Payload CMS
Developer-first headless CMS and application framework.
Payload CMS vs Wagtail
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 | Wagtail | |
|---|---|---|
| Description | Developer-first headless CMS and application framework. | Django content management system focused on flexibility and user experience. |
| GitHub stars | 45,674 | 20,604 |
| Forks | 4.4k | – |
| Open issues (incl. PRs) | 1.5k | – |
| Commits (12 months) | 1.8k | 1.4k |
| Last activity | 2026-11-04 | 2026-11-04 |
| Latest release | v4.0.0-beta.7 (2026-11-04) | v8.1 (2026-11-02) |
| Maintenance health | Active | Active |
| License | MIT | BSD-3-Clause |
| Language / platform | Nodejs | Python |
| 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
- Payload CMS is more popular on GitHub: 45.7k stars vs 20.6k for Wagtail.
- Payload CMS published a release more recently (v4.0.0-beta.7 on 2026-11-04; Wagtail's latest is v8.1 on 2026-11-02).
- Payload CMS is licensed under MIT, Wagtail under BSD-3-Clause.
- Payload CMS is written in Nodejs; Wagtail in Python.
Summary: Payload CMS 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 Wagtail more popular?
Payload CMS has more GitHub stars (45,674 vs 20,604 for Wagtail, as of 2026-11-05). Stars measure interest, not quality.
Which is more actively maintained, Payload CMS or Wagtail?
Commits in the last 12 months: Payload CMS 1,783, Wagtail 1,387. Both had repository activity on 2026-11-04. Our health labels: Payload CMS is “Active”, Wagtail is “Active”.
What licenses do Payload CMS and Wagtail use?
Payload CMS: MIT. Wagtail: BSD-3-Clause.
Can I run Payload CMS and Wagtail with Docker?
We did not detect a Docker Hub image for either app. Check each project's documentation for install options.
Read more
Wagtail
Django content management system focused on flexibility and user experience.
Browse all self-hosted Content Management Systems (CMS) apps.