GitLab or Gitea, and you want a static app with no server to run.

The details

Two previews, built in different ways

Both products have a preview. Sveltia CMS has a two-pane live preview with scroll sync, built from custom React templates in a sandboxed iframe. Its deploy previews of unpublished entries run through CI. On 21 October 2026, its roadmap lists an out-of-the-box live site preview as a non-goal.

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 A click on the page moves the cursor to the field, and fields with unpublished changes get an outline. Locally, it runs beside astro dev. The self-hosted Mica needs the optional preview container and a second host name.

Static app or a service you run

Sveltia CMS is a static app. GitHub OAuth needs a server, GitLab and Gitea use PKCE without one, and personal access tokens also work. Its local mode uses the File System Access API of the browser, which is Chromium only. Mica is a local editor with no sign-in, or a container you run, with OpenID Connect sign-in. OIDC and SSO are not documented for Sveltia CMS.

Choose Sveltia when you want a static app with no server of your own. Choose Mica when you want OpenID Connect sign-in in a container you run.

Media and files

Sveltia CMS can store media in S3, R2, Azure Blob, Backblaze B2, Bunny, DigitalOcean Spaces, Supabase, MinIO, Cloudinary or Uploadcare. Mica keeps media in the repository, with Git LFS in the local and the self-hosted editor, on GitHub too. Sveltia CMS documents Git LFS on GitLab and on Gitea/Forgejo, not on GitHub, and it refuses local commits in a Git submodule.

The Sveltia CMS documentation says that it targets small to medium-sized projects and is bound by the API of the Git host. 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 or bigger.

Localization and maps

Sveltia CMS has first-class internationalization (i18n), with machine translation through your own API key. In Mica, a field can have a value for each language in one entry, with a fallback to another language. Its editor shows one language at a time, and the preview shows the page in that language. Mica has no machine translation. Sveltia CMS also has an address search on its map field. In Mica, the map field stores the zoom with the place, so the page can show the same view. In Sveltia CMS, the zoom only sets the first view.

Equal, or not documented

  • Both are MIT licensed. Sveltia CMS has no paid offering documented. Mica has no hosted offering.
  • Neither needs a database. Sveltia CMS caches in the IndexedDB of the browser.
  • Roles: neither has them yet.
  • Publish: Sveltia CMS has the modes simple, preview and editorial_workflow, and documents no batch publish. In Mica, Publish makes one commit of the changes the editor chooses.
  • MCP: not documented for Sveltia CMS as of 21 October 2026. It has an Agent Skill, llms.txt and AI translation.

Side by side

FeatureMicaSveltia 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, Gitea, Forgejo and Codeberg. Bitbucket and Azure are not documented. Local mode uses the File System Access API of the browser (Chromium only).
Hosted service, self-hostingNo hosted service. A local editor, or a container that you run.Self-hosting: a static app. GitHub OAuth needs a server. GitLab and Gitea use PKCE without a server. Personal access tokens also work. A hosted service is not documented.
Database or indexNone, for the editor and for the website.No. It caches in the IndexedDB of the browser.
Licence and priceMIT. Free.MIT. No paid offering documented.
Model written inTypeScriptconfig.yml, TOML, JSON or JavaScript. It is compatible with Decap CMS.
Astro supportOfficial package. Content reaches Astro as Content Collections, with types.A framework guide and community starters. Content Collections read the files.
Sign-in for editorsLocal: none, only on your machine. Self-hosted: any OpenID Connect provider.GitHub OAuth, GitLab and Gitea/Forgejo PKCE, tokens. OIDC and SSO are not documented.
Save and publishA save writes a draft. Publish makes one commit of the changes the editor chooses.simple: each save commits. preview: changes go to a pull request. editorial_workflow: one pull request for each entry, with statuses. 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 two-pane live preview with scroll sync, from custom React templates in a sandboxed iframe. Deploy previews of unpublished entries through CI. On 21 October 2026 the roadmap lists an out-of-the-box live site preview as a non-goal.
Git LFS for large filesYes, local and self-hosted.Documented on GitLab and on Gitea/Forgejo (large files stay outside the normal history). Not documented on GitHub.
Content in a Git submoduleYes.Not supported. Local commits are refused in a submodule.
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 list items in a file.
Map fieldYes. It stores latitude, longitude and zoom.Stores a GeoJSON string. The center and the zoom only set the first view and are not stored. Address search with Nominatim.
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, first-class, with machine translation through your own API key.
Roles and reviewNo roles. Review with a staging branch and a second Mica.None documented. An add-on is planned on the roadmap (21 October 2026). 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.MCP server: not documented as of 21 October 2026. It has an Agent Skill, llms.txt and AI translation.

Sources

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

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