A Pages CMS alternative for Astro sites

Markstage vs Pages CMS: both edit files in git. Markstage edits on your Astro site's real design and adds roles, staging and forms. Checked 3 Nov 2026.

Facts about Pages CMS checked on 2026-11-03, from its own website. Markstage is not affiliated with it.

Markstage
Visual editor

A visual editor for Astro: writers edit on the site’s real design; content stays Markdown and JSON in git.

Edits on the real page
Yes The site's own components and CSS; text and rich text typed on the page, other fields in a side panel. Components mark their fields with a helper ⁴

Content in git
Yes ³

Self-host
Yes One docker run with the server image, Docker Compose, or systemd and nginx ⁹ ⁸

Price to start
Free to self-host ³

Licence
Elastic License 2.0 Source-available, free to self-host ²⁰
Pages CMS
Git-based editor

Forms with a rich-text editor over a GitHub repository, with email invites.

Edits on the real page
No Forms with a rich-text editor ⁴⁸

Content in git
Yes GitHub only ⁴⁸

Self-host
Yes ⁴⁹

Price to start
Free ⁴⁸

Licence
MIT ⁴⁹

From the full comparison; each number links to its source.

Pages CMS calls itself "the simplest CMS you'll ever need": it edits the content and media in your GitHub repository, with no database, no API and no extra backend for the content. Markstage does more, and needs more: writers edit on the page, and its server adds roles, staging and a forms inbox.

Who each one is for

Pages CMS suits small sites on GitHub that want a free, simple editor, used online at app.pagescms.org or self-hosted.

Markstage suits teams whose writers should edit on the real design and who need roles, review, single sign-on and site tools in one place. Markstage is pre-release.

Side by side

	Markstage	Pages CMS
Editing	On the real page	Forms with a rich-text editor
Git hosts	A git repository on your own server	GitHub only
Self-hosting	A Node server; its working data (people, sessions, inbox, drafts, releases) in one SQLite file	Needs PostgreSQL and a GitHub App
Hosted	None	app.pagescms.org, free
Roles	Five built in, plus custom roles	"Soon" on its site
Scheduling	Yes	"Soon" on its site
Staging, forms inbox, SEO checks	Included	Not listed
Price	Free to self-host	Free
Licence	Elastic License 2.0 (source-available)	MIT

Where Pages CMS is stronger

Simplicity. Sign in with GitHub and start editing; there is a free hosted version.
Any generator. It works with Jekyll, Hugo, Next.js, Astro and others.
Mobile. Its site lists a full responsive design.

Moving from Pages CMS to Markstage

Your files stay in place. Your Pages CMS configuration names a folder for each kind of content; add the same folders as collections in markstage.config.mjs and add the @markstage/astro integration. Invite your editors to Markstage by email; they no longer need a GitHub account.

Frequently asked questions

Is Pages CMS free?

Yes. Its site says it is free whether you use the online version, deploy it on Vercel or self-host it.

Does Pages CMS work with Astro?

Yes. Astro's docs have a Pages CMS guide.

Does Pages CMS support GitLab?

Its FAQ says GitHub only, for now.

What does Markstage add over Pages CMS?

Editing on the site's real design, roles and custom roles, single sign-on, staging and production, releases, scheduled publishing, a forms inbox, SEO checks and translation status.

Sources

Checked on 2026-11-03: Pages CMS · Pages CMS on GitHub · Astro: Pages CMS guide. Markstage facts: the full comparison.

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