A Sitepins alternative for Astro sites

Markstage vs Sitepins: both commit every save to git. Markstage edits on your Astro site's real design and runs on your server free. Checked 3 Nov 2026.

Facts about Sitepins 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
Sitepins
Git-based editor

A WYSIWYG editor over your git files, with live cursors.

Edits on the real page
No WYSIWYG over your files; "not a page builder" ⁵⁹

Content in git
Yes GitHub, GitLab ⁵⁹

Self-host
Yes ⁵⁹

Price to start
Free self-hosted; Cloud $12/mo ⁵⁸

Licence
AGPL-3.0 ⁵⁹

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

Sitepins puts a clean editor on top of your repository: it reads your Markdown and front matter, builds the editing screens for you, and commits every save. It says plainly that it is "not a page builder": it edits content inside your layouts. Markstage edits on the rendered page itself.

Who each one is for

Sitepins suits agencies and freelancers handing Astro, Hugo or Next.js sites (including ones made with AI builders) to clients, with a hosted cloud or self-hosting.

Markstage suits teams whose writers should work on an Astro site's real design, with staging, custom roles, single sign-on and a forms inbox. Markstage is pre-release.

Side by side

	Markstage	Sitepins
Editing	On the real page	A WYSIWYG editor over your files; "not a page builder"
Setup	`markstage.config` lists your collections	Detects your schema from your files
Git hosts	A git repository on your own server	GitHub; GitLab on Team and Agency
Live co-editing	No: locks and a three-way merge (live co-editing is planned)	Yes: live cursors and avatars
Roles	Five built in, plus custom roles	Roles and permissions
Single sign-on, forms inbox	Included	Not listed
Price	Free to self-host	Free self-hosted; Cloud Pro $12/mo ($10 yearly), $249 lifetime
Licence	Elastic License 2.0 (source-available)	AGPL-3.0

Where Sitepins is stronger

No schema to write. It reads your files and builds the editor.
Live collaboration. Cursors and avatars show who is working where.
Agencies. A workspace per client, and a hosted cloud with lifetime pricing.
Mobile. Its editor works on phones and tablets.

Moving from Sitepins to Markstage

Your content is already plain files in your repo. List the folders as collections in markstage.config.mjs, add the @markstage/astro integration, and invite your editors to Markstage.

Frequently asked questions

Can I self-host Sitepins?

Yes. Its GitHub repository is under AGPL-3.0 and has self-hosting steps; a hosted cloud is also offered.

Does Sitepins work with Astro?

Yes. Astro's docs have a Sitepins guide.

Does Sitepins edit on the page?

It describes itself as a WYSIWYG editor over your files that does not change design or page structure. Markstage shows the site's own components and CSS while you edit.

Sources

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

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