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Payload CMS

The most powerful headless CMS for developers

Open SourceFree TierAdded Feb 1, 2021

About

Payload is a headless CMS and application framework built with TypeScript. It generates both a REST and GraphQL API from your content schema, includes a beautiful admin panel, access control, file uploads, and localization out of the box. Code-first approach — define your schema in code, not a GUI. Self-hosted on your own infrastructure.

Tags

cmsheadlesstypescriptopen-sourceapiself-hostednextjs

Origin Story

By James Mikrut & Dan Ribbens

The Problem

Existing headless CMS tools were either too opinionated, not developer-friendly enough, or required you to manage content through a GUI instead of code.

Building It

Launched publicly in 2021. Grew through the developer community and excellent documentation. Gained traction as a Next.js-native CMS.

What It Means

A CMS built for developers who want full control — define everything in code, deploy anywhere.

The Dream

To be the best headless CMS for developers who want power and flexibility without vendor lock-in.

Pricing

ModelOpen Source
Starting at$15/mo
Free tierAvailable

Free and open source (MIT). Payload Cloud for managed hosting starts at $15/month with automatic deployments.

View pricing

Category

Developer Tools

Problems Solved

  • Headless Cms For Developers
  • Content Management With Code
  • Building Custom Backends

Alternative to

  • D
    Directus

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