HugoCMS vs Kiln
HugoCMS
hugocms.com
Kiln
kilncms.comSide by side
| Figure | HugoCMS | Kiln |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | $4.99/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | Yes |
| Open source | — | Yes |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| API | — | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 3 | 9 |
| Spec score · Git-Based CMS | 8.1 (#10) | 8.9 (#4) |
| Spec score · Content Management Systems | 8.0 (#97) | 9.0 (#15) |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Integrations | The maker describes Git-based versioning and an elFinder web file manager integrated into the CMS. | Kiln works with GitHub repositories and hosts that redeploy on push, including Cloudflare Pages, Netlify, Vercel, and GitHub Pages. |
| Intended users | The maker describes the CMS as allowing people without technical knowledge to create, edit, and manage content, while developers retain control over site structure and design. | Kiln describes itself for people who build static sites and want clients or other non-technical editors to update site content themselves. |
| Support | The pricing comparison lists standard support within 24 hours and premium support on request within one hour. | Self-hosted plans include community support on GitHub, while Fully managed includes priority support. |
Plans
Kiln
- Self-hostedFree
- Kiln Cloud$4.99 a month
- Fully managed$14.99 a month
- Open sourceFree
- Self-hostedFree
- Kiln Cloud$4.99 a month
- Fully managed$14.99 a month
- Concierge setup$399, paid once
- Concierge setup & tagging$399, paid once
In their own words
Kiln
Kiln is an open-source, click-to-edit CMS for static sites. Invited editors change content directly on a site, with edits saved as Git commits in a repository owned by the site owner. Supported content includes text, images, documents, blocks, galleries, events, and calendar items. The publishing workflow includes drafts, scheduled publishing, named versions, history, and restoration. Owners sign in with GitHub, while invited editors and members can use Google sign-in and be scoped to particular pages or sections. Reviewer seats can comment only; suggest mode lets owners approve or decline proposed changes field by field. Kiln works with GitHub repositories and hosts that redeploy on push, including Cloudflare Pages, Netlify, Vercel, and GitHub Pages. A 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 repository, even after leaving Kiln. Self-hosted costs nothing; Kiln Cloud is $4.99 a month, and Fully managed is $14.99 a month.