Astro CMS: how your team updates an Astro site without a developer
Partner · Web development, SEO and GEO
Yes, your team can update an Astro site without a developer. Astro does not come with a dashboard: it displays the content and leaves you free to choose the tool you write it in. There are three families of options. A file-based CMS (Keystatic, Decap CMS, TinaCMS) adds a dashboard that writes into the site's files. A hosted CMS (Sanity, Storyblok, Contentful, Strapi, Payload or headless WordPress) keeps the content in a separate service. The third option, a written request to AI, replaces the dashboard with a sentence. The right choice depends on who writes, how many languages you publish in and whether you need to see the page before it goes live.
- A headless CMS is where you write the content, but it does not build the site: Astro displays it.
- In October 2026, Astro's official documentation offered a guide for 45 CMSs, several of them still stubs.
- A file-based CMS keeps the content in the site's repository. A hosted CMS keeps it on its vendor's servers.
- For a site in French and English, count two languages: that was the limit of the free plans at Contentful and Storyblok in October 2026.
- Live visual preview often requires part of the site to be rendered by a server, which changes the hosting.
On this page
Headless CMS
A headless CMS is a content management tool for writing and organizing text, images and records, without producing the site's pages itself. The "head" is the part that displays them: here, Astro. The CMS provides the content and Astro lays it out. You can then change writing tools without redoing the design, or redo the design without touching the content.
The real question: who writes, and how often
When we present Astro to a business, the first objection is almost always the same: "Will my team be able to update the site without a developer?" The concern is legitimate. A WordPress site comes with its dashboard, whereas an Astro site is first and foremost a set of files. Astro's documentation puts it simply: the framework handles presentation and you choose where the content is written.
Before comparing tools, three questions clarify the choice:
- Who writes? One person in marketing, a team of five writers or people from several departments.
- What, and how often? One article a week, product sheets every day or three edits a year.
- Do you need to see the page before publishing? Some teams want an exact preview. Others are fine with a well-organized form.
Astro imposes nothing: its documentation states that a site can even do without a CMS, since content can live in Markdown files. The rest of this article compares the options one by one. To understand why businesses are moving to a site in code, our article on what Claude Code and ChatGPT Codex change in website development sets the context.
The three families of options for an Astro site
Every option can be sorted by a single criterion: where the content lives.
In the site's repository
A file-based CMS adds a dashboard that writes into the same files as the code. Every save becomes a dated version of the site, which can be undone.
In a hosted service
The content lives in the CMS vendor's database. Astro fetches it when it builds the pages, or on every visit if the site is rendered by a server.
In the repository, without a dashboard
The content stays in the site's files. Your team writes its request to an AI, which changes those files, then a person approves the publication.
The difference has concrete consequences: on price, on where the data is stored and on what happens the day you change providers.
File-based CMSs: Keystatic, Decap CMS, TinaCMS
All three tools have a guide in Astro's documentation. They share one principle: the content stays with you, in the site's repository (the versioned folder that holds all the code). No subscription is needed to store the content.
Keystatic
Keystatic is open-source software under the MIT licence, built by Thinkmill. It saves content as Markdown, YAML or JSON, with no database. Astro's guide shows the dashboard at the site's /keystatic address: an article created in the dashboard becomes a file in the project's content folder.
- Who writes: in GitHub mode, each person needs a GitHub account with write access to the repository. Keystatic Cloud removes that constraint: team members can edit content without a GitHub account.
- Price: Keystatic is free. In October 2026, Keystatic Cloud was free for up to three people per team. The Pro plan started at $10 a month, plus $5 a month for each person beyond three.
- What breaks: adding a new content type (an event listing, for example) requires changing the configuration, which means a trip into the code.
Decap CMS
Decap CMS is open-source software under the MIT licence, free and self-hosted. It works with GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket and other repository services.
- The approval workflow: its editorial mode sorts each text into three states: draft, in review and ready. Behind the scenes, a draft becomes a branch and a pull request: nothing is published before approval.
- Languages: Decap CMS shows languages side by side in the editor. Each field can be translated or copied from the default language. Its interface is available in French.
- What breaks: the documentation notes limits on certain field types for languages. A bilingual site must therefore be configured carefully from the start.
TinaCMS
TinaCMS stores content as Markdown, MDX and JSON files in the Git repository. Each save makes a commit to the repository. Its documentation presents Astro as its default starter and offers visual editing: you click on text on the page to change it.
- Preview: for visual editing, TinaCMS recommends a server-rendered site. A fully pre-built site also works, provided each editable region is wrapped in a component designed for it.
- Price: in October 2026, TinaCloud was free for two users. The Team plan started at US$24 per project per month, for three users and up to ten.
- What breaks: on an existing site, each page has to be connected to visual editing, one step at a time.
Hosted CMSs: Sanity, Storyblok, Contentful, Strapi, Payload
A hosted CMS keeps the content on its servers and delivers it through an application programming interface (API). Astro retrieves it when it builds the site. Astro's guide for Storyblok points out that on a pre-built site, you need to set up a signal (a webhook) that triggers a new build on every publication. Without it, text published in the CMS does not appear on the site.
Sanity
Sanity organizes content in reusable blocks: a service record can feed the service page, the home page and a landing page. In October 2026, its free plan allowed up to 20 users and 10,000 documents. The Growth plan started at $15 per user per month.
- Preview: Sanity's visual editing with Astro requires a server-rendered site. Its documentation explains why: draft mode checks each request to decide whether to show the published version or the draft, which a pre-built site cannot do.
- Interface language: the official interface is in English. A French version exists, supported by the community.
Storyblok
Storyblok focuses on visual editing: the person writing sees the page while assembling it from blocks. In October 2026, its Starter plan was free for one user (up to two) and two languages. The Growth plan started at $99 a month. Its documentation requires the preview to be served over HTTPS, even in development.
Contentful
Contentful targets organizations that manage a lot of content, with detailed roles and permissions. In October 2026, its free plan included ten users, two roles and two languages. The Lite plan started at $300 a month, with 20 users and three languages. Scheduled publishing was part of the Lite plan, not the free plan.
Strapi and Payload
Strapi and Payload are open-source software you can install on your own server. Payload is released under the MIT licence. The software costs nothing, but you have to host an application and its database, then keep them up to date. Strapi also offers managed hosting: in October 2026, Strapi Cloud started at $35 per project per month. Strapi's admin interface is available in French.
These two tools suit a site that needs a real application behind it: a directory, a catalogue with many relationships, content served to a mobile app. For a business site of a few dozen pages, they often mean more moving parts than necessary. Note that in October 2026, Astro's guide for Payload contained only one paragraph and a link to an example.
Headless WordPress
WordPress can act as a headless CMS: your team keeps the dashboard it knows and Astro displays the pages. Astro's guide uses the REST API built into WordPress.
The option is reassuring, because nobody has to change their habits. It does have a hidden cost: you maintain two systems. WordPress keeps its core, plugin and PHP updates, described in our article on the WordPress business website. Astro's guide also points out that the WordPress REST API answers external requests without authentication by default: whatever is published can be read by anyone.
Headless mode often makes sense as a stage. The team keeps writing in WordPress while the public site benefits from Astro's speed. For online stores, the same principle exists with Shopify: that is headless Shopify with Astro.
A written request to AI
The third option does without a dashboard. Your team writes its request in its own words to Claude Code (Anthropic's coding tool) or ChatGPT Codex (OpenAI's coding agent). The AI changes the site's files on a working copy. Automatic checks verify the result, then a person approves the publication. Our article on how to edit your website with AI describes each step, from the instruction to publication.
This method stands out on one point: a single request can affect the whole site. A price that changes on twenty pages, a notice to correct everywhere, a page to create with its English version. A CMS works page by page, whereas the AI works across all the files.
The two approaches are not mutually exclusive. A file-based CMS and the AI write to the same repository: a team can publish its articles in Keystatic and hand changes that affect several pages to a written request. With a hosted CMS, it is less simple, because the content lives outside the repository the AI changes.
On falia.co, built with Astro, there is no dashboard. The 240 articles in each language are files stored in the site's repository. Every change goes through a written request, then through the site's 30 automatic checks before going live. We offer the same thing to our clients, but we connect a CMS when the team prefers a dashboard.
The comparison
Prices are those on the vendors' official pages, read on October 31, 2026. They are shown in dollars (US dollars for TinaCMS) and they may change. Check them before choosing.
| Option | Where the content lives | Starting price (October 2026) | Preview before publishing | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Keystatic | Repository files | Free. Keystatic Cloud free for up to 3 people, Pro from $10 a month | No visual preview described in Astro's guide | GitHub account required without Keystatic Cloud |
| Decap CMS | Repository files | Free (MIT licence) | Draft, review and ready workflow | Language setup needs care |
| TinaCMS | Repository files | Free for 2 users, Team at US$24 per project per month | Visual editing on the page | Each page must be connected |
| Sanity | Sanity's servers | Free for up to 20 users, Growth at $15 per user per month | Visual editing with a server-rendered site | Official interface in English |
| Storyblok | Storyblok's servers | Free for 1 user and 2 languages, Growth at $99 a month | Visual editor, HTTPS preview | Free plan very limited in users |
| Contentful | Contentful's servers | Free for 10 users and 2 languages, Lite at $300 a month | Live preview, depending on the plan | Big price jump at the first paid plan |
| Strapi | Your server or Strapi Cloud | Free to self-host, Strapi Cloud at $35 per project per month | Depends on the integration | An application and a database to maintain |
| Payload | Your server | Free (MIT licence), hosting extra | Depends on the integration | Very brief Astro guide |
| Headless WordPress | Your WordPress | Free software, hosting extra | Depends on the integration | Two systems to keep up to date |
| Written request to AI | Repository files | Your Claude or ChatGPT subscription | Working copy, then approval | A person must review before publication |
A bilingual site in Quebec: languages, Bill 96 and Law 25
Three questions come up with businesses here. Not all of them are settled in the CMS, but the CMS can help or hinder you.
The number of languages
A site in French and English counts as two languages in the CMS. That was exactly the limit of the free plans at Contentful and Storyblok in October 2026. A third language (Spanish for a southern market, for example) would push you onto a paid plan. File-based CMSs count languages in the configuration, not on the invoice.
French first (Bill 96)
The Charter of the French Language, amended by Bill 96, requires commercial publications to be written in French. The Office québécois de la langue française specifies that this includes such publications on a website. A CMS does not make a site compliant, but it can help: an editor that shows both languages side by side (like Decap CMS) makes a page left in English only easy to spot. If your team works in French, also check the language of the CMS interface: Decap CMS, Strapi and WordPress are available in French, Sanity through a community-supported version.
Personal information (Law 25)
A hosted CMS stores at least your writers' accounts (name, email). If it also receives forms or sign-ups, it stores information about your customers. Quebec's Commission d'accès à l'information points out that since September 2023, an organization must carry out a privacy impact assessment before communicating personal information outside Quebec. The communication can go ahead if the assessment shows the information would receive adequate protection. It must also be covered by a written agreement. Ask the vendor where the data is stored: Storyblok, for example, presented the choice of data centre as an option on its higher plans in October 2026. Our article on Law 25 compliance covers the other obligations. This text is not legal advice.
A file-based CMS avoids part of the question: the site's content stays in the repository and there is no database of writers held by a third party. The repository service (GitHub, for example) does keep the accounts of the people who have access.
What breaks most often
| The problem | What prevents it |
|---|---|
| Text published in the CMS does not appear on the site | A signal that triggers a new build on every publication, tested before launch |
| The preview does not match the published page | A preview connected to the site's real templates, not to a separate mock-up |
| A writer breaks a page by leaving a field empty | Required fields in the CMS and Astro's content collections, which stop the build when a field is missing |
| The English version falls behind the French one | An editor that shows both languages and one person responsible for the twin page |
| The free plan is no longer enough | Counting users, languages and content volume over three years from the start |
| The CMS changes its prices or shuts down | Exportable content and a site that stays online without the CMS |
Live visual preview in Sanity and TinaCMS works best with a server-rendered site. That choice affects hosting and site speed: it is made when the site is built, not afterwards. If an exact preview is not essential for your team, a fully pre-built site remains simpler.
One point is reassuring: Astro remains open-source software under the MIT licence that can be deployed on any platform, including since Cloudflare welcomed its team in January 2026. Changing CMS does not force you to change framework. The content moves, the site stays. Our article on migrating a website to Astro as-is shows what a migration keeps intact.
Choosing for your team
No option is the best in absolute terms. The right tool is the one your team will still be using in two years.
The right choice for your team
- One or two people who update the site a few times a month: a written request to AI, or Keystatic if they want a form.
- A team that publishes an article a week and wants an approval workflow: Decap CMS or Keystatic Cloud, with the content in the repository.
- A marketing team that builds its own landing pages: Storyblok or TinaCMS, for visual editing.
- Content reused across several pages, brands or channels: Sanity or Contentful.
- A site that also serves an application or a directory: Strapi or Payload, with a maintenance budget.
- A team attached to the WordPress dashboard: headless WordPress, as a stage.
Your team does not have to learn code to stay in control of an Astro site. It only has to choose where it prefers to write.
We build Astro sites that your team updates with AI or with the CMS that suits it, as an AI-managed website. Our Astro agency page presents how we build with Astro and the major companies that use it.
Frequently asked questions about CMSs for Astro
Will my team be able to update the Astro site without a developer?
Yes. It can write in a CMS connected to Astro (Keystatic, Decap CMS, Sanity or Storyblok, for example) or write its request to AI, which changes the site on a working copy. A developer remains useful to add a new content type or a new template.
Which CMS should I choose for an Astro site?
It depends on who writes. For one or two people, a written request to AI or Keystatic is often enough. A team that builds its own pages will prefer a visual editor like Storyblok or TinaCMS. Content reused across several pages or brands suits Sanity or Contentful.
Is a CMS for Astro expensive?
Not necessarily. Keystatic, Decap CMS and Payload are free, open-source software. In October 2026, Sanity, Storyblok and Contentful had a free plan, then paid plans starting at $15 per user per month for Sanity, $99 a month for Storyblok and $300 a month for Contentful.
Can I see the page before publishing it?
Yes, with most options, but in different ways. Storyblok, TinaCMS and Sanity offer visual editing on the page, which often requires a server-rendered site. Decap CMS keeps a draft until approval. With a written request to AI, you review the working copy before it goes live.
Is my bilingual site more expensive to manage in a CMS?
It can be. A site in French and English counts as two languages, the limit of the free plans at Contentful and Storyblok in October 2026. A third language would push you onto a paid plan. File-based CMSs do not charge for languages.
Can I keep WordPress for writing and use Astro for display?
Yes. Astro can read WordPress content through its REST API: your team keeps the dashboard it knows. You then maintain two systems, including WordPress with its updates and plugins.
- Astro, Use a CMS with Astro, official documentation, accessed October 31, 2026.
- Astro, Keystatic, Storyblok, WordPress and Payload guides, accessed October 31, 2026.
- Keystatic, GitHub mode and Keystatic Cloud, official documentation, accessed October 31, 2026; Keystatic GitHub repository (MIT licence).
- Decap CMS, home page, Editorial Workflows and i18n, accessed October 31, 2026.
- TinaCMS, Astro (updated July 28, 2026), documentation and pricing, accessed October 31, 2026.
- Sanity, pricing, Visual Editing with Astro, Studio interface language and translated versions, accessed October 31, 2026.
- Storyblok, pricing and Visual Editor, accessed October 31, 2026.
- Contentful, pricing, accessed October 31, 2026.
- Strapi, Strapi Cloud pricing and interface translations, accessed October 31, 2026.
- Payload, Payload GitHub repository (MIT licence), accessed October 31, 2026.
- Office québécois de la langue française, Infraction à la Charte de la langue française : le site Web de Waterco, news release of November 14, 2025 (in French).
- Commission d'accès à l'information du Québec, Principaux changements aux lois sur la protection des renseignements personnels, section “Communication de renseignements personnels hors Québec”, accessed November 2026 (in French).
- Cloudflare, Astro is joining Cloudflare, blog post of January 16, 2026.
Geneviève puts the strategy for your engagement into action. She leads all our web development projects: Shopify, WordPress and the new ways of building a site with AI. She manages our team of developers and translates your business needs into technical language. She runs your organic search (SEO), your visibility in AI answers (GEO) and your site's conversion rate optimization (CRO). Her work is at the heart of three goals: Attract customers with SEO and AI, Improve your site's conversion, and Strengthen your visibility in AI answers. With Gabriel, she also builds the landing pages for your advertising campaigns. She writes mainly about SEO, AI visibility and web design.
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