Minimal CMS for
static site generators

Static site generators are amazing. Collaborating on them with your content writers isn't. Say hello to Spinal CMS. šŸ‘‹

preview of Spinal CMS posts index screen with navigation on the left and the posts lists on the right

Give your content marketing team a super power

Spinal CMS is scratching an itch I had at my Saas when I wanted to invite writers, marketers and other content creators to write content for my SaaSā€™ blog. Many of the solutions Iā€™ve found included words like headless, api-driven and flatfile. They were all just too much. I had a simple need: invite others, who are less tech-savvy, to write blogpost, collaborate on content and help correct and improve existing content. I didnā€™t want to mess with APIā€™s or have them git clone and run a local copy of the site, but invite them and get to work.

50 seconds to get started

If I did the math right, that's 50 seconds to start writing, editing and publishing on your marketing site. šŸ§® And I'm sure you can do it faster even. Nothing to install and set up, but: ready in no-time to get your content marketing to the next level.

Who is it for?

Spinal CMS is designed for growing SaaS companies that run their marketing site using static site generators (like Jekyll, 11ty or Bridgetown). They want to go to the next stage with their business and hire content marketing writers, but without setting up a new headless-flatfile-api-driven CMS or waste hours helping new team members set up a local version of their site running (git clone, run command X, git commit, the horror! šŸ˜±).

  • Web UI to write and edit your content

    Spinal CMS boasts a beautiful minimal UI. Your content is the protagonist at all times and the UI won't get in your way. Want to start a new post? Done in seconds! Need to update an older blog for 2022? Done in no time too.

    screen showing the text editor

  • Preview your markdown

    We love markdown, but it can be a bit abstact for others. That's why Spinal CMS comes with a preview of your content out-of-the-box.

    screen showing the preview of the markdown-created blogpost

  • Collaborate with content writers

    Invite all your content writers and start collaborating on your blog. When a new post is ready it can be published with one click. Spinal CMS will push it to GitHub to create a new commit on your main branch.

    screen showing the comments for a blogpost

  • Everyone keeps their workflow

    With Spinal CMS you don't change your team's workflow. Coders still code, designers still design, writers still write. But now your writers will create git commits too (without knowing it)! That's the power of Spinal CMS: let everyone do their best work how they want, but empower your content writers.

    screen showing a frontmatter/markdown file on the left and the web UI on the right with the same keys and values

Pricing

Spinal CMS is free to get started. Need to collaborate with your your content writers or marketing team? Simply upgrade to the Unlimited plan.

Get access today

Want access to Spinal CMS? Leave your email below to request access.

Frequently Asked Questions

So, what is Spinal again?

A minimal and beautiful hosted CMS that you connect directly to a GitHub repo to start collaborating with your content writers. Nothing to install.

And what is Spinal not?

Spinal is not a headless-, api-driven or flatfile CMS that takes a lot of effort to set up.

What parts of my site can I edit with Spinal?

Spinal focusses on the content of your site, like posts, documentation or maybe your changelog. Anything on your site thatā€™s based on a markdown file can be created and edited with Spinal.

What is a content type?

Within a static site generators different content like posts, documentation, etc. are stored in separate folders (eg. src/posts). This is called a content type in Spinal.

Does Spinal support a two-way sync?

No. GitHub is used to read existing content and to publish new content to it. Changes you make to your content outside of Spinal are overwritten. Spinal is meant to be the ā€œsource of truthā€. You can ofcourse still develop and design your website however you like.

Do I need to install anything?

No. Just connect your repo of choice and youā€™re good to go.

Do collaborators or I need to know Git?

No experience with Git needed at all. When you publish with Spinal, it will create a new commit on your main branch.

Do you offer discounts for nonprofits?

Thereā€™s something even better! If you are eligible you can use Spinal for free! The only request? Add a link to Spinal prominently on your site. Get in touch for requirements.

How can I contact you?

You can send an email to support@spinalcms.com or follow on Twitter.