Kiln

Kiln is an open-source, click-to-edit CMS for static sites. Invited editors can change text, images, documents, blocks, galleries, events, and calendar content directly on a site, while each edit becomes a Git commit in a repository the site owner controls. The publishing workflow includes drafts, scheduled publishing, named versions, history, and restoration. Site owners sign in with GitHub; invited editors and members can use Google sign-in without GitHub accounts and can be limited to selected pages or sections. Reviewers can comment without editing, and suggest mode lets owners approve or decline proposed changes field by field. Kiln connects to GitHub repositories and hosts that redeploy on push, including Cloudflare Pages, Netlify, Vercel, and GitHub Pages. Its REST API and kiln-mcp support scoped, sanitized edits by scripts and agents; optional AI assistance uses an API key supplied by the user. Site content remains plain HTML in the customer's GitHub repository, including after leaving Kiln. Uploaded documents are limited to 15 MB per file. Self-hosted is free; Kiln Cloud costs $4.99 a month and Fully managed costs $14.99 a month, each with a 7-day free trial.

Kiln gives static-site owners a way to delegate content changes while keeping content in their GitHub repository. Consider the per-file upload limit and the operational requirements of the free self-hosted plan.

Kiln suits people building static sites who want clients or other non-technical editors to update content themselves. Its scoped access and review tools may also suit teams that need editorial approval before changes are published.

Kiln is a click-to-edit CMS for static websites, suited to site owners who want clients or colleagues to update content without touching code. It is a strong fit for GitHub-based publishing workflows, but less compelling if you want a hosted CMS that removes infrastructure responsibilities.

Overview

Editors make changes on the site itself, from text and images to documents, galleries, events, and calendar content. Each publish becomes a Git commit, so Kiln can slot into a static-site setup that redeploys when its GitHub repository changes. Its editing breadth is useful for content-heavy sites, while the 15 MB per-file upload cap may rule it out for larger documents.

Drafts, scheduled publishing, named versions, history, and restoration provide a substantial set of controls for managing changes. Content stays as plain HTML in the customer's GitHub repository on every plan, and the site can be kept after cancelling or leaving Kiln. That limits dependence on Kiln for the content itself, but does not remove the need to maintain the repository and site host.

Key features

Editing and review

Site owners sign in with GitHub; invited editors and members can use Google sign-in without GitHub accounts. Owners can scope access to pages or sections, a practical safeguard when several people maintain different parts of a site. Comment-only reviewer seats and field-by-field approval of suggested changes let reviewers contribute without granting them direct editing authority.

The setup guide says Kiln's GitHub App can access only repositories selected during installation, and only invited Google email addresses may sign in as editors or members. Those boundaries suit teams that want delegated editing without opening repository access broadly.

Publishing and integrations

Kiln works with GitHub repositories and hosts that redeploy on push, including Cloudflare Pages, Netlify, Vercel, and GitHub Pages. It supports static HTML sites and documents a source mode for Astro-generated sites. Eleventy, Hugo, and Jekyll adapters are planned to follow, so teams using those generators should not assume they are supported today.

A REST API and kiln-mcp let scripts and agents edit scoped, sanitized fields. Optional AI assistance uses an API key supplied by the user. This extends Kiln beyond manual editing, but the API and AI capabilities are most relevant to teams prepared to configure their own integrations.

Pricing

The Self-hosted plan is free, billed Free forever, and is open source under AGPL-3.0. You run the worker and GitHub App, provide the site host, and receive community support on GitHub. It is the cost-free route for teams willing to own that operational work.

Kiln Cloud costs $4.99 a month, billed monthly and recurring, with a 7-day free trial. Fully managed costs $14.99 a month, also billed monthly and recurring, with a 7-day free trial; it adds priority support. Cloud is the lower-cost paid option, while Fully managed better suits owners who value priority support. Both retain content in the customer's repository.

Concierge setup & tagging costs $399, paid once, billed one-time. It includes optional hand-tagging, menu and editor-access configuration, and one revision round, making it a setup service rather than a recurring subscription. Across plans, the 15 MB per-file document upload limit remains an important constraint.

Platforms

Kiln supports web use, self-hosting, and an API. Its Git provider is GitHub, so it is not a fit for teams whose content workflow depends on another Git provider.

Who it's for

Kiln is best for people who build static sites and want non-technical editors or clients to update content themselves. It is particularly suited to GitHub-based teams that need scoped permissions, review steps, and a way to preserve content in their own repository. It is a weaker choice for teams seeking a CMS independent of GitHub, or for sites outside its documented static HTML and Astro modes.

Pros and cons

• Pro: Edits publish as Git commits while content remains plain HTML in the customer's repository, preserving ownership and fitting push-based deployment.
• Pro: Page- or section-scoped access, reviewer seats, and field-level approval support controlled collaboration with non-technical contributors.
• Pro: A free, open-source self-hosted plan gives technically capable teams a no-subscription option.
• Con: Self-hosting requires you to run the worker and GitHub App and provide hosting, so free does not mean maintenance-free.
• Con: GitHub is the supported provider, and the documented site modes are static HTML and Astro source mode; other generator adapters are still planned.
• Con: Documents are capped at 15 MB per file, which can be restrictive for larger assets.

Alternatives

For a broader browse, see Git-Based CMS and Content Management Systems.

• Mattrbld is another option to consider.
• Sitepins is another option to consider.
• Choose Netlify when hosting and deployment are the priority: its Free plan includes 300 credits per month, one concurrent build, and one team owner.
• Consider Siteleaf if its Developer plan's 100 MB, 100 pages, public GitHub repositories, API within limits, and community support match your needs.
• TinaCMS is another option to consider.
• Decap CMS is another option to consider.
• deco CMS is another option to consider.
• For a small personal project, Dhub's free Hobby plan is limited to one user, personal GitHub accounts, public repositories, and editing and pushing to the default branch.

Verdict

Choose Kiln if you want non-technical contributors to edit a GitHub-backed static site while keeping its content in your repository. Its strongest reason to buy is the combination of on-page editing and controlled review; look elsewhere if you cannot take on self-hosted operations, need another Git provider, or routinely upload documents larger than 15 MB.