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CMS comparison Decap CMS vs EmDash

Decap CMS vs EmDash

Decap CMS is an open-source headless CMS that you can host yourself or run on the vendor's cloud. EmDash is an open-source traditional CMS that you host yourself. The table below sets them side by side on 28 features. They get a different status on 16.

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  • Decap CMS Headless · Open source · 6 of 28 built in
  • EmDash Traditional · Open source · 14 of 28 built in

Sources checked: Decap CMS on 29 Sept 2026, EmDash on 29 Sept 2026. Plans and releases can change after those dates.

WAYF is an official Payload partner and top contributor. Every platform in the table is classified by the same published definitions, and each answer lists the vendor page it came from.

Feature comparison

Built inPaid tierPlugin or add-onLimitedNot available
Decap CMS vs EmDash feature comparison. Columns are the two platforms. Rows are features, grouped by area.
Platform
Decap CMS Headless
EmDash Traditional
Overview
What it is Open-source Git-based CMS. A React admin app added to your site edits Markdown, YAML or JSON files and commits them to your repository.Open-source CMS from Cloudflare that runs inside an Astro site, with the admin and pages in one app on Cloudflare Workers or Node.js.
Edition compared The product and release each column describes. Decap CMS 3, open source. Decap Turbo hosted backend is in public preview. Version 3.16.3, released 22 Sept 2026 EmDash 1.0, open source Version 1.0.1, released 28 Sept 2026
Vendor Decap CMS project (formerly Netlify CMS), maintained in Europe decapcms.org Cloudflare emdashcms.com
Licence Open source MIT Open source MIT
Hosting Self-hosting Vendor cloud Decap Turbo, a hosted backend for login and Git access, is in public preview. Self-hosting No vendor cloud No managed hosting. You deploy to your own Cloudflare account or Node.js server.
Built with JavaScript, ReactTypeScript, Astro
Database Your Git repository on GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket, Gitea or AzureSQLite, Cloudflare D1, PostgreSQL, libSQL
Pricing Public list prices only. Hosting and implementation are extra everywhere. Free to start Free and open source. The Decap Turbo hosted backend, in public preview, has a Free plan and Pro at €19 per month. Free to start Free and open source. You pay only for hosting.
Content modelling
Content model in code You define content types in files in your repository, review them like any other code and apply them from there. Imperative migration scripts alone count as limited. Built in Collections and fields are defined in config.yml. 6 Limited Seed files set up new sites. A live site's model changes through the admin, API or CLI. 20
Content model in the UI Admins can create and change content types and fields in the admin interface without writing code. Not available Built in Admin role only. 220
Reusable blocks Editors compose pages from reusable, typed components or blocks, and can reorder them. Built in List widget with variable types. 7 Built in Blocks field with versioned block types. 5
Localization Editors translate content per locale inside the CMS, by field or by entry, without a separate site for each language. Built in Side-by-side editing per locale, stored per folder, file or field. 8 Built in Each translation is a separate entry with its own status. 6
Image transformations The CMS resizes, crops or converts images on request, through URL parameters or generated sizes, with no external service. Not available Media goes to the repo or an external media library. Built in Uses Astro's image endpoint for sizes and formats. Crop and focal point in the editor. 78
APIs and delivery
REST API A documented REST or JSON HTTP API returns content. Not available Content is files in Git. Read them through the Git host API. 2 Built in 9
GraphQL API The vendor or an official module provides a GraphQL API for content. Not available Not available
Webhooks The CMS can call an external URL when content is created, changed or published. Not available Use the Git host's webhooks on commit. Plugin or add-on Official webhook-notifier plugin. 18
Renders the website The CMS itself renders and serves the public pages through themes or templates. Headless-only products answer no. Not available Pairs with a static site generator. 2 Built in The Astro site renders the pages. 2
Editorial workflow
Drafts Editors save changes as a draft and publish them later. The live version stays untouched until then. Built in Editorial workflow keeps drafts on a branch until merged. 9 Built in 10
Scheduled publishing An editor can set a future date and time for content to publish or unpublish. Not available Built in 10
Version history The CMS keeps earlier versions of an entry, and editors can compare or restore them. Not available History lives in Git. The CMS has no revision view. Built in On revision-enabled collections. 10
Preview Editors can see unpublished content rendered as it will appear on the site before publishing. Built in Preview pane with custom templates and styles. 10 Built in Signed preview links. 11
Visual editing Editors can click on the rendered page and edit content in place or in a side panel next to it. Limited Preview pane beside the form. No click-to-edit on the live page. 10 Built in Signed-in editors get visual editing on the rendered page. 11
Approval workflows Content moves through review stages you configure, such as draft, review and approved, with permissions per stage. Limited Fixed Drafts, In review and Ready stages. No per-stage permissions. 9 Not available Contributors cannot publish. No configurable review stages. 1210
Content releases Editors group changes across several entries and publish them together as one release. Not available Not available
Real-time co-editing Two or more editors can work on the same entry at once and see each other's changes live. Not available Not available
Access and governance
Custom roles Admins define their own roles with granular permissions instead of picking from a fixed set. Plugin or add-on Decap Turbo, in public preview, has a custom roles add-on at €19 per month on Pro. Core uses Git access. 1214 Not available Five fixed roles from Subscriber to Admin. 12
Field-level permissions Admins can restrict access to single fields, on top of content types and entries. Not available Not available 12
Single sign-on Editors can sign in through SAML or OpenID Connect against a company identity provider. Limited Sign-in runs through the Git host or Turbo. SAML only where the Git host enforces it. 413 Limited Microsoft Entra sign-in built in. Other IdPs through Cloudflare Access. No native SAML. 12
Audit log The CMS logs who changed what and when across the whole installation, and admins can review the log. Plugin or add-on Decap Turbo, in public preview, has an activity log on its Free plan. Core has Git history only. 12 Plugin or add-on Official audit-log plugin. 19
Platform and extensibility
Multiple sites One installation or account can manage several separate websites or brands with shared users. Plugin or add-on Decap Turbo organizations share members across sites. Turbo is in public preview. Extra sites €10/month. 1412 Not available
Extensible admin UI Developers can add their own components, views or fields to the editing interface. Built in Custom widgets, preview templates and editor components. 1110 Built in Plugins add admin pages and dashboard widgets. 13
Plugin marketplace The vendor runs an official directory or marketplace of installable extensions. Not available No official extension directory. Built in Plugin registry, launched with 1.0. 143
Form builder Editors can build and publish forms and collect submissions without code. Not available Plugin or add-on Official forms plugin. 17
Site member accounts The platform handles sign-up and login for public site users or members, separate from editors. Not available Limited Subscriber role reads member-only content. Members share the editors' user system. 12
AI writing assistant A first-party AI feature in the editing interface generates, rewrites or translates content. Not available Not available
Official MCP server The vendor publishes a Model Context Protocol server so AI agents can read or write content. Not available Built in Built in and on by default. 15

Considering more platforms? Compare Decap CMS and EmDash with the rest of your shortlist in the CMS comparison tool.

Where they differ

Decap CMS and EmDash get a different status on 16 of the 28 features and the same status on 12. Decap CMS has 6 built in on its baseline edition, EmDash has 14. Two matching statuses can still name different paid tiers or limits, so read the notes in the table before treating a row as equal.

Vendor cloud
Decap CMS has a vendor-run cloud. EmDash has no vendor-run cloud.

Built in on Decap CMS, a different answer on EmDash 1

  • Content model in code Decap CMS: Built in. EmDash: Limited.

Built in on EmDash, a different answer on Decap CMS 9

  • Content model in the UI Decap CMS: Not available. EmDash: Built in.
  • Image transformations Decap CMS: Not available. EmDash: Built in.
  • REST API Decap CMS: Not available. EmDash: Built in.
  • Renders the website Decap CMS: Not available. EmDash: Built in.
  • Scheduled publishing Decap CMS: Not available. EmDash: Built in.
  • Version history Decap CMS: Not available. EmDash: Built in.
  • Visual editing Decap CMS: Limited. EmDash: Built in.
  • Plugin marketplace Decap CMS: Not available. EmDash: Built in.
  • Official MCP server Decap CMS: Not available. EmDash: Built in.

Built in on neither, with different answers 6

  • Webhooks Decap CMS: Not available. EmDash: Plugin or add-on.
  • Approval workflows Decap CMS: Limited. EmDash: Not available.
  • Custom roles Decap CMS: Plugin or add-on. EmDash: Not available.
  • Multiple sites Decap CMS: Plugin or add-on. EmDash: Not available.
  • Form builder Decap CMS: Not available. EmDash: Plugin or add-on.
  • Site member accounts Decap CMS: Not available. EmDash: Limited.

More comparisons

Decap CMS against other platforms

EmDash against other platforms

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