SHSelfHostIndex

Drupal 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?
DR Drupal Flexible enterprise CMS for complex content structures VS PA Payload CMS TypeScript-native headless CMS and application framework
FeatureDrupalPayload CMS
CategoryContent Management SystemsContent Management Systems
LicenseGPL-2.0MIT
LanguagePHPTypeScript
Setup difficultyHardMedium
Min. RAM1,024 MB512 MB
Deploymentdocker, bare-metal, sourcedocker, bare-metal, source
GitHub stars★ 4,280★ 44,043
First released20012021
ReplacesAdobe Experience Manager, SitecoreContentful, Sanity

Why pick each one

Choose Drupal if…

  • Scales to very large sites
  • Enterprise-grade security track record
Drupal details

Choose Payload CMS if…

  • Excellent TypeScript developer experience
  • No vendor lock-in
Payload CMS details

Frequently asked questions

Is Drupal or Payload CMS better?

Payload CMS is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler medium setup. Consider Drupal if its specific feature set fits your needs better.

Are Drupal and Payload CMS free and open-source?

Yes. Drupal is licensed under GPL-2.0 and Payload CMS under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run Drupal and Payload CMS with Docker?

Drupal: yes. Payload CMS: yes.

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