What is Sitepins?
Sitepins is an open source, Git based headless CMS. You connect a GitHub or GitLab repository, and it gives editors a visual interface over the Markdown, MDX and frontmatter files already in that repo. Every save becomes a Git commit. It targets sites built with Astro, Next.js, Hugo, Nuxt, Svelte, Eleventy, Jekyll and TanStack Start.
The source code is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and can be self hosted. A hosted version, Sitepins Cloud, is also offered. Neither the vendor’s site nor its GitHub repository lists prices, so check the current pricing page before you plan.
Who should use it?
Sitepins fits developer-owned sites where content already lives in Git: documentation, blogs, marketing sites and portfolios. Editors who cannot or should not use Git get a form and a preview, and invited users do not need a Git account. It also fits agencies handing a static site to a client.
What do you need to know before adopting it?
- Content must be Markdown or MDX files in a repository. It does not model relational data.
- Setup is light: the vendor describes no schema file to write, as it reads your existing frontmatter.
- Self hosting needs Node.js, pnpm and a MongoDB instance for its API, so it is not a pure static tool.
- AGPL means that if you modify it and offer it as a network service, you must publish your changes.
- Each commit can trigger a rebuild, so deploy times and preview settings matter.
What do we build with Sitepins?
We connect your repo, align frontmatter with the editor fields, set roles, and configure branch previews. On Astro or Next.js sites we also build a content model that editors cannot easily break, wire builds on commit, and handle media. For self hosted installs we run the Docker Compose stack, backups and upgrades.
How does it compare with Decap CMS and TinaCMS?
All three edit files in Git. Sitepins reads existing frontmatter and needs no schema file, which makes onboarding fast, and it offers a hosted option so you do not run anything. Decap needs a config file and is entirely client side. TinaCMS has richer inline editing but wants a schema in code. We pick by team: if editors want a plain form and preview, Sitepins is enough; if they want click to edit on the page itself, look at Tina. The platform is younger than both, so we check release activity and open issues on GitHub before recommending it for a long lived project.
Migration
Moving to Sitepins usually means moving content into a repository first. We convert old exports to Markdown with consistent frontmatter, keep URLs through redirects, and then connect the repo. Moving off a database CMS to files suits sites under a few thousand pages; beyond that, build times grow and a database backed CMS fits better.
When to pick something else
| Need | Alternative |
|---|---|
| Relational content, many editors, API for apps | Strapi or Payload |
| Enterprise workflow and governance | Contentful or Contentstack |
| Git based, with a larger ecosystem | Decap CMS or TinaCMS |
See our headless CMS page to compare.
Hiring
To add engineers who know Git based CMS setups, hire Sitepins developers. Rates follow our $50 to $150 per hour band.
