Payload CMS
Developer-first headless CMS and application framework.
Payload CMS vs Strapi
Two self-hosted Content Management Systems (CMS) apps, compared on the facts we track: GitHub popularity and activity, license, language, Docker images and a rough hosting estimate.
Side by side
| Payload CMS | Strapi | |
|---|---|---|
| Description | Developer-first headless CMS and application framework. | Headless CMS that lets developers build content APIs fast while giving content creators a friendly editing interface. |
| GitHub stars | 45,674 | 73,435 |
| Forks | 4.4k | 10k |
| Open issues (incl. PRs) | 1.5k | 648 |
| Commits (12 months) | 1.8k | 1.8k |
| Last activity | 2026-11-04 | 2026-11-04 |
| Latest release | v4.0.0-beta.7 (2026-11-04) | v5.61.0 (2026-11-04) |
| Maintenance health | Active | Active |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Language / platform | Nodejs | Nodejs |
| Docker Hub image | – | – |
| Docker pulls | – | – |
| Est. server size | ~1 GB, 1 vCPU | ~1 GB, 1 vCPU |
| Est. hosting from | $5/mo | $5/mo |
| Categories | Content Management Systems (CMS) | Content Management Systems (CMS) |
| Links | Website · Source | Website · Source |
What the numbers say
- Strapi is more popular on GitHub: 73.4k stars vs 45.7k for Payload CMS.
- Both are licensed under MIT.
- Both are written in Nodejs.
Summary: Strapi leads on GitHub popularity. The right choice depends on the features you need — read both project descriptions and docs.
This summary is generated from GitHub, Docker Hub and awesome-selfhosted data as of 2026-11-05. It does not rate features or quality.
Frequently asked questions
Is Payload CMS or Strapi more popular?
Strapi has more GitHub stars (73,435 vs 45,674 for Payload CMS, as of 2026-11-05). Stars measure interest, not quality.
Which is more actively maintained, Payload CMS or Strapi?
Commits in the last 12 months: Payload CMS 1,783, Strapi 1,762. Both had repository activity on 2026-11-04. Our health labels: Payload CMS is “Active”, Strapi is “Active”.
What licenses do Payload CMS and Strapi use?
Both use MIT.
Can I run Payload CMS and Strapi with Docker?
We did not detect a Docker Hub image for either app. Check each project's documentation for install options.
Read more
Strapi
Headless CMS that lets developers build content APIs fast while giving content creators a friendly editing interface.
Browse all self-hosted Content Management Systems (CMS) apps.