StudioCMS vs Markstage: which fits your Astro site?

StudioCMS is a server-rendered Astro CMS with a database; Markstage keeps content in git and edits on the real page. Facts checked 3 Nov 2026.

Facts about StudioCMS 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
StudioCMS
Self-hosted CMS app

A CMS built for Astro, with a dashboard and its own database.

Edits on the real page
No Dashboard ⁶⁵

Content in git
No libSQL, MySQL or PostgreSQL ⁶⁵

Self-host
Yes ⁶⁵

Price to start
Free ⁶⁴

Licence
MIT ⁶⁴

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

StudioCMS is a headless CMS built for Astro, with its own dashboard, plugins and renderers. It runs with your Astro site in server mode and keeps content in a database. Markstage keeps content as files in git and leaves the live site static.

Who each one is for

StudioCMS suits Astro sites that already render on a server and want a dashboard CMS inside the project, with a libSQL, MySQL or PostgreSQL database.

Markstage suits sites that want content in git, a static live site, and writers editing on the real design. Markstage is pre-release.

Side by side

	Markstage	StudioCMS
Where content lives	Markdown and JSON in git	A database: libSQL, MySQL or PostgreSQL
Astro output	The live site stays static	Needs an Astro adapter with server routes
Editing	On the real page	A dashboard
Renderers	Markdown and the site's own components	Plugins for Markdown, MDX, Markdoc, HTML and WYSIWYG
Licence	Elastic License 2.0 (source-available)	MIT

Where StudioCMS is stronger

Built only for Astro, with a dashboard and plugins in the project itself.
Several renderers, including MDX and Markdoc.
No separate server beyond your server-rendered Astro site.

Frequently asked questions

Does StudioCMS need a database?

Yes. Its getting-started guide asks for a libSQL, MySQL or PostgreSQL connection and an Astro adapter.

Can Markstage work with a static Astro site?

Yes. Markstage runs next to the site as its own server and adds editing markup only in editor mode, so the production build is unchanged.

Sources

Checked on 2026-11-03: StudioCMS on GitHub · StudioCMS getting started · Astro: StudioCMS guide. Markstage facts: the full comparison.

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