Concrete CMS vs Payload CMS
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted content management systems options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
Concrete CMS
In-context editing CMS for marketers and site owners
VS
Payload CMS
TypeScript-native headless CMS and application framework
| Feature | Concrete CMS | Payload CMS |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Content Management Systems | Content Management Systems |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Language | PHP | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | docker, bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 850 | ★ 44,043 |
| First released | 2008 | 2021 |
| Replaces | Wix, Squarespace | Contentful, Sanity |
Why pick each one
Choose Concrete CMS if…
- Very approachable for non-technical editors
- No separate admin needed for content
Choose Payload CMS if…
- Excellent TypeScript developer experience
- No vendor lock-in
Frequently asked questions
Is Concrete CMS or Payload CMS better?
Neither is universally better. Payload CMS has the larger community, while Concrete CMS is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Concrete CMS and Payload CMS free and open-source?
Yes. Concrete CMS is licensed under MIT and Payload CMS under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Concrete CMS and Payload CMS with Docker?
Concrete CMS: yes. Payload CMS: yes.