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Payload Logo

An open-source, headless CMS and application framework.

Table of Contents

Payload - 2026 Pricing, Features, Reviews & Alternatives

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All user reviews are verified by in-house moderators and provider data by our software research team.  Learn more

Payload overview

What is Payload?

Payload is an open-source, headless CMS and application framework built with TypeScript, Node.js, and React.

With Payload's free self-hosted option, you own all your data and distribute content wherever you need through automatically available GraphQL and REST API. You have a turn-key solution for user authentication, file uploads, localization, input validation, access control, programmatic hooks, and admin panel.

Save developer time by providing a configuration that Payload uses to model your content however needed. You don't need to learn Payload, you just write JavaScript to extend your application.

Enjoy the benefits of nesting objects or relating data to give content authors robust tools to manage web and mobile experiences.

You can also deploy your entire stack in one place with

Payload Cloud. Payload Cloud works for any Node + Mongo app.

Whether you're using Remix, Next, SvelteKit, or something else entirely, deploy it on Payload Cloud.

Key benefits of using Payload

Completely free and open-source
GraphQL, REST, and Local APIs
Easily customizable ReactJS Admin
Fully self-hosted
Extensible Authentication
Local file storage & upload
Version History and Drafts
Field-based Localization
Block-based Layout Builder
Array field type
Field conditional logic
Extremely granular Access Control
Document and field-level hooks for every action Payload provides
Built with Typescript & very Typescript-friendly
Intensely fast API
Highly secure thanks to HTTP-only cookies, CSRF protection, and more

Starting price

35 /
per month

Alternatives

with better value for money

Payload’s user interface

Ease of use rating:

Payload reviews

Overall rating

4.9

/5

48

Positive reviews

100

%

Rating breakdown
  • Value for money
  • Ease of use
  • Features
  • Customer support
  • Likelihood to recommend9.75/10
Rating distribution

5

4

3

2

1

42

6

0

0

0

Pros
“It's been an easy & seamless process and gaining support as an agency partner has been great. We look forward to a bright future with Payload.”
Verified reviewer profile picture

Charlie H.

Co-Founder

“Payload has many great features and amazing and fast support. The advantage is that the project is open source and some people are creating amazing ideas.”
FM

Filip M.

Developer

“Super intuitive to get started with, built on top of common Node packages such as Express, it was very easy to get started with and do advanced integrations with the platform.”
PP

Paul P.

Engineer

Cons
“I would have expected more examples in the documentation, some things are missing or incorrect. Payload also doesn't use concepts that some may be used to.”
FM

Filip M.

Developer

“Some convenient functionalities are still missing, e.g. bulk upload, display where media elements are used across the system, locking documents for other users while being edited/live collaboration.”
Verified reviewer profile picture

Sandro W.

CEO

“At the moment the CMS is only limited to MongoDB databases but we know the team at Payload is hard working on a Postgres adapter that will ceil the deal for us.”
LV

Lou V.

CEO

Who uses Payload?

Based on 48 verified user reviews.

Company size

Small Businesses

Enterprises

Midsize Businesses

Top industries

Computer Software
Information Technology and Services
Design
Internet
Others

Use cases

Headless CMS

Payload's key features

Most critical features, based on insights from Payload users:

API
Access controls/permissions
Content publishing options
De-Coupled front & back ends
Mobile access
A/B testing

All Payload features

Features rating:

Rich text editor
Multi-Language
Role-Based permissions
User management
Content management
Text editing
For marketers
For developers
Multi-Channel marketing
SDKs
Rule Based Publishing
Scheduling
SEO management
Single sign on
Tagging
Template management
Third-Party integrations
Two-Factor authentication
Version control
Web forms
Website management
Workflow management
Approval process control
Asset lifecycle management
Categorization/Grouping
Collaboration tools
Configurable workflow
Content library
Customizable forms
Customizable templates
Document management
Drag & drop
Filtering
Full text search
Historical reporting
Image editing
Multi-Channel distribution
Multi-Channel management
Preview functionality

Payload alternatives

Payload logo

Starting from

35

Per month

Free trial
Free version
Ease of Use
Features
Value for Money
Customer Support
Kontent.ai logo
visit website

Starting from

Empty state illustration for "No pricing info"

No pricing info

Free trial
Free version
Ease of Use
Features
Value for Money
Customer Support
Agility CMS logo
visit website

Starting from

1249

Per month

Free trial
Free version
Ease of Use
Features
Value for Money
Customer Support
Strapi logo

Starting from

99

Per month

Free trial
Free version
Ease of Use
Features
Value for Money
Customer Support

Payload pricing

Value for money rating:

Starting from

35

Per month

Pricing details
Subscription
Free trial
Free plan
Pricing range

User opinions about Payload price and value

Value for money rating:

To see what individual users think of Payload's price and value, check out the review snippets below.

“It's been an easy & seamless process and gaining support as an agency partner has been great. We look forward to a bright future with Payload.”
Verified reviewer profile picture

Charlie H.

Co-Founder

“Payload has many great features and amazing and fast support. The advantage is that the project is open source and some people are creating amazing ideas.”
FM

Filip M.

Developer

Payload integrations (9)

Integrations rated by users

We looked at 48 user reviews to identify which products are mentioned as Payload integrations and how users feel about them.

Stripe logo
Stripe

Integration rating: 4.5 (2)

Payload support options

Typical customers

Freelancers
Small businesses
Mid size businesses
Large enterprises

Platforms supported

Web
Android
iPhone/iPad

Support options

Email/Help Desk
FAQs/Forum
24/7 (Live rep)
Phone Support
Knowledge Base

Training options

Documentation
Videos

Payload FAQs

Q. What type of pricing plans does Payload offer?

Payload has the following pricing plans:
Starting from: $35.00/month
Pricing model: Free, Subscription, Open Source
Free Trial: Available

These products have better value for money


Q. Who are the typical users of Payload?

Payload has the following typical customers:
Freelancers, Large Enterprises, Mid Size Business, Small Business


Q. What languages does Payload support?

Payload supports the following languages:
Arabic, Chinese (Simplified), Croatian, Czech, Dutch, English, French, German, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Norwegian (Bokmal), Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Spanish, Swedish, Thai, Turkish, Ukrainian, Vietnamese


Q. Does Payload offer an API?

Yes, Payload has an API available for use.


Q. What other apps does Payload integrate with?

Payload integrates with the following applications:
Datadog, Zapier, Stripe, Okta, Algolia, HubSpot CRM


Q. What level of support does Payload offer?

Payload offers the following support options:
Email/Help Desk, FAQs/Forum, 24/7 (Live rep), Phone Support, Knowledge Base

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