# Drupal vs Payload CMS

**Leader by Vioscale score:** Drupal

| Attribute | Drupal | Payload CMS |
|---|---|---|
| **Vioscale score** | 72.4 (45% (low)) | 50.9 (39% (low)) |
| activity.commits_last_30d | 100 | - |
| adoption.dependent_repos | 158 | - |
| adoption.github_stars | 4,277 | - |
| deployment.options | `{"cloud":true,"self_hosted":true}` | `{"cloud":true,"on_prem":true,"self_hosted":true}` |
| description.long | Drupal is a community-driven, open-source platform for creating and managing digital content at enterprise scale. It offers an API-first, composable architecture suitable for both traditional websites and complex digital experiences, with no-code/low-code options for non-technical users and advanced customization capabilities for developers. | 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. |
| features.capabilities | `{"cms_type":"headless","free_tier":true,"open_source":true,"git_workflow":true,"headless_api":true,"localization":true,"self_hostable":true,"visual_builder":true,"managed_hosting":true,"content_workflow":true,"plugin_ecosystem":"Community-supported modules, themes, and recipes","structured_content":true}` | `{"cms_type":"headless","free_tier":true,"multisite":true,"open_source":true,"git_workflow":true,"headless_api":true,"localization":true,"self_hostable":true,"visual_builder":true,"managed_hosting":true,"content_workflow":true,"plugin_ecosystem":"Community-driven with templates and GitHub integration","structured_content":true}` |
| integrations.count | - | 6 |
| integrations.list | - | `[{"name":"Nodemailer"},{"name":"Resend"},{"name":"SendGrid"},{"name":"Stripe"},{"name":"Ethereal"},{"name":"SMTP"}]` |
| language.primary | PHP | - |
| market.availability | `{"primaryMarkets":[],"availabilityScope":"global","availableCountries":[],"notAvailableCountries":[]}` | `{"primaryMarkets":["US"],"availabilityScope":"global","availableCountries":[],"notAvailableCountries":[]}` |
| platform.support | `{"cli":true,"web":true}` | `{"cli":true,"web":true}` |
| pricing | `{"type":"open_source","summary":"Open source and free","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://www.drupal.org","retrievedAt":"2026-08-14T15:29:30.320Z"}` | `{"type":"hybrid","summary":"Free and open-source. Paid cloud hosting with 14-day trial for new signups; enterprise available on quarterly billing.","currency":"USD","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://payloadcms.com","retrievedAt":"2026-08-21T13:19:38.129Z","freeTrialDays":14,"billingPeriods":["month","quarter"]}` |
| pricing.free_tier | yes | yes |
| pricing.model | commercial | freemium |
| pricing.price_level | free | low |
| pricing.transparent | yes | no |
| security.gdpr | yes | - |
| security.scorecard | 3.9 | - |
| security.vulnerabilities | `{"count":72,"source":"https://advisories.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/advisories?ecosystem=packagist&package_name=drupal%2Fdrupal&per_page=100","last_12m":0,"max_severity":"CRITICAL"}` | - |

## Capabilities (CMS Software)

| Capability | Drupal | Payload CMS |
|---|:--:|:--:|
| **Core** |  |  |
| CMS type | Headless / API-first | Headless / API-first |
| **Licensing** |  |  |
| Open-source | ✓ | ✓ |
| **Deployment** |  |  |
| Self-hostable | ✓ | ✓ |
| Managed / cloud hosting offered | ✓ | ✓ |
| **Delivery** |  |  |
| Headless API (REST/GraphQL) | ✓ | ✓ |
| **Content** |  |  |
| Structured content modelling | ✓ | ✓ |
| Localisation / i18n | ✓ | ✓ |
| Content workflow / approvals | ✓ | ✓ |
| **Editing** |  |  |
| Visual / no-code page builder | ✓ | ✓ |
| **Extensibility** |  |  |
| Plugin / app ecosystem size | Community-supported modules, themes, and recipes | Community-driven with templates and GitHub integration |
| **Scale** |  |  |
| Multi-site / multi-tenant | - | ✓ |
| **Workflow** |  |  |
| Git-based / code-first workflow | ✓ | ✓ |
| **Pricing** |  |  |
| Free / open tier | ✓ | ✓ |

*Source: Vioscale. Generated 2026-09-01T17:12:11.273Z. "-" = undocumented, not absent.*