Alternative to Decap CMS

Spinal is an alternative to Decap CMS (the rebranded version of Netlify CMS). Decap CMS is self-hosted, and takes many hours to set up and recurring maintence.

preview of Spinal posts edit screen with navigation on the left, content with a markdown toolbar in the middle and the comments panel on the right

Decap CMS is an open source content management system that was rebranded from Netlify CMS. Just like Spinal it’s Git-based. Because of the underlying structure, it works really well with most static-site generators.

It has a clean text-editor, supports a publishing workflow and has a media upload feature.

Set up is not straight-forward

To get started with Decap CMS you need to add some files and set up your collections (eg. posts or documentation). If you need another content type, you need to manually edit the config.yml file. You also need to add some (admin) files to your site’s codebase. Including some trial-and-error this can easily take a day. That is excluding any maintenance work needed that comes with an open-source, self-hosted solution like Decap CMS.

Spinal vs Decap CMS feature comparison

Spinal is built with SaaS content marketing teams in mind. Typical Spinal customers don't want any install, set up or maintenance burden they have with Decap CMS. Just start producing quality content with their team.

	Spinal	Decap CMS
Price	$29/month	Free
Set up Based on time to set up	Very easy	Intermediate
Collaborators Team members you can simultaneously collaborate with	10	Unlimited
Scheduling Schedule content to be published automatically
Kanban workflow Progress content in a kanban-like workflow
Fine-grained Access Next to roles and permissions, give access to specific content types
Self Host
Built for SSG Built specifically for static site generators
Git-based Allows you to simply sync your content through GitHub
Rich Text Editor
Calendar view View published and scheduled content in a calendar
Outputs Markdown Outputs markdown without extra work
Edit Lock Locks content for team members to edit
Comments & Notes Collaborate on content with your team
Image Support
Version History See previous versions of content
Active Development Is the product still being developed
Compare	Compare pricing	Compare pricing

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Fast setup and a breeze to use. 💨

Is Spinal also Git-based?

Yes! Getting started is as simple as connecting your GitHub repo to your Spinal account and you are good to go.
Can I collaborate with my team using feedback and comments?

Yes! Spinal is designed for small SaaS companies. Leaving feedback, do QA and comment on drafts is built right into Spinal.
How do I install Spinal?

No need! Just sign up, connect with GitHub and invite your team.

We'll move you from Decap CMS to Spinal. For free!

While getting started with Spinal is as easy as connecting your GitHub repo, Spinal provides a concierge service to every new (trialing) customer. Maybe you want to go over some settings? Or get help inviting your team? All at no extra charge. Start your 5-day free trial and contact support for all the details.