Lumen vs Decap CMS. The free git-based options, compared.
Decap (formerly Netlify CMS) is the original browser-based git CMS. Lumen is a newer native app that hides git entirely. Both keep content as files in your repo. They just disagree about where the editor lives.
Decap is free, browser-based, and lives at /admin on your site. Getting OAuth set up is the #1 support question, and you still have to host the admin yourself. Lumen runs as a desktop app, handles git natively, and ships an invite link for non-technical editors. If you want zero install and the simplest path to a free editor, Decap. If you want a modern editing experience without an OAuth puzzle, Lumen.
How they stack up.
Row by row, what's actually different between Lumen and Decap.
| Lumen | Decap | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it runs | Native desktop app for macOS. | A static admin page at /admin on your deployed site. |
| Auth for editors Decap's auth setup is the part most people get stuck on. | Invite link signs them in. No GitHub account. | GitHub / GitLab / Bitbucket OAuth via Git Gateway or your own OAuth proxy. |
| Where content lives | Markdown + JSON in your repo. | Markdown + JSON in your repo, via the GitHub/GitLab API. |
| Schema definition | Auto-detected from your existing files. | A <code>config.yml</code> file you maintain by hand. |
| Media library | Browses <code>public/</code>, drag-drop uploads. | Built in, but uploads commit through the git API. |
| Maintenance status | Actively shipped. | Independent open-source project (post-Netlify), maintained in the EU. |
| Price | Free for 1 site. Pro is $179/yr for 10 sites + unlimited Relay invites. | Free, MIT-licensed. |
| Works offline | Yes. Content lives on your disk. | No. It talks to GitHub on every save. |
Who should choose what.
- You want it to feel like 2026.
Decap's UI hasn't materially changed in years. Lumen is a modern editor with live preview, real keyboard shortcuts, and a proper media flow.
- You don't want to wire up OAuth.
The most common Decap support thread is "how do I get login working?" Lumen Relay handles editor auth for you: no GitHub OAuth proxy, no Netlify Identity, no git-gateway to host.
- You want git to keep working.
Lumen uses libgit2 directly. Stage, commit, branch, push: the actual git workflow, not an API call per save.
- You need editors to use a browser, free, forever.
Decap is genuinely free and lives at a URL on your own site. If that's the hard constraint, Decap wins.
- You already have it set up.
An existing Decap install that works is fine. No reason to migrate just because.
- Your editor can't install a desktop app.
Lumen Relay still requires the editor to install the Lumen Mac app (it's free; the invite link signs them in). If a URL in a browser is the hard constraint, Decap is the simpler path.
Quick answers.
Is Decap CMS the same as Netlify CMS?
Yes. Netlify CMS was renamed to Decap CMS in early 2023 after Netlify stopped sponsoring active development. The codebase is the same, now community-maintained.
Does Decap CMS work with Astro?
Yes. You add a static /admin/index.html and a config.yml describing your src/content/ collections. Astro builds the admin route alongside your site.
Why is Decap auth so hard?
Decap commits via the GitHub, GitLab, or Bitbucket API, so it needs OAuth. You either deploy Decap's Git Gateway, run an OAuth proxy on a serverless platform, or wire up a direct OAuth app. None of these are obvious to set up.
Can I keep using Decap and also use Lumen?
Yes. They both edit the same files. The dev can use Lumen locally and an editor can keep using the deployed Decap admin; git will sort it out as long as you commit often.