Payload vs Strapi
Comparing two open source alternatives to Contentful . Use the comparison below to decide which one fits your needs.
Payload
MITPayload is an open-source, TypeScript-first headless CMS and application framework built on Next.js, Express, and React.
Strapi
🚀 Strapi is the leading open-source headless CMS. It’s 100% JavaScript/TypeScript, fully customizable, and developer-first.
Side-by-side comparison
| Payload | Strapi | |
|---|---|---|
| License | MIT | — |
| Self-hostable | Yes | No |
| GitHub Stars | 43,812 | 72,704 |
| Forks | 3,968 | 9,802 |
| Open Issues | 926 | 481 |
| Last Commit | Jul 27, 2026 | Jul 22, 2026 |
| First Released | Jan 5, 2021 | Sep 30, 2015 |
| Categories | ||
| Tags |
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