Comparison

KeystoneJS vs Payload CMS

On the evidence we track, KeystoneJS leads this comparison with a composite score of 59/100. Scores are only directly comparable because these tools share a category; the full breakdown and every source is below.

Machine formatsJSONMarkdownGraphQLor send Accept: application/json
KeystoneJS59
Payload CMS51
Score
Vioscale score
KeystoneJS59 / 100medium · 56%
Payload CMS51 / 100low · 39%
Pricing
Free tier
KeystoneJS
Payload CMS
Model
KeystoneJSfreemium
Payload CMSfreemium
Price level
KeystoneJSfree
Payload CMSlow
Transparent
KeystoneJS
Payload CMS
Integrations
Count
KeystoneJS4
Payload CMS6
Security
Scorecard
KeystoneJS5.3
Payload CMS
Adoption
Github stars
KeystoneJS9,963
Payload CMS
Activity
Commits last 30d
KeystoneJS100
Payload CMS
Release
Cadence days
KeystoneJS14
Payload CMS
History
KeystoneJS20 items
Payload CMS
License
Spdx
KeystoneJSMIT
Payload CMS
Language
Primary
KeystoneJSTypeScript
Payload CMS
Market
Availability
KeystoneJS

Capabilities

Feature-by-feature on the axes that matter for cms software. “-” means undocumented, not absent.

Core
CMS type
KeystoneJSHeadless / API-first
Payload CMSHeadless / API-first
Licensing
Open-source
KeystoneJS
Payload CMS
Deployment
Self-hostable
KeystoneJS
Payload CMS
Managed / cloud hosting offered
KeystoneJS-
Payload CMS
Delivery
Headless API (REST/GraphQL)
KeystoneJS
Payload CMS
Content
Structured content modelling
KeystoneJS
Payload CMS
Localisation / i18n
KeystoneJS-
Payload CMS
Content workflow / approvals
KeystoneJS
Payload CMS
Editing
Visual / no-code page builder
KeystoneJS
Payload CMS
Extensibility
Plugin / app ecosystem size
KeystoneJSCustom field types and extensible architecture
Payload CMSCommunity-driven with templates and GitHub integration
Scale
Multi-site / multi-tenant
KeystoneJS-
Payload CMS
Workflow
Git-based / code-first workflow
KeystoneJS-
Payload CMS
Pricing
Free / open tier
KeystoneJS
Payload CMS

What each one is

The product in its own terms, so the numbers below have context.

KeystoneJS

Leader

A headless CMS for developers that provides a GraphQL API and management UI for content and data. Developers define a schema and get a powerful backend without boilerplate or bootstrapping.

Independently observed

Payload CMS

A flexible, developer-friendly headless CMS and backend framework built on Next.js that supports cloud and self-hosted deployment, offering code-first development for developers and visual content interfaces for marketers.

Independently observed

Pricing

List pricing as published by each vendor, with the date we read it. Always verify at the source before you buy.

KeystoneJS

Leader
Open sourceFree tier

Free and open source

as of verify ↗

Payload CMS

HybridFree tier14-day trial

Free and open-source. Paid cloud hosting with 14-day trial for new signups; enterprise available on quarterly billing.

as of verify ↗

Platform & deployment

Where each product runs and how it can be hosted. A dash means undocumented, not unsupported.

Platforms
Web
KeystoneJS
Payload CMS
CLI
KeystoneJS
Payload CMS
Deployment
Cloud / SaaS
KeystoneJS
Payload CMS
Self-hosted
KeystoneJS
Payload CMS
On-premise
KeystoneJS
Payload CMS

Integrations

What each product connects to. Counts come from the vendor's own integration directory where one exists.

KeystoneJS

Leader
4 total
  • Cloudinary
  • Prisma
  • Apollo Client
  • OpenTelemetry
Independently observed

Payload CMS

6 total
  • Nodemailer
  • Resend
  • SendGrid
  • Stripe
  • Ethereal
  • SMTP
Independently observed

Comparison generated from independently-sourced facts. Every value links to its source and retrieval date. See the method.