Keystone 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.
Payload CMS
TypeScript-native headless CMS and application framework
| Feature | Keystone | Payload CMS |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 93 · Excellent | 100 · Excellent |
| Category | Content Management Systems | Content Management Systems |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Language | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, source | docker, bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 9,977 | ★ 44,910 |
| First released | 2013 | 2021 |
| Replaces | Contentful, Strapi | Contentful, Sanity |
What are Keystone and Payload CMS?
Keystone
Keystone is an open-source headless CMS and Node.js framework that lets developers define schemas in code and automatically get a GraphQL API and admin UI. It is well suited to content-driven applications.
- Schema-as-code data modeling
- Auto-generated GraphQL API
- Customizable admin UI
- Flexible field types
Payload CMS
Payload is an open-source headless CMS and application framework built fully in TypeScript and React. It generates a powerful admin UI and APIs from code-first configuration, integrating tightly with Next.js.
- Code-first configuration
- Auto-generated admin UI
- Native Next.js integration
- REST, GraphQL, and local APIs
Keystone vs Payload CMS: key differences
Both projects are written in TypeScript. Keystone is the more established project (first released 2013), while Payload CMS arrived in 2021. Payload CMS has the considerably larger community, at 44,910 GitHub stars versus 9,977.
Why pick each one
Choose Keystone if…
- Strong TypeScript support
- Flexible and extensible
Watch out for
- Headless only
- Smaller community than Strapi
Choose Payload CMS if…
- Excellent TypeScript developer experience
- No vendor lock-in
Watch out for
- Requires development skills
- Younger ecosystem
Frequently asked questions
Is Keystone or Payload CMS better?
Neither is universally better. Payload CMS has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Keystone and Payload CMS free and open-source?
Yes. Keystone is licensed under MIT and Payload CMS under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Keystone and Payload CMS with Docker?
Keystone: yes. Payload CMS: yes.