Mezzanine 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?
Mezzanine
Lightweight content management framework for Django
VS
Payload CMS
TypeScript-native headless CMS and application framework
| Feature | Mezzanine | Payload CMS |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Content Management Systems | Content Management Systems |
| License | BSD-2-Clause | MIT |
| Language | Python | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, source | docker, bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 4,822 | ★ 44,043 |
| First released | 2010 | 2021 |
| Replaces | WordPress | Contentful, Sanity |
Why pick each one
Choose Mezzanine if…
- Quick to get a Django site running
- Includes blogging out of the box
Choose Payload CMS if…
- Excellent TypeScript developer experience
- No vendor lock-in
Frequently asked questions
Is Mezzanine 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 Mezzanine and Payload CMS free and open-source?
Yes. Mezzanine is licensed under BSD-2-Clause and Payload CMS under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Mezzanine and Payload CMS with Docker?
Mezzanine: yes. Payload CMS: yes.