Payload CMS

Open-source TypeScript headless CMS and app framework

Payload is an open-source TypeScript-first headless CMS and app framework with 32K+ GitHub stars. Built on Next.js with PostgreSQL or MongoDB, it provides auto-generated REST and GraphQL APIs, a customizable admin panel, access control, localization, versioning, and file uploads. Config-as-code defines collections in TypeScript for full type safety. Features live preview, draft system, block-based editor, and extensible plugins. Self-hostable with no vendor lock-in.

Rate

Website

Is this your product? →

About Payload CMS

Payload is a TypeScript-first headless CMS and application framework with 32K+ stars. Config-as-code in TypeScript provides full type safety. Collections define data models, fields, access control, hooks, and admin UI.

Auto-generated REST and GraphQL APIs. Customizable React admin panel with live preview, draft/publish, version history, block-based editor, and localization.

Built on Next.js 15 with PostgreSQL (Drizzle ORM) or MongoDB. Self-hostable anywhere — Vercel, Railway, Docker, VPS.

No vendor lock-in, no per-seat pricing, complete data ownership. Payload Cloud available for managed hosting.

Pricing & Platform Specs

Pricing Summary

Open-source TypeScript-native headless CMS (MIT) built directly on Next.js. 100% free and self-hostable with unlimited users, collections, and custom fields using PostgreSQL, MongoDB, or SQLite. Managed Payload Cloud offers a Free tier ($0/mo for 1 project with shared database), a Standard/Pro tier starting at $25–$35/mo per project with dedicated compute, automated backups, and 10GB storage, and custom Enterprise plans with dedicated multi-region clusters, SAML SSO, and enterprise SLAs.

full pricing breakdown →

Supported Platforms

Next.js, TypeScript, PostgreSQL, MongoDB

Explore categories, tags & use cases

Use Cases

Backend API Design Full-Stack Development Self-Hosted Deployment

Alternatives

All Payload CMS alternatives →

Directus

Open data platform wrapping any SQL database with instant APIs

Directus is a database-first open data platform that wraps any existing SQL database with instant REST and GraphQL APIs, a no-code admin dashboard, and built-in authentication. Unlike traditional headless CMS platforms that impose their own data model, Directus introspects your existing schema and works on top of it — supporting PostgreSQL, MySQL, SQLite, MS SQL, MariaDB, and CockroachDB out of the box.

freemium

OpenDataLoader PDF

AI-ready PDF parser with benchmark-leading accuracy

OpenDataLoader PDF is a high-performance parser that extracts structured, AI-ready data from PDFs with industry-leading 0.907 benchmark accuracy. Combines deterministic local processing with optional AI hybrid mode for complex layouts, OCR support across 80+ languages, formula extraction in LaTeX, chart descriptions, and built-in prompt injection filtering. Available as Python, Node.js, and Java SDKs for seamless RAG pipeline and data preparation integration.

Open Source

Discover more tools in this category

Related Tools

computed discovery: shared active categories

Cilium

eBPF-based networking, security, and observability for Kubernetes

Cilium is a CNCF Graduated, Apache-2.0 project for Kubernetes networking, security, and observability using eBPF. It can replace kube-proxy, enforce identity-aware L3-L7 network policies, and add Hubble flow observability plus Tetragon runtime-security signals. Current source checks support GKE Dataplane V2 using Cilium/eBPF and Azure CNI Powered by Cilium for AKS.

Open Source

OrbStack

Fast and lightweight Docker Desktop alternative for macOS

OrbStack is a macOS application that replaces Docker Desktop with lightweight container and Linux VM management. Its docs emphasize fast starts, lower CPU and memory overhead, and native macOS integration with menu bar controls, file sharing, and network access to containers by name, with exact gains depending on workload. Supports Docker, Kubernetes, and full Linux VMs.

freemium

Ray

Distributed AI compute engine for scaling Python and ML workloads

Ray is an open-source distributed computing framework built for scaling AI and Python applications from a laptop to thousands of GPUs. It provides libraries for distributed training, hyperparameter tuning, model serving, reinforcement learning, and data processing under a single unified API. Ray's public site highlights OpenAI and other enterprise users. Maintained by Anyscale with Apache-2.0 open-source licensing.

freemiumOpen Source

Act

Run GitHub Actions locally for fast feedback

Act is an open-source tool that runs GitHub Actions workflows locally using Docker containers that match GitHub's execution environment. It provides instant feedback on workflow changes without pushing to a repository, supports matrix builds, secret management, and artifact handling. Act can also replace Makefiles by using workflow files as task definitions, making it useful for both CI/CD development and local task automation across development teams.

Open Source

Clerk

Drop-in authentication for modern JavaScript apps

Clerk is a complete authentication and user management platform for React, Next.js, and modern JavaScript frameworks. It provides pre-built UI for sign-in, sign-up, user profiles, organizations, MFA, passkeys, JWT sessions, webhooks, and billing. The Hobby plan supports up to 50,000 monthly retained users per app, with Pro, Business, and Enterprise tiers for growing teams.

freemium

Docker

Build, share, and run containers

Industry-standard container platform for building, shipping, and running applications in isolated, reproducible environments. Package apps with all dependencies into portable containers using Dockerfiles and images. Docker Compose orchestrates multi-container applications. Docker Hub hosts millions of pre-built images. Docker Desktop provides GUI management on Mac/Windows. Essential for local development, CI/CD, and production deployments. The foundation of modern containerized infrastructure.

freemiumTelemetry

Side-by-Side Comparisons

Sanity

Payload CMS

Sanity vs Payload CMS — Studio-and-API Headless CMS vs Code-First TypeScript Framework

Sanity and Payload CMS are two of the most respected developer-friendly headless content platforms in 2026, but they sit on different sides of a clear architectural fork. Sanity ships a hosted real-time content lake with a customizable Studio frontend and a powerful query language called GROQ. Payload CMS is an open-source TypeScript framework that you self-host (or run via Payload Cloud), with collections defined as code and a Lexical-based editor that lives next to your Next.js app.

SanityPayload CMS

Payload CMS

Strapi

Payload CMS vs Strapi — Code-First Next.js Framework vs Visual Headless CMS Platform

Payload CMS and Strapi are the two leading open-source headless CMS platforms in the Node.js ecosystem. Payload installs directly into Next.js applications with a code-first approach and a local API that bypasses HTTP overhead entirely. Strapi offers a polished admin panel with visual schema building and a plugin marketplace exceeding five hundred extensions. The choice hinges on whether you want an embedded developer framework or a standalone content platform.

Payload CMSStrapi

Payload CMS

Directus

Payload CMS vs Directus — Code-First TypeScript CMS vs Database-First Content Platform

Payload CMS and Directus represent two leading open-source headless CMS platforms with fundamentally different approaches to content management. Payload embraces a code-first TypeScript configuration model with deep Next.js integration and was acquired by Figma in June 2025. Directus takes a database-first approach that wraps existing SQL databases with an instant admin UI and auto-generated REST and GraphQL APIs.

Payload CMSDirectus

Community experience

Sources & verification

Payload CMS Official Documentation & Repository

Sources checked: September 5, 2026
Content verified: September 6, 2026

Verification dates are editorial checks. Routine CMS saves and automatic updatedAt timestamps do not advance them.

FAQ

What is Payload CMS?

Is Payload CMS free?

Payload CMS offers a free tier alongside paid plans. Open-source TypeScript-native headless CMS (MIT) built directly on Next.js. 100% free and self-hostable with unlimited users, collections, and custom fields using PostgreSQL, MongoDB, or SQLite. Managed Payload Cloud offers a Free tier ($0/mo for 1 project with shared database), a Standard/Pro tier starting at $25–$35/mo per project with dedicated compute, automated backups, and 10GB storage, and custom Enterprise plans with dedicated multi-region clusters, SAML SSO, and enterprise SLAs.

Is Payload CMS open source?

Yes — Payload CMS is open source.

Is Payload CMS still maintained?

Yes — Payload CMS is active. Its listing was last verified on September 6, 2026.

What are the best Payload CMS alternatives?

The first editor-selected Payload CMS alternatives are Directus, OpenDataLoader PDF.

Payload CMS

About Payload CMS

Pricing & Platform Specs

Pricing Summary

Supported Platforms

Categories

Tags

Use Cases

Alternatives

Directus