Complete guide to migrating your Decap CMS website to Next.js. Leave Decap CMS's smaller team maintaining it than original netlify cms behind and get hybrid rendering. Free migration tool included.
You can migrate from Decap CMS to Next.js for free using LeaveWP. Enter your site URL, choose Next.js as the destination, and download your content — posts, pages, and media — in minutes. No API keys, passwords, or CLI tools required. Difficulty: Medium. Estimated time: 20-40 minutes.
Official docs: Next.js Documentation
Open-source Git-based CMS (successor to Netlify CMS). JAMstack teams wanting free, open-source Git-based content management, but these limitations push teams toward modern alternatives.
Smaller team maintaining it than original Netlify CMS
This is the most common reason teams migrate away from Decap CMS. Next.js eliminates this issue entirely.
Basic admin UI compared to commercial CMS options
With Next.js, hybrid rendering — ssg, ssr, isr, and client-side in one app.
Git-based architecture limits content volume scalability
Modern architectures like Next.js are designed to avoid this from the ground up.
Limited real-time collaboration features
After migrating, you'll no longer need to worry about this — Next.js takes a fundamentally different approach.
React framework for production with SSR, SSG, and API routes. Built with JavaScript/TypeScript (React), it's production web apps and content sites needing flexible rendering strategies.
Hybrid rendering — SSG, SSR, ISR, and client-side in one app
Most popular React framework with massive community
Built-in image optimization, API routes, and middleware
Optimized for Vercel but deploys anywhere (Node.js, Docker)
Next.js is open-source and free to use. You own your code and data with no vendor lock-in. Deploy to any host that supports JavaScript/TypeScript, or use managed platforms like Vercel and Netlify for zero-config deployments.
Side-by-side comparison based on real platform characteristics
| Metric | Decap CMS | Next.js |
|---|---|---|
| Ease of Use | ⭐⭐⭐ 3/5 | ⭐⭐⭐ 3/5 |
| Performance | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4/5 | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5/5 |
| Flexibility | ⭐⭐⭐ 3/5 | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5/5 |
| Cost | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5/5 | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5/5 |
| Scalability | ⭐⭐ 2/5 | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5/5 |
| Ecosystem | ⭐⭐ 2/5 | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5/5 |
| Language | JavaScript (Git-backed) | JavaScript/TypeScript (React) |
| Pricing | Free | Free (open-source) |
| Open Source | Yes | Yes |
Ratings are based on publicly available data, documentation, and community consensus as of 2026. Individual experience may vary.
A detailed breakdown of how your Decap CMS content maps to Next.js
What may need manual attention
Custom server-side logic, third-party integrations, and platform-specific plugins will need equivalent solutions in Next.js. The core content (text, images, metadata) transfers cleanly.
Migrate your content in three simple steps
Enter your Decap CMS site URL — LeaveWP connects automatically.
Select Next.js as destination and choose content options.
Download your migrated content or preview it in your browser.
Migrating from Decap CMS to Next.js makes the most sense if you're experiencing smaller team maintaining it than original netlify cms or outgrowing Decap CMS's architecture. Next.js is best for production web apps and content sites needing flexible rendering strategies.
You should migrate if: your Decap CMS site is slow, your hosting costs are climbing, you need developer flexibility, or you want to adopt a modern JAMstack architecture.
You might want to stay if: your Decap CMS site benefits from community-maintained successor to netlify cms and you don't have JavaScript/TypeScript developers on your team.
The migration itself is straightforward with LeaveWP — enter your Decap CMS URL, select Next.js, and download your content. The more important question is whether Next.js's architecture fits your team's skills and your project's long-term needs.
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