Payload vs Strapi

Updated October 2026 · AppBreakup editorial

Payload

Open-source TypeScript CMS and app framework that installs directly into a Next.js app.

Open sourceSelf-hostable

Visit Payload Payload profile

Strapi

Open-source headless CMS in Node.js with an admin panel and auto-generated REST and GraphQL APIs.

Open sourceSelf-hostable

Visit Strapi Strapi profile

The short answer

Pick Payload if you build with Next.js and want the CMS and website in one TypeScript codebase with a type-safe local API. Pick Strapi if you want a standalone headless CMS with a visual Content-Type Builder and an optional managed cloud. Both are MIT-licensed and free to self-host; the core difference is that Payload is code-first inside your app, while Strapi runs as a separate service.

Payload or Strapi: our take

Strapi and Payload are open-source headless CMSs for JavaScript developers, and both generate an admin panel plus REST and GraphQL APIs from the content model you define. Strapi lets you define content types through its Content-Type Builder in the admin or in code, supports PostgreSQL, MySQL, MariaDB and SQLite, and offers role-based access control, internationalisation, draft and publish, and a plugin marketplace. Developers extend it with custom controllers, policies and plugins in Node.js. Payload is code-first: collections, fields, access control and hooks live in a TypeScript config. Since version 3 it installs into a Next.js app, so CMS and site deploy together, and its local API can be called directly from server code. It works with PostgreSQL, MongoDB and SQLite and includes authentication, uploads, versions, drafts, localisation and live preview.

Both cores are free under the MIT licence. Strapi also sells Strapi Cloud, starting at $35 per project/month with a Pro tier at $90 per project/month, and an Enterprise edition with SSO, audit logs and review workflows. Payload reserves SSO, publishing workflows and a visual editor for its enterprise features. With either, self-hosting means you manage the server or database yourself.

The practical trade-offs follow from their designs. Strapi's builder lets content models change without much code, and its separate server suits teams with several front ends, but major version upgrades have a reputation for being painful. Payload gives tight type safety and one codebase, but every content model change means editing code and deploying, so non-developers cannot adjust the structure.

Teams already on Next.js who want full control will likely find Payload the cleaner fit. Teams that want a standalone content API, a visual way to model content, or a managed hosting option from the vendor will find Strapi easier to adopt.

Choose Payload if…

TypeScript and Next.js developers who want the CMS inside their own codebase
MIT-licensed and fully self-hostable
Lives inside your Next.js app with a type-safe local API

Choose Strapi if…

JavaScript teams that want a self-hostable headless CMS they can customise in code
MIT-licensed core that's free to self-host
Generates REST and GraphQL APIs from your content types

What is Payload?

Payload is an open-source, code-first CMS written in TypeScript and released under the MIT licence. You describe collections, fields, access control and hooks in a config file, and Payload gives you an admin panel, REST and GraphQL APIs and a local API you can call directly from server code. Since version 3 it installs into a Next.js app, so the CMS and the website can live in one codebase and deploy together, including to serverless hosts. It works with PostgreSQL, MongoDB and SQLite, and ships authentication, file uploads, versions and drafts, localisation and live preview. That makes it popular with developers who want full control and type safety, and with agencies tired of SaaS limits. The trade-offs are that everything is defined in code, so non-developers can't change the content model, and you run and scale the database yourself. The core is free; paid enterprise features include SSO and publishing workflows.

What is Strapi?

Strapi is an open-source headless CMS written in JavaScript and TypeScript. You define content types through its Content-Type Builder or in code, and Strapi generates an admin panel for editors plus REST and GraphQL APIs for any front end. It supports PostgreSQL, MySQL, MariaDB and SQLite, role-based access control, internationalisation, draft and publish, and a marketplace of plugins. Because the code is yours, developers can add custom controllers, policies and plugins in Node.js. The Community Edition is free to self-host under the MIT licence; Strapi Cloud offers managed hosting priced per project, and an Enterprise edition adds features such as SSO, audit logs and review workflows. Common complaints are that major version upgrades take work, and that advanced features are reserved for paid plans. It runs on your own Node.js server or containers, or on Strapi Cloud, and the admin works in the browser.

Side by side

Attribute	Payload	Strapi
Pricing	Open source	Open source
Open source	Yes	Yes
Self-hostable	Yes	Yes
Platforms	Self-hosted, Web	Self-hosted, Web
Best for	TypeScript and Next.js developers who want the CMS inside their own codebase	JavaScript teams that want a self-hostable headless CMS they can customise in code
Status	Active	Active

Verified facts, compared

Facts both apps publish, checked on each vendor's own site.

Fact	Payload	Strapi
License	MIT	MIT