Payload vs TinaCMS
Comparing two open source alternatives to Contentful and Sanity. Use the comparison below to decide which one fits your needs.

Payload
MITOpen-source, TypeScript-first headless CMS and app framework that runs natively in Next.js with a code-defined backend and admin UI.

TinaCMS
Apache-2.0A fully open-source headless CMS with Git support, Markdown editing, and live visual preview for React-based sites.
Side-by-side comparison
Payload | TinaCMS | |
|---|---|---|
| License | MIT | Apache-2.0 |
| Self-hostable | Yes | Yes |
| GitHub Stars | 45,476 | 13,846 |
| Forks | 4,335 | 769 |
| Open Issues | 1,384 | 506 |
| Last Commit | Oct 25, 2026 | Oct 23, 2026 |
| First Released | Jan 5, 2021 | Jul 23, 2019 |
| Categories | ||
| Tags |
GitHub stars over time
GitHub stars over time
Similar open source alternatives

Strapi
Open-source headless CMS on Node.js and TypeScript: visual content-type builder, auto-generated REST and GraphQL APIs, RBAC, i18n and plugins.
WordPressCraft.js
React framework for building extensible drag-and-drop page editors. Headless, framework-based approach with full plugin support.
Builder.io
WollyCMS
Self-hosted, open-source headless CMS built specifically for Astro.js with a block-based page builder.
Contentful
Frappe Builder
Open-source visual website builder with a Figma-like canvas, built-in Frappe CMS, one-click publishing and an AI page agent.
Webflow
Puck
Open-source visual editor for React. Drag-and-drop page builder with a component-based architecture and MIT license.
Builder.io
Directus
Source-available headless CMS and backend that turns any SQL database into REST and GraphQL APIs with a no-code admin Studio.
WordPress