Payload vs Strapi: A comprehensive comparison
Two CMS at a glance
Which one of these CMS should you pick for your next project? What are the pros and cons of each? Choosing the right headless CMS that fits your or your client's needs is crucial. Strapi and Payload CMS are two popular options to choose from. Each offers unique strengths tailored to the needs of developers and businesses. This article will help you to decide which of these two to choose.
Strapi - 64.2k GitHub stars
Strapi is an open source and well established CMS. It's broadly used as a headless management system for all kinds of applications. Strapi was created by Pierre, Aurélien and Jim back in 2015. A strong perception of Strapi within the community started in 2018.
Payload - 30.1k GitHub stars
Payload CMS is an open source (MIT-License) and developer-centered management system. This newer CMS focuses on usability, flexibility and scalability for modern web apps. The project was created by James, Elliot and Dan in 2018. The huge breakthrough for Payload was in 2022.
Communities and Trends
An important factor when choosing between Strapi and Payload CMS is the support from the community and adaptation to current trends. A CMS without continuous support is not sustainable, especially for long-term or scalable projects.
CMS Interests over time
This Google Trends graph compares the popularity of Strapi (blue) and Payload CMS (orange) over the last five years. Strapi has consistently maintained a significantly higher level of interest. In contrast, interest in Payload CMS is minimal but has increased recently, suggesting that interest here is also on an upward trend.
Npm Downloads over time
NPM Trends compares download statistics for Strapi (blue) and Payload CMS (orange) over the past five years. Strapi has dominated downloads historically, reflecting its maturity and established user base. However, Payload CMS shows a significant rise in downloads starting in late 2022, suggesting growing interest and adoption.
Reddit Communities
Strapi benefits from a larger, well-established community with extensive resources and broad acceptance. You can exchange ideas and bugs with the strapi community in the subreddit r/strapi.
Payload CMS, on the other hand, is newer and has a smaller community, but has recently gained a lot of momentum and popularity. There is also a growing subreddit available r/payloadcms.
Strapi vs Payload - Developer experience
It is important that we are not only familiar with the technology, but also enjoy working with it. Let’s break down Payload and Strapi from a developer’s perspective, focusing on extensibility and functionality.
Technical comparison
Payload | Strapi |
|---|---|
Code-First Approach | |
Yes. Define everything in code. Fully version-controlled. | Partially. You can use code, but the admin panel plays a significant role in setup. |
Admin Panel | |
React-based. Fully extensible and matches your data structure. | Intuitive interface. Allows customization, but less tied to modern frameworks. |
APIs | |
Instant REST, GraphQL, and direct-to-DB Node.js APIs. | Auto-generated REST and GraphQL APIs with customization options. |
Ready DB Connections | |
PostgreSQL, MongoDB, MySQL | PostgreSQL, MongoDB, SQLite, MySQL. |
Open Source | |
Yes. MIT licensed. | Yes. Strapi Solutions SAS |
Extensibility | |
Fully extensible with TypeScript/Nextjs. Control every aspect of the backend. | Extensible with services, controllers, and models but less modern tooling integration. |
Community Plugins | |
Fewer community plugins but highly customizable via code. | Large ecosystem of community-driven plugins. |
Strapi vs Payload - Users & Non-technicals
As a user, you want a CMS that makes managing content easy and adapts to your needs. Here’s a side-by-side comparison of how Payload and Strapi deliver value to non-technical users.
Usage & Feature comparison
Payload | Strapi |
|---|---|
Ease of Use | |
User-friendly admin panel. Adaptable to the structure of the needs. | Intuitive admin panel. Offers more pre-built options for quick setup. |
Customization | |
Fully customizable but relies on developers to define how it works. | Allows some customization without much developer involvement. |
Content Editing | |
Supports live preview—see changes as you make them. | No built-in live preview. Requires saving and checking the frontend. |
Role-Based Access Control | |
Highly flexible permissions, tailored to specific user needs. | Role and permission settings are straightforward but less customizable. |
Plugina | |
Requires developer setup for advanced integrations but is flexible. | Easier integrations through plugins and pre-built APIs. |
Learning Curve | |
Needs developer support to configure, but user workflows are simple once set up. | Easier for beginners to start using right away. |
When choosing Payload CMS?
Payload CMS is a great choice if you need custom and scalable solutions. It gives developers full control and provides non-tech users with a simple admin panel. Choose Payload if data ownership and privacy matter to you. You don’t have to rely on a SaaS vendor to host or own your data. It’s also perfect for Next.js sites that need a CMS or when you want to reuse your data outside of a SaaS API.
Payload works well if your project needs custom business logic beyond a standard CMS. It also supports serverless deployments on platforms like Vercel or Coolify. With basepl, you can combine Payload’s flexibility with prebuilt blocks, components, and templates. This makes it faster to build while keeping the custom and scalable features your project needs.
